Being knotty, it takes a bit of patience (3)
I believe the answer is:
tie
'being knotty it takes a bit' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this defines the answer.
'of patience' is the wordplay.
'of' says the answer is hidden in the clue.
'TIE' can be found hidden inside 'patience'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for tie that I've seen before include "Gentleman's item of clothing" , "It's worn under the collar" , "'Fasten, with string say (3)'" , "Encumbrance" , "Join, link" .)