Today the Craft Magazine daily posting referenced a tutorial on how to make French Knots at the Purl Bee blog. French Knots are a very useful hand embroidery technique and have been used for centuries by hand embroiderers to add texture to handwork, the eyes to teddy bears and other thread work. I am rather good at them as I once had to do approximately 2,000 of them for a piece I was doing. The link referenced by Craft ( http://www.purlbee.com/knot-know-how-tutorial/ ) takes you to a tutorial that gives the worst description of how to do French Knots that I have ever seen. French Knots should only have one twist with size determined by the number and size of threads used. The tutorial shows multiple twists as the way to get fuller knots which usually results in French Knots that fall apart over time. I am (irrationally?) upset by this bad information being disseminated to the worldwde crafting community.
Why am I so angry? This is not an earth shattering event. The tutorial may not even be read by more than one or two people, so why does it bug me? When did I become such a stickler for precision? Maybe I've just had too much lazy writing today reading the latest Harry Potter and this tutorial broke my patience? I don't know if anyone reading this really wants the best information on French Knots. If you do, I suggest you find the old Sew Beautiful magazine that I used to learn them or, alternatively, let me know and I can walk you through the process.
On the other hand, I may just be irritated because earlier today I was given a senior citizens discount at a restaurant when I didn't ask for it and didn't meet the posted criteria. Must have been all my grey hair that prompted the clerk to key it into the system. LOL
Tomorrow will be a better day as it is not expected to rain for the first time is almost two weeks. Yeah!
3 comments:
Ah, the old French knot dilemma! Bet she only had one thickness of thread in her basket or never belonged to EGA which would mark against you for 2 twists. Now I do have to say, that late at night making popcorn on a christmas stocking I have twisted more than once to make different lobes of the kernals stand at different heights. Guess it all depends on whether or not you want to be a purist. Then again, there is sooooo much bad syntax and grammer out there (along with my spelling) it can drive one demented.
M
I just found this posting of yours. I am still frustrated with the whole French knot thing--I keep trying all these "tutorials" I find and I end up saying really, really bad words when it doesn't work. Oh well...guess I'll keep trying and maybe one day it will actually work for me.
I am having a difficult time making a french knot. I am trying to make them on my pin cushions. I have been practicing and they just pull threw. I try 1,2,3, and even 4 loops. I am frustrated. The knot doesn't seem to catch. WOuld you help me? Ellen
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