We're working on the illustrations, but here are a few descriptions of key knots and what they do.

-Overhand or Underhand Knot: Your basic shoelace starter knot; not the bow part, just the wrap that you do before you do the bow thing. All you do is wrap one end around the other once. That's it. Uses: it's a part of a lot of other knots, and it ties your shoes.

-Reef or Square Knot: Left over right, right over left. Basically you tie an overhand knot, then fold the working ends back over themselves and tie an underhand knot. The two loops should move freely across each other when you push on the working ends of the line, and should come apart easily. Most commonly used to join two lines of equal diameter and type, though you probably wont use it with anything with a greater than a 1" diameter.

-Bowline: One of the more useful knots, it creates a sturdy loop in the end of a line for use in tossing over a bit, making a safety harness, securing a line to a rail, etc. You may have heard the "Bunny and tree" method of tying this knot, but we'll try to spice it up a bit. First, make a loop in your line by simply twisting a bight away from you so that as you look at the loop, the standing part of the line is underneath. The working part of the line should pass around the object you are tying to, otherwise you may accidentally pull apart the knot before you even make it. The bitter end should then be passed up through the loop, around the back of the standing part, and back down through the loop. Now, hold the bitter end and the leads of your loop and pull tight on the standing part. That should tighten it down nicely.