A knotted stitch, also known as knot stitch, is any

embroidery Embroidery is the craft of decorating fabric or other materials using a needle to apply thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as pearls, beads, quills, and sequins. In modern days, embroidery is usually seen on c ...

technique in which the yarn or thread is knotted around itself. A knotted stitch is a type of decorative embroidery stitches which form three-dimensional knots on the surface of a textile. Common knotted stitches include French knots, coral stitch,Enthoven, Jacqueline: ''The Creative Stitches of Embroidery'', Van Norstrand Rheinhold, 1964, , p. 153-163Reader's Digest ''Complete Guide to Needlework''. The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. (March 1992). , p. 42-43 and Pekin knot (also known as Forbidden stitch, Pekin stitch, and seed stitch) which is sometimes also referred as French knot although there is a difference in techniques between these two stitches. Knotted stitches can be subdivided into individual or detached knots, continuous knotted stitches, and knotted edgings.

History

Knotted embroidery originated in

ancient China The earliest known written records of the history of China date from as early as 1250 BC, from the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC), during the reign of king Wu Ding. Ancient historical texts such as the '' Book of Documents'' (early chapte ...

; the oldest example of it dates from the

Warring States period The Warring States period () was an era in History of China#Ancient China, ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded ...

in the form a pair of

silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...

shoes. Knotted embroidery was popular in the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

and fine silk clothing were embellished with the Pekin knot in this period. Knotted embroidery were also used on the

mandarin square A mandarin square ( zh, t=補子, s=补子, hp=bŭzi, w=putzŭ; mnc, m=, v=sabirgi; vi, Bổ tử; Chữ Nho: 補子; ko, 흉배/胸背, hyungbae), also known as a rank badge, was a large embroidered badge sewn onto the surcoat of officials ...

of the

Ming The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

and

Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speaki ...

court clothing of officials. The Pekin knot is one of the two main types of

Chinese embroidery Chinese embroidery refers to embroidery created by any of the cultures located in the area that makes up modern China. It is some of the oldest extant needlework. The four major regional styles of Chinese embroidery are Suzhou embroidery (Su Xiu ...

stitches, with the other being the

satin stitch In sewing and embroidery, a satin stitch or damask stitch is a series of flat stitches that are used to completely cover a section of the background fabric. Narrow rows of satin stitch can be executed on a standard sewing machine using a zigzag ...

. Embroideries tradition which started in China were passed to other countries through the Silk Road. Four Roundels LACMA M

Embroideries from

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

and

Western Asia Western Asia, West Asia, or Southwest Asia, is the westernmost subregion of the larger geographical region of Asia, as defined by some academics, UN bodies and other institutions. It is almost entirely a part of the Middle East, and includes Ana ...

were imported to the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

and

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...

by the

British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

in the 1690s along with many other traded goods. Eastern knotted embroidery became popular among

Westerners The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to the various nations and states in the regions of Europe, North America, and Oceania.

. The liking for the Pekin knot eventually influenced the development of

tatting Tatting is a technique for handcrafting a particularly durable lace from a series of knots and loops. Tatting can be used to make lace edging as well as doilies, collars, accessories such as earrings and necklaces, and other decorative pieces. ...

in Western Europe and the British Isles when Europeans sought the knotted effects of the stitches but did not want the time consuming process of stitching tightly packed little knots continuously for long hours.

Applications

Individual knots are often found used as detached filling stitches. Knotted edgings are used as a decorative trims, and can also be used to fill open spaces in

cutwork Cutwork or cut work, also known as ''punto tagliato'' in Italian, is a needlework technique in which portions of a textile, typically cotton or linen, are cut away and the resulting "hole" is reinforced and filled with embroidery or needle lace. ...

and in

needlelace Needle lace is a type of lace created using a needle and thread to stitch up hundreds of small stitches to form the lace itself. In its purest form, the only equipment and materials used are a needle, thread and scissors. The origins of needl ...

Detached knots

Individual knots include: *French knot *Bullion knot *Four-legged knot stitch *Turk's head knot

Knot gallery

Image:French knots.gif, French knots Image:Bullion knot.jpg, Bullion knot Image:Bullion knots.gif, Bullion knots Image:Four-legged knot stitch.gif, Four-legged knot stitch Image:Turks head knot.gif, Turk's head knot

Continuous stitches

Knotted stitches include:Christie, Grace (Mrs. Archibald), ''Samplers and Stitches, a handbook of the embroiderer's art'', London 1920 *Ceylon stitch *Coral stitch or coral knots *Zig-zag coral stitch *Double knot stitch or Smyrna stitch *Knotted cable chain stitch, a knotted variant of cable chain stitch

Stitch gallery

Image:Ceylon stitch.gif, Ceylon stitch Image:Coral stitch.gif, Coral stitch Image:Zig-zag coral stitch.gif, Zig-zag coral stitch Image:Double knot stitch.gif, Double knot stitch Image:Double knot variation.gif, Double knot variation Image:Knotted cable chain stitch.gif, Knotted cable chain stitch

Knotted edgings

Knotted edgings include: *Antwerp edging *Armenian edging *Hollie stitch

Notes

References

*Caulfield, S.F.A., and B.C. Saward, ''The Dictionary of Needlework'', 1885. *Christie, Mrs. Archibald (Grace Christie), ''Embroidery and Tapestry Weaving'', London, John Hogg, 1912, online a
Project Gutenberg
*Christie, Mrs. Archibald (Grace Christie), ''Samplers and Stitches, a handbook of the embroiderer's art'', London 1920 *Enthoven, Jacqueline: ''The Creative Stitches of Embroidery'', Van Norstrand Rheinhold, 1964, *Reader's Digest, ''Complete Guide to Needlework''. The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. (March 1992). {{embroidery Embroidery Knots