[Illustration:  FIG. 106.—­Short splice.]

[Illustration:  FIG, 106 D.—­Short splice (continued).]

[Illustration:  FIG. 107.—­Long splice.]

An “Eye Splice” (Fig. 108) is very easy to make and is useful and handy in a great variety of ways.  It is made in the same manner as the short splice, but instead of splicing the two ends together, the end of the rope is unlaid and then bent around and spliced into its own strands of the standing part, as shown in the illustration.  A “Cut Splice” (Fig. 109) is made just as an eye splice or short splice, but instead of splicing two ropes together end to end, or splicing an end into a standing part, the ends are lapped and each is spliced into the standing part of the other, thus forming a loop or eye in the centre of a rope.  Once the short and long splices are mastered, all other splices, as well as many useful variations, will come easy.  Oftentimes, for example, one strand of a rope may become worn, frayed, or broken, while the remaining strands are perfectly sound.  In such cases the weak strand may be unlaid and cut off and then a new strand of the same length is laid up in the groove left by the old strand exactly as in a long splice; the ends are then tapered, stuck under the lay, as in a short splice, and the repair is complete; and if well done will never show and will be as strong as the original rope.

[Illustration:  FIG. 108.—­Eye splice.]

[Illustration:  FIG. 109.—­Cut splice.]

CHAPTER VII

FANCY KNOTS AND ROPE WORK

The knots and splices described above are all more for practical use than ornament, although such shortenings as the Single and Double plaits, the Chain knots, the Twofold, Fourfold, and Sixfold knots, and others are often used for ornamental purposes only.  A certain class of knots are, however, really ornamental and seldom serve to fasten two ropes together, or to make any object fast to another.  They are, however, very useful in many ways, especially aboard ship, and they are so handsome and interesting that every one interested in rope work should learn to make them.  The simplest of the fancy knots is known as the “Single Crown” (Fig. 110).  To form this knot unlay the strands of a new, flexible rope for six to eight inches and whip the ends of each strand, as well as the standing part, to prevent further untwisting.  Hold the rope in your left hand and fold one strand over and away from you, as shown in A, Fig. 111.  Then fold the next strand over A (see B, Fig. 111), and then, while holding these in place with thumb and finger, pass the strand C over strand B, and through the bight of A as shown in the illustration.  Now pull all ends tight and work the bights up smooth and snug; cut off ends and the knot is complete.  This single crown is a very poor knot to stand by itself, however, and is mainly valuable as a basis for other