knittles

I then squared the yards, hauled in, brailed up and furled the trysail, and next took the reef-tackles, one after the other, to the winch, heaving them as taut as I could get them; after which I jumped aloft, passed the reef earrings, and tied the knittles.

The Castaways Harry Collingwood 1886

Then fastening on the knittles, he secured a couple of blocks to the rafters of the hut, and thus formed a satisfactory sleeping-place.

The Rival Crusoes William Henry Giles Kingston 1847

The men on both sides haul them taut and stop the parts of the tackles together, with knittles provided by the Quarter Gunner, and then expend the remainder of the falls by passing them around the breech of the gun, through the jaws of the cascabel, and stopping the bights alternately to the eye-bolts on each side of the port until expended; or, at four-truck carriages, take two half hitches over the tail of the brackets, and expend the ends of the falls.

Ordnance Instructions for the United States Navy. 1866. Fourth edition. United States. Navy Dept. Bureau of Ordnance

The reef of this sail is towards the lower end, the knittles being small short lines used in the room of points for this purpose (see notes to ver. 134, 150, p. 210); they are accordingly knotted under the foot-rope, or lower edge of the sail.] [Footnote 41: 'Lash'd a-lee:' fastened to the lee-side; see note to ver.

The Poetical Works of Beattie, Blair, and Falconer With Lives, Critical Dissertations, and Explanatory Notes George Gilfillan 1845