Today we will talk about what is thief knot and how to tie it. It has a rather interesting story behind its creation and although it is practically useless as a knot for tying things together It will teach you that even the small alterations to knots could have vastly different results.
It is not clear who invented the thief knot or when it was first used. Knots have been used by humans for thousands of years, and it is likely that the thief knot has been around for a significant portion of that time. The thief knot is not a particularly complex knot, and it is likely that it was developed independently by multiple people in different locations and at different times.
The Thief Knot is a type of binding knot that resembles the Square Knot, but with the working ends of the rope coming out of the knot on opposite sides (diagonally on top and bottom) instead of the same sides (both on top or both on bottom). This subtle difference makes the Thief Knot weak and prone to slipping and jamming when under load, making it unreliable and virtually useless.
The name of the knot is thought to come from a legend about sailors using it to close their duffel bags. If someone else went through the bag and re-tied it with the more common Square Knot, it would reveal that the bag had been tampered with. The Thief Knot is also known as the bread bag knot and is said to be used by sailors to tie clothes and bread bags, with the ends hidden.
However, it is not commonly used in practical applications and is much less secure than the already insecure Square Knot. It can be tied accidentally if one tries to tie a Square Knot in a similar manner to a Sheet Bend knot.
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