Animated Knots by Grog
Ranked 2 of 14 reference websites by recommenders
People recommend it as a clear, minimal site for learning knots, with useful comparisons between similar knots. The most common caveat is that the animations are more like slideshows.
11 people recommended Animated Knots by Grog in Hacker News comments, 3 had mixed feelings and 1 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026.
10 of the 11 people who recommend it commented in one thread, “Animated Knots”.
Summary written by Claude from 14 comments.
15 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 11
- mixed feelings
- 3
- warn against or regret it
- 1
The record
Recommended in 2 of 12 months
In 2 different threads.
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 11 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 11 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 of 12 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
- Recommended in 2 threadsNeeds 5 or more, not met.
- 10 of its 11 recommenders came from one threadNeeds half or less, not met.
The same rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. Mixed feelings count toward neither side. How the badge works
What people say about it
Reasons grouped from a sample of 14 of the 16 opinions about it, picked in proportion to how many people recommend it, have mixed feelings and criticize it. Each mark is one comment in the sample. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Useful for learning knots
“I learned a lot of the knots and hitches I use from this site.”
Comment from 6 Feb 2026 in “Animated Knots” “This website was so useful for Boy Scout rank advancement.”
Comment from 6 Feb 2026 in “Animated Knots” “I have seen this useful website come up in the past”
Comment from 10 Feb 2026 in “Animated Knots” - Comment from 14 Jul 2026 in “Notable Knot Index (2016)”
Favorite site people return to
“this is my #1 favorite knot site”
Comment from 6 Feb 2026 in “Animated Knots” “this really brought me back”
Comment from 6 Feb 2026 in “Animated Knots” Minimal, focused design
“Is this a very high quality website that simply tries to do one thing well”
Comment from 6 Feb 2026 in “Animated Knots” “the minimal design makes it surprisingly refreshing to use”
Comment from 6 Feb 2026 in “Animated Knots”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Animations feel like slideshows
“more of a slideshow than actual animations”
Comment from 5 Feb 2026 in “Animated Knots”
Other reference websites people recommend
The four most recommended other reference websites, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Mixed | Criticize | Approval | Months | Had for | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheldon Brown's Bicycle Technical Info | 47 | 1 | 0 | 100% | 6 | — | — |
| Animated Knots by GrogThis page | 11 | 3 | 1 | 92% | 2 | — | — |
| Ian's Shoelace Site | 10 | 0 | 1 | 91% | 4 | — | Approved |
| OEIS | 9 | 0 | 1 | 90% | 6 | — | — |
| RF Cafe | 8 | 1 | 2 | 80% | 1 | — | — |
What people said
14 of the 16 opinions about it, picked in proportion to the three counts, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“oft-cited places to learn knots on the internet”
“I have seen this useful website come up in the past”
“I learned a lot of the knots and hitches I use from this site.”
“I particularly like the comparison between similar knots that helps you understand when one is better than the other.”
“the minimal design makes it surprisingly refreshing to use”
“I liked this when I stumbled over it a few weeks back.”
“I've got the Android app and love it”
“metadata tags that indicate each knot's attribute(s), i.e., bight, open, slip, etc.”
“this really brought me back”
“Is this a very high quality website that simply tries to do one thing well”
“this is my #1 favorite knot site”
“This website was so useful for Boy Scout rank advancement.”
“It seems to be a nice, handmade, thoughtful collection.”
“more of a slideshow than actual animations”
Counts come from 1,791,911 Hacker News comments labeled by Claude, November 2025 to October 2026, with data through October 31, 2026. Counts updated 2 Nov 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.