i'm glad that this method has found some favor
in the end i don't think that it can make as fine a sling as the various woven methods can...
because of the protruding knots at either end of the cradle and the added weight of the cradle compared to the woven methods.
still it is awefully satisfying to just take a cord and make a sling.
i figured out a way to make a cradle composed of four cords instead of the three shown, you do virtually the same knot but start out with two cords instead of one.
i can post a picture later but it would be more fun if someone else figured it and posted it.
overall i just can't ever get over how cool the principle of the bowline and sheetbend knot is, there are so many applications and at least five trick, speed and restricted access methods of tying them that i know of...
(three of them involve making a slip knot, putting either the working end of the cord back through the loop, then collapsing the loop to create a bowline, or doing the same but putting a second cord through the loop instead to create the sheetbend.)
this knot is fundamentally involved in the early history of man throughout most cultures, it's permutations involve the slipknot, netmaking and (i believe), the inner workings of knitting.
from a self guided experimental exploration of knot logic i can't think of a better knot to play with.
i believe that understanding knots, knitting, etc. can be highly beneficial to the mind, it is akin to geometry, requires visualization and the understanding of simultaineous synergy of a process that takes place in time... i suspect that these things could form part of the basis of a better education system in the future, just to go off tangetially for a second.
by the way, for me sketching a knot that i don't understand how to tie is extremely helpful...
it's as if your eye and your pencil must tie the knot in order to draw it, while the pencil marks keep track of your progress and current position.
this goes with the theory that taking notes helps you remember even if you never look at the notes again.
animated bowline below!
http://www.aquafrolic.com/BowlineDoc.htmgreat page below!
http://www.layhands.com/Knots/Knots_KnotsIndex.htmgreat page below!
http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/knotlink.htm