A Very Knotty Problem - Tip of the Day

In response to the earlier letter from Abel N. Willing concerning the knotty problem of how to unravel a skein of thread, I have the greatest sympathy with him and would like to offer this advice as a possible solution.

You will need a piece of sewing Tape (approximately 6" long) or Ribbon, a pair of scissors and a hook or nail, but not necessarily an extra hand!

Having bought your thread, from Hewits of course, untangle until you have a loop with lots of strands of thread which will be approximately 24" long. Hold at one end and put the tape through and secure with pins or staples, you then need to hang this tape or ribbon on the hook.

Pulling the loop taut, cut with scissors at the bottom and then split the strands into 3 equal parts and begin to plait until you reach the end of the strands. To plait you may need to practice once or twice, and somebody with long hair is very useful.

You are now ready to use your thread but the method will not work if you pull from the bottom of the skein. You must pull from the top by the tape at all time.

It may sound complicated, but I promise it can be managed with no more than your own two hands.
Mr. Fred Platt