i can do this: french knot

I designed a little crochet brooch set the other day. I love and admire delicate embroidery and this inspired me to crochet a basic form, and embroider designs on it with wool.

My favorite is the little starry cat design.

I used the French Knot embroidery stitch on all the little brooches and today I will show you how I do it….

To start, push the needle from the back of your work up to the front. Make sure you made a little knot at the end of the wool so it won’t slip through.

Place your work on the table or on your lap – you need both hands to do this stitch!

Hold the wool firmly in your left hand close to where it is exiting your work.

Place the needle in front of the wool, pointing up, and twist the wool around the needle with your left hand. The more wool you twist around the needle, the bigger the French knot will be.

TIP: DON’T LET THE WOOL BECOME TO LOOSE AROUND THE NEEDLE!

Inset the tip of the needle next to where the wool is coming out of the fabric. Not too close but a few millimeters from the exit point.

Keep your right index finger on the wool around the needle so it won’t become too loose.

Use your left hand and push the thread, that is around your needle, DOWN TO THE WORK, hold it there. With your right hand, push the needle all the way to the BACK of your work. Pull the wool through.

Take a peek under your left finger….a French knot!!!!!!

This is one of those ‘practice make perfect’ type of stitches, so if your knot doesn’t look nice, just try a few times more.