I learned a bunch of hitches and lashings for Scout, Tenderfoot, and First Class rank requirements with the Boy Scouts. There was nothing to do about it except practice, practice, practice until I couldn’t practice anymore, and then I’d practice some more anyway.
After all these years I’ve occasionally put some of them to use on various projects at home, at school, in hobby or craft projects, and even a few occasions at work. Most of them I know confidently, a few I can tie after glancing at a drawing. At one point I could even tie a bowline with one hand.
Square knots I’ve learned are not particularly useful or safe. Sheet bends are stronger, more structurally sound (especially with slick lines or ropes of different diameter) and just as quick to tie once you own them.
Others in my handbook included two half hitches, the taught line hitch, the timber hitch, and the clove hitch, the latter two being useful for various lashings. I can’t even guess how many times I made square, diagonal, round, shear, tripod, and floor lashings out of the various broom and mop handles at home. I also “whipped” threads around ropes to keep them from unraveling. It was tricky at first so I started by whipping a thin cord around my hiking stick, just so I didn’t have to fight my own motor coordination at the same time I was learning the technique.
There were a few other sources I learned from too. I learned a figure-8 and a doubled figure-8 for climbing, very visually impressive. My mom showed me one that’s commonly used to tie horses to a rail for grooming; it’s secure if the horse tries to walk away, but you can disengage it just by grabbing the free end and yanking it. Good for any situation where the horse might panic, you don’t want them breaking their little necks. I also learned a monkey fist and a hangman’s noose from another Scout who had a tendency towards dark humor (but is now very successful and respectable). I even learned a simpler way to tie my shoes from the Boys’ Life magazine.
Then there were all the craft projects to weave and braid lanyards and paracord bracelets in camp. Gotta do something in down time, and this was before I got a smartphone! I never even owned a GameBoy.
Once you learn a few, you can start to see how the line does its work and how to better visualize the tying (and untying!) process. It’s a bit like how learning a third language can be easier than learning your second if they’re closely related.
