Want to impress friends or relatives with your sleight of hand? There are some easy magic tricks that you can learn and put to use very quickly.
You'll need a bit of practice and some showmanship but you can master these tricks in no time.
The self-tying handkerchief What you are trying to achieve here is for the audience to believe that you can tie a knot in a handkerchief with only one hand.
An ordinary cloth handkerchief is the only prop you'll need for this trick.
You'll need to tie one end into a simple knot.
Try to take your handkerchief out of your pocket allowing the audience to see only the untied end.
With the knotted end hidden in your hand, pick up the hanging end with the other hand then release it again.
Do this twice to add a little flair to your trick.
On the third time, let go of the end with the knot by dropping it instead of the expected corner.
Use your hand movements to conceal the switch.
The knot tying challenge This is another easy magic trick that can baffle your friends and family.
You'll need a piece of rope three to four feet long.
Lay the rope out in front of your audience and challenge them to tie a knot in it without letting go of either end of the rope.
Let them try to work through it for a minute or two.
After they struggle with it and can't figure it out, offer to try it yourself.
Here's the secret: just cross your hands while holding the rope.
When you cross your hands, you are seemingly making out a knot with your hands.
As you do this, get hold of each end of the rope and uncross your hands.
The tie that you made with your hands will transfer to the rope.
You have successfully tied up a knot in the rope without letting go of either end while doing it.
The unbreakable match This is an easy trick but it does require a small amount of preparation.
Before you present this trick to the audience, place a wooden match inside the hem of a handkerchief.
The bring some with you and let someone from the audience choose one.
Lay out the handkerchief on a table and place the chosen matchstick in the center.
Roll up the handkerchief with the matchstick covered in the middle.
While you are doing this, get hold of the matchstick in the hem and allow the volunteer to feel it.
You can even allow them to break it.
The volunteer will vouch for the fact that there is indeed a matchstick inside the handkerchief.
Break the matchstick yourself a second time any try to make it loud enough for the audience to hear.
The audience will believe that you are breaking the matchstick they saw placed inside the handkerchief by the volunteer.
Place the handkerchief down on the table and slowly unroll it to reveal an unbroken matchstick!