Sandro Turriate

Coder, cook, explorer

Hanging pictures with a non-slip adjustable knot

May 1, 2021

The best non-slip adjustable knot I've found for hanging pictures with slippery monofilament wire.

picture wall

I live in a house with a picture rail, which is moulding that allows you to hang a picture without hammering a single nail into the wall. The moulding looks beautiful and delivers a modular system for decorating your home, as long as you can adjust the length of the wire.

Adjustable hook systems are available for purchase, but can be expensive, and are probably best suited for hanging heavy items, so if you only need to hang a modest picture frame, an adjustable knot should do.

Blake’s Hitch

Bear in mind, I’m a novice at tying knots, but after trying a handful of adjustable knots, I found the Blake’s Hitch to be the most reliable non-slip adjustable knot. Some of the other knots I tried were the Midshipman’s hitch, Adjustable grip hitch, and the Taught line hitch. All of these knots worked extremely well when using a sizable rope with some friction, but the knots would slip when tying with monofilament (fishing line) wire, except for Blake’s hitch.

So next time you need to hang a picture without putting a hole in your wall, try Blake’s hitch.