A minor miracle in the world of knots the icicle hitch won’t slip on a smooth and/or tapered surface (like an icicle). When tied and arranged carefully the icicle hitch is surprisingly slip-free when pulled parallel to the stave or pole or icicle it is tied on.
I first learned the icicle hitch years ago in Geoffrey Budworth’s The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Knots and Ropework available on Amazon.
Budworth’s encyclopedia illustrates 200 different knots with excellent photographs and clear directions.
Budworth’s systematic evaluation of knotted clues at crime scenes and his testimony in the courts earned him the name ‘the Father of Forensic knotting’. In 1982 he co-founded the International Guild of Knot Tyers and is a past President of the Guild as well as a frequent contributor to its quarterly magazine Knotting Matters.