As a new member I’m hoping someone can help in advising me of the best type of cord/rope to use when tying knots. I have difficulty when twisting the cord, as in “snake weave”, it ends up in a spiral mess! I have watched videos and do not see the problem happening there. I live in the UK and would appreciate any guidance on the matter. I am in awe of the experts and enjoy getting to grips with the various knots, sinnets etc.
Hi Utnovice and welcome to the forum.
There are a huge number of YouTube videos on decorative and practical knots so choice rather depends on what sort of knotting you want to do. Parachute Cord (Paracord) is especially popular, comes in a wide range of colours but in the UK is only available as “550” cord which is the thickest available at about 3.5mm - thinner cords can be had in the USA but no-one seems to sell them here.
For something a bit thicker I would look for braided sheath-and-core (kernmantel) polyester or polyproylene at around 5mm to 8mm - unless you can get it very cheaply I would avoid split film polypropylene (usually blue and sold as builders’ rope) - you might be able to scrounge some though. If you want to learn splicing you will need laid rope - probably artificial hemp is the widest available in various thicknesses - nylon and polyester can be difficult for a beginner to splice (as can fine spun polypropylene often sold as mooring rope) because they tend to be very soft.
For paracord I generally use the bushcraft store (www.thebushcraftstore.co.uk)- they have a cheaper range made from polyester which is fine to practice with. Most haberdashers have a range of cord by the metre - try some and if you like it you can get a reel from an internet supplier.
Happy knotting!
Sweeney
Sweeney
Hi utnovice and welcome.
In addition to the good info Sweeney has given you can search for Lacrosse lacing cord and Venetian blind cord.
And there are hard laid cotton cords that stay wound pretty tightly.
Satin cord is another option.
Mostly it is the projects that will determine the cord of use.
Take a look at these posts for links to explore. > http://igkt.net/sm/index.php?topic=977.0
http://igkt.net/sm/index.php?topic=3623.msg20681#msg20681
SS
Sweeney and SS369,
How can I thank you enough for the replies and the links contained therein? I have visited all the links and am amazed at the amount of information there. If this is the standard of helpfulness then I’m really looking forward to my progress in the knotting world. This all started with a talk given by one of the members of IGKT - He was good, and I was hooked!.
Thanks a million
UTNOVICE
You are welcome utnovice.
As the questions arise ask away. There’s a whole lot of answers out here.
It might just bring answers from some silent members! 
SS
This forum alone has a lot of good answers, only needing questions to be asked. Dig in and find them!