Classic (Square Knot) Double Column
By Lazarus Redmayne
When a riggerRiggerThe person who ties in rope bondage, also known as the top or dominant partner.Types of Participants - More Vocabulary Terms says “Double Column” without further specification, such as “Lark’s HeadLark's headA basic hitch made by folding the rope into a bight, passing it around an object, and drawing the ends back through the loop. Also known as the cow hitch, it is a fast way to attach rope to a ring, bar, or another line, though on its own it can shift or collapse under uneven load.Lark's Head Knot Double Column,” this is probably what they are talking about (or they are saying that you can use any Double Column you like).
This is a very quick and intuitive method of tying a forward-tension Double Column, using a variation on a Square KnotSquare knotA binding knot that joins two ends by tying two opposing half knots, left over right and then right over left, so the finished knot lies flat. Known in Japanese as hon musubi (本結び, roughly 'true knot') and in English also as the reef knot. It holds a bundle together reliably but tends to slip when used to join two separate loaded ropes, so it is chosen with that limitation in mind.Square Knot | Surgeon's Knot or Granny Knot. This version is commonly used in classical shibariShibariThe art of Japanese rope bondage, focusing on aesthetics, connection, and technique.What is Shibari?.
Risk Management and Safety
See Reducing Risk for important safety information about tying the wrists.
This knot is not as stable as the other options and can collapse if not properly formed or if too much tension is put on the knot without reinforcing it.
Rope Needed
For this tutorial, I used one 10' (~3m) piece of Natural 1/4" (6mm) hemp
I use an amazing Natural hemp rope provided by my affiliate Twisted Monk. Check them out!
Prerequisites
The Core Technique
For this example, we will tie the wrists.
Begin with your rope folded in half. Hold the rope in your guiding hand while your active hand lays the bightBightA curved section in the middle of a rope where the line doubles back on itself to form a U, without the two parts crossing over each other. Folding a rope in half creates a bight at its midpoint, which is the starting point for a great many ties., on top of what you are tying.
Make two to three wraps for a total of four to six strands in the cuff. You will need a longer bight than you had for the Classic Single Column, roughly 10 to 14 inches, to have enough to finish the tie.
Keep a grip on all the strands with your guiding hand and use your active hand to lay the bight end over top of all of them…
…then wrap between the two columns, all the way to the other side.
Bring the bight around all the lines and back up to where you started.
Now we need to lock the cuff. First, reverse the direction of the tail to make a bend in the rope. (This, along with the crossing in Steps 4-5, creates the first twist of the Square Knot.)
Pull the bight straight up to begin cinching the lines of the cuff. This will tighten all the strands at the same time and to the same level.
Lay the bight on top of the bend in the tail.
Reach through the bend and hook the bight.
Pull the bight through. This is the second twist of the Square Knot.
If you have tied it correctly, you will have this distinctive shape with three lobes.
Confirm the cuffs are at the desired level of tightness. You need to be able to get two fingers under the cuffs. If not, it is too tight, and you risk impacting blood flow or causing nerve damage.
Tighten the knot very tightly as shown in the Single Column tutorial, Steps 22-30.
You will know you have the Square Knot version if you see this pattern with three sets of two lines converging and the tail and bight being parallel to the cuffs. If the tail and bight are perpendicular to the cuffs, you have made the Granny Knot version. Both can work fine if properly tightened, but the Granny Knot version is a little more prone to collapsing than the Square Knot version.
It is better to have the cuffs a little higher on the wrists so they do not impact the small bones of the wrists. The rope may have naturally migrated tight up to the hand while tying. If so, place your fingers inside the cuff and move them away slightly.
This way the pressure is not directly on the bones and other sensitive areas of the most vulnerable part of the wrist.
A Word of Caution
If strong tension is added perpendicular to the cuffs (I am pulling straight up on the tail)…
…this knot will deform and can either untie or result in this becoming a collapsing tie.
If you plan to have the tail in this configuration, use the load-bearingLoad-bearingDescribes any rope, friction, or piece of hardware that is actually carrying weight or holding significant tension, as opposed to a decorative or positioning wrap. In suspension it matters to know which elements are load-bearing, because those must be secure, well dressed, and kept clear of vulnerable anatomy — a failure under load can happen suddenly. technique (p. 248) or reinforce the knot as shown on the next page.
Reinforcing the Knot - Making the tie more stable
The lack of stability in this tie can be a feature! This allows it to be rapidly untied.
Grab the tail.
Give it a twist to create a loop. Do this so that the lines of the tail lay parallel to the lines of the cuffs.
Reach through that loop and grab the bight.
Pull the bight all the way through. Now that that loop is around something, it is a HitchHitchA knot that fastens rope to another object such as a limb, a bar, or another line, and relies on that object to keep its shape. Remove what it is tied around and a hitch generally falls apart, which is what distinguishes it from a knot tied in the rope itself. It is the parent category for a range of rope-bondage ties, including the half hitch.Anchor Hitch & RTTHHHalf-Hitches. That is why this technique is often called “dropping a hitch.”
Pull the tail and bight away from each other very firmly. Then tighten each individual strand as shown in the Single Column tutorial, Steps 22-30.
Now, if tension is added, the first twist may deform somewhat, but it protects the second and third twists from deforming.
Rapidly Untying this Double Column
Add an additional twist so that you have a full Square Knot above the cuffs.
(This technique can also be used to create the second twist when doing the original tie in steps 7-12.)
See how the tail of the knot is naturally flowing in this direction?
To quickly release or pop this knot, pull the rope in the opposite direction…
…then pull firmly.
The knot will pop loose.
Then you can untie it easily from there.