Materials

"He's got a new fidget when he's reading now too. I kept hearing a quiet
clickclickclickclick as he made the beads bounce together." --NL, Pennsylvania

Numerous different fibers can be used for knotwork pieces. Here are a few examples, to give you an idea of relative sizes and textures:


YLI silk embroidery floss and DMC
cotton embroidery floss (texture face)
From left to right: YLI silk embroidery
floss, DMC cotton embroidery floss,
acrylic yarn (color face)
DMC cotton embroidery floss
and acrylic yarn (color face)


Satin cord (color face)
Top to bottom: DMC pearl cotton #5 and
cotton embroidery floss (color face)

Here's the rundown:
  • DMC cotton embroidery floss is soft, smooth, and inexpensive. It's perfect for daily wear jewelry, as it's pre-washed and pre-shrunk; you can even wear it in the shower! The six strands also make it easy to inset beads.
  • DMC pearl cotton is sturdy and has a pearly sheen to it, hence the name. It comes in several different weights; the #5 is particularly suited to knotwork. Pearl cotton is excellent for keyrings and zipper pulls, and other items that see frequent use.
  • YLI silk embroidery floss makes small, delicate knots; EternaSilk embroidery floss (no pictures currently available) makes knots the same size as those from cotton floss. A finished piece made of silk will have an exquisitely smooth texture on the color face. Silk is surprisingly strong, but it's expensive and frequent wear will result in "fuzzing", so it's recommended mostly for pins and tie clips, or bracelets and necklaces to be worn on special occasions.
  • Red Heart acrylic yarn has a coarse texture and makes large, solid knots. It wears well and works particularly nicely for wristbands, medallions, and other fabric-like pieces.
  • Satin cord is very smooth and makes large, loose knots. It's best suited to decorative pieces or those meant to be worn very infrequently.


Some of our suppliers have online catalogs, so we recommend that you browse their selections (linked below), choose the material that suits you best, and then send email with your specifications to orders@gordiandesigns.com. We'll then be able to tell you how the fiber you've chosen will affect the size, weight, texture, and price of the finished piece. Or you can do it the other way around: tell us what you want (Should the texture be smooth, with small delicate knots, or more coarse and sturdy? Do you want zipper pulls that will be yanked on daily, or a necklace for dressy special occasions? Does the material need to be waterproof, or impervious to sweat-discoloration, or undyed?) and we'll give you a range of materials that will suit your purposes. Are you looking for a piece to go with something you already own? Send us cloth or fiber samples or clear close-up photographs and we'll do our best to match them. Your satisfaction is, as always, our goal.


Our suppliers online:

Home | Designs | {Materials} | Finishing | Gallery | Ordering | Questions?

This page was last updated on June 18th, 2002 by webmaster@gordiandesigns.com.