How to Tie an Adjustable Knot

Co-authored by Britt Edelen

Last Updated: August 1, 2022 References

Whether you’re making a friendship bracelet or needing to tie your camping gear to a post, knowing how to make an adjustable knot is a really useful skill. While there are dozens of different kinds of adjustable knots, the sliding knot and the slip knot will give you a great basis for all your adjustable-knot-tying needs. Knots can be tricky, so be patient and give it some time—with practice, you can learn how to make these knots by memory!

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Securing a Sliding Knot

1
Bend one end of the rope back about 4 inches (100 mm) to create a half-loop. This should give you enough space to easily create your knot without running out of room. When you bend back the end of the rope, you’ll create 2 parallel lines.^{[1]
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- This type of knot is great for making bracelets, necklaces, or other types of crafting projects. It lets you easily adjust the length and put on or remove pieces of jewelry even if there isn’t a clasp.
- You can tie these types of knots with rope, thread, yarn, string, or even flexible wire.
- It may be helpful to lay your rope out on a table in front of you if you can. This will help you see your work more easily.
- Whatever knot you are tying, keep your eye on where the ends are. You should always know where one end is in comparison to the other.
2
Take the opposite end of the rope and pull it under the loop you made. While holding the 2 parallel lines in place, grab the other end of the rope. Tuck it under the loop you made and pull it so that it’s in the middle and creates a third parallel line.^{[2]
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- Remember that if you get tripped up, you can always start again! Learning to tie new knots can be tricky, but you’ll get it with enough practice.
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3
Pull the bottom piece of rope behind the top 2 parallel lines. The bottom piece of rope is the original end that you bent back to create a half-loop. Bring it underneath the other 2 pieces of rope so that it’s pointing upward.^{[3]
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- Be sure to keep a firm grip on the rope so that you don’t lose your place or get the pieces mixed up.
4
Wrap the end of the rope around the other lines 3 times. Wrap the rope in the direction of the end of the semi-loop. This makes that loop smaller, which will form the end of your knot.^{[4]
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- As you’re wrapping the rope around, you will end up essentially wrapping it around itself, too. This is what holds all the pieces together and creates the sliding function that you want for your craft.
5
Pass the end of the rope through the small remaining loop. Carefully grab the very end of the rope and pull it down through the loop. Keep a hold on the end of the rope as well as on the body of the knot so that it doesn’t come apart at this pivotal point.^{[5]
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- If you find that the end of the rope is too short to pass through the loop, undo the knot and start again with a longer tail.
Tip: If you’re having a hard time grabbing the end of the rope to pull it through the loop, try using a pair of pliers. They could help you grasp the end more securely to pull it through since it can sometimes be really small and tricky to handle!^{[6]
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6
Pull the rope while pushing the loops forward to tighten the knot. You’ll be pulling and pushing both sections in the same direction to secure the knot rather than pulling them apart from each other. Keep doing this until that small loop you passed the rope through is the same size as the other loops.^{[7]
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- Be sure to tug these parts as tightly as possible; otherwise, that end of the rope could pass back through the loop, causing your knot to come undone.
7
Repeat the knot-making process on the opposite end of the rope. Holding the rope in your hand, slide the existing knot down the rope to create an 8 in (200 mm) piece of rope. Fold that back on itself at the halfway point so that the end of the rope is pointing toward the existing knot. Repeat the wrapping step and pull the end of the rope through the newly created loop, tightening it to secure the second knot.^{[8]
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- Remember to pull the end of the rope down through the loop to create the end of the knot.
8
Trim any excess material from the ends of the rope to make it look neater. Use a pair of scissors to cut away the excess rope from either end. You’ll want to leave about ¹⁄₂ inch (13 mm) of rope to ensure that the knot won’t accidentally come undone.^{[9]
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- If you don’t mind the excess material hanging off, you can skip this step.
9
Pull the knots or the rope to change the length of the piece. Pull on both sides of the rope to bring the knots closer together and make your piece longer. Pull on both knots to slide them away from each other and make the piece shorter.^{[10]
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- Now that you know how to make an adjustable knot for crafts, you’ll be able to create lots of great pieces for yourself and friends!

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Tying a Slip Knot

1
Bend the end of the rope back on itself to create 2 parallel lines. The length of rope you’ll need to bend back will depend on the object you need to secure it to. You could wrap the rope around the object and then add another 6 inches (150 mm) or so to ensure you have enough space to work.^{[11]
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- This type of knot is great for securing a rope to some kind of stationary object, like a post.
- The slip knot is also often used in crocheting and knitting.
2
Pull the end of the rope over and under the top section of rope. It may be helpful to hold the middle of the rope where it’s bent with two fingers, just to keep the strands separated. Loop the end of the rope around the top piece so that the end is still facing the same direction.^{[12]
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- If you’re going camping or rock climbing and know that you need to be able to tie some basic knots, practice a few times before leaving so that you can tie knots without needing instructions.
3
Reach through the loop and grab the middle section with your 2 fingers. Keep a hold of the end of the rope with your other hand. Pull the middle section back through the loop to begin creating the body of your knot.^{[13]
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- If you want extra security for your knot, you could always loop the end of the rope around the top section 2-3 more times.
4
Pull the loop and the end of the rope apart from each other to tighten the knot. Simply tug the loop you created and the end of the rope several times to finish making your slip knot. It would be very hard to make the knot too tight, so don’t worry about overdoing it.^{[14]
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- This is a super basic slip knot. There are variations you can learn that are more advanced, like an uni knot.
5
Tighten or loosen the loop by sliding the knot up and down the rope. To make the loop looser, pull on it to move the knot up the rope. To tighten the loop, push the knot toward it so it gets less slack.^{[15]
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- Play around with this knot to see how it works and get more familiar with it. It can be used for lots of different things and is a handy knot to know.