To Knot or Not?

Beaders, I have a confession to make: I’ve stopped knotting my threads. That’s right, after years of steadfastly adhering to a 2-knot per thread rule, I have thrown caution to the wind.

Well, maybe not. I’m still using the essential half-hitch knot to secure threads on lightweight and loose stitches like netting. But when it comes to the tightly packed peyote stitch and herringbone weave, I’m going knot-free.

I can’t say for sure why I held on to the notion of knotting for so long. If you’ve ever tried to rip apart a piece of peyote stitch, you know that once those threads are set, they do not want to let go. What finally freed me was the unforgiving scrutiny of digital cameras. They pick up every flaw, including knots that don’t get tucked away into seed beads like they should. I got tired of noticing those little lumps of thread between beads in close ups, and realized that knotting is actually a pretty tedious job that I’ve always wished I could skip.

Indeed, since shrugging off knots I find that finishing beadwork pieces goes a lot quicker, both in perceived and actual time spent. I’m still weaving in 4 or more inches of thread every time for absolute security - and extra reinforcement - and the beadwork is no less sturdy without those pesky knots. In fact, pieces are a lot stronger, because I can choose whatever thread path I want, instead of having to follow a course that makes for the best knot positions.

Before I encourage other beaders to take the no-knot plunge, I should mention that I’m strictly a Fireline user. Nymo aggravates me the second I cut it from the spool, and I’ve never taken the time to become really familiar with it. Even heavily waxed, I’m not sure that soft nylon threads will have the same ‘hold’ as Fireline, which kinks as soon as you complete a stitch, and keeps that shape.

Or do they? I want to hear what your thread and knotting preferences are. Which approach or combination works best for you?

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading
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