Stringwork was a popular form of decorative needlework in seventeenth and eighteenth century Europe. A thin, round cord was wound onto a large shuttle with open ends, then the cord was unreeled and knots made at intervals. The resulting knotted cord was fed into a bag, suspended either at the left wrist or from a belt. The knotted cord was then couched down in a decorative pattern onto an usually linen ground of some kind.