The Somerville Bowline is not, technically, a bowline. Rather, it is actually based on ABOK 1445, sometimes later called the Myrtle Hitch. However, I call the cuff the Somerville Bowline, because its intent is to combine the speed of the Portuguese Bowline with the compactness of the French Bowline -- and it was invented in Somerville.

[Update: for videos of this tie, see here]

As a Single Column

Start as for most cuffs that use the bight as the working end, by taking a few wraps:

You'll notice I have a magic rope here that changes colors at the end. This is just to make it clearer what's going on -- don't freak out! You'll only be using one rope in reality.

OK, next, take the working (bight) end and wrap it 360 degrees around the standing (long) line, going in the natural/easiest direction (it has to be this particular direction! which just happens to be the most natural one, if you ask me):

Now, pull on the working end while leaving the standing line slack, to...

I've oft heard the adage repeated by bondage instructors that if you can tie your shoelaces, you can do rope bondage.

Now, personally, I've always preferred shoes with velcro. But it did get me thinking -- shouldn't the inverse also be true, that if you can do rope bondage, you should be able to tie your shoelaces?

Because I've been tying my shoelaces poorly for years. In fact, I bet most of us have. The only two methods I was taught as a kid were:

• The bow. Easy to tie and untie, compact and attractive. But in all but the stickiest of shoelaces, it inevitably falls apart before you get halfway down the block, leaving your laces trailing.
• The double-knotted bow. Taking the loops of the bow and tying an additional overhand makes it nice and secure. But now you've got a huge-ass knot that is difficult to undo one-handed; worse, sometimes when you undo the final overhand, one of the ends pulls out the wrong way through the bow, resulting in an even harder-to-get-out knot.

...