I almost did not make it to last night's basic rope bondage" class at T.E.S. It was a toss up between going to the class, or going home to sleep. As is so often the case in my life, bondage won out. As I checked the meeting schedule, I noticed that I had missed the advanced bondage class the day before... And I'll be missing a four hour advanced bondage workshop this saturday, too. I hope Conny appreciates what I am giving up for her visit. (Actually, it's no sacrifice, I just want to curry favor.)

Like the last T.E.S. bondage event, this one was very well attended, at least 50 people. The instructor was very good, though initially a bit nervous addressing such a mob. Once he stopped talking and started tying, though, his nervousness went away. Since this was listed as a class and not a workshop, I didn't bring any rope, which was true of most people. The instructor, quite prudently, handed out short lengths to everyone in the class who wanted to follow along.

He started with the very basics: the square knot (or reef knot.) For those who never tie anything, the tricky thing about a square knot is if you aren't paying attention when you tie it, you can end up with a granny knot instead. Granny knots tend to slip, so this is a bad thing. The instructor reminded us of the old Boy Scout mnemonic, "right over left, left over right" (which you can reverse, of course.) I personally don't find the mnemonic that useful because of my own mental blocks, and I've just learned to look at the knot as I tie it. The instructor showed us a nice trick on quickly untying a square knot that's quite obvious when it's pointed out.

Anyone thinking about tying up another person should know that if you learn to tie a square knot, you're pretty much all set for knots. Bondage isn't really about knots.

We then went on securing the hands. He demonstrated a simple rope handcuff that was a variation on the traditional shoelace knot. Imagine a big shoelace knot, put your wrists into the loops, and then pull the loose ends. Then wrap the ends around the wrists a few more times, and then between your hands, and finish with a square knot. He also went over the most basic method, where you simply wrap rope for several turns around both wrists, but not tightly. Then you pass the tails of the rope between the wrists at a right angle to the rope around the wrists, in opposite directions. You wrap this for a few turns, and that tightens the rope around the wrists, and you finish with a square knot. Remember to tie the knot on the bottom of the wrists, so the knot isn't quite to convenient to the teeth, in case your bottom decides to make a break for it.

We then learned how to make a rope bit or gag, which was a simple little knot, but a clever thing to know. There's a powerful psychology to having something shoved in your mouth that you can't remove. But proper gags have some problems. They seriously reduce the bottoms ability to communicate, which is something you really cannot do until you've played with the bottom a lot. Gags also prevent the bottom from using his or her mouth and tongue. But, as the instructor pointed out, the rope bit doesn't really hinder either, so it's a good technique. I'll need to get some thinner, cotton rope for this, though. My rope is a bit thick for this. Mind you, it will never replace the fun of a ball gag, but still useful.

Then it was time for harnesses. I have learned one thing about tying harnesses, if nothing else, you can pretty much do it an infinite number of ways. Another thing I learned from this class was seeing how to extend the basic torso harness to include the legs.

The instructor then informed us someone requested a demonstration on how to tie a cock and ball seperator, a ball stretcher and a cock cage. For this, he'd need a volunteer who would be willing to strip down. For a fleeting moment, I considered it, mainly as a test of my own bravery. Well, I can report that I'm not that brave. Another gentleman volunteered, and we were treated to a very intimate demonstration of how to tie up a man's package. Now, I personally don't plan on tying men up in my play, but it was interesting to be in a room full of people watching a nude man getting his nuts tied up. And, it's amazing how quickly any shock of nudity fades. At first, like any typical man, it's hard to break the courtesy taboo of looking at another man's gear, but since this was the point, it quickly becomes no big deal. And no, the model did not get aroused. Someone actually asked afterwards, "Do you usually tie this on to an erect or flaccid penis?" The instructor admitted gleefully "Oh, when I do it to my partner, it's erect."

After the penis bondage, the class wrapped up. A woman has asked the instructor how to tie a "French bow", and the instructor wasn't sure precisely what she was talking about, since knots tend to have a variety of names. She described it a bit, and I was fairly certain she meant a French bowline (also called a Portugese bowline). So, at the end of the class, I was teaching her how to do a French bowline, which was exactly what she was looking for. It was a great boost to my roping confidence to be able to teach someone a little something. My rope skills are definitely improving in leaps and bounds.

I made it home around 10PM. I caught up with Mark on the phone, and we swapped our respective women stories. Him and his lady are slowly sliding into kinkster territory, and they both seem to be enjoying it. I'm happy for both of them, as it seems they are both on the same part of the learning curve, and have inclinations that fit well together. I told him about Conny's upcoming weekend visit. I think he was unable to reconcile my enthusiasm for her trip and my insistence that her stay was simply a friendly one, but he left it alone. Which is exactly what I've been doing myself.

So it finally was an early night: in bed by midnight. Hey, that's early for me. Tonight will be another early night. I'll spruce up the apartment, and tend to the laundry, but I want to be well rested for Conny and Friday's dinner at La Nouvelle Justine.

posted 11:19 AM | link |