It happens to everyone - you're stitching along, and suddenly you discover that there is a knot in your beading thread. Before you panic and decide to cut your thread and start all over again, there are a couple of simple things that you can do to try and remove the knot.
Just be aware that if your nylon beading thread frays while you are trying to remove the knot, you're better off cutting the knot (and cutting your losses), weaving in your tails, and starting with a new length of thread.
Difficulty: Average
Time Required: Thirty seconds to several minutes, depending on the knot
Here's How:
- Don't immediately pull on the knot - it may only tighten the knot and make it more difficult to remove.
- Take a beading awl, beading needle, or pin and insert it into the knot. Wiggle the awl, needle or pin around to loosen the threads. You may be able to being unraveling the knot after a few seconds.
- Step Two doesn't work, take a pair of sharp tweezers, hold them closed, and insert the point into the center of the knot. Gently let the tweezers come apart, and try to loosen the threads in the knot. If you can loosen the knot this way, you can use your beading awl, needle or pin to continue to loosen the knot.
- When using gel-spun beading threads such as Wildfire or Fireline, removing a knot may be as simple as gently pulling on the knot. But if you pull on the knot and the threads do not move, do not pull any more - use one of the above steps to try to loosen the threads.
- If you have tried everything and the knot is still stubbornly stuck in your thread, trim the thread on either side of the knot. Weave in your ends and start stitching again.
Tips:
- To prevent knots when using any type of thread, try working with shorter lengths of thread, unless the project you are working on specifically calls for using a particular length of thread. Using short pieces of thread will also make your stitching work up faster.
- When using nylon beading threads such as Nymo, One-G or S-Lon, always stretch your thread and condition it using microcrystalline beeswax or Thread Heaven.
What You Need
- Beading awl
- Sharp tweezers
- Extra beading needles
- Thread burner
- Scissors