12
T here are several ways of making a sheep shank but the pu rpose of all of them is to shorte n the rope w ith o ut cutting it. In t his
Sheep
instance, the fool's knot neither adds to nor detracts from the efficiency of the completed knot. but. at best, in a long shank, does hold the three parts together at the centre, the fool's knot itself not being under load. As illustrated, the knot is completed by turn ing and casting a half-hi t ch over the bights at the extreme ends of t he foo l's knot, on both sides of the centre. In the p inned version, Figs 6 10 8, further b ights of the standing parts are raised at both e nds, through the existing end bights of the knot a nd secured by the insertion of marlin spikes or sim ilar pins. The pins must be secured in position with a lashing (not shown) and the whole has no especial purpose or use, other than as an elaborate means of e nsuring that the end hitches do not work their way off, particularly if the rope is subjected to a fluct uating tension. Under these conditions it would suffice to seize the end bights to the standing part s after the initial toad has been applied.
Shank from
Fool's Knot, Pinned
Sheep Shank