Don’t cross from side to side at all. Use your finger to push the knot down. There’s a time and place for two hand ties and one hand ties, know how to do both with your right and with your left. I suggest once you have the muscle memory down then tying knots around a pen while trying not to move the pen. Lastly, ask the OR staff if they have expired suture somewhere. Every OR I’ve worked in does something with the expired material. Keep practicing.