# [Compare French and colonial knots](https://threadcabin.com/explore/290/compare-french-and-colonial-knots)

> French knots use wraps; colonial knots use a different figure-eight thread path. Practice each path separately instead of adding tension to compensate for a loose knot.

- Canonical page: https://threadcabin.com/explore/290/compare-french-and-colonial-knots
- Language: en
- Published: 2026-09-25T17:26:34.5664447+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-25T17:26:39.4350676+00:00
- Craft: Embroidery
- Primary image: [Illustration: Separate small embroidery samples showing compact French knots, rounded colonial-style knots and elongated bullion knots as distinct raised forms.](https://threadcabin.com/images/explore/focused/knots.jpg)

French knots use wraps; colonial knots use a different figure-eight thread path. Practice each path separately instead of adding tension to compensate for a loose knot.

## Before you start

Prepare a small offcut of the intended ground with the intended needle and thread. Mark the practice area lightly and support the fabric without stretching its grain.

## How to do it

1. French knot: bring the thread up, wrap it once or twice around the needle and hold the wraps near the ground. Insert very close to, but not into, the exit hole; slide the wraps down and draw the needle through while controlling the working thread.
2. Stop when the knot sits on the surface. More wraps are not a cure for a knot that pulls through. For a colonial knot, use the linked figure-eight method; do not call a wrapped French knot colonial.

## Try this example

Make five knots of each type with the same thread. Keep the exit and return holes close but distinct where the ground requires it; compare size and anchoring.

## Check your result

- Release the frame and inspect front and reverse. The thread should lie as intended without distorting the ground; shorten a stitch or change the sample before pulling harder.
- Coverage and tension depend on the actual ground, thread and stitch length. A diagram shows the route, not a universal thread quantity or tension setting.

## Sources

- [rsnstitchbank.org: colonial knot stitch](https://rsnstitchbank.org/stitch/colonial-knot-stitch)
- [rsnstitchbank.org: french knot](https://rsnstitchbank.org/stitch/french-knot)
- [rsnstitchbank.org: running stitch](https://rsnstitchbank.org/stitch/running-stitch)

[Browse editable craft templates](/crafts?craft=embroidery)

[Report a correction](/corrections).

## Sources and provenance

- [Running, back, and stem stitch: compare the thread path](https://threadcabin.com/explore/13/running-back-and-stem-stitch-compare-the-thread-path)
- [Work a controlled bullion knot](https://threadcabin.com/explore/291/work-a-controlled-bullion-knot)