Figure-eight follow-through (rewoven figure eight)

The result is exactly the same figure-eight loop as when tied on a bight. The difference lies only in how you get there: first you tie a loose figure-eight in single rope, with enough rope left after it. Then you take the end around or through the object and feed it back into the knot where it came out. From there you follow the original path strand by strand – parallel and in the reverse direction – until the end exits beside the standing part.

Because the loop is only closed during the retracing, it can enclose a closed object. The doubled, parallel strands nip each other, and the figure-eight shape spreads the bending. Tied correctly, this gives a very secure loop – incompletely or wrongly retraced, it does not.

A correctly tied follow-through shows a clear eight in which two strands lie parallel side by side everywhere – pairs of strands from one end of the knot to the other. Run your finger along each section: if a parallel strand is missing anywhere, the knot is not fully retraced. If the strands of a pair cross, it is poorly dressed.

Lay all strands parallel and then set it by pulling all four strands – the two loop strands, the standing part and the tail. The tail must then project sufficiently. Exactly how long is set by training and teaching materials for the specific use; in this atlas the rule is: clearly more than a few rope diameters, longer rather than shorter.

The most important check is a second person. That is why in mountaineering the knot is always learned and used with a partner check. In everyday use too: when it matters, have someone who knows the knot well take a look.

The most dangerous mistake is a figure-eight that is not fully retraced: one section lacks its parallel strand, and the knot can fail under load. This often happens because you get distracted while retracing – someone talks to you, you put the rope down briefly and forget to finish the knot.

Other mistakes: following the wrong direction while retracing, giving a different, unreliable knot; a tail that is too short; an undressed, twisted knot. So the rule is: always finish a knot you have started without interruption, then check it at once.

The figure-eight follow-through is known as the tie-in knot in climbing. That is exactly why clarity matters here: this page is not a climbing guide and replaces neither a course nor a partner check. Life-safety use only after proper training, with certified equipment and with a check by a second trained person. A mistied or unchecked knot can be fatal.

Outside climbing, the follow-through is a reliable loop around rings, posts or handles when the loop should be easy to inspect. It uses a lot of rope, retracing requires concentration, and after high loads it is harder to untie. It is not meant for quick release under load.

Practise on a table leg or chair post, never on your own body. Tie a loose figure-eight with enough rope behind it, take the end around the post and then slowly follow the path back. A trick: run the index finger of your other hand along the original strand and always push the end in right beside it.

When the knot is finished, check it out loud: 'eight visible, pairs everywhere, tail long enough.' Untie it and repeat until it works without mistakes. Anyone who wants to learn to climb does so with qualified instructors – there this knot is practised under supervision and with partner checks.