Hi, Sheila
For indoor fancy rope work the hardware store variety cotton twine will work
well, but it gets dirty easily and may be difficult to clean. If you brush
it with soap and water the brush tends to fray the outer layer and it looks
fuzzy. The cotton twine works very well for making turks head bracelets.
These usually wash when swimming or bathing without much damage. They're
also so simple to make that you can do a new one every day if you like.
For outdoor rope work that will be more permanent I usually use waxed seine
twine. This is commonly used for making fishing nets and their supports.
Seine twine comes in a variety of materials, weights, finishes and colors.
Seine twine is available in polyester, nylon, cotton, linen, hemp and other
materials, either waxed or tarred. The waxed type in white polyester is
great to work with and is durable outdoors, doesn't get as dirty as the
plain cotton variety and is more easily cleaned by washing. The tarred
seine twines are frequently used on "tall ships" to lash rigging together,
when doing worming and parceling, and other uses. The tarring in the twine
improves the life of the twine but it has a brown color to it that may not
be suitable for decorative rope work. The tar will come off on your hands
when working with this type.
Just Google seine twine and you will see how may types are available and
what is best used for what. There's nothing like a finely finished yacht
with a few added touches of well done rope work to give her that well cared
for look... no matter what size the yacht is! And doing rope work is a
great way to pass the time while waiting for the weather to break or the
tide to change.
Best regards
Perry Basden
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
