Splicing (rope)

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Splicing involves using the strands of a rope to make an alteration, be it to join two lengths of rope together more cleanly than tying a knot or doubling a rope back onto itself to form an eye (a bight or loop) or an end that will not fray. To splice a rope the strands at the end of the rope in question are prised apart and then woven into the strands at another point, or into the strands of a different rope altogether. Splicing remains an essential seamanship skill as it results in a stronger and more aesthetic result than a knot. Learning to splice is relatively simple, anyone who has plaited long hair will quickly see how, the original and best reference remains the Royal Navy's Manual of Seamanship.