Not sure if I mentioned this, but I'm re-cycling some of my blogs from years ago, as they are still relevant, but getting lost in the growing annals of tips, so hard to find!  However, one of the things I hear most often from stitchers, is that they hate doing French knots - they come out misshapen, with loops of thread sticking up, or any number of other imperfections... so it seemed like a good time to tune up and re-cycle a PERFECT FRENCH KNOT tutorial... enjoy...

Actually, French knots aren't really difficult at all, though they can take some practise, as it's a 2-handed job - the trick is in the TENSION.  When you come up from the back of the fabric, pull the floss gently but firmly away from the base of the stitch with your free hand, and keep the tension on that strand during the rest of the steps.

Now, I'm right handed, so I'm going to tell you how I work a French Knot right-handed.  If you are left-handed, simply reverse these instructions.

Holding the floss several inches from the base with your left hand, and pointing the tip of the needle in the same direction (away from the base of the strand, along the length of the floss), wrap the floss 2-3 times around the needle.  Most instructions call for a double wrap, but when I want a larger / thicker knot, or if I'm using very fine floss, I have been known to wrap 3 times.

Keep holding the floss strand firmly taut, while you turn the needle away from your left hand at a 45 degree angle, and slide the needle down the floss until it's almost touching the fabric (see Figure 3 below). 

Still keeping the floss taut, so it doesn't loosen and gape on you, push the tip of the needle back down through the fabric to the back.  If the floss is fairly thick, you may go back down in the same hole you came up in, and the thick knot will sit on top of the fabric.  If the floss is thinner, or the fabric is loosely woven enough that the knot may easily pull through the fabric, then go over one fabric strand from your starting position, before inserting the needle.

Gently draw the floss strand tight, forming the knot, keeping the tension on the floss strand, but allowing the strand you're holding to feed down through the opening, until a small tight knot is formed.  Refer to the graphic below if any of this is unclear.  I suggest getting a scrap piece of fabric, and practising until you are comfortable making fantastic French knots!

Now, here's a tip you may like even better <wink>.  If you really, really, really hate French Knots, you can replace them with seed beads of the same color!  This simple trick keeps a uniform size and shape to all 'knots', while giving a very similar look to the French Knots.  That's it for this month... talk to you later...