Let us pretend, for a brief moment, that we are convinced ( by the mesmerising hand-weaving arguments by Ashley & co.), and we are able to
see, at last, a HITCH in the common bowline ! ! ! Now, we can ask this question : Which is the simplest hitch, that we could possibly use, in order to attach the returning eye leg on the Standing part ?
The Blackwall hitch. And how can we stabilize the common bowline s nipping loop, so that it will not open up, without the use of a proper common bowline s collar ? By using the stable
per se twisted nipping structure of
a crossing knot, instead of an untwisted common nipping loop. So, we form a common nipping loop, we twist it 180 degrees more, to form a crossing knot s nipping structure, and we attach a Blackwall hitch within the "lower" opening. To keep the two limbs of the Blackwall hitch crossed at
a right angle they should better be, we retuck the Tail end through the "higher" opening.
The resulting eye-knot can be tied and untied very easily, it is stable and secure, and it is conceptually simple and sound, as explained in the previous paragraph. Of course, the always required
balance between the nipping and the collar structures has not been achieved - because the collar structure, being the simplest possible hitch, is much less convoluted than any self-stabilizing nipping structure. For that matter, the Double Harness eyeknot shown at (1) is more satisfactory. However, I have seen that the Double Harness bend, in general, can be difficult to untie after heavy loading. On the contrary, the nub of the eyeknot shown in this thread can "lock" before the nipping structure becomes too compact and rock-solid, i.e., before it is offered the opportunity to jam.
1.
http://igkt.net/sm/index.php?topic=3984
