Fine lace tied in knots (8)
I believe the answer is:
delicate
'fine' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'lace tied in knots' is the wordplay.
'in knots' indicates an anagram (I've seen this in other clues).
'lace'+'tied'='lacetied'
'lacetied' is an anagram of 'DELICATE'.
(Other definitions for delicate that I've seen before include "Flimsy" , "Very fine; intricate" , "Fragile, fine-textured" , "Not robust" , "Exquisitely fine, easily damaged" .)