| Two half-hitches | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Category | Hitch |
| Origin | Ancient |
| Related | Round turn and two half-hitches,Buntline hitch,Clove hitch,Taut-line hitch,Half hitch |
| Releasing | Binding |
| Typical use | General-purpose hitch |
| Caveat | low security |
| ABoK | #1710 #1781 |
Two half-hitches is a type ofknot, specifically abinding knot orhitch knot. One variety consists of anoverhand knot tied around a post, followed by a half-hitch. This knot is less often referred to as aclove hitch over itself,double half-hitch, orfull-hitch.
Two half hitches is the commonest of all hitches for mooring in particular and also for general utility. Steel gives the name in 1794. The difference between two half hitches and the clove hitch is that the former, after a single turn around a spar, is made fast around its own standing part, while the latter is tied directly around the spar.
The following three-step process for tying the two half-hitches is also explained in the image gallery below. Click on the images for high-resolution versions.
To release the knot, pry apart the two hitches with a bending motion. However, it can often be difficult to untie. To help avoid this problem, tie a slipped variation: in the second half-hitch, pass through abight, as when tying your shoe, rather than the entire free end.
Thebuntline hitch, when bent to a yard, makes a more secure knot than two half hitches, but is more liable to jam. It differs from two half hitches in that the secondhalf hitch is inside instead of outside the first one.
Ashley Lesson #1781 has quotations on using two half-hitches for safety:
