Reading ABoK: Fave chapters

[KC]

ABoK still stands as a massive volume of collected works and travels of it's author; even by today's standards.  Unimaginable collecting all those knots, drawing them, but obviously living their stories as well; then keeping them dry, safe and sifting out to a measley 7000 drawings; wonder if he was saving any for an encore!  i'd recommend reading ABoK several times; at least the chapters that apply to your interest; a much less daunting task!
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 i think to absorb it's true depth i've had to specialize in a few chapters to sift more and more out of what was already there; but understanding more because of more added experience.   Things he mentions 1x in passing can be REAL important and carried to other lacings as well.  "a round turn on the standing part adds materially to the strength of the knot" ; how a half hitch low nip gets skull cross-bonz and high nip gets anchor reliability, in this chapter for RIGHT ANGLE PULL KNOTS.
The is right at start of chapter_21; if just starting here, you could read on for more goodies.
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i'd advise to STOP, realizing right angle pull only chapter, and re-read parts about RT around sPart, and see skull by low nip, anchor by high nip(any point opposite load pull for nip is most correct),  and getting frictions before the nip in everything, 10x.  Evaluate any knot lacing in the rest of the book or i ever saw by those scantly casted recommendations and get lots more out of it before going on! 
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 Then as he opens chap_22 carefully separating these pulls from all others.:"To withstand a lengthwise pull without slipping is about the most that can be asked of a hitch. Great care must be exercised in tying the following series of knots, and the impossible must not he expected...." ; remember that well any time there isn't a right angle of pull!
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  i hope the ol'man is getting a good laugh; cuz i've picked up 'new' knot knowledge from some one else or thought on own, just to find it in ABoK,  many more times even than 'new' knots are found already in ABoK as well!
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In retrospect, for my type usage; to invite more readership of AboK;
chapters_20-25 to pick 30 pages in a row most applicable(others apply, but as a start..)
i'd say the 30 pages is approximately 1/20th of the massive book.
And recommend one on a similar path as i could get more out of reading those 30 pages,
10x, than the whole book 1x.
Also, i think it pays to tie these things around your own thigh and pull at angles over and over(watching tv) and get the feel of these forces in the rope itself and your leg as the load etc.  Know better what releases, seats tighter/better, what angles of pull do etc.
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Thanx, Mr.Ashley many times !

[Dan_Lehman]

ABoK still stands as a massive volume of collected works and travels of it's author;
even by today's standards.  Unimaginable collecting all those knots, drawing them,
but obviously living their stories as well; then keeping them dry, safe and sifting out
to a measley 7000 drawings; wonder if he was saving any for an encore!

Glad to see that its "drawings" and not "knots" --which is the
typical error-- that you count to 7000.  (But where'd this count
arise?  Given that there are 3854 #'d images and that most
images seem to be numbered, making up some 3,200 strikes
me as implausible, frankly --that's more than every other #'d
image having an anonymous partner!?  But, e.g., there are a lot
of cases where tying steps have associated images and form a
trio with the #'d entry.)

Things he mentions 1x in passing can be REAL important and carried to other lacings as well.
 "a round turn on the standing part adds materially to the strength of the knot"

And in many cases should make you ask How do you come
to assert this?!" --by what evidence, testing ... .  (And beyond
that, recall that his experience is one primarily of natural fibres.)

Ashley's work is one that stands in need of considerable
furthering --of method, analysis, & research.  It's a daunting
task, though on some of the research part, it should be more
comfortably done via today's ready recording devices and
communications --to show the state of the practice.


--dl*
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[KC]

i think we see the simple/single Turn upgraded to a full/Round Turn in enough example patterns to figure he has a point; let alone learn to trust most his observations.
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Scaffold/double noose, sling girthed with extra Turn around self, double Fisherman's etc. leading into similar structures in monofil making up for monofil's own weakness/achille's tendon.
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i think a simple, single Turn just bends S.Part, but upgrade to RT gives grip all around, just like on spar for more Nip points.  This grip seems to be able to handle some of the load(?) or at least stabilize the delicate area of change(most loaded S.Part into 1st bend)?.

Perhaps in some ways like a double bowline supposed to be stronger; where by modify so S.Part makes the same deformity from pure inline, just over a longer distance(2 rings), for less impact of change(like angling across RR crossing instead of straight across is less abrupt usually).
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So, i think Mr.Ashley is spot on; and a fair record at that!