you asked about knots, then went on to hitches and bends... smile which is it?

I guess as far as knots go in order of useage but not of usefulness
half hitch
taught line hitch
figure 8 and variations
double or triple fishermans knot
don't know the name of my flyfishing knot
Jim
And I have rapped on very tiny almost metallic lines of prestretched plastics 3-4mm in diameter using a triple wrap around an oval carabiner to control it. It was scary, no stretch at all.
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These are my own opinions based on wisdom earned through many wrong decisions. Your mileage may vary.