Length and Width of Rope for Shibari
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There is no perfect length of rope. Your rope needs to be long enough to do whatever job you need done, but you can add on more rope if you run out. If you are just tying a one-column to attach someone to a bed, a 10ft (3+ meter) length piece per wrist is plenty, but each tie is different. I prefer to have a stack of ropes in various sizes available, so I have just the right rope for the job.
To do the ties featured in this book you will need:
- Ball Tie: three 25-30ft (8-10 meter) lengths
- Gyaku Ebi: three 25-30ft (8-10 meter) lengths
- Chair Tie: four 10-25ft (3-8 meter) lengths
- Kani Niwatori: four 25-30ft (8-10 meter) lengths
- Ankle to Wrist: two 10-25ft (3-8 meter) lengths
- Captive Tie: one 25-30ft (8-10 meter) length
- Strap-on Harness: one 25-30ft (8-10 meter) length... and a dildo!
In your toy bag you might include a variety of 10-25 and 25-30ft lengths in multiple materials, along with a pair of EMT shears, blindfold, various sensation toys, a bottle of water, safer sex supplies, a blanket, and whatever else strikes your fancy. All ties shown in this book are done with 6-8mm (%” or 3/8”) rope.
The trick to choosing the diameter of your rope is knowing what you will be doing with it—if you are mostly tying decorative ties on petite forms, something as small as 4mm can be perfect. If you are doing a moderate amount of wraps on wrists and plan on doing some decorative ties, consider having a mix of 6mm and 8mm in your toy bag. If you want to have your Bottom struggle a lot, or want lines that will look in scale for barrel-chested bodies, consider having a bag full of 8mm and 10mm rope.
Remember — one of the biggest “secrets” in Japanese rope bondage is that you will be folding your rope in half—so 6mm is actually 12mm of coverage per wrap, and 8mm is really 16mm of coverage per wrap. This is why Japanese-style rope bondage tends to use thinner, longer pieces of rope than its Western single-strand counterpart.
Everyone needs to develop his or her own system. Some artists prefer having a bag made entirely of 10mm 50ft pieces of nylon to reduce the need for adding on extra ropes. Others choose shorter lengths that are less likely to tangle, and are easier to maneuver, adding more rope as needed. Experiment, play around, and take your own path.
