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If you’re looking for new ways to elevate your cross stitch projects, then adding a French knot is the perfect way to add a special touch!
It doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner cross stitcher or have been stitching for some time, learning this cute embroidery technique can add another dimension to your cross stitched designs.
In this blog post, we’re going to walk you through the steps of adding a French knot to your cross stitch patterns, so that you can create them whenever you like! A special mention and thank you to Alex and Andrea from our Facebook group for their beautiful French knot examples shown in these images.
If you’ve ever seen a cross stitch design that almost looks as though it might jump off the page (or Insta grid), then it’s likely the stitcher has used a French knot.
This long standing embroidery technique is used to create texture, dimension and add a “pop” to designs, giving them a 3D like effect. You’ll usually come across the use of a French knot in floral or landscape cross stitch patterns, but they really work well in any design. Buds on florals, details on Christmas jumpers or even a fluffy dog's fur, French knots look super cool on almost any project!
French knots are really popular with cross stitchers because they’re so versatile and can be implemented into a variety of patterns to give them that extra something.
As with any cross stitch project, preparation is key and there are a few things you’ll need to help you create your first French knots which we’ve included for you below:
Get everything you need to add your first French knot to any pattern with our cross stitch kits.
Now that you have all your equipment ready to go, it’s time to add your first French knot. If this is your first time, don’t worry about it being perfect - everyone starts somewhere, and with practice, you’ll soon be feeling like a pro.
The first step is to cut a piece of embroidery thread. This should be around the length from your hand to your elbow to avoid tangling. Then you can thread your needle and tie a secure knot at the end or stitch the end neatly under existing stitches.
Once your needle is threaded, you need to position it correctly so that you can begin your first stitch. To do this, insert the needle from the back of the fabric, pulling it through to the front. Hold the thread taut to make sure it’s fully through.
With the needle in your dominant hand, use your other hand to wrap the thread around the needle 1–3 times. The number of wraps determines the knot’s size. 1 wrap for a teeny tiny knot, 3+ for a chunkier look!
Point the needle back towards the fabric, close to where it first emerged, but not in the same hole. This prevents the knot from pulling through.
While holding the wrapped thread snugly around the needle, gently pull the needle and thread through the wraps until the knot rests against the fabric.
Continue stitching more knots as needed to achieve the desired French knot quantity on your cross stitch project.
Prefer to watch instead? Check out this video tutorial on how to create a French knot.
Even the most experienced cross stitchers will make mistakes from time to time, so the key is to be patient with yourself and understand that the more you practice, the more you’ll improve. Just imagine adding some 3D cherry blossom, curly hair or wool on a little cross stitched lamb!
Here are some of our top tips for achieving the perfect French knot cross stitch pattern:
When it comes to cross stitching, you have lots of options for adding variety into your projects, and one of the ways to do this is the use of knotting techniques and speciality stitches, some of which are a bit more difficult than others.
French knots are perfect for beginner cross stitchers as well as those more advanced because they’re easy to learn and highly versatile.
Adding a French knot to your cross stitch can really help it pop by adding new layers to patterns. They’re especially good for things like snowflakes, raindrops and floral patterns where a lot of colour is used as they add texture to help the image appear more realistic.
To keep your French knots the same size and shape throughout the pattern, you should make sure that you wrap the thread around the needle the same number of times, control the tension by making sure you hold the thread tightly enough when pulling the needle through, and also making sure you don’t re-enter the needle too far apart from the original entry point.
If you find that your thread is becoming tangled when adding your French knot, some common issues can cause this including your thread being too long, trying to stitch too fast, repeatedly piercing the fabric in the same spot, or the thread or needle being twisted.
There are various knotting techniques out there to try, and which one you choose depends on your own preferences and what you’re looking to achieve from your project. While each knotting technique has its own benefits and drawbacks, the French knot is popular because it’s considered easier to learn and is a lot more versatile than the other types, so you can use it in a larger variety of patterns and it takes just a few seconds!
If you’re a beginner cross stitcher looking to learn how to do a French knot, then the best way is simply to practice as much as you can. You can do this by using old bits of scrap fabric to avoid waste as you improve your technique. You should also keep it simple and practice singular knots (perhaps on some of the Caterpillar Cross Stitch subscription box designs) before attempting the more complex patterns.
We hope that you found this post useful and that you feel more confident about starting and developing your use of French knots across your stash of cross stitch kits.
Whether you’re embellishing a cross stitch pattern or working on a cross stitch-a-long project, this technique adds a beautiful touch.
Explore modern and uplifting kits and patterns at Caterpillar Cross Stitch for your next project.
Happy stitching.
