French knots

I used to think French knots were the devil. I mean, I know they can create some cool things, and can add a nice pop to a design, but I hated making them (please note that neither of the links are things I made). Mine always turned out sloppy. Well, I've been sort of thinking about incorporating more types of stitches into my work, so today seems like a good day to share a French knot tip. For those of you who are new to the knot, here's a simple explanation of how to do one that I found.
When I was struggling with some French knots one day, my awesome friend Katie gave me a tip that, after only one or two practice runs, turned my knots from pathetic to more or less perfect. When you push the needle into the fabric, before you pull it through, pull the thread tight around the needle. For some reason, that seems to keep everything in place and reduce my ability to screw it up.
Oh, and in case anyone was wondering why I want to branch away from the basic x stitch, I really love Dinosaur Comics, and I think T-Rex will be easier to pull off with a satin stitch.