If you’re curious about how to make a sliding knot for a farm hat, you’ve come to the right place. Also known as the Chinese sliding knot, this tie can be used to hold all kinds of materials in place, making it useful for making a hat along with other types of accessories, like jewelry.
What You'll Learn Today
What is a Sliding Knot?
A sliding knot is based on an adjustable coil design. It’s perfect for creating any kind of gear that needs to be adjusted regularly, like the strap on a hat as well as necklaces, bracelets, and other types of jewelry.
You may also hear it referred to as the Triple Connection Knot.
It’s helpful when you’re crafting just about any kind of accessory for the farm because it is quick, efficient, and multipurpose.
You won’t have to make multiple sizes of the same piece of gear – instead, you can use it for just about any kind of cord and for any size or shape of garment. It’s incredibly versatile and fortunately, the craft is easy to master.
How to Make a Sliding Knot for a Farm Hat
Here’s how to make a sliding knot for a farm hat or any other type of gear you want to fashion for yourself on the farm.
1. Tie the Knot
Start by making a U-shape with your cord. You can use any kind of cord for this knot, including macrame, leather, suede, elastic, or waxed cord. Just pick the type that works best for the project you’re working on.
Grip the cord firmly, pulling a long segment of it into a horseshoe shape. The ends should close together.
Make The First Loop
Then, pull it into a loose loop (don’t tighten it out but instead, leave some slack). Draw one end past the other end so that they are overlapping by roughly four inches. These overlapping pieces should sit parallel to each other.
Take the outer core piece in one hand and double it back. Bend its tip, bringing it to rest along the outside of the loop. Leave the inside end where it lies.
Make A Smaller Loop
Pinch both of the ends together, forming a smaller loop. Hold the interior ends together with the lopped-back outer end.
At this time, you should have three layers of the cord lying parallel at the thickest point.
Quality Control Check
Double-check to make sure you have lots of extra cord at the outside piece – this will be used to finish up the knot. If you don’t, you will need to undo the knot you have so far and start over, paying close attention to how much extra is left behind.
If you’re good to go, draw the end of the cord with one of your hands while punching the loops tightly together with the other hand. Wrap the looser outer end of the cord around each of the three layers bunched together. Use your hand to wrap the cord over than under.
Make sure you follow this order, too – if you go under, then over, you’ll have problems. Try to use your dominant hand for the looping, as this can make mastering the move a bit easier.
Coil The Cord
Coil up your cord, wrapping the loose ends around all the other layers of the cord. Wrap until you run out of cord or until almost all of the section that has three layers is covered, whichever comes first.
Be very careful when doing this. It’s easy to cross the coil over itself and end up with a messy knot.
Finishing Up
Next, you’ll feed the cord’s end through its loop at the coil’s end. The knot is almost done- just ensure that there’s enough of the cord sticking out that it won’t slip out of the knot.
Finally, you can secure the knot, sliding the coil over the last bit of the loop to secure it.
2. Test the Knot (and Expand)
Now that you have a knot to work with, all that’s left to do is to test it. Slide your knot with your pinched fingers to test it – if the knot was successful, it should move relatively easily.
Just be careful that you don’t slide it totally for the free end as you’re testing it!
To avoid this, you may want to tie a sturdier knot at the very end of the sliding tip. That way, the length will still be adjustable but you won’t have to worry about accidentally ruining your knot in the process.
3. Other Tips for Making a Sliding Knot
You may want to consider making two sliding knots, especially if you’re making jewelry or something besides a hat. To do this, all you will need to do is flip the cord over and repeat the steps above on the end that’s not yet knotted.
That way, you will have two separate knots that will allow you to pull apart or bring together the cord, making one big loop that can be closed.
Give yourself plenty of cord to work with as you’re practicing these knots. It can be hard to estimate how much you’ll actually need until you have more experience. You can always cut the slack off later but it’s better than having to keep restarting if you find that you don’t have enough cord left to work with.
Still not exactly sure what steps to follow – or need a better visual guide to creating this type of knot? Be sure to check out this helpful tutorial on how to create a sliding knot:
How Do You Make an Adjustable Knot for the Farm? Other Types of Knots to Try
There are other types of knots that are good to know as a farmer. Here are some examples.
As far as adjustable knots go, the sliding knot is your best bet. However, you might also want to learn basic knots such as:
- Adjustable grip hitch
- Slip knot
- Quick-release knot
Other excellent knots to learn as a farmer or farmworker include:
- Overhand knot
- Bowline knot
- Square knot (also known as a reef knot)
- Double bowline knot (for climbing)
- Prusik knot (also good for climbing)
- Clove hitch knots
- Trucker’s hitch
- Palomar knot
Many of these knots can also be combined for a more powerful hold, too! Deciding on the best knot will depend largely on what kind of material you are tying and what the knot is meant to hold, as detailed here.
How Do You Make a Knot That Tightens and Loosens?
If you need to adjust the cord on your sliding knot, just pull the two knots closer to loosen or further apart to tighten. It’s as easy as that!
Making a sliding knot for a farm hat or any other craft can be challenging, but it’s worth the effort. Be patient and keep practicing. Don’t give up, as this knot can take some time to get right.
Sit down with a cup of coffee and some good music and get to work – with a bit of practice, you’ll be able to commit this knot to muscle memory and whip it out in no time!
