I work almost exclusively in colour and so I'm continually changing pairs to suit the design. Having been using Gutermann and Piper's silks for over twenty years, the most successful and unobtrusive way that I've found to tie off pairs of silk threads is to use a reef knot and a half: Left over right, then right over left, then left over right again (or you can start with right over left...etc). This has worked for me whether I'm changing edge pairs, leaders or passive pairs, sometimes many pairs across one row if the design demands it and is the technique I pass on to my students. The slightly curious aspect of cutting the ends, is that it pays to be bold and cut the ends quite close to the knot. If the thread ends are left too long, then they are more likely to be caught and moved by any working threads in use over the top of them. It seems to be this movement, rather than the tightness of the knot tying, that will cause the knots to unravel. If the possibility of rubbing the knots/thread ends loose could be a problem, and it isn't possible to protect the knotted ends with a cover cloth or a piece of soft plastic while work continues, I tend to tie the ends as usual, but leave the threads long which are then wrapped around a pushed down berry pin at the side of the work. The ends can then be cut whenever it seems appropriate. If I'm tying off several pairs, perhaps at the end of a section then, after tying pairs individually, I tie them in a bunch: Take one thread from either side of the bunch, crossing over and under the bunch, finishing with a reef knot and a half, then with a few hitches around the bundle with one of the threads. My website www.sandiwoods.com contains photos of 'work in progress', I hope to put some more onto it later today, so it should be possible to see how these techniques work for me. I hope this is of some help! Sandi.
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