After you learn a knot, you can test your skill with it. The most important test with any knot is to use it in an application. There are many ways that using it for a particular purpose can seem different than when you are practicing with it. By simulating conditions that you may be under when you need to tie your knot, you can test your abilities with it.

Clearly, knot tying is a journey you can take in any number of directions. You can take guides with you, take directions of your own, or both. Whoever said there was “nothing new under the sun” has never played with string, and never caught the perfect fish with a knot of his or her own design.