Rope 101 Resources

• Originally posted on Fetlife by @siobhangra –
• Modified by @tomporarily 2021 and Nryx 2023

This list is not meant to be exhaustive. While a lot of this is related to what I’ve done or tried, it also has recs from trusted friends. I don’t intend it to include or support folks with questionable ethics, i.e.: predators, abusers, and maybe even asshats, so if I’ve missed something and included someone like that, we’d love an email about it at austinropeslinger[at]gmail.com

Where to learn about rope online

• Heartland Kinbaku Public Beginner Resources
• Shibari Study (Great free beginner content – additional @ $25 / month)
• The Rope Bottoming Guide
• Remedial Ropes
• Rope365
• crash-restraint.com
• RopeStudy

Where to learn about rope in person

• Your local rope community / Monday night labs (if you’re local to Austin)
• ATX Empty Space
• Bottoms of Austin

If you don’t have the privilege of travel, make it a point to study with folks who’ve studied with folks that you would want to study with. Ask where people learned. Or better yet, listen. They probably are already telling you…

Where do I get rope?

Local/Texas Sources

• KnottieKittie – Hemp and Nylon
• DeGiotto – Jute, Hemp, Silk, and Synthetic
• RavenClawRope – Jute

Other Sources

• Twisted Monk – mostly Hemp
• KnotHeadNylon – Nylon
• MyNawashi – Jute
• Damn Good Rope – Hemp, Jute, Nylon

Which rope should I to get?

• For context, all of the ARS leaders tie with different rope.
  • Jake: Hemp/Nylon/Jute/Posh
  • Lexa: 6mm Ogawa Jute
  • Kim: 6mm Hemp
  • Tom: Two Ply 4-5.5mm Jute
• Rope Material Selection
• Rope – The Great Compromise

Learn to treat it yourself and buy it raw or chat someone up at a lab who treats their own rope for more ideas. 

I’m assuming intermediate or above folks won’t read this since it’s calling out to folks from ARS’s 101 classes.

Reading for Risk Profiles

• Rope Incident Reports

Don’t assume that just because someone is doing something that you can’t yet do, that they know all that’s needed for doing it.

Take enough classes and attend enough labs to approach the point where you know what you don’t know and maybe one day know what they don’t know… To the best of your ability, follow good examples and strive to discern for yourself what information, classes, behavior serves you. Don’t take anyone’s word for it. (Including ours.)

See you at the lab on Mondays.