2. Type of rope you want to produce


Single-ply S jute and hemp ropes are softer and more flexible than Z ropes made with the same fibres.

Their main weakness is that they are a bit more fragile than Z laid ropes and may require more maintenance and care. Under stress, they will open up more easily than Z ropes or multi-ply ropes.


On the plus side, they have a nice, well-defined surface, and when well oiled/waxed, they catch the light very nicely, as shown here:





























Z-laid ropes made with multi-ply yarn are more robust than single-ply ropes and can deal with rougher handling.


When reinforced with synthetic yarn or twine (such as

the two ropes on the left side of this photo), such ropes

are very strong and require little maintenance.














For information on reinforcing natural fibre ropes,

click here

Choosing the direction of the Lay

To go back to “Steps”, click here

Next Step: Laying the rope, click here

The direction of the lay depends on 2 factors:


  1. 1. the fibre you use

  2. 2. the type of rope you want to produce

1. Natural fibres and their direction for a rope made with bunched strands


See here for a reminder of the natural fibre direction.


Example 1: making a jute or hemp rope with single-ply yarn


As the initial fibre direction of those fibres is Z, the yarns will be twisted into a strand in the opposite direction, producing S strands.






When the strands are counter-twisted into a rope, the rope has a Z direction.





You can also make S ropes with Z-oriented fibres, as long as you use single-ply yarn.

Here are some examples of both Z and S single-py jute ropes


A rope made in the S direction with Z-oriented yarn is usually called “reverse-laid”.

To make such a rope, the strands are made by further twisting the yarn in its natural direction, then counter-twisted together in the opposite direction to close the rope.

How to make both kinds of strands: click here

S

Z

When using multi-ply yarn, though, you must always further twist the yarn in the same direction. Whether you’re dealing with 2-ply, 3-ply or more complex yarns makes no difference when it comes to that rule.