How To Make Ghiordes Knots

By Jane Patrick




Ghiordes knots are a traditional rug-making technique used for centuries. Here I'll show you how to make them with cut ends of weft. I worked a heart pattern with 6 colors of yarn, cut into 3-1/2" lengths and then trimmed.






Find the Heart Patch project here.

What You'll Need

  • warped loom—a frame loom works well for small pieces
  • weft yarn—I used red here
  • cut ends of yarn for ghiordes knots—I used 3½” lengths of brown

Directions

  1. Weave 2 rows of plain weave.
  2. Place a length of cut yarn around two warp threads. The ends will be pointing to the left.
  3. Take the two ends and insert them between the two warp threads bringing them up to the surface of the weaving.
  4. Pull down firmly. You’ve completed one ghiordes knot—make a row of them across the warp.
  5. Weave two more rows of plain weave, then make another row of ghiordes knots.
  6. Before removing your weaving from the loom, trim the pile with small sharp scissors to between ¼” and ½” long.

© 2014 Schacht Spindle Company