The second most common question I hear is:  "where do I buy rope?"  or "what sort of rope should I buy?"  So I'm going to tackle that quandary today!

If you have a Fetlife account Taijya's list of rope sellers is the best resource imaginable.  She lists suppliers by the rope fiber (hemp, jute, nylon, etc) and staggers them by price, making it super easy to compare prices on whatever sort of rope you desire.

Don't forget to buy a cutting tool as well!  If you're going to tie someone up you need a way to quickly and safely release them if you get into trouble.  Safety shears are cheap and effective.  A seat belt cutter is another good option.

 

My Personal Favorites:

*rope I tie with

Hemp: 

*Twisted Monk - $1.20/ft. Specializes in high quality vibrantly dyed hemp. 

*Epic Rope - $1.00/ft. Maker of the amazing rainbow in some of my photos.

*Turkey Foot LLC - $0.18/ft to $0.24/ft The best value for unprocessed hemp rope for when you want to self process or dye your own rope kit.

Jute:

*MyNawashi - $0.19/ft ($0.29/ft dyed) The best unprocessed jute at a very reasonable price point. This is what I use in my rope bag.

*M0co Jute - $0.57/ft to $1.22/ft (Prices vary based on treatment) A heavy and tightly wound version of deliciously treated jute.

*DreXrope - $110/Kit- natural, $115/kit dyed. Affordable and beautiful jute.

Synthetic Hemp:

*Jade Rope - $0.40/ft Synthetic Hemp Looks and feels like the real thing but it's machine washable and can go in the dyer for sanitizing between partners.  Everyone needs a length of this if they plan on tying crotch ropes.  Weight rated fiber perfect and very safe to use as uplines.

*POSH Rope - $1.25/ft Spun Polyester From Twisted Monk, this new spin on synthetic rope looks and feels so much like natural fiber rope, it hard to tell them apart. Also weight rated and highly suggested for uplines.

ESINEM Rope - £0.77/m to £0.90/m Synthetic Hemp  Also easily washable but not at all soft. Great for uplines as it's also weight rated

Other:

*KnotNormal - $1.88/m Coconut If you're looking for something super sadistic, coconut rope is amazing. So scratchy!

Nylon:

*Erin Houdini - $0.47/ft to $0.56/ft Hand dyed super soft with a HUGE selection of colors.

MFP:

*Knot and Rope - $0.10/ft to $.58/ft Great selection of synthetic ropes in lovely colors at a very affordable price. This synthetic rope is easily sanitized and resilient to the elements, in case outdoor tying is your thing.

But what rope should *I* buy? 

If you're just starting out, your best bet is to go to the hardware store and buy some cheap nylon (get the kind without a hard core) off the roll.  Or clothes line from the dollar store.  Or parachord from the outdoor supply company.  This way you can experiment with figuring out what lengths of rope you need for the sort of bondage that interests you and what diameter of rope you like.

Generally I'd suggest 4 pieces of 30 foot lengths (for body harnesses) and 4 pieces of 15 foot lengths (for limbs.)  And something in the 5mm or 6mm width. 

Once you decide you're ready to invest in a good rope kit, start checking out the sites in the list above to find something you like the looks of that's in your price range.  Or if there's a rope group in your area, check out what other people tie with and ask what they like about the rope they use and if you can handle it to see if it might be something you'll enjoy as well.

Synthetic hemp is very affordable and easy to clean so that's a great place to start.  Hemp is probably the most forgiving of the natural fibers, as it takes very little upkeep and maintenance.  But if you find you enjoy the soft, slippery nylon or MFP, that's okay!  Just because the big fancy rope people you see in photos are trending toward jute and hemp doesn't mean you have to use them too.

And once you have your rope, be sure to check out my list of places to learn how to tie it.  Have fun!

The most common question I get asked is, "Where do I go to learn about rope?"  So I decided it was time for a list.  A big sexy, throbbing, moist and ever growing list of rope education resources.  Enjoy, share, and let me know of any additions! 

BOOKS:

Tutorials

Highly Recommended:

Lee Harrington:

Shibari You Can Use: Japanese Rope Bondage and Erotic Macramé

More Shibari You Can Use: Passionate Rope Bondage and Intimate Connection

-Easy to follow instructions, large, helpful photos of diverse, realistic bodies and genders in rope. Covers ties and rope handling for beginners as well as showing some fun, advanced ties. Ties for restraint, sex, and decoration. My personal favorite; it’s light-hearted and un-intimidating, shows bondage as something anyone can master.

Shay Tiziano:

Tying and Flying: Bondage for Self-Suspension

-An amazing, well written guide to self suspension with ample photographs of each step of the tie that makes following along easy. Shay is a kick ass instructor and that passion translates well to the page. So whether you want to self suspend or just add some new harnesses to your ropey repertoire this book is a must read.

Two Knotty Boys:

Showing You the Ropes: A Step-by-Step Illustrated Guide for Tying Sensual and Decorative Rope Bondage

Back on the Ropes

-Focus on using nylon rope and advanced knots to create decorative rope bondage. Detailed instructions, clear photos of each step. Some of the more complicated ties are confusing for beginners or those uninterested in knots. Creative, nontraditional, Western style bondage, taught in a fun-loving style.

Midori:

The Seductive Art of Japanese Bondage

-This first bondage instructional book published in the West! Covers bondage for male bodies more thoroughly than the other books. Focus on traditional Japanese bondage and techniques. Heavy on text and light on photos, which is great for non-visual learners and those who want to learn rope history while learning a tie.

Shin Nawakiri:

Essence of Shibari: Kinbaku and Japanese Rope Bondage

-Focuses on Shibari and Kinbaku style rope bondage. Beautiful pictures of equally beautiful traditional Japanese ties are paired with history and thorough step by step instructions.

Gestalta:

Shibari Suspensions: A Step by Step Guide

-This one is on my must buy soon list. Though I haven’t read her book, I have taken a number of her online classes and been impressed by her passion for the subject of Shibari and suspensions of all varieties. She conveys the whys the ties and how they affect the body instead of simply giving you a set of instructions follow.

Chanta Rose:

Bondage for Sex

-Shows methods for using basic ties for sex and exposure. Beautiful, sexy photos of male and female bodies in inspiring bondage positions. Clear instructions, and great for beginners to learn how to take rope into the bedroom.

Others of Interest:

Douglas Kent:

Complete Shibari Volume 1: Land

Complete Shibari Volume 2: Sky

-Imagine an origami instruction book but for rope; it uses symbols to vaguely outline the steps of a tie, almost no text but lovely photos. Depending on your learning style this is either the best or the worst book to learn from. Most helpful for intermediate learners to brush up on new techniques.

Lord Morpheous:

Bondage Basics: Naughty Knots and Risque Restraints You Need to Know

-A glossy book of rope porn with a side dish of instruction and bodice-ripper style stories to inspire a scene. Fun book to round out your collection, not a lot of real learning to be had here.

Clifford W Ashley:

The Ashley Book of Knots

-A must have for a true rope geek curious about the in and outs of how and why knots work or which hitch/knot/friction would be best in each situation.  Nothing but in depth instructions for every possible knot imaginable

TI Michelle:

Beginners Guide to Shibari: A comprehensive beginners guide into the art of Japanese rope bondage

Takeshi Shiba:

Shibari for Beginners: Beginner’s Guide to Mastering the Art of Kinbaku and Japanese Rope Bondage – Complete with Pictures of Every Step of Every Knot and Rope Play

Procedure/Safety

Highly Recommended:

Evie Vane:

The Little Guide to Getting Tied Up

Better Bondage for Every Body

-First an adorable, little book for those curious about rope bottoming and how to go about getting tied up in a safe and enjoyable manner. And her more recent tome goes deep into methods of tying every shape and size of body regardless of age or gender.

Jay Wiseman:

Erotic Bondage Handbook

The Toy Bag Guide to Basic Rope Bondage

-Text heavy, safety focused guides to rope. leans more towards text book than sexy tutorial but has a lot of great information especially for absolute beginners.

Georg Barkas:

Archeology of Personalities: a linguistic approach to erotic rope bondage

-If mathematics, philosophy, and a sadistic rope scene got together and had a dense but worthwhile love child, this would be in. If you’ve never taken a Barkas class, you absolutely must. And if you love going deep in the nerdy world of maths and/or rope, their book will give your brain a boner.

Others of Interest:

Mistress Couple:

The Ultimate Guide to Bondage: Creating Intimacy through the Art of Restraint 

-I haven’t read this book but it looks like a fun guide to rope for beginners that focuses on the intimacy of the act of tying.

Master K:

The Beauty of Kinbaku

Liliya May:

Shibari: The Japanese Art of Erotic Bondage

-Nerdy, textbook style explorations of two different schools of traditional Eastern rope bondage.  No tutorials, a lot of talk.

VIDEOS

Highly Recommended:

Twisted Monk

-The best videos of beginner rope I’ve encountered. Very basic and no nonsense; this is where I started learning things like the single column, double column and chest harness ties.

Shibari Study

-Learn from the best riggers around the world without ever leaving home. Everything from beginners safety to suspension basics. It’s a subscription site for $25 per month but well worth the cost for the clear, high quality videos with excellent instructions

Self Suspend with Shay

-Learn the basics of self suspending and handling upline management with Shay Tiziano. These videos are the perfect companion to her book on the same topic. Her teaching style is super clear and light hearted, I learn something new every time I watch one of her tutorials.

Karada House

-On online archive of classes taught by a diverse array of teachers on an amazing assortment of topics. Karada House centers around the queer and BIPOC rope community. Many of these topics aren’t taught elsewhere. Its truly heart warming to see people not often depicted in mainstream rope teaching and being tied.

Knotty Boys

-Sadly YouTube has a real anti-boner for the Knotty Boys videos despite them involving no nudity or sexuality whatsoever.  You can still find them randomly around the internet by searching for things like “dragonfly sleeve, Knotty Boys” or “doublecoin knot, Knotty Boys.”  Especially great for extra assistance in figuring out the knots described in their books

Topologist/Crash-restraint.com

-Most helpful for more advanced topics like the front loading box tie or attaching a Hitachi to a crotch rope, these videos are amazingly well done, clear, and informative.  I really like his method of explaining a tie and learn something new every time I watch his videos.

Others of Interest:

Watts The Safeword

-My new favorite place for simple and decorative ties. These two have the cutest and most pun filled energy! Also the ties are specifically created to stay on bodies without a lot of chest tissue (so masculine or non-binary bottoms can have pretty chest harnesses too.)

Bound Jocks

-A ridiculous and jock strap wearing change of pace from the other more serious videos.  Also, hurrah for guys in rope.  

Rorys Brainworks

A hipster with a beard talks to his mannequin while teaching basic decorative ties. Its strangely endearing.

Fetlife Lists

kat0’s List of Hip Harness videos

-Requires Fetlife log in to access.  A well rounded list of a variety of hip harnesses from decorative to load bearing for suspensions from a varied list of rope pros.  The Leto harness is still my favorite.

PinkMynx's list of videos

-Another Fetlife only list, some of the videos are only available to paid members. This has a little bit of everything for everyone.  Soooo many videos!

Classes

(in the Portland, Oregon area)

Full calendar list of sex positive Portland events can be found here!

Group Classes

PRAG (Portland Rope Arts Group)

2nd Monday of every month, 7PM-9PM, Catalyst Dungeon, $5

-Portland’s longest running rope arts group, each month involves a beginner’s class to learn the basics and an intermediate class to learn a new topic.

Hitchin’ Bitches

3rd Sunday of every month, 7:00 PM-9:00 PM, private studio in NE Portland, $5

-Portland’s rope group for female identified, trans, non-binary and gender queer rope tops, male identified folks are invited only as bottoms, 101 and intermediate class with new topic each month.

Private Instruction (By Fetlife Name)

Me! aka CircleOfLight

-I often focus on the basics of rope for sex, but I am also available for basic 101 ties, self bondage/suspension instruction, stretching for rope,  and ties for male and/or larger bodies.  Available for one on one or skype instruction, as well as ticketed group classes.

ShesANatural and Conroy-

-A super passionate, sweet, and knowledgeable couple who often teach on topics involving the bottom's experience in rope.  Find them at ticketed group classes or large events like Kinkfest.