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Why is there a knot in my thread?
In the sewing and embroidery industry, knots or joins are a universal reality, though they are relatively rare in premium threads.
The production of thread isn't a single, continuous strand from start to finish. It’s a multi-stage process involving spinning, twisting, dyeing, and winding. Because machines don't run forever and raw materials eventually run out, manufacturers must join strands to keep the winding process going.
Here is how the industry handles this:
1. The Necessity of Joins
Manufacturers use three main methods to join thread during production:
- Pneumatic Splicing: This is the gold standard. Compressed air "entangles" the fibres together. It’s smooth, maintains about 80% of the thread's strength, and usually passes through a needle eye without a hitch. There are more of these joins than you realise but you simply don’t see them; however, it is still a weak point in the thread and is often the reason for an otherwise unexplained thread break.
- Wrap Splices: A fine auxiliary thread is wrapped around two overlapping ends. It’s stronger than a splice but thicker. Not as commonly used.
- Knots (The "Weaver's Knot"): These are the smallest possible physical knots. While strong, they are 2–3 times the thickness of the thread. In high-speed machine embroidery, these are the most likely to cause a "stop" or a break because they simply won't fit through the eye of a 75/11 or 80/12 needle. This is an emergency join and, while rare, is sometimes unavoidable at certain points in the thread production.
2. Industry Tolerance Standards
Even with state-of-the-art technology, it is physically impossible to guarantee 100% "knot-free" spools without creating massive amounts of textile waste.
- In the broader textile industry (like yarn or knitting), 1–2 knots per 50g is often the accepted "within tolerance" standard.
- In premium embroidery threads like Hemingworth, the tolerance is much tighter, which is why most users go years without seeing one.
- However, no brand is completely immune to them.
3. Why it Feels "Common" vs. "Rare"
While it is rare, the sheer volume of thread produced—even just for Hemingworth in Australia—equates to tens of millions of metres every year. If every spool that experienced a join or a knot was discarded, it wouldn't be environmentally friendly or acceptable.
In reality, the frequency is incredibly low. However, because modern embroidery machines are fast and sensitive, they detect the slightest tension change or physical obstruction immediately.
When a knot does occur, it feels like a major failure because it interrupts a precision project. From a manufacturing standpoint, it’s a statistical anomaly—often occurring once in every few hundred thousand metres of production.
A knot in a spool of thread isn’t a sign of a bad batch or a failing brand; it’s the rare physical evidence of a join that didn’t receive the "invisible" splice treatment during the complex winding process.
If, however, you experience a spool with multiple repeating knots, that spool would be considered a faulty item. It’s incredibly rare and would typically be replaced at no charge by most suppliers. It would certainly be that way for any thread spools sold by Echidna sewing.
