I have been meaning for some time to check the etymology of "knit" and "knot", so did so this morning -
https://www.etymonline.com/word/knit
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Adding salt is a bit of a cheat, as pure water is basically a non-conductor, hence salt being needed to achieve the electrolysis of water, to separate the hydrogen and oxygen.
Could also be self-defeating with the corrosive effects on connecting metals.