French Whipping
How to tie the French Whipping Knot. French Whipping is very similar to Common Whipping but it differs in that each wrap around the rope is done with a half hitch instead of simply wrapping around the rope. This results in both a more secure whipping and an attractive spiral design of the half hitch knots within the whipping. The French Whipping should be constructed to be between one and one and a half times the diameter of the rope being whipped. Also see Common Whipping.
Scroll to see Animated French Whipping Knot below the illustration and tying instructions.
FRENCH WHIPPING Knot Tying Instructions
- Near the end of the rope, tie a simple overhand knot leaving a short tag end and a long working end. Lay the tag end on top of the rope and begin making half hitches over the tag end and around the rope end being whipped.
- Continue this same process of tying half hitches around the rope and burying the tag end in the new wraps. Pull each half hitch very tight.
- Once you have wrapped past the tag and approximately one to one and a half times the diameter of the rope being whipped, you will now secure the knot by making two loose wraps around the rope and inserting the working end through both loops. You can repeat this a second time if desired. Note that the animated French Whipping below shows the knot finishing with two loosely tied half hitches with the working end being fed through both loops and pulled tight. This is an acceptable alternative that might be a bit more secure but is not as tidy if using small diameter cordage as opposed to twine.
- Pull the working end very tight and trim close to the wraps.
