Knotter

Knotter is a term used for a person who ties knots or a device that performs knotting. The word appears in several contexts, with overlapping meanings.

In traditional ropework and maritime settings, a knotter is a skilled practitioner who ties a variety of knots for securing lines, rigging, mooring, and rescue operations. Common knots such as the bowline, figure-eight, clove hitch, and sheet bend are among those a knotter may routinely employ. Such knotters can be sailors, rope-access technicians, climbers, or arborists, and the role emphasizes accuracy, reliability, and speed.

In industrial and manufacturing environments, knotter can refer to a machine or mechanism that ties knots automatically in materials like rope, twine, or netting. Net-making and certain textile processes use knotting stations to join strands at high speed, while other automated lines use knotting to secure ends or join components.

In crafts and hobbies, knotters are artists or practitioners who create decorative or functional knots through forms such as macramé, kumihimo, or other knotting traditions, often prioritizing pattern, symmetry, and texture.

The term is formed with the agent suffix -er from knot and has historical use in nautical and artisanal contexts. The precise duties of a knotter depend on the setting but share the core idea of tying or implementing knots to join, secure, or embellish materials.