Colonial Knots

Colonial Knots are similar to French Knots - but instead of wrapping the thread around a needle, you make a figure of 8.

They're great for adding texture and creating floral patterns.

This video is done left handed - right handers might want to flip the directions!

1. Bring your needle up on the spot you want the knot to be.
2. Rest the thread lightly on your fabric, and create a ‘C’ shape (with the hole at the top of the ‘C’).
3. Position your needle so that it goes over the bottom part of the ‘C’, and underneath the top part, pointing diagonally upwards. Make sure that the needle is still to the left of the hole.
4. With your non-needle hand, pick up the loose thread and wind it up and over the tip of the needle, briefly creating a figure of 8 shape.
5. Pull the thread fairly tight, then pierce the fabric just a millimetre or two away from your original hole.
6. With the needle only halfway through the fabric, tug the thread so the knots pulls tight. Then, pass your needle all the way through as you let go of the thread. Done!
7. Repeat: come up, and make a C shape. Position your needle over, then under the parts of your ‘C’.
8. Wind the loose thread up and over the needle tip (creating the figure of 8), and pierce the fabric as you tug the thread tight.
9. Let go of the thread, and pull your needle all the way through.

Sometimes the thread will want to lift up or twist - just coax it back into the proper ‘C’ shape.

You can change the size of Colonial Knots by using more or fewer strands of thread. Here, I used 3 strands (out of the normal 6 in a skein of thread).