Stated breaking strains of lines from different manufacturers often don't compare well in practice. Furthermore, different lines show differing degrees of strength reduction at knots. Follow this link for a comparison test of sample 20lb braids.
One of the first things the old dads at the Round Pond told us was never to use swivel clips without an extra locking ability of some sort. Those with just straight wire sides (right) would inevitably pull undone in a gust. Since then I've seen this happen (Murphy's Law again).
Here are some typical "proper" locking swivel clips: 
Note the extra bends in the wire that secure the clips when shut.
Although braided line doesn't have the same tendency to twist in use as much as twisted line, and regular swivels don't rotate under tension (spinning only when the tension relaxes), I still prefer and recommend using swivels - they can be seen spinning (a lot) when kites are brought in, even on braided lines. And if the line's being wound on to a hoop or yoyo type spool, where it gets twisted with every turn, then a swivel is indispensable.
Since swivels are meant for use in water with the water providing lubrication, some kite flyers think swivels running in air will wear out relatively quickly. True, good quality swivels are generally smooth-spinning, but since they lock up when the line is under tension and spin only when there's virtually no tension, wear is minimal - most of the swivels we use are old and still going strong. Big, chunky swivel clips are easy to open and shut, even with gloves on, and they seem to last forever like Victorian engineering (above left). For maximum light wind performance, we combine high quality small swivels with separate larger, more manageable clips (at right, above).
The simplest method is to use a Round Turn and Two Half Hitches (plus a stopper knot) or a simple Overhand Noose (also with a stopper knot). A "round turn" is just looping the line around the hub twice. I sometimes do the two turns as a Clove Hitch.
Some people wind their reels opposite to the way I do; hence it's a case of trial and error here. Whichever way you prefer to wind in, the trick is to loop the line over the hub of the drum so it draws the noose up tight as you wind in. If the loops around the hub loosen as you wind, they'll just slip; around the other way (the right way), the noose will tighten up and grip the hub of the reel as you start to wind.
I line the hubs with carpet tape first so there's a better grip.
Quick and easy to tie, Blood Knots draw up snug and small, forming a smooth barrel shape that won't catch, snag or otherwise interfere with smooth reeling.
Tackle makers in the last century kept how they were tied a trade secret. They'd make you as many as you wanted, anytime, but you had to pay them...
Until one Jock Purvis, an engineer aboard a White Star liner, ingeniously reconstructed a specimen knot with cut sections in paraffin wax which he analyzed using microscope. He passed his discovery to an angling author who told the world in a 1910 publication.
My technique for tying them is to keep the knot a bit loose while pulling both standing parts, alternating with gentle pulls on the two ends. Pulling the main line tightens the ends of the knot, while pulling the two ends apart tightens the middle part - you want them equally tight. (If a helper holds the two ends just taut, you can do one with a single smart tug.)
Watch that the coils form without riding up over each other. If one does, straighten it out while it's still loose, or cut it out and start again.
Finish with a good tug. It's my most-used knot.
| Trim the excess to about 3/16 of an inch, and melt the ends (without setting them alight) just up to the knot. This goes for all the knots here. |
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This knot consists of two Grinner Knots (or Duncan Loops - see below - click picture to return here) tied back-to-back. Tie the first Grinner with one line around the end of the other line, and snug it up; tie another with the end of the other line around the first line, and tighten it finger tight. Slide the two knots together, and tighten them both further, pulling hard.
A short length of line - with half a Grinner Knot at at each end - could be tied to a main line to form a loop. This wouldn't weaken the line at all. A Blood Dropper Loop is probably about 80-90% efficient, but it seems to me this double Grinner Knot idea wouldn't weaken the line at all (considering that, unlike fishing lines, kite lines are almost always under tension, and that lines usually break at damaged or knotted points, this cannot be over-emphasized).
Loops are the easiest way to attach swivels to almost any kind of line
Neat, durable, and very easy to tie, this knot forms a loop to which swivels can be quickly attached and removed with a Cow Hitch (Lark's Head Hitch in UK).
Tying is self-evident. (The precise efficiency rating for this one came from a German magazine.) It's just a simple Overhand Knot done twice, but it works up tight. Attach swivels with a Cow Hitch, or Larkshead Hitch (thread the loop through the eye, then feed the swivel through the loop).
Loops are easy, and attaching swivels with a Cow Hitch is even easier. I tend to avoid them as a rule, because breaking strengths for loops are rarely, if ever, specified. It's difficult to recommend their use in spite of the fact that many, many kite flyers use them, and have used them for many years for attaching swivels. I have bought old reels with loops made simply with two Overhand Knots (the simplest knot there is) about two inches apart, forming a roughly two inch loop, and they had been in use for a good 30 years. The Double Overhand Loop is the strongest loop I know. The Figure of Eight Loop is reliably strong and secure, but no breaking strain has been found. A photo of a Figure of Eight Loop with a swivel attached with a Cow Hitch is shown below.
The well-known Bowline is easy to tie and commonly used for jobs of all sorts including lifesaving, but it only has a breaking strength rating of 60%, which means it can not really be recommended for kite lines. It is best to avoid using any knot until you know for certain that it has an adequate breaking strain. And remember: be careful not to let any part of a knot get criss-crossed as it's snugged up tight.
There are classic angling knots for which the breaking strain may not be known, but that may have been used successfully all one's life. For example, the Perfection Loop (or Angler's Loop) has been in use since the 1870s and may well be excellent for kites, but until recently its breaking strain was a complete unknown to me. It's rumored to be about 85%.
Nevertheless, a lot of fisherman swear by it. Were it no good, it's doubtful it would have stood the test of time. It's a pretty knot that doesn't twist around as it's worked tight, and it isn't hard to learn.
It also looks like it will be really easy to melt the tag end close to the finished knot with a gas lighter.
for attaching line to swivels
I've never seen a good picture of one of these, but you can usually tell if a knot looks right or not. This knot is said to be so beautifully simple it can be tied in the dark, but I tie them with care. Of course I'm not sure if mine are tied right, but they look OK to me, and I use them on most of my own swivels. Until now I've always tied them as per the verbal instructions (i.e. no illustration) in one of my knot books.
The following drawings are based on the only pictures of this knot I've seen, which were flawed; I've re-drawn them the way I think they are supposed to be done, and test-tied a few for confirmation. They end up looking like the one in the photo at right. It may not be a real Jansik Special, but it's been a reliable knot just the same.
1. Thread about 6 inches (15cm) through the eye of the swivel; bring it around in a circle and pass it through again, forming a loop.
2. Feed the loose (or working) end through the eye again to form two parallel loops.
3. Cross the working end over the standing part (the line opposite the working end).
This will form a third circle.
5. To tighten: hold the swivel in one hand, the standing part with the other, and the loose end with your teeth, and tighten with a steady pull on all parts.
Or, fasten the swivel to something, apply strain and tighten by pulling both ends of the line.
Tip: the key to a neat Jansik Special is keeping the coils in order - make sure none cross over as you tighten. Draw the three main loops up quite small and do the three final wraps just loose enough to allow working the loops tight. Finish off with a good steady tug, while making sure no coils get crossed.
Warning: That might prove difficult on waxed lines.
ref: Knots & Splices, A Comprehensive Guide to Ropes and Lines, by Charles Gibson; Granada Publishing, 1961, 1979, p.125.
1. Thread through the eye.
2. Take the loose end twice more through the eye to make two parallel loops.
3. Take the loose end round the standing part and through both loops three times.
4. To tighten: hold the hook with pliers, the standing part with the other hand and the loose end with your teeth before tightening with a steady pull on all parts.
At right is a picture of my interpretation of those instructions, seen from the back.
Another highly recommended anglers' knot, the Palomar Knot is good for both thin and thick lines, and it is said to be ideal for sleeved high-tech kite lines* (coramid/aramid fiber) as well.
Properly tied, this knot is as pretty as it is strong. The Eagles Park website (Missouri, USA) says: "The Palomar Knot is (a) very simple knot... regarded by the International Game Fish Association consistently as the strongest knot known. It's great virtue is that it can safely be tied at night with a minimum of practice."
The finished knot looks complicated, but it's easy to tie on most lines. One exception: on waxed line it can be difficult to get the loops to snug up evenly.
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| 1. Double the end of the line, and thread it through the eye of the swivel. | 2. Tie an Overhand Knot with the threaded loop and the standing part as shown. |
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| 3. Put the snap swivel through the loop. | 4. Holding the swivel in one hand, slowly pull both ends of the line to tighten the Overhand Knot, taking care to avoid twists. Don't tighten the Overhand Knot all the way just yet. The loop will probably want to catch at the eye, as shown. Help the loop over the eye, so it can jam against the knot as it tightens. |
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<<< The finished Palomar Knot doesn't look like it's based on a simple Overhand Knot >>> |  |
A rather elegant, symmetrical knot ideal for thin and/or sleeved high-tech lines (Kevlar, Spectra, etc.).
"Sleeving" keeps coramid and aramid lines from cutting through themselves...
(the end of the line is threaded lengthwise through a short length of thicker braid using a darning needle or thin wire.)
Also called "Improved (or Tucked) Half Blood Knot"
This is a good knot for thinner lines. It's easy to tie and reliable.
If the 5 turns won't tighten snugly, use a 3½ Turn Half Blood Knot or 3½ Turn Clinch Knot (80% efficiency) instead, by omitting step 4 above.
This knot is strong and relatively easy to tie.
The trick to tying on any type of line is to snug it up just enough to allow it to slide, and no more, before sliding the knot up to the swivel to tighten. It even works on waxed line.
1. Thread through the eye. Fold back 8 inches of loose end. Refold about 5 inches of this towards the eye to form a second loop. Take the loose end five times around both parts of the first loop but passing always inside the second loop (in the direction away from the eye).
2. Pull on the loose end, tightening the knot, but not completely, so it can slide. Then slide the knot to where it is wanted and tighten further, pulling hard.
This knot is recommended by a falconer - and a fisherman - who says it's the strongest knot you can use for catching very large fish with light line.for attaching big clips to thick, heavy lines
Some books show this knot as a "Fisherman's Bend," sometimes without the second Half Hitch. Whatever it's called, it's a Round Turn and Two Half Hitches, but with the first Half Hitch passed through the Round Turn (step 2).
On my heaviest line there is an Anchor Bend on the end of an even heavier leader and no swivel - just a medium sized carabiner. The other end is tied to the main flying line with a Double Sheet Bend.
Permanent loops on kite line without serious weakening
 1. Loop the line |
 2. Twist the two standing parts together about 6 times |
 3. Pull a loop down through at the middle |
 4. Work it up tight like a Blood Knot |
This is a handy knot for making permanent or semi-permanent loops for hanging things from a kite line. It could have a ring for attaching clips for falconry, or you could hang, say, an emergency strobe from one. Prusik Knots tend to slip on thin kite lines. For a possible alternative, see the note at the end of the Double Grinner Knot above.
Simpler knots, such as the Manharness Knot, are for thicker ropes, and weaken kite line more than the barrel-shaped knots.
For temporarily hanging objects from kite lines
This is a climbers' knot. Using a pre-tied loop of thin line, it can be used for attaching things to thicker kite lines (on thin lines it can slip). Put a ring or clip on the loop to attach things like falconry lures or lights.
Pass one end of the loop several times around the main line and through the loop itself.
Note
Originally intended for climbing, the Prusik Knot is supposed to slip smoothly when loose and hold firm under a sideways load. To prevent slippage use an additional overhand knot in the loop to keep it from coming loose.
This Prusik Knot was used during a falconry display to attach a small clip to my kite line for holding a falconry lure. The makeshift loop of too-thick, stiff cord tended to loosen after being tied, so I tied an overhand knot in the loop and snugged it up against the coils to act as a stopper. This worked fine.
There is a whole family of Prusik Knot variants. The Penberthy Knot or Caver's Helical Knot has three variations and opinions vary as to whether they should be wound upwards or downwards. They also have to be tied with the right amount of slack and the right number of turns for the job at hand.
Canadian mountaineer Bob Chisnall devised two more variations he calls Release Hitches to overcome the shortcomings of other Prusik-type knots. These knots are beyond the scope of this web page.
For attaching things with knobs, such as camera rigs, to kite lines
Also called Boatman's Knot, Builder's Knot and Peg Knot; in 1884 the knotting authority Burgess wrote of the Clove Hitch: "...made in the bight as if it was a single piece of line, this tie is often used by surgeons in cases of dislocation of the thumb."Clove Hitches can be done quickly by making two loops side-by-side taken in opposite directions. First form one loop, then make another, flipping it around so that both loops are to the outside in relation to the main line. Then drop them over the knob together.
Some time ago I got this enquiry:
"Anybody know anything about the "Falconer's Knot?" If so, please contact: Dawn Smyth"
This is the tie-with-one-hand knot used by falconers - it is not commonly found in knot books. Some kite-flying falconers use it to attach lure lines directly to kite lines, when tied in reverse so it can be yanked loose by falcons can yank it loose.
Here are the pictures from "Primitive Ways" in case it disappears in cyberspace.
The drawings at left may be a bit hard to see, but the instructions in the download from The British Columbia Falconers Association should help, although the photographs in that are also a bit hard to see.
©1998-2012 Dan Leigh, 54 Osborne Road, Pontypool, Gwent, Wales, UK NP4 6LX