How to do a French knot
French knots add eyes, dots, flower centres and texture. The trick is keeping the wraps snug with your free hand while you pull the needle through — and not going back down into the exact same hole.
Step 1 of 4
Bring the needle up where the knot should sit.
front of fabric thread on the back
Tips
- Want a bigger knot? Use more strands, not more wraps; three wraps or more tends to look loose.
- If knots pull through Aida, go down into the block beside the hole, not the same hole.
- Finish off after every few knots rather than carrying thread between them.
Strands: Two strands and one or two wraps for a medium knot.
All steps
- Bring the needle up where the knot should sit.
- Hold the thread taut with your other hand and wrap it around the needle once or twice.
- Still holding the thread taut, put the needle down very close to — but not into — the hole you came up from.
- Slide the wraps down the needle to the fabric and pull through slowly, keeping tension until the knot forms.
Questions stitchers ask
Why does my French knot disappear to the back?
You went down through the same hole you came up. Go down a thread or two away.
French knot or colonial knot?
A colonial knot is wrapped in a figure-eight and sits higher and holds its shape better; French knots are more common on charts.