Two Knotty Boys Showing You the Ropes - bdsm toy by Green Candy Press - review by Ms. Paprika

The two authors, JD and Dan, are well known in bondage circles (especially on the West Coast) for creatively coming up with ties that are functional and pleasing to view. They hold workshops in the SF Bay Area that require reservations and, for a brief time, even posted youtube video tutorials (which usually got flagged as inappropriate). According to the author page, they have 25 years of combined rope experience, deriving from jobs in rigging and rock climbing, though if you're curious you could visit their website "two knotty boys". The photographer Larry Utley did a good job with his photos as well- they are well taken and almost always show clearly the steps outlined in the text.

This book is for beginners and experts alike in rope bondage. I knew some of these ties starting out (like the traditional Japanese karada), but I think everyone will find something useful. Who knew you can tie your own strap-on harness using rope?

The tone is casual yet informative, and while some of the jokes are groan-worthy puns, overall it's an accessible book. They even include a glossary for those who don't know what a rope "bight" is. The book assumes you're a newcomer to the process, so they have an introduction, a bondage safety chapter (right at the beginning, where it should be!) and some bullet points on rope types and how to care for them. Knots are also covered at the beginning in their own chapter, before the actual bondage instructions begin. And every tie in the book can be made of those 13 knots!
The ties themselves are divided into four chapters: basic bondage, decorative bondage, dominance bondage and sex bondage. The titles speak for themselves.

Overall this is the most clear, laid out bondage book I've seen- which is why I bought it! The photographs may be in black and white, but they go well with the text. Most of the time the ties/knots are explained throughly and there are no "missing steps" in between that leave you wondering, "How?" My small quibble is that sometimes photographs are repeated- at the start of the tutorial and then in the instructions-couldn't we get a different perspective?

My only other small dislike is that the book's binding doesn't allow it to be laid flat until you "crack" the spine. If you're tying your partner up, you might find yourself pinning down the book page you need to view too.

Size-wise the book is 11" by 8.5" and is soft cover. It's not the most discreet in terms of the cover, but the backside might pass so long as no one read the text, which has rope bondage all over it. But it's slim enough you could take it anywhere: 1/4".

Overall a great book for those who want to learn bondage- Two Knotty Boys are recognized as masters in their field for good reason.

As mentioned earlier, it'd be nice if this book were easier to prop open, especially if you've got a wiggly bottom who likes being bratty. The "basic bondage" ties are very easy and you can do those just by looking at the instructions (usually a page long), quickly memorizing them, and then utilizing. Some even take seconds to do. The more advanced ties are where you'll start to wish you had brought some paperweights with your rope-you usually need to reference the book for the next step.
Overall though the ties hold well and are secure-any instances where my bottom could wiggle free were because I hadn't pulled the rope tight enough...probably because I kept having to transfer all the trailing ends of rope to one hand (or my mouth) and flip through the book looking for page 58.