Stillson or Cow—Mark C., TMW, and skew are correct. Cow Hitch appears in Ashley (#1802). For some reason someone started to call it a ‘Stillson’ (I heard the same story that others have mentioned) and created a lot of confusion.
Tom D. wrote:
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Encyclopedia of Knots and Fancy Rope Work by Raoul Graumont and John Hensel. The book was written in 1946. This book is similar to Ashley's but there are pictures of the knots not drawings.
This book call it a "Ring Hitch"
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Are you thinking of a Cow Hitch or a Girth Hitch? A Cow Hitch is made with the end of a line and only one part of the line is loaded (# 56, #1802, and #1889). A Girth Hitch is made with a loop of line (#1890) and both parts of the line are loaded. (Ashley never uses the term ‘Girth Hitch’--at least I have never come across the term, and Girth Hitch appears in neither the index nor the glossary. Ashley does use the term Girth Knot (#234 and #1812), but this contains elements of both the Cow Hitch and the Girth.)
When the knot that we call the Girth Hitch is tied to a ring, Ashley prefers to call it a Ring Hitch or Tag Hitch (#1859). When the knot that we call the Girth Hitch is tied to mast or rigging Ashley prefers to call it a Strap Hitch or Bale Sling Hitch (#1694 and #1759). But, he is not consistent with these terms and sometimes uses Strap Hitch, Bale Sling Hitch, and Ring Hitch interchangeably (#59; should I bore you with more ###’s??).
In sum, a Cow Hitch is made with the end of a line and only one part of the line is loaded. A Girth Hitch is made with a loop of line and both parts of the line are loaded. The latter (but not the former) is sometimes called a Ring Hitch.
WoodlandTC wrote:
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Hope this helps you.
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Can’t really tell whether the photo shows a loop sling, a length of line, or an eye sling. If the rope is a loop sling the knot would be a Girth Hitch. If the rope is a length of line then the knot is a Cow Hitch. If the rope is an eye sling we would call the knot it a Girth Hitch, but Ashley has yet another(!) name for it (a Long Running Eye or Hitch, #1858).
Spydey wrote:
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Ring Hitch is legitimate name for it;
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No (see above)--but you had it right in your first post
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ChuckR wrote:
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Ever notice how the cow is tied differently in Tree Climber's Companion (pg 77) vs.Art and Science of Practical Rigging (pg. 53)? Either way looks ok but the final half hitch and the tucks are quite different.
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The form shown in ASPR is called a Cow Hitch with a Better Half. ‘Better’ because it is considered more secure. The difference between the two is that in the TCC version the tail forms the half hitch by going in the same direction that it did when it came through the bight. In the ASPR version the tail forms the half hitch by going in the opposite direction that it did when it came through the bight. That is, in the TCC version the tail goes through the bight from left to right and then forms the half hitch by going from left to right. In the ASPR version the tail goes through the bight from left to right and then forms the half hitch by going from right to left. The ASPR version (the ‘Better Half’) is considered more secure because when the block is loaded the tail of the half hitch (which is the tail of the whole knot) is loaded against the bight thus securing the whole knot.
