The Philosophy of Knots #1

This is the post you write when you have done no sewing worth reporting.  I have spent the weekend about an hour north of Sydney at Pearl Beach.  This is why there has been no sewing

and this

However, there has been ample time for thinking.

We all know there are good knots.  They are necessary for starting and finishing.

Bad knots are an interruption to my sewing trance.  They have lead me to examine the science of knots.   I think it is worthwhile to classify bad knots into two subgroups; those that can be unravelled and those that have to be cut out.

Knots that can be unravelled are generally caused by using thread that is too long.  It is tempting, especially when the eye of the needle is small to attempt to reduce the number of times you thread the needle.   I like to use size 10 and 12 needles and consequently I cut my thread  too long and I get frequent knots.  During the action of sewing, the thread twists and turns on itself and eventually a knot is formed.   It's difficult to change bad habits and make my thread shorter so  I've found two ways to deal with knots.

The first is useful in simple knots ie. those knots that have single loop extending out of the knot.  Pull gently on one side of the knot.  If the loop doesn't move, then change the pulling action to the other thread.  Generally the knot will pull itself out without further effort on your part.

With more complex knots, insert the needle into the densest part of the knot

and tease the knot apart as much as possible.  It won't collapse at this stage, but then the first strategy above can be applied.

Of course, you may have your own infallible way of dealing with knots.  I'd love to hear about your techniques.   They don't get enough attention in the literature, considering we all suffer from knots...right?  This is only the first installment on knots.  More will follow regarding complex knots and their unravelling unless I get a chorus of complaints.

Now, where was I?