Alpine Butterfly

Tying procedure — Alpine Butterfly

1. Step 01 / 4

   Wrap the rope twice around your open hand at the spot in the middle of the line where you want the loop. Lay the first turn near your fingertips and the second back near your thumb.

   You should now see: Two turns around the hand, one lying near the fingertips and one nearer the thumb, with a length of rope hanging off each side of the hand.

   If it goes wrong: Wrapping near the end of the line to make an end loop. You will see only a short tail hanging off one side of the hand, where this knot needs rope running out on both sides.

   Fix: For a loop at the end of a line, tie a bowline. For a butterfly, move the wraps to the point where the loop is needed so rope runs out on both sides.

   Why: The loop can take load along the rope in either direction or at right angles to it, which is why it belongs in the middle of a line. It is also used to isolate a damaged section of rope inside the loop.

   Step 1 of 4 · move 1 of 1

   Wrap twice around your hand: first near the fingertips, then near the thumb

   Hold: Left hand stays open so the two turns remain separated and visible

   Move: Right hand lays the first turn near the fingertips, then completes the second nearer the thumb

   You should now see: Two ordered turns, with the fingertip turn easy to identify rather than buried under the other wrap.

2. Step 02 / 4

   Pick up the turn nearest your fingertips, lift it back over the other two turns toward your wrist, then tuck it under both turns so it comes out past your fingertips.

   You should now see: The picked-up turn passes over both other turns and back under them, and stands out past your fingertips as a loop.

   If it goes wrong: Picking up the turn near the thumb, or laying the lifted turn over the others without tucking it under them. An untucked turn slides straight out when you take the knot off your hand.

   Fix: Put the turns back as they were in step 1, pick up the one nearest your fingertips, and take it over both turns and then under both.

   Why: The turn you pick up becomes the finished loop. Taking it over and then under the other turns is what binds the wraps into a knot rather than loose coils. Draw it out to roughly the loop size you want.

   Step 2 of 4 · move 1 of 1

   Pick up the fingertip turn and wrap it around the other two turns

   Hold: Left hand keeps the two remaining turns together

   Move: Right hand takes the fingertip turn around the other wraps and brings the bight through the middle

   You should now see: The selected turn surrounds the other turns and the eye emerges through their central opening.

3. Step 03 / 4

   Grip the new loop and the turns together with your free hand, then slide everything off the wrapped hand without letting the turns separate.

   You should now see: A loose but compact knot in your free hand, with the loop sticking out of it and a standing part leaving from each side.

   If it goes wrong: Letting the turns spring apart as they come off your fingers, so the tuck slips out of place. You will see loose coils instead of a compact knot.

   Fix: If the tuck has come out, rewrap the rope on your hand and repeat steps 1 and 2 rather than trying to rearrange the coils.

   Why: Nothing holds the shape yet except the order of the turns. Moving the whole bundle off in one go keeps that order until the knot is pulled tight.

   Step 3 of 4 · move 1 of 1

   Slide the structure off your hand without changing the wrap order

   Hold: Left hand pinches the two standing parts where they leave the body

   Move: Right hand frees the knot while keeping the collar and eye in their established order

   You should now see: One fixed eye, two lower lobes and opposite standing parts, with the collar still across the eye base.

4. Step 04 / 4

   Hold the loop firmly, over a cleat or in your teeth, and pull the two standing parts hard in opposite directions, then pull the loop again until the knot draws down.

   You should now see: A compact knot with the loop standing out to one side, the two standing parts leaving in opposite directions, and no movement when you pull all three again.

   If it goes wrong: Pulling only the standing parts, or only the loop, so the knot sets twisted with one standing part leaving at an angle. A knot not set on all three parts can change shape under its first real load.

   Fix: Loosen the knot, straighten the turns, and pull again on the loop and on both standing parts until it sits square.

   Why: Setting the knot on all three parts pulls it into the shape it will hold under load. It stays reasonably easy to undo even after heavy loading.

   Step 4 of 4 · move 1 of 1

   Pull the eye and both standing parts to dress the body square

   Hold: Left hand loads one standing part while the other remains aligned

   Move: Right hand alternates between the eye and opposite standing part until the collar seats evenly

   You should now see: Centered eye, compact collar, two lower lobes and standing parts leaving opposite sides.