How on earth do you do a french knot before I lose it!

[wingingitalltheway]

I really love doing cross stitch and I’ve been working on one for my DD’s bedroom. It’s pretty much finished except the French knots. I have never ever been able to do them! It just doesn’t make a knot and simply goes through. I’ve watched YouTube videos and I can’t work out what I’m doing wrong! Any tips?

Wrap the thread round the needle 3 times put in a part of the Aida next to the hole (piercing the fabric) not through the main hole and push the needle through gently.

My mistake has been letting go of the thread before I've fed the needle back through. Keep the tension on & don't let go until it's practically there.

Lots & lots of practice! If I can get there -eventually- so can you

Use a sharp needle for the French knots rather than the usual blunt one, and as Hippopotas says make sure you go back down in a different place - not through the same home you came up through!

Hole not home 🤦

I find it works best if you take a really tiny stitch but don't bring the needle all the way through so that there is a little bit of fabric on the needle. Wrap the thread firmly round the needle three times above the fabric, pulling it taut. Keep the pressure on the thread so it is taut as you pull the needle out of the fabric (you may find it helps to ease the loops of thread down the needle). Continue to keep the thread loops taut as they slide down the thread that is pulled through the fabric. Once the loops are lying against the fabric, stitch back over to where the tiny stitch began - the threads of fabric in the tiny stitch will stop the knot being pulled through.