In Part 1 I covered the most common knot used to tie a woven or stretchy wrap - the Double knot (Flat Reef or Granny). While the double knot is very secure its not adjustable - if you want to adjust your wrap (maybe to feed, or maybe to alter slightly as baby falls asleep or wakes up) then you might want to an adjustable knot. There are two - the Slip Knot and a Ring Finish.
The Slip Knot
As it's name suggests the Slip Knot is adjustable - allowing you to loosen and tighten the wrap through the knot as needed while still holding very securely. This knot is made by one end staying dead straight (the passive end - this is the one that will "slip") while the other end (active) is used to tie 2 looped knots around the straight end.
The interesting thing to note that there are actually a staggering 8 ways to tie this knot! Depending on the direction of each of your two looped knots and which end you use as the passive. The important thing to realise is that all 8 variations are "correct", secure and are slip knots. I say this as someone who spent literally about a month watching and rewatching videos to learn how to tie a slip knot, trying desperately to follow and remember the method and which way to go next without ever understanding how the knot worked. I am convinced I repeated untied perfectly serviceable slip knots just because they didn't look exactly like the one in the video!
This is because to get the classic shape you so often see on videos and instruction manuals you need to tie the second loop in the opposite direction to the first. This is not something most of us do easily... so if it doesn't come easily to you, don't fret! Just tie that second loop the same way as the first and you'll still get a perfectly functional secure slip knot.
The Ring Finish
Technically not a knot at all, the ring finish simply uses a ring to fasten the two ends of the wrap. The advantages of using a ring instead of a knot are:
- it requires less length - so a good option if you don't have much wrap left to make a knot with
- it's adjustable - both ends can be adjusted through the ring by pulling on the fabric either side of the ring
- its pretty! And looks fancy!
The disadvantage, however is as both sides do adjust by pulling depending on the width of your ring and how "grippy" verses "slippery" your wrap is you might find the ring finish might loosen off with time so you you might need re-adjust from time to time. Although, if you do find this happening its worth simply switching to a smaller ring diameter.
To create you simply pull a loop of fabric though the ring, then thread the other end through the gap created by the loop and the ring together and then pull to tighten up ... trapping it between the ring and the first end. The only part to be mindful over is the ring you use. I always advise people purchase rings made for this purpose - rings that are safe for babies to chew on and safe to hold weight with no weak points, no weld and no sharp bits. Sling rings come in 3 sizes - small, medium and large, and generally a medium ring is perfect for most wraps. If you have a particularly thin or thick wrap you might need small or large rings respectively.
Happy Knotting!
-Madeleine