French knots are such versatile stitches. They can be made large, or small just by varying the number of times you wrap the thread around the needle. They can be made loosely, to simulate flower petals in 3D, or tightly, to represent the center of flowers.

You can use them to stitch an entire picture – fill them tightly to “color” sections.

But I can’t Stitch French Knots! I hear some of you cry. They can be tricky to learn. The issue is mostly in tension. And tension problems can be caused by not using both hands when stitching, or by a bad choice of needle.

Choose your needle carefully

Needles for knots in general work better if the eye of the needle (the part the thread goes through) is NOT bigger than the needle itself. In other words, you want one built like a cylinder with a point at the tip rather than a cone. If you are having trouble with knot stitches, try using a milliner’s (straw) needle. The smaller the number, the larger the needle. If you are working with larger threads, like I am, you may have to use a chenille needle. Practice! A doodle cloth and lots of time making knots where you don’t care what the result looks like is the best way to perfect this stitch.