Tying The Nautical Monkey Fist Knot with Rope

Learn to tie the nautical monkey fist rope knot.

Monkey Knot
Monkey fist knot tied by Meridian Road.

tying monkey fist knot
How to tie the monkey fist knot:

It's a small three loop knot. You tie the knot first, very loose, then you insert a round object, a rock, marble or a tennis ball, depending on the size and weight you want. Then, all you have to do is tighten up the monkey fist knot around the object, pulling one loop taut at a time. To do that you might need a little bit of practice. Watch the video below!


If you are tying the monkey fist knot using a tennis ball and 1/2 inch rope, you'll need to make 4 loops. And you should finish with the ends in about the same place. You should end with one end about 12″ long, and another end about 14″ – 16″ long.

monkey fist knot doorstop
To create the doorstop loop, cut the 12″ end down so there’s just enough rope left to tuck the end under the nearest set of the loops. Use scissors to jam the loose end underneath the loops, and tighten around it. For the 14″ end, create a loose "u" shape and tuck the loose end into the closest seam between the loops. Again, use scissors to jam the loose end underneath the loops. You can put a dab of hot glue on it prior to jamming it in, but if you get it under at least two loops, you should have no trouble with it falling out.

nautical monkey fist
And to tie a large monkey fist knot with rope, head over to Heart Maine Home.