Civilization has come a long way since humans first coaxed fish out of a stream with a woven tangle of vines, but we didn't do it all at once. We accomplished it in many stages, with a steady application of knotting all the way. Whenever humans have learned something new, they have updated the technology of cordage and knotting along with it. For many early users of knots and cordage, being able to tie a line to a fishing hook or lash a spear to a shaft meant being able to feed their family. Being able to make lashings meant building structures to protect the family from the elements. It meant survival. Knot tying was not an optional activity — it was a way of life. Humankind has improved methods for hunting, warring, and surviving the elements, and increased knotting skills went hand in hand with these advances. When it came time to sail the seas, domesticate cattle, and even keep track of numbers and dates, knots continued to be used in new ways.

New cultures, religions, and technologies brought on many changes, and humans learned various new professions. Clothes and blankets take considerable time to tie and weave. When the industrial revolution came along, the first machines made were for tying knots and weaving. Rope had been mass-produced long before then. Through all these changes, few endeavors were taken up without laying in a major supply of cordage.