"jumping rings"(#114)

" The Jumping Rings" (#114)

The magician holds a rope between his hands. There are three knots tied on it, and on the center knot is tied to a wire hanger. The magician says a magic word and FLASH, right before everyone's eyes, the hanger jumps from the center knot to the right knot!

SECRET

Use a strong piece of rope, about 3' long. It should be about ¼" thick. It shows 4 knots on the rope. Knots B, C and D are regular knots. The hanger is tied to knot C. But knot A isn't a regular knot, it is a "slip knot." It looks pretty much like the others, but when pulled by the ends of the rope, comes undone.

Begin the trick with knot D covered by your right hand. Hold the rope so that knots A, B, and C are showing.

Say: "Here we have three knots. Notice that a hanger is tied onto the end knot. But watch … Abracadabra!"

Now, do two things:
First: Pull the rope very tight between your hands. This will cause the slipknot (A) to come undone. It seems to disappear.
Second: Pull the rope again with the left hand. Slide knot D from your right hand. When you do this fast, it looks to the audience as if the hanger has jumped from the end knot to the center knot.
Practice, practice, practice … try it in front of a mirror, then when you can do it fast and smoothly, try it in front of your friends and family.