Why You Need to Separate the Strands in Floss
or Always Look for New Ways to Do Something You Already Know How to Do
If you routinely get knots when separating floss strands, this tip will save you lots of time, aggravation and, yes, even money. Be sure to see the illustrations below this video.
As floss comes off the skein, there is a natural twist to the thread due to the individual strands being packed together. To make the floss behave better and to make fuller, thicker stitches, we separate all six strands, then recombine them for the number we need. - Start by cutting the floss into 15" to 18" strips.
- Holding the floss loosely between your thumb and forefinger, fan out the strands on one end.
- Then pull an individual strand upward and outward.
- The remaining floss will bunch up beneath, while the individual strand slides out easily.
Looks can be deceiving. When you pull that single strand away, the bunched-up piece (even though it appears to be a mess) straightens easily. I've seen magic tricks that were less impressive.
 |  | | Hold floss loosely and fan out the end. | Pull a strand upward and outward. | |  | | The way NOT to separate floss. |
| I am embarrassed to say how long I cross-stitched before I noticed this method. Every one of the three dozen or so issues of past cross stitch magazines on my shelf contains a standard page that includes a small group of diagrams and instructions explaining the most basic steps to use for each project. I always breezed right past this page. After all, I was "experienced." So I continued to separate my floss as shown in the "NOT" (or is it "KNOT") diagram above, with one difference. I held the dangling end of the floss between my lips. I am not making this up! I routinely had to cut knots out of my floss. Was my face red when I finally "noticed" the error of my ways! |
Try both methods for separating floss. You won't believe the difference!
Return from Separating Floss to How to... Return to Better Cross Stitch Patterns Home Page
|
