Vertical caving terminology and methods > Knots > Common knots
Avoid
A knot normally tied on a bight. It has two loops, and can be used as a bunny ears knot, and would work for a Y-hang. The lengths of the loops are very easy to adjust. Usefully, the two loops are held open by having a strand of rope passing through them, making them easy to clip into. Somewhat resistant to cross loading, although slow cross loading may cause it to look odd. Repeated or sudden cross loading may mis-adjust the lengths of the loops, or can cause the knot to loosen completely and capsize, and setting the knot tightly does not prevent it from happening. One of the loops is far more prone to this than the other (the one whose strand crosses over the outside of the other, where they cross over just before the loop). Because the two tails come from opposite sides of the knot, loading a tail causes the insides of the knot to rotate, scraping their strand against the strand that passes between the loops. Alternating which one is loaded, which will happen each time someone passes the Y-hang, causes a cutting action of the strands against each other, slowly damaging the rope. The effect is much worse with stiffer ropes. For this reason, the knot should be avoided. This knot could be confused with the double Alpine butterfly variation 2 and double Alpine butterfly variation 3, since they are all called by the same name. Made from an Alpine butterfly knot, with the two loops taken from part way around the knot, ending up with a structure made from two interlinked left-hand bowlines.
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