(This French Knot Poodle was stitched by Amy Bindel with our Lisa Petrucci Patterns!)

Are you a right-handed stitcher?
Your instructions are here:

~ FRENCH KNOT ~ 

Fear not, the French Knot! Never has another stitch inspired so much passion and fear. So, I'm devoting an entire section to explaining how it's done. Moi? J'adore the French Knot! So quick and easy to do, and such a lovely knot to know! Non? So why is it so difficult to learn? (It's not. It's difficult to teach.) So, I have worked over the years at refining my French Knot instructions as much as I have my French Knots themselves... 

I think the trick is in really understanding how it works instead of just hoping it will turn out right. It's really very simple, and a great stitch to have in your repertoire. You can do it. Mais oui!

Usually, I encourage you to read stitching instructions with needle and floss in hand. Instead, this time I suggest you read through all the steps first. I've broken down all the tricky little bits that  finally clicked with me after lots of practice. Don't be scared off by all the steps, once you get the hang of it, they will all blend together with a petite flick of your wrist!

French Knot - Step One

You will need both hands, so set your hoop in your lap or work surface. With your non-needle hand pinch the floss a few inches from where it exits the fabric (where arrow is pointing). Hold it taut with your hand not holding the needle (that's important).

French Knot - Step Two

French Knot - Step Three

Wind the floss around the needle* once or twice (shown winding twice), depending on if you want a bigger or smaller knot. Continue the tension of the floss with your left hand (non-needle hand) to prevent it from uncoiling.

*Keep your hand holding the needle still while winding it with the floss in this step. Meaning, don't try to use your needle hand to do the wrapping by getting all twirly with your wrist. This is the first way your knot can go wrong!

French Knot - Step Four

Okay, you've wound around the needle, the coil is pulled nice and taut. Next: (This is an important one!) Re-insert the tip of your needle just next to, but not into the same exit point on your fabric. If you enter the same hole, your knot may pop all the way through when you finish (and you say "wha happen?"). So, simply return at a point a little bit away from the exit point. And hold it right there! Keep your needle in this position. Don't push it all the way through juuust yet. The next step is an even more important one...

French Knot - Step Five

Remember your non-needle hand pinching the length of floss? Remember? Wake it up! This is when it goes to work. Give the floss a little downward tug with that hand, so that the coil will tighten up, and slide down your needle to make a little bundle against the surface of your fabric.

French Knot - Step Six

With your coil snugly held in position against the surface, now push your needle all the way through!

French Knot - Step Seven

See? You've just pulled your needle, and the floss trailing behind it, down through the center of the coil that was wrapped around the needle.

(Didn't work? Go back to step one and we'll go over it again.)

French Knot - Finished