How to Start and End a Thread Without a Knot

My first kit had a knot at the start of every single thread. Nobody told me not to, and the chart did not say.

When I framed it, the back was so lumpy the fabric would not sit flat against the mount board. That is how I learned.

Why knots are a problem

Three reasons, and they compound.

They show. Under glass, pressed against a mount, every knot becomes a visible bump on the front.

They work loose. Thread is slippery and a knot in six-strand cotton is not a secure thing over years.

And they make the back a mess, which matters more than you would think if the piece is ever going into a card, a cushion or anything you can see through.

The loop start

The neatest method there is, and it only works with an even number of strands.

For two strands, take one strand of double the length and fold it in half. Thread the two cut ends through the needle, leaving the fold as a loop at the other end.

Come up through the fabric, go down to make your first half stitch, then pass the needle through that loop on the back and pull gently. It anchors itself. No knot, no tail, nothing to come undone.

This is the one I use for almost everything on counted work.

The away waste knot

For an odd number of strands, where the loop start cannot work.

Knot the end and go down through the front of the fabric a good ten centimetres away from where you are stitching, in an area you will cover later. Stitch normally.

When you reach that area, snip the knot off the front and thread the freed tail through the back under existing stitches.

The knot never stays. It is scaffolding.

Finishing a thread

Turn the work over. Slide the needle under four or five stitches of the same colour, going against the direction they were worked. Pull through and snip close.

Do not leave a long tail — it will migrate to the front and show as a shadow through the aida. Small sharp scissors matter here; there is a set in accessories and tools.

Try to bury tails under stitches of the same colour. A dark tail under pale stitches is visible through the fabric, and it is maddening once you have seen it.

What about the very first stitch?

If there is nothing on the back to anchor into yet, use the away waste knot. That is exactly the problem it solves.

Some people hold the tail against the back and stitch over it. That works, though it is fiddly with a blunt tapestry needle and I would not recommend it while you are learning.

Whichever you use, keep the fabric taut. Slack cloth makes anchoring harder and brings on puckering as well.

Does the back really matter?

Honest answer: less than the internet says.

You will find people who insist a perfect back is the mark of a real stitcher. It is not. Nobody sees it on a framed piece, and there is no prize.

What matters is that the back is flat — no knots, no bulk, no long tails wandering about. Tidy enough to lie against a mount board is the standard, and that is achievable from your first project.

The exception is anything translucent or reversible: a bookmark, a card, work on fine aida. There, the back genuinely does show.

More on the mechanics in the techniques guide, and if it all still feels new the beginner's guide starts further back. The threads and floss range is there when you need more.

The short version

• Never knot cross stitch thread - knots bump through framed work and work loose over time.
• Use the loop start for an even number of strands; it anchors itself with nothing to undo.
• Use an away waste knot for odd strand counts, then remove the knot when you reach it.
• Finish by running the tail under four or five stitches of the same colour, then snip close.
• The back only needs to be flat, not perfect - except on bookmarks, cards and fine fabric.

Frequently asked questions

Why should you not knot cross stitch thread?

Knots create bumps that press through the fabric and show on the front once a piece is framed under glass. They also work loose over time, because stranded cotton is slippery, and they leave the back too bulky to sit flat against a mount board.

How does the loop start work?

Take one strand of double your usual length, fold it in half and thread both cut ends through the needle. Make your first half stitch, then pass the needle through the loop on the back and pull gently. The thread anchors itself with no knot.

What is an away waste knot?

A temporary knot placed on the front of the fabric about ten centimetres from where you are stitching, in an area you will later cover. When you reach it you snip it off and thread the freed tail under existing stitches on the back.

How do I finish a thread neatly?

Turn the work over, slide the needle under four or five stitches of the same colour against the direction they were worked, pull through and snip close. Burying tails under matching colours stops them shadowing through the fabric.

Does the back of cross stitch need to be tidy?

It needs to be flat, not perfect. No knots, no bulk, no long wandering tails. A framed piece hides the back entirely. The exception is anything reversible or translucent, such as bookmarks, cards or work on fine fabric, where it genuinely shows.