Crafter's Know-How | FRENCH KNOT

In crafting terms, I would say knots are not a good thing:

Tangled yarn that prevents you from finishing up any project; even worse, that requires you to go back and redo something you believed to already have accomplished; to actually deal with the complication.

I feel like there's a metaphor hanging in the air here... I can't quite grasp it, but it can't be that hard to take the idea of a tangled mess from the craft room into our daily lives.

Something about the strands (shackles?) of life, relationship ties, pant suspenders... There's something there, I know it! Knots are really just one big jumbled mess typically trying to teach us unnecessary life lessons. And who wants that, am I right?

So what's the best way to avoid such an impediment, you ask?

We turn said knots into our best friends for life of course!

Kind of like taking lemons and making lemonade. Except we have knots and make art with them. Craft goodness. Or something like that.

What I'm really trying (way too hard) to say is here's a tutorial on how to make these super easy and stress-free French Knots that will not have you pulling out your hair.

Just in case you were thinking of embroidering an adorable flock of sheep. Or a castle made of clouds. Or a garden of tiny flower buds.

HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

MATERIAL:
- thread/yarn (embroidery thread)
- fabric

TOOLS:
- embroidery needle

Step 1: Thread an embroidery needle with the thread of your choice. If you're having difficulty doing so, check out my top 6 tips on threading needles. Typically, you'll want to go with a thin embroidery thread. I however opted for a knitting yarn as I thought it'd be ideal for the depiction of the sheep. To secure, tie a knot at the end of the thread.

Step 2: Bring your needle up from the back of the fabric and pull the thread all the way through.

Step 3: Grab the thread with your left hand (i.e. your non-needle hand) and hold it taut. Place the needle underneath the thread with the tip facing downward slightly.

Step 4: Wrap the yarn around the needle twice. Keep the tension on the thread with your left hand to prevent it from uncoiling.

Step 5: Bring the needle back through the fabric right next to your exit point, but don’t pull it all the way through just yet.

Step 6: Pull the yarn tight and downward with your left hand so that a knot forms against the surface of your fabric.

Step 7: Push the needle all the way through the fabric keeping the thread taught.

Anchor the thread on the back of the fabric and you are left with a cute little French Knot on the front.

The size of the knot will vary depending on the number of times you wrap the yarn around the needle.

Happy knotting!