How to Make French Knots, or What to Do Instead

I happen to really like French knots. I think they’re fun to make and I’ve written a lot about how to make French knots, how they look different depending on how many strands of thread you use and how many times you wrap the needle, and how to use them in projects.

But some people struggle with French knots or just don’t like the look. Lately I’ve tried using French knots in a couple of projects and didn’t love the result because I felt like they were just too big for what I was trying to do, like they stood out too much.

So what’s a stitcher who doesn’t love French knots (or doesn’t love them for a particular application) to do?

Sirious Stitches has a great post about how to make French knots and alternatives to French knots you might know about or might not.

One thing that is great about this post is it has multiple links to tutorials, both photo and video, for French knots and colonial knots. If you don’t know about colonial knots, they’re basically like making a figure 8 around the needle instead of straight wrapping.

And of course there are other options if you don’t like either of these. One thing they suggest is using beads instead of knots, which is probably just the solution I needed for the project where I wasn’t loving the look of a knot.

You can use any size and finish of bead you like to give your project a different look, and I think something plain without a lot of sparkle would have been a great addition to my project (the knot was the dot on a semicolon).

Do you like to use French knots or do you try to avoid them? Check out the post at Sirious Stitches to see all your options and let me know if you’re going to try a different way in your next cross stitch project.

[Photo: Sirious Stitches]

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How Much Embroidery Floss Should You Use?

Cross stitch is not a craft I generally travel with (since I’m not that good at it, I prefer not to be moving while I’m doing it) but I’m sure there are lots of stitchers who would like to take their projects with them when they travel.

Koekoek has a post all about cross stitching on a plane, which is a great plan since it’s lots of uninterrupted time to work. As mentioned in the post, you should be able to bring embroidery needles (which tend not to be that sharp anyway) on an airplane with you.

Regulations in the United States say that scissors with blades up to 4 inches/10 cm are allowed in the cabin, but whether they are allowed by security as you pass through it is up to their discretion. And thread cutters that use a razor blade are not supposed to be allowed at any time.

Alternatives include bringing nail clippers to snip your threads, or pre-cutting thread and placing it on bobbins so you can stitch on the plane. Then pack scissors in your checked bag so you can cut any loose ends or extra long strands later.

Check out the post at Koekoek for more tips on traveling with cross stitch and suggestions for projects to pack when traveling. I’ve also written in the past about this post from Caterpillar Cross Stitch about traveling with cross stitch supplies and, importantly, what to do to make your screening as smooth as possible. And, importantly, what to do if the security agents question your supplies or want to confiscate anything you brought.

And that’s a great tip, too: if you are packing scissors in your carry on but you’re also checking a bag, pack extras there just in case.

Do you have any tips for traveling with cross stitch projects? I’d love to hear them. Also check out my post about planning a travel stitching kit.

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