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Knots, loops and line stitches · Intermediate

French knot

A small raised knot, made by wrapping the thread once around the needle before it goes down in the neighboring hole.

French knot: the finished stitch on canvas, three knots in a row, each over one canvas intersection
The finished stitch on canvas. Each knot sits on a short stitch from one hole to the next. In the steps, new stitches are red, and the numbers give the order: up at an odd number, down at the next even one.

How to work it

  1. Bring the needle up

    French knot, step 1: bare canvas, with a dot in the hole where the needle comes up. Numeral 1 marks that hole.

    Fasten the thread under a few stitches on the back, or start with an away knot, and come up at 1.

  2. Wrap the thread once around the needle

    French knot, step 2: no stitch is finished yet; a dot marks the hole where the needle has come up. Numeral 1 marks that hole. The thread from the hole wraps once around a needle lying across the canvas and loops on to its eye.

    Hold the thread taut in the other hand, about an inch (2.5 cm) from the canvas. Lay the needle across it, close to the canvas, and wrap the thread once around the needle, in either direction, snug but not tight.

  3. Put the point in the next hole

    French knot, step 3: no stitch is finished yet; a dot marks the hole where the needle has come up. Numeral 1 marks that hole. The needle stands with its point in the hole one to the right and one up, the wrap low on it.

    Still holding the thread taut, put the needle's point into the hole one to the right and one up from 1. Slide the wrap down the needle until it rests on the canvas.

  4. Pull through to set the knot

    French knot, step 4: the first stitch on the canvas. Numerals 1 and 2 mark its ends, in working order. A round knot sits on the stitch.

    Push the needle through to the back and pull the thread after it slowly. Keep the held thread taut until its last inch passes through the wrap. The knot tightens over the intersection between 1 and 2.

  5. Work more knots beside it

    French knot, step 5: three stitches on the canvas, the two this step adds in red. Numerals 3 and 4 mark the ends of the first new stitch, in working order. The three knots touch.

    For a row, come up at 3, to the right of 1, and go down at 4, to the right of 2, and so on. Knots this close touch.

At a glance

Also called
French dot, twisted knot stitch
Used for
hair and beards; flower centers; sheep and fur; foliage; sea foam
Coverage
A raised dot; massed, a textured filling
Direction
Diagonal in the steps; any neighboring hole works
Stitch length
Over 1 canvas thread or 1 intersection

Work one knot alone, a few together for the center of a flower, or many packed tight to fill a shape. Packed knots make a bumpy surface, which is why they are used for hair and beards, a sheep's fleece, fur, foliage and sea foam. That much texture draws the eye and is slow to work: keep it to small areas, never a background.

A thicker thread, or more strands, makes a bigger knot. Where a bead would be too big for the canvas, a knot in a fine braid can stand in for it.

Tips

  • Practice first in the unpainted margin of the canvas, with a thread that is not stranded, such as pearl cotton.
  • Cut the thread 12 to 18 inches (30 to 45 cm) long. Longer threads tangle.

When it goes wrong

The knot pulls through to the back.
The needle went down the hole it came up through, and nothing held the knot. Go down in a neighboring hole; across an intersection the knot stays put best.
The knot is slack, or a loop stands up beside it.
The thread was let go too soon. Hold it taut until the last inch passes through the wrap.
The knot wobbles or comes untied.
It has too many wraps. Wrap once: on canvas a second wrap is not needed, and with a third the knot flops about and comes untied.
The needle sticks in the wrap, or the knot comes out thin.
The wrap is too tight: hold the thread just firmly enough to keep it snug. If it still catches on the wide eye of a tapestry needle, change to a blunt-tipped bullion needle, whose eye is no wider than its shaft.

Variations

  • Colonial knot. Also called the figure-eight knot: at step 2, slip the needle under the thread, then lay the thread over the needle's point and back under it. The knot is a little larger and can take the French knot's place if that one gives trouble.
  • French knot on a stalk. The knot sits at the far end of one long stitch, its stalk, as for a flower's stamen.

Questions

How many wraps does a French knot need?
One, on canvas. In embroidery on fabric two is usual and makes a larger knot; on canvas, get the size from the thread.
Can French knots go over other stitches?
Yes. Over tent stitch a knot stands higher than on bare canvas.

Where to go next

Stitches

Guides