Sprite Stitch Board!

I'm making this viewtopic.php?f=5&t=7591&start=10#p65086 pattern and I have no idea how to do a french knot. Youtube videos show the basic, but there are still questions I have. Since I'm using two threads for my cross stitches, do I use two to do the knot or only one? Where in the square do I come up and go down? (since I'm using aida) and lastly, should I do one twist or two?

Thanks for any help anybody can give. I'll post a picture once I finish it and let you guys see how it all works out.

I use one strand for french knots, 1 twist and i got up through the hold in the aida, and come back down one fabric thread over.

I use one thread and twist the thread around my needle two or three times before going back through the fabric.

As for the placement of the knot I would put it in the top center hole of the two black stitches that make up the bottom of his beard. Hope that makes sense.

Generally when I do French knots, if I've used 2 strands for stitching, I'll use 2 strands for the knot. This does make the knot bigger than just using one, so use however many strands you want to get the size of knot you want. Good luck!

I would use 2 strands if you've used that many for the stitching just for consistency. Honestly though, you will probably want to try it both ways and see which you prefer. You can even use 3 or 4 strands if you want fatter. Thankfully, French knots are about the simplest thing in the world to take out.

You can come up in the hole in the Aida if you want, but remember for sure not to go back down in the same place. I would probably line up where you go up with the centre of wherever you want the knot to be. You'll have to judge that when you're stitching. Just don't go back down in the same place or your knot will literally slide back through the fabric.

If you haven't done them before, I'd suggest spending some time doing practice knots on something else. It's easy once you get the hang of it, but a little tricky at first. I don't know what videos you've seen on YouTube, but I think Mary Corbett is the best person for explaining embroidery techniques and here is hers on French knots- http://www.needlenthread.com/2006/11/fr ... orial.html.

French Knots are the bane of my crafting existence. I think there's a conspiracy to convince me that they are easy.

Seriously, any tips for doing them with on a plastic canvas project?

Ensign Eddie wrote:French Knots are the bane of my crafting existence. I think there's a conspiracy to convince me that they are easy.
Seriously, any tips for doing them with on a plastic canvas project?

It really should not be any different from a non-plastic project. You need to make sure you're anchoring away from where your knot is going to be- sometimes that causes people issues because they knot right underneath and that is destined to pull through and make your life hell. Anchor far from where you go up, use a different hole to go back in and after that its all about tension.