Now, while I'm waiting for something, and am not reading; instead of Twitter or other scrolling apps, I just watch the knots!
One day, any day, at some fateful party with friends, we may need to tie a knot, any knot, and I'm going to pick up one from my mind palace.
Tieing them in the dark gives you practice on how the rope feels, the relationship of your hands, and how a well tied one feels.
A few of these kids have had to tie knots while assembling a tent in driving rain, lashing to a tree, tying them over their heads, etc (most of course have not!). Or tied something to car before highway driving. This is how they have the skill and confidence to do it right.
You only need a handful of knots and hitches as your go-to knots that will help you in 99.9% of situations you will encounter. You might as well learn them: they are some of humanity’s oldest inventions.
Plus the math can be fun.
If we're doing knot relays, I'll also have them do it with gloves, or eyes closed, or tie the knot behind their back. Also gives a great sense of accomplishment when they finish.
A somewhat feasible scenario if you make friends with a certain type of interest, go to parties with a certain type of theme, and diligently study knots like the Somerville Bowline.
(There is, perhaps unsurprisingly, a good deal of overlap in the rope skills and gear required for mountain climbing and, well, the other type of hobby where one suspends bodies from a rope.)