The standard laces on sneakers are fine—for the first few months, then they're prone to weathered looks and tricky knots. Upgrade your kicks with nautical rope, which can look pretty neat and is meant ...

Knotted rope with a distinctly nautical flair has emerged as a decorative desk accessory and doorstop in two recent home-design catalogs. Williams-Sonoma Home offers a 6-inch-diameter Rope Knot made ...

A version of this story ran in The Virginian-Pilot on Sept. 14, 2005. Hurricane or no, we’re in for a blow. Time to start thinking about how to secure the woodpile or lash the garbage cans to a tree.

The answer has its roots in Portuguese, Dutch, and English sailors who needed a way to tell how fast they were going in an ...