Difficulty level: Easy
Time to tie: Less than one minute
Rope used: Less than one foot
Time to tie: Less than one minute
Rope used: Less than one foot
Crossing Hitch (Munter Hitch)
Eve's notes about the Crossing Hitch
When tying a Shibari tie, there will be times when two ropes cross each other perpendicularly. This could happen when you are tying a pattern, a chest tie, or a decoration. When this happens, it can be a little bit annoying to have one rope gliding over the other without any mechanism to keep them in place. This could make your tie wobbly, uncomfortable, and (God forbid) ugly.
The crossing hitch provides a way to anchor the ropes to each other in such a way that they stop moving around. Remember that in Shibari, having everything under control and behaving predictably is not only very sexy, but also necessary to make sure the session is safe for everyone involved.
If you think about it, the crossing hitch is simply wrapping one rope around the other in such a way that it creates enough friction to stop the ropes from moving around. This is not the first or last time that we use the friction created by the ropes' material to our advantage. Understanding how this hitch works allows you to get a feel for how to use friction as a tool in your rope work.
Have fun tying!
Eve