When I first started knotting, I mainly practiced with bits of string or fairly small cords that you can get from the average hardware store. I really wanted to get hold of a really meaty bit of rope, around an inch thick, to try something a bit bigger. I managed to find a Marine Supplies shop in nearby Inverness but the prices of thick rope were astronomical, too much for my pocket money. I was chatting to a neighbour about it. He said he had an old bit of rope in his shed I could have. It was well used and a bit tatty but it was fairly thick so I took it, gratefully. I'd recently seen a large monkeys fist for sale in a souvenir shop and I wanted to try and duplicate it. They were made with thick rope, had something fairly heavy in the middle and were for using as a doorstop. I thought, "I can do that!". The picture below is my effort. I know, it's blue. But what can I say, it was free! I started by tying a plain lanyard knot and left a loop coming out of it which you can see is the handle. I then tied a monkeys fist around the lanyard knot. I think it worked quite well and sits in the corner of our living room. The CD in the picture is for scale.
