Rope can be tricky from what I have learned, when I got my first rope for bondage I also picked up a book with it to really learn more about it before I actually used it in any play.
I would practice tying the knots and such on myself or other objects because you can always tie them too tight, too loose and depending on what you are doing that could be bad (cutting off circulation and such)
Like anything with BDSM there is always wanting to be safe.