4 Knots Every Jewelry Maker or Beader Needs

Knots are important in beadwork and other jewelry making such as bead stringing to secure thread and cord or can be used decoratively as in macrame jewelry or Chinese knotting.

In beadwork, knots are often used when adding or securing thread. The type of knots used vary depending on the bead stitch you are using, the type of thread and the bead sizes. Using the right knot and making it correctly can help prevent your thread from unraveling and make your beadwork last longer.

When stringing beads, knots are used to fasten the cord ends, attach findings or placed in between beads to help cushion them and prevent them from scattering in case the stringing thread breaks.

Knots can also be decorative in addition to being functional. The lark's head knot is a good example of a knot that is ea bsy to tie and secure, but also looks great as part of a design element in jewelry. Macrame and Chinese decorative knots are examples of jewelry making techniques that rely on knot tying.

In this article, you will learn the technique to make some of the most commonly used jewelry making knots and how they can be used. The knots covered are the overhand knot, half hitch knot, square knot and surgeon's knot  Take the time to review these knots and practice tying them.  While it can be tricky to learn how to tie a good knot when doing beadwork, it will greatly improve the quality and durability of your work.

Overhand Knot Tutorial

An overhand knot is used frequently in jewelry making and beadwork and is very simple to tie. In bead stringing, it is used to make knots between beads for decorative effect or to keep them secure. It is also used in stringing at the end of a cord or to attach a cord to a clamshell beading tip. 

To tie an overhand knot, make a loop with the thread or cord.

Insert one end of the cord through the loop and pull tight.

To use the overhand knot between beads, you will need a beading awl or similar tool to insert into the knot loop and slide the knot as close as possible to the bead before pulling it tight.

.Overhand knots can be used on doubled cord to create the loop portion of a loop and button closure that is often used with leather cord.

Start with a doubled section of cord. This can be on the end of the cord, or in a section of the project.

Holding both cords together and working with them as if they are one, make a loop.

Insert the two cords through the loop.

Pull the cords on either end to tighten the knot. Adjust the cords so they don't overlap in the knot area and look neat. If you are using this knot to make a loop to slip over a button, make sure it is the correct size before fully tightening the knot.

Half Hitch Knot

The half hitch knot is basically the same as an overhand knot, the only difference being that a half hitch knot is tied around a different cord or thread. 

Half hitch knots are used frequently in beadwork to tie off the thread ends before cutting it. This tutorial demonstrates tying the half hitch knot at the edge of a tube of peyote beadwork. This is for convenience. It is more likely that you will tie the half hitch knots between beads in the body of your beadwork so the knots are not visible and are not exposed to wear.

Start a half hitch knot by inserting your needle under a thread bridge in the body of your beadwork.

Pull the thread until you are left with a small loop.

Put your needle through the loop.

Pull the thread to tighten the knot around the cord.

You now have a small knot securing  your working thread. 

It is a best practice to weave your thread through a bead or two to come up in another area with a thread bridge.

Tie another half hitch knot, then weave the thread end though more beads before trimming the working thread as close to the beadwork as possible.

Square Knot

Square knots are used in a variety of beadwork and jewelry making projects. A common use is to knot the ends of elastic stretch cord in bracelets, but I recommend the next knot in this article, the surgeon's knot as a more secure option for that.

By using the end of the old working thread and one end of the new thread, square knots can be used to add new threads in beadwork. They are a good choice when working in open weave stitches such as netting stitch and right angle weave. Square knots are secure, and very easy to hide in between beads or even inside of seed beads.

Start by crossing the two ends of cord.

To start the square knot, move the cord in your left hand over the cord in your right hand. Pass the cord in your left hand beneath the cord in your right hand and bring it back up.

Pull the cords snug.

To continue making the square knot, pass the strand in your left hand over the strand in your right hand. 

Move it down, behind the cord and bring it up through the middle of the knot.

Pull on both sides of the cord to tighten the knot. The knot should be even on both sides and they should line up evenly with the cords beneath them. If they lay on an angle, undo the last half of the knot and tie it again crossing the cords the opposite way. Square knots should always lay evenly, so that is how to know if you crossed and looped them correctly.

Surgeon's Knot

A surgeon's knot is the same as a square knot with an extra wrap though on the first half of the knot. This extra wrap of the cord helps provide some friction and holds the cords in place while you tie the second half. Surgeon's knots are less likely to slip than square knots. These two factors make them work better with elastic cord than a simple square knot.

A surgeon's knot begins in the same manner as a square knot.

Wrap the strand in your left hand over the strand in your right hand. Pass the strand in your left hand beneath the strand in your right hand and bring it back up. Repeat this process a second time so you have wrapped over the cord twice.

To continue making the knot, pass the strand in your left hand over the strand in your right hand. 

Bring it up through the middle of the knot. Pull the cord ends to tighten. 

With the thick cord that I've used to demonstrate this knot, it may not look more secure, but when tied with thread or elastic cord, the double wrap on the first half of the knot provides a tighter base that holds more securely than a square knot does.