Little Egypt Magic presents:

An Alternative Routine for Daryl's Amazing Acrobatic Knot

Is there anything more exasperating than mislaying something you see several times a year and then not being able to lay your hands on it when you need it? Grrr. In regard to credits, part of what I am about to describe came from an issue of The Gen, at some point in the late sixties, and with (if memory serves) Milt Kort on the cover, though the item itself, a rope trick, was not Mr. Kort's. If anyone finds such an issue before I find mine, contact me and I'll update the credits.

First you need Daryl's props, which are beautiful, and you should also learn his routine, to familiarize yourself with how the thing looks in his hands.

As to the new routine:

First "create" a white knot in a red rope as you would for Daryl's version. This rope you place in your close-up case, off to your right.

With the white rope, tie a slip knot about 3 to 4 inches from one end. Tie it such that if you "slide" it toward the center, the knot will upset and vanish. Place the fake knot (that Daryl provides) about 3 to 4 inches from the other end. The big opening position is that you hold the white rope in both hands, the left hand concealing the slip knot and the right hand concealing the fake knot. Your hands are about chest high and the rest of the rope hangs down.

Proudly announce: "How to tie a knot in the center of a rope without letting go of the ends!"

And you do just that. I don't have the space here to tell you how to do it. It's just something you need to know. What gets tied is a slip knot in the dead center of the rope. (Okay, this would be a bit easier if the ropes Daryl supplies were a bit longer, but I can do it with his.)

You still hold the rope with both hands, but now vertically, with your right hand forehead high and your left hand about belly button high. The new slip knot is visible in the center of the rope.

"Of course I can slide the knot from here ..."

Raise your left hand, still holding its end, high enough to grasp the center knot. Slide your hand downward (causing the center knot to vanish) until the rope is straight again, and open your left hand (remove it from the rope). It appears as though you have slid the knot from the center to a spot a few inches from the lower end. (Your right hand never moves during this.)

"... to here."

Now reverse the ends of the rope. Re-grasp the lower end with your left fingers (but don't hide the knot) and raise your left hand to forehead height as you lower your right hand to belly button height. The rope is vertical, with a knot showing at the top.

"Or I can slide it from here ..."

Keeping your left hand still, raise your right hand (still holding and secretly hiding its knot) all the way up until it can grasp the top knot. Slide the right hand downward (upsetting and causing the top knot to vanish) all the way, finally letting go with your right hand as the rope is fully vertical again. It appears as though you have slid the knot from the top to the bottom.

"... all the way to here."

Now pinch the center of the rope with your right hand and let the ends drop free.

"Or on a good day, I can slide the knot right off the rope."

With your left hand, do just that. Slide the knot off the rope. This is a nice moment.

Drape the white rope over your left arm, at the crook of the elbow, and toss the knot into the air and catch it (with your left hand).

"But it's really cool if I do this ..."

Toss the knot into your right hand, then pretend to toss it back into your left. The left hand closes on the supposed knot. Reach into your close-up case, ditching the knot, and grasp the red rope (hiding its knot, of course).

Appear to squeeze the knot onto the red rope as you grasp the rope with your left hand. The right hand drops to your side. Finally open your left fingers to show that the knot is "attached." This is also a very cool moment.

"But what I don't understand, don't understand at all, is this!"

And then "untie" the knot per Daryl's instructions.

Note: I wrote the above to conform to the routine from The Gen that I have been doing for about 35 years. Obviously, you don't need the initial secret slip knot, as Daryl's feke will actually slide from the top to the bottom. However, I suggest you make it look like the above. That is, don't openly reveal that the feke really slides until the phase where you slide it cleanly off the rope. (For this method, you of course begin with the feke hidden in your left hand at the start of the routine.)

Back to Little Egypt Magic.