Vertical caving terminology and methods > Knots > Alternatives and enhancements to knots
A loop created in a rope, without using a knot. Instead, the end of the loop is stitched to an earlier part of the rope using a very large number of stiches, to connect the parts of the rope to each other. This is never used for rigging, and is only done with pre-prepared equipment such as commercial cows tails. Sewn eyes have the benefits that they retain the full minimum breaking strength of the rope, and usually require less length than a splice, but they can be bulky. The abrupt edge can snag things more than a splice, but they are better in all cases than a knot. They are also more prone to damage from abrasion compared with a knot, because the part providing the strength sits on the outside of the rope. However, this is also how the various straps that make up a sit harness are connected to each other, so it is something that is trusted to be good enough in many other situations. They may be covered in a protective layer of plastic to reduce snagging and abrasion. While a sewn eye may sometimes be called a sewn eye splice or stitched eye splice, both of these names are incorrect, as it is not a splice at all.
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