thanks for all your comments. learn and pass it on, is this boards motto. i do believe. as i was hand quilting the other day, the phrase, 'slide your knot' down the thread kept popping in my head. i think maybe that's why i couldn't learn it for yrs. actually, you are placing the knot at the end of the thread, and then pulling your needle thru the wound threads to keep them in place. and some of you ladies are right about winding the thread around your finger. same idea. and i can remember, that my mom did her thread like that. TRUE. what ever works for each of us.
BUT puduc KY YO YO quilters, thanks for the u tube. i see one of their daughters posted a thread around the board yesterday. they were a bunch of lovely looking ladies, weren't they? normal, just like the rest of us. love them. and you allllll.

I don't know how to start it off either! I can finish it the correct way though so it's good enough for me. One of these days I may check it out.

I hold the needle in my right hand and wrap the needle around the thread 3 times. I think it comes from making french knots in embroidery. This is the easiest way for me.

Thank you for sharing, for I have tried to look at you tube and see how they did it, but just couldn't either. I love her way of showing. Will practice and give it a go too. Thanks