I put this up in the "Campfire" thread too, but thought we might have a bit more expertise passing through here.

Recently I've been laboring through several books to further my abilities in boating, angling, and camping. Last evening I assembled a loop knot that I've not found in my books, but its simplicity leads me to believe its been developed and likely named elswhere. For want of a better term, I've called it the "Interlock" due to it's interlocking loops. I'll attach 4 images that might help with it's identification or perhaps one's own duplication.

My tying process was: 1st Lay out a small counter clockwise loop with the working end passing across the top and trailing off to the left (Photo 1).


2nd Bring the working end up through the back of that initial loop (Photo 2),


then passing over the top, and entering the initial loop from the back to front a second time (Photo 3).


By gripping the formed loop in ones left hand, the standing line with ones right hand, and gently tugging the working end with ones teeth, it cleanly snugs up, seems quite robust, keeps the tag end out of the loop, not prone to slippage, and quite simple which is important for folks like me.


Doubling the initial counter clock wise loop and making three passes through from the back to front with the working end adds to it's bulk, and might make it less prone to breakage. I've not given it a try with monofiliament lines (don't think it will work well there), but it seems to do well with heavier nylon cord.

I'd appreciate help with coming up with proper nomenclature. Possibly one might forward a link to a known authority. I tried a few e-mail addresses I scavanged from the web, but they've all kicked out rejections.

Thanks,

Bowline

It's not a bowline. It's close but not quite. A properly tied bowline will have the tag end going in the opposite direction.

FWIW and no offense, learn to tie a bowline and you'll be a happy camper.

fish head:

Rest assured I can tie about 8 varieties of bowlines and eskimo bowlines. There are 3 or 4 knot books and 3 pieces of red/blue/white cord continuously occupying my coffe table, and they are exercised about 3 nights a week.

I have 3 or 4 very effective knots that I can't find documentation on but they are a bit to complicated to present here. Very symmetric, can take a ton of stress, and can be untied after loading with a single hand.

I shouldn't have said "learn to". I thought about it afterwards and realized that wasn't the best thing to say or how to express my thoughts.

My apologies to you.

The closest I could find is a "secure Eskimo bowline" pictured at the bottom of the page but it's a forum that should be able to help.

http://igkt.net/sm/index.php?topic=3962.0

Yup, not a bowline even though it's very close to one. It would be even more secure if you made that first loop an overhand knot, I think. In monofilament, there's a "Non-Slip Loop Knot" that does just that. It varies in that the wraps are ahead of the overhand knot, though. LINK

As you tie it, if you passed the end back through the loop as a folded over bow, it would be a quick-release knot. Just tug the tag end back through.

Fish head:
I was likely a little too blunt myself and apologize.


Rocky:
The suggestion to route the working end back through the loop is likely a good one. With a seriously heavy load applied (towing), the pictured version would be a bear to work loose. Most any knot with only single turns invloved tends to really clamp down.

I have about a 100 ft long 1+ inch diameter braided nylon line that I pack in my rig as a tow line. When it gets a serious workout, one needs channel locks and screw drivers to shake out near any traditional knot. Not a problem if a loop is over a trailer hitch, but a pain in the ass if one goes around an axle and needs to work loose in a blizzard before the parties can leave. It exhibits a lot of stretch though, so one can give it slack, pour the coal to the rig, and rubber band some heavy loads out of the ditches etc.

It is tough nowdays though to find a spot one can hook to on some of the newer rigs. Can't rub bumpers anymore either to give someone a shove. Just progress I guess.

In remote settings, there's a lot of benefits to having a good knot repertoire. The basic Boy Scout 7 falls far short in many instances.

Have a good one, and thanks for chiming in.

It's all good.

There's an eight page discussion on variations of bowline knots on the forum that I linked.

Hope it helps.

looks to me to be the Carrick Loop, #1033 in the Ashley Book of Knots, page 188

on the second thought, maybe not...

interesting knot, though.

I've been toying with it a bit now. Passing the tag end through the first loop twice materially aids in its security, but either way it is the very booger to untie after a load has been placed on it. Even my idea of forming a pull by passing a bight instead of the tag end through is a bit hard to untie. This in polyester rope; I haven't tied it as a non-slip loop in monofilament line yet.

I'm almost 100% certain I've seen this knot before and yes the tag end was wrapped around twice the way Rocky did. Pretty sure it's used as a monofilament knot. No idea what the name is though.

I recently asked a climbing instructor/friend who tested things with his lines. In it's simplest form the knot is not secure with the stiffer climbing ropes.