Links!

I changed the theme of my site (if it’s not broke… how does the rest of that go?) and I found out the new theme can auto-generate a links page. This was my links don’t have to live on the side of all the other pages, which means I can update them with more stuff than is really seemly to have on every fucking page.

I updated this page to reflect the variety of blogs and podcasts I actually follow these days.

Do you have some time to kill? Check it out! (Always available on top nav bar of the site.)

Getting started with rope

On fetlife, someone asked me how I got started in rope.  I started last week, so I thought I would post about this now before everything becomes so obvious to me that I forget I had to learn it once.  You know how it is when you get into something.

The first step was to get the rope.

I bought 100 feet of solid braid nylon rope from that hardware store. At first I accidentally bought stuff with a core, it is horrible and difficult to work with and I wouldn’t recommend it. Here is a picture comparing the two types of rope I got.  As you can see the stuff with the core (right) holds whatever shape it was in, it is very stiff and is not so pleasant to have on.  It’s a little helpful to have around when learning more complicated knots, but I wouldn’t actually put it on m friend’s body.  Of course if you are serious and have the money to throw around, the nice stuff is hemp from a vendor like Twisted Monk or Rainbow Rope.  I believe the TM stuff is pre-treated so you don’t have to condition it yourself but since I cannot afford either I am not 100% certain.

Types of hardware store rope: solid braid nylon on the left, and nylon with a core on the right

It cost about $20 (canadian). Then I cut it into 2 x 15 ft and 2 x 30 ft pieces, burned the ends and also tied knots because I found them unraveling anyway.  I got the lengths from my friend Control Enthusiast. I find a lot of website refer generically to “long” and “short” rope because you can really have them any way you want.  I am a tall, average build woman, if I were a lot heavier I would probably choose to make them longer.  But also after a certain point they are unweildy to work with.  Just as long as the are consistent, so for instance if you tie one arm and another, you want them to have the same amount of rope for symetry.

Shibari Nation has a good article describing the differences between the various types of rope.

I found some tutorials on the web and followed them. Here are the websites I have made the most use of so far:

• Twisted Monk video tutorials
• Japan Rope
• D/s Arts

I have seen it stated a few different places that there are really only two knots you really need to learn, until you are at the level of doing suspension and such.  Which if this article is useful to you, you are not.  These are the larkshead and the square knot (contrast with the improperly-done granny knot).  The D/s Arts site also recomends learning the bowline.

Also I found some pictures I liked and copied them. So far I can’t do anything involving tieing arms or whatnot because it’s all self inflicted.

So far I have been finding this stuff super-easy.  For a different style you can also look up “Two knotty boys” on youtube, they have some good tutorials too. I think the shibari style stuff is nicer because it’s very simple. Also it’s really pretty and feels great to have on.

Mz Suzanne SxySadist at Shibari Lover has a good aritcle on Bondage 101, it is extensive and sensible.