From very small, worn on the finger, to very large: 33-knot (with 33 knots), 50-knot (with 50 knots), 100-knot, 500-knot, etc., and each knot consists of nine crosses.
According to tradition, St. Pachomius founded the first monastery in the Thebaid of Egypt in 320 AD with the help of St. Antony. He began to search for a way to assist the monks in concentrating their prayers and counting their supplications.
According to tradition, Archangel Gabriel visited St. Pachomius in a dream and showed him how to make the tool that would serve the needs of prayer. This tool was the komposkini.
In prayer with the komposkini, which greatly aids in concentration, a specific technique is followed.
For each knot that passes between the fingers, the supplicant says the following prayers in succession: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me,” “Most Holy Theotokos, save us,” “Holy Saints of God, intercede for us.” It is also possible to say only the prayer “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.” The komposkini is designed for prayer, not as a bracelet on the wrist.
In the komposkini, each section has symbolic significance. It is mostly made of wool to remind members of the Church that they are the rational sheep of Jesus Christ (John 10:11).
It is black in color, symbolizing the mourning for sins since “no one is without sin” (cf. III Kings 8:46, Job 4:17, Romans 3:9-12, etc.). On it, the komposkini has the cross to bring to mind “that Christ died for us while we were yet sinners.”
Usually, the komposkini ends with a tassel whose purpose is to wipe away tears (“my tears have wiped His feet” Luke 7:44).
The 33 knots symbolize the years of Jesus Christ, the 99 knots are 33 multiplied by the number of the three persons of the Holy Trinity, and each knot consists of 9 braided crosses, symbolizing the nine orders of angels.
Yet, while the number of crosses that make up each knot remains constant, the number of knots that make up the komposkini depends on the number of prayers for which it will be used.
It should be noted that there are also komposkini made from materials other than wool, such as acrylic, as well as in different colors.
https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/10/01/komposkini-what-is-it-and-where-did-it-first-appear/
