French Knot

[Maddison]

So, what's the trick? I keep getting a nice little bar. No knots!! I've looked at demos and drawings and keep winding up with nothing.

[suzeeq]

How is it worded for the knot st?

[Maddison]

Bring needle out of -knitted background from back to front, wrap yarn around needle one to three times, and use thumb to hold in place while pulling needle through wraps into background a short-distance from where it came out.

Sounds easy enough, but instead of a knot, I get a bar. The pulling of the tail gets me. As soon as I tug the tail through the knot part is lost. I give up!!!!

[of troy]

so an embroidery french knot.

Pull yarn out from back (all of yarn
bring tip of needle back to were yarn came out on surface.
USE tip of needle to make a 'stitch on the needle (a simple script E cast on (the stitch is lying on surface,
the yarn is wrapped ONCE (in a script E shape)

hold the yarn (the end of the script E) close to needle.
push needle through, and pull yarn/ (the place the needle goes in, should be close to, but not exactly the same place it came out.

as the last of the yarn travels throught the stitch, a small neat knot will be formed.

if you want bigger knots, use thicker yarns (double) do NOT Double WRAP

(this is how i learned, on PBS, from Erica Wilson (of crewel embroidery fame) some 30 years ago.

the single twist and holding yarn close to stitch as you pass needle through is what makes it work.

[MMario]

That's identical to how I always made them, except I always used a triple wrap unless I wanted a teensy-weeny little knot.