Late Summer Questions and Answers

Wild asters in bloom

I know you have been busy with the Still Life posts, but what else have you worked on lately?

I've been finishing some projects that were put aside while I worked on others. One of these was a mirror-image piece done in upright Gobelin stitch on needlepoint canvas. Here's a picture of it shown horizontally. The pattern is mirrored both from side to side and from top to bottom. Seen in this way, it is pure geometric pattern in design.

Needlepoint, horizontal view

Needlepoint, vertical orientation

But look what happens when it is shown vertically. Now it is a stylized representation of the fields and forests, mesas and mountains of western Colorado. I don't usually do a design that leans this far toward the abstract, but this one was fun.

I'm thinking of framing it with two hangers on the back of the frame, one on a long side and one on a short side. Then it could be displayed either way and changed back and forth as desired. What do you think?

You showed a picture of a basket of strawberries at the top of Part II of the Still Life series (August 21, 2017), but you didn't tell us anything about it. Are you going to tell us about it?

Certainly. Here it is again:

Needlepoint still life of a basket of strawberries

There are a great many things to consider in doing a still life painting — or its equivalent in needlework. Here is a cheerful little needlepoint of a small basket of strawberries on a blue-and-white checked tablecloth. It is done in a poster-like style with little indication of depth and no highlights or shadows. The emphasis, instead, is on line, shape, color, and texture. Still, there is a good deal of pattern involved. Something like this is a good exercise for a beginner taking up still life needlework. This is the sort of design that can be found in a child's coloring book, for example, for anyone not yet ready to make an original design. The design is done in acrylic yarn on #10 needlepoint canvas. The checked tablecloth is a simple bargello pattern done in upright Gobelin stitch.

Sample of stitch for checked tablecloth

The body of the basket is a simple needle-weaving pattern that is shifted every other row. The yarn is brought up from the back of the canvas. Working from left to right, the stitch pattern is over 6 threads, under 2 threads, over 6, under 2, across. The return stitches from right to left are under 6 threads, over 2, under 6, over 2. The sample has been done in two colors to make this easier to see. The stitch pattern is continued until a block of 6 rows is completed. The next block of 6 rows begins shifted 4 threads to the right of the first one. The third block is just like the first one and the fourth is like the second one. Incomplete blocks can be filled in once the pattern is established. Each stitch begins and ends in the same squares as the adjacent ones. No canvas threads are left uncovered.

Sample of stitch for basket

The strawberries are done in Parisian stitch to indicate their surface texture. The sample is done in two colors for clarity. For more on Parisian stitch and related stitches, see the post for April 10, 2014.

Sample of stitch for strawberries

The ribbon-striped wallpaper is done in continental stitch, but the rows are done vertically rather than horizontally. To do this, do downward vertical stitches in the standard continental manner (lower right to upper left) and upward stitches in the return method (upper right to lower left).

Stitch technique for wallpaper stripes

Although this is a simple pattern, it still contains some information. The strawberries indicate that it is probably late spring or summer. The lighting indicates daytime. The checked tablecloth indicates that the room is a kitchen or dining room. The bow on the basket handle suggests that the strawberries are a gift. We don't know whether the gift has been delivered to someone in the household or whether it is a gift being prepared for someone else. Either way, it is a pleasant picture. (I like to think the basket is a gift for a friend.)

Are you still doing new crochet projects?

Yes, I am still doing crochet projects. A while ago I started a new line of baby afghans and “loveys”. Loveys are soft stuffed toys based on my puppet designs. I will admit that I have never been fond of the “Pink is for girls; blue is for boys” school of thought. For one thing, babies do not readily see pastels for quite some time. The first color that most of them notice is bright red. Toy-makers have known this for centuries and painted their toys accordingly.

I try to make bright-colored afghans that will appeal to toddlers (and also allow parents and caregivers to teach the children colors and words), and toys that can be used along with storybooks, made-up stories, and even songs. For example, here is “Cottontail's Garden” and its “lovey” (at the left side of the photograph).

Detail of "Cottontail's Garden" afghan and lovey

The rows of different colors can be associated with the vegetables and fruits the child eats or sees in visits to the grocery store. The lovey could be a good companion to the child when books like the Peter Rabbit series are read or songs like “Here Comes Peter Cottontail” are sung. (Incidentally, J.D. says he feels hungry every time he looks at this afghan.)

This question is for J.D. You mentioned a hot drink made from dandelion roots. (July 16, 2017) I sure have plenty of dandelions. What can you tell me about the hot drink?”

(The gnome grumbles...) Okay, for reasons too complicated to go into here, I once had to come up with a hot drink made from ingredients easily available in northern Europe a thousand years ago. After some experimentation, I settled on:

4 parts roasted malt barley

1 part roasted dandelion root

1 part roasted chicory root

Grind together to the size and consistency that matches whatever apparatus you use to make coffee - or tea - and brew. No caffeine kick, but it tastes pretty good on a cold morning.

J.D.

Enjoy the rest of the summer!

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Swedish Weaving: Part 3

"Right" (top) & "Wrong" (bottom) sides

Swedish weaving, or “huck” weaving, is traditionally done on a closely woven cotton toweling fabric called “huck” (shortened from “huckaback”). If you If you examine the fabric closely, you will find that one side is rough to the touch, while the other side feels smooth. Since the purpose of a towel is to dry something, the rough side is the “right” side of the fabric. Look closely and you will see rows of raised stitches running horizontally across the cloth, perpendicular to the selvage edges (– – – – –). Turning to the smooth, or “wrong”, side of the cloth, you will notice pairs of upright (vertical) threads running parallel to the selvage edges (⌡⌡ ⌡⌡ ⌡⌡). these slightly loose threads are called “floats' or “slubs”. The “floats” alternate position in each row, so that one “float” that is directly above another is in the second row of stitches above it — not the first. It is with these “floats” that Swedish weaving is done. This makes it a rare type of embroidery done entirely on the “wrong” side of the cloth!

Horizontal and diagonal stitches

It has been several months since we discussed this topic, and some of you are new readers, so some of this material will be repetitive. We concentrated in the first two sessions (March 11, 2016 and March 31, 2016) primarily on horizontal stitches and diagonal stitches and the patterns which can be made with them. Vertical stitches were shown only as connections. These stitches, however, are decorative on their own. They are also useful in making tall, columnar patterns and four-sided designs. To make an upright (vertical) pattern stitch, run the needle right to left under the first float. Move up to the float directly above and again run the needle under the float from right to left. Continue until your column is the desired height. This produces a “wrapped” appearance to the stitches. A block of upright stitches gives texture to a design. Upright and horizontal stitches combine well. The red patterns will give you ideas for simple patterns you can do with this stitch. In the purple patter, each upward and downward vertical stitch skips a float in the center of the stitch.

The step stitch combines a horizontal stitch and a vertical stitch, and moves diagonally upward and downward across the fabric Multiple rows of this stitch produce interesting designs, particularly when a different color is used for each row. To do this most easily, begin with the bottom row of the design and work each following row directly above it. The rows can also be worked in reverse to make a larger more complex design. Do all the upper rows first. Then turn your fabric upside-down and repeat the pattern, starting once again with the bottom row. A diamond-shaped space is created in the design when it is done this way. If you like, you can put initials or tiny embroidery designs in these spaces.

A simple step-stitch pattern, repeated two different ways

 Another useful basic stitch is the loop stitch or circle stitch. Begin with one or more horizontal stitches. Slip your needle under a pair of floats from right to left. Point your needle in the opposite direction. Move up to the floats directly above the one you just worked. This time pass your needle from left to right. Return to the lower stitch and once again run your needle under the same floats from right to left. Pull the thread gently until it makes a loop or circle. Tension is very important with this stitch. If you leave the thread too loose, your stitches will be irregular and not look like even loops or circles. If you pull the thread too tight, you will distort (pucker) the fabric. Practice until it feels right. Spacing the loops differently in parallel rows makes different patterns. To make reverse loop- stitch rows, turn your fabric upside=down and proceed normally. Loop stitches and horizontal stitches combine attractively, as you can see in this border. Here the loops are alternated, with the top of each loop passing under the same float as the spacing stitch either above or below it. If you want to have even lines of loops, try them two ways: evenly spaced so that the loops intersect, or lines of loops spaced a row of floats apart so they do not intersect. You will be surprised how much difference this makes.

Aqua/turquoise loop-stitch design

There is another loop stitch that you might like, called half-loop stitch. It is used for up-and-down borders, stems, etc. Work from right to left, make a couple of horizontal stitches, and pick up a float. Then, working from left to right, insert the needle under the float directly above the one you just picked up, but complete only the right half of the loop by picking up the float above. Complete the left half of that loop by crossing under the middle float with the needle pointing from left to right. Complete the right side of the bottom loop, working under the first float again. You can make the column of loops as tall as you like by working in this back-and-forth manner. Make at least one horizontal stitch between loop columns. The stitch gets its name because it is made a half loop at a time. To make the pattern below, begin with a couple of straight stitches. Make a loop stitch and a spacer stitch, then make a column of two half-loop stitches. Continue making columns of half-loop stitches in increasing sizes, with spacing stitches between them, for as long as you like. Then repeat the stitches in the reverse order to the end.

Dark blue half-loop stitches

Finally, there is the long stitch. This is a very flexible stitch which can be used in a variety of ways. It is primarily used to create diamond shapes. In the top example, a long diagonal shape is created by skipping more floats horizontally than you skip vertically. One long-stitch row is worked across the design. Then a second long-stitch row is worked as a mirror-image of the first row. Where the rows intersect, both threads pass under the same floats. The second set of diamonds is more open and the diamonds are square. The same number of floats are involved, both vertically and horizontally.

Two kinds of diamond shapes

The weaving is done with a small tapestry needle. Tapestry needles have blunt points that can slip under the floats without breaking the float threads. The smallest needle that will hold the type of thread being used for the embroidery and slide under the floats without breaking them is the one to use. If the “weaving” is done properly, the needle never dips through the huck fabric and no stitches are ever seen on the other side of the cloth. (NOTE: This is not possible when doing the designs on other fabrics like monk's cloth or Aida; you will always see some thread on the reverse side of the cloth.)

Practice your stitches and patterns, please, because we will soon begin a project with them.

Have fun.

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Swedish Weaving: Part II

Vintage Swedish weaving example

Here is another example of Swedish weaving or huck embroidery. It is worked selvage-to-selvage on pale pink huck toweling in red and shades of violet embroidery floss. It could easily have been done with other materials, such as cotton crochet thread or fine acrylic yarn. As you can see, the patterns of spires are worked alternately in both directions. A square this size is suitable for a decorative pillow top.

Below are more patterns done on huck toweling. Some are linear, while others are all-over designs. You can repeat elements of a design indefinitely to make wider borders or cover larger pieces of fabric. You can also combine elements of two or more designs to make a more intricate design. Try several. Who knows? You may come up with a unique design of your own.

Sampler, Swedish weaving on huck

If you don't have appropriate fabric on which to practice your stitches, try doing them on plastic canvas. Look closely at the samples of pattern darning shown below. See how the two exposed bars of plastic resemble the two “floats” on the huck fabric? Note how this very simple design changes when you do it in one, two, or three colors. You can practice many linear designs on plastic canvas. Your samples will be durable and easy to file for future reference. Also, it is easy to pull the yarn out if you make a mistake. Diagonal designs are more difficult, but many can be done with a little practice.

Sampler, Swedish weaving on Aida cloth

In the first post of this series, I mentioned in the introduction that this type of embroidery could be done on a number of fabrics other than huck toweling. My first choice for this would be Aida cloth. The fabric seen here is #14 Aida, the most popular and readily available kind. It comes in a large range of colors. It is most commonly used for counted cross-stitch, but is useful for a number of other techniques. The set of stitch patterns on this piece of gold Aida were adapted from samples used in describing Holbein embroidery. Be careful with the pattern done in orange: it is more difficult than it seems.

Needle technique on Aida cloth

To make the stitches, run the tip of your needle under the small squares made by the weave of the Aida cloth, just as you would under the “floats” of the huck. Some needleworkers recommend that you pick up only the center pair of threads in each square, to make it more like picking up the huck “floats”. You may want to try this for yourself. At this small scale, I prefer to pick up the entire square of four threads. The fabric is double-layered, allowing you to keep all your stitches on the surface of the fabric as you do with huck. It takes some practice, however, to pick up only the top layer of threads, leaving the bottom layer undisturbed. It is important to keep your stitches level as you do repeat motifs like the stepped diamonds done in green on the gold Aida. Because the squares on the Aida cloth are so small, it is easy to accidentally move up or down and stitch in the wrong row. I use my needle as a “pointer” to check that my stitches are in their correct row. I check both horizontally and vertically. Now I would like to revisit two of the patterns from the first post in this series.

Swedish weaving pattern with large open spaces

Patterns like this, which leave part of the background exposed, are very useful for adding monograms or names to towels, linens, inserts for clothing, etc. Just embroider a single letter in each open space, using your choice of embroidery stitches. Words, too, can be decorative — particularly when framed. Some years ago it was quite popular to place colorful and decorative signs everywhere, encouraging everyone to “THINK!” Perhaps that is an idea whose time has come again. Why not do it in embroidery? A future post will be on the subject of the decorative possibilities of words.

Here is another simple open-work pattern which can be adjusted to the size you desire simply by adding or subtracting stitches. It could be used for words, phrases, or even entire signs. Place punctuation marks in the same spaces with the letter they precede or follow. Another use for this type of space is to frame tiny cross-stitch or other embroidery motifs (like the Holbein “doodles” you can download from the August 20, 2014 post).

Simple pattern to use for "framing"

Stitch away!

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Introducing ... Swedish Weaving!

As Annake promised in our 3rd anniversary post, here is the first in a series of tutorials on Swedish weaving (huck embroidery)

Vintage Swedish weaving sample

This type of needlework (there is also a type of loom weaving with the same name) goes back at least as far as the 1600s. It was widespread in Europe, but probably is called "Swedish" because the best surviving samples of it may be found in Swedish museums. It has many names, including Nordic weaving, huck embroidery, and huck weaving — which is what it was called when I learned to do it. It was very popular in the 1920s and 1930s and has come back into fashion several times since then. The latest surge in popularity has been for monks' cloth afghans; but that is quite an undertaking for a beginner, so I'm going to focus on smaller projects like linens, pillows, framed decorations and decorative inserts for clothing.

The “huck” in huck weaving comes from huckaback, a type of linen woven with loose surface threads called ‘floats’. The embroidery is done on the surface of the work and does not go through to the back of the fabric. Huck toweling is still the best fabric for this kind of work. Unfortunately, it is not easy to find it and it is expensive. It customarily comes in white or cream color. Here is a close-up of huck toweling showing how a blunt-pointed needle (so you don't split the float threads) is used to lift the pairs of floats. Needles with long, narrow eyes are preferred, because they don't pull the floats out of shape in the way needles with rounder eyes do.

Many other fabrics may be used, as long as you can count the threads and lift them with your blunt-pointed tapestry needle. One of the best is Aida cloth, which is available in several gauges from many sources, and comes in a wide variety of colors. Monks' cloth comes in a few gauges and is commonly available. It also comes in a wide variety of colors. However, it is loosely woven, so it must be pre-washed because it shrinks and pre-hemmed because it frays. Also, some of the dyed versions are garish and the dye is uneven; examine them carefully before you buy them. I have discussed monks' cloth in previous posts (see the posts for February 27, 2014 and April 30, 2014). If you have been practicing embroidery chain stitches with me, you may be able to use the same practice material for this weaving. Below is a sample of it done on decorator burlap.

There are a number of pattern books and teaching DVDs on this subject available in shops and online. These are expensive and many of the patterns are confusing. Check with your nearest library to see if you can check out the books or order them through inter-library loans before you purchase them. Also check the back issues of the library's needlework and craft magazines for useful illustrated articles. I'm assuming that you would prefer not to spend a large sum on a craft which you may decide you don't want to pursue, so I will suggest inexpensive alternatives. If you are a regular reader, you know that my intention is to show you basic stitches and patterns like the ones below and to encourage you to to go ahead to develop your own designs. If you decide you really like the technique, then is the time to invest in materials, books, DVDs, and so forth.

A sampler of some traditional huck weaving stitches

The most basic stitches in this technique are straight horizontal and diagonal ones. You can make a number of patterns using these alone. Diagonal stitches can move either up or down and either backward or forward. Even the simplest lines of horizontal stitches make an attractive border if they are done in a pleasing arrangement of bright colors or graduated tones of the same color. Each line is identical to the one before it, so you can follow easily and the pattern develops quickly. The patterns are traditionally worked from right to left, but will work equally well from left to right for left-handed people. I often work one row one way and the next row the other way. Although I usually prefer to do embroidery with a hoop, these linear patterns are easier to do without a hoop. Click on the sample patterns below and enlarge them to make them easy to understand. Remember that your thread or yarn should lie lightly on top of your fabric. Do not pull your stitches tight and distort the material.

More simple huck weaving samples on Aida cloth

Do you want an easy way to make your borders more interesting? Just double the pattern. Put in a pattern as you have practiced. If it starts with a baseline and reaches upward, turn your fabric 180 degrees. Repeat the pattern. You may want the two straight sides to join, or you may want to leave one or more unworked rows of thread in the middle, or to put in a row or two of running stitches in a contrasting color. If the pattern starts with a baseline and reaches downward, turn the fabric 180 degrees and do the pattern again, deciding whether to join the two halves together or to separate them with running stitches or a small amount of space. The examples below show how this is done. Experiment with other patterns you have learned.

A simple stitch pattern, repeated two different ways

We are going to concentrate on stitches and simple patterns for a while; later we will discuss preparing the materials, beginning and ending rows of stitching, estimating the amount of thread for a single row of stitches, finishing the edges of projects, etc. I will show you more patterns, done on Aida, monks’ cloth, decorator burlap, and so forth so you can compare them.

Be creative,

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Winter Questions and Answers, 2016

Your embroidered plain chain stitch looks a lot like crocheted chain stitch. Is there a way to use crocheted chain stitch as embroidery?

Yes, there is. It looks good on things like sweatshirts, heavy sweaters, caps and mittens, too. Because it can only lie on the surface of the fabric, however, you will need to couch it down with embroidery stitches in the same yarn or a contrasting one. If you use contrasting yarns, you can create borders that are attractive in both color and texture. Some embroidery techniques are shown on top of crocheted chain in the samples below. The first group is done in a single color. These are: back-stitched chain, couching between the “links” in the chain, alternating couching worked from the centers outward at right angles, whipped chain and plain chain on top of the crocheted chain (like “double chain” in crewel).

Click picture for larger view

 The second group are done in two colors — and some can easily be done in more. These are: crocheted chain with double running stitch (red and blue); alternating couching of the crocheted chain in two colors (yellow and green); crocheted chain couched, with back-stitch over it (purple and blue); crochet chain back-stitched in red and then threaded in green; cross-stitch between “links” of the crocheted chain, with running stitch over the crosses (blue and purple); and two parallel rows of crocheted chain, back-stitched in red and interlaced in gold. Work all of the stitches in one color before going on to the next color. I find it works well to stitch one color left-to-right and the other color right-to-left. The green threaded and gold threaded stitches may be couched down. I would do this on a garment or any article that will get a lot of wear. Use tiny stitches in one strand of the yarn or floss, or use a matching sewing thread.

I suggest you place practice fabric in your hoop and make a chain a yard or meter long in order to practice each stitch pattern across the full width of your hoop. Leave a long “tail” when you begin your chain. Later you can thread this end into a crewel needle, take it to the back of your fabric and secure it. Cut your crochet yarn far enough beyond the last link in your chain that you can thread that end into a crewel needle, take it the back of your fabric and secure it. Pin the chain to the fabric every inch (2 ½ centimeters) or so. Don't stretch the crocheted chain out of shape. Don't pull couching stitches so tight that they disappear in the chain. You can use lighter or heavier weights of yarn for the embroidery if you wish. Or you can use crochet cotton, embroidery floss, or other materials.

What is the difference between the optical illusion block you showed last month and a 4-way bargello?

Optical illusion needlepoint started from center

That's a very good question! The major difference is that the optical illusion (and the quilt block it is based on) are figured out in advance and the areas are drawn on the canvas before the stitching is begun. You may or may not put in the horizontal and vertical center lines and the diagonals — depending on the pattern. Ordinarily you would begin at the center and work your way out to the edges. The design will be basically the same whatever canvas and yarn you use. Back-stitching is often an important feature of the design. For me, the challenge is in drawing the design precisely in order to get the effect I want.

4-way bargello "Green Envy",  started from pattern line

The 4-way design is not unchanging like the optical designs; it changes and evolves as you stitch. It is best to begin all such designs by drawing in the vertical and horizontal center lines and the diagonals. A 4-way usually begins with a pattern line, rather than a shape to fill in. (There are exceptions; see “Hearts Afire”, December 22, 2014 post, which does depend on a definite shape, for example.) A four-way usually begins several (sometimes many) rows of canvas from the center. Instead of being worked outward from the center, it is worked both outward and inward from the pattern line. The design changes rapidly — often in surprising ways. Back-stitching is not regularly used. I get the most pleasure from starting with a pattern line which surprises me as it unfolds.

There are similarities between the two techniques, however. Both need to be centered on the finished canvas. Both tend to be square when finished. Both use the upright Gobelin stitch. Both may benefit from being turned ninety degrees as you work on the various parts of the design. Both depend on a careful selection of shades of color for their best visual effects. Neither leaves empty squares of canvas in the design; stitches share canvas squares. Both are fun to do and satisfying to complete.

I really like the optical illusions from quilt blocks. They look like fun. But they're square, and I hardly ever see square frames. Are you going to do any that fit rectangular frames?

I've just adapted the “King's Cross” design for a rectangular frame. The sketch will work with any three-color combination as long as the white sections are in the lightest color, the pencil-shaded sections are a darker shade of the same or a similar color, and the inked-in triangles are in a very dark color. You will notice that the pairs of triangles are not quite the same. Also, the shapes that were parallelograms in the original pattern are now polygons. These are large areas, so use a heavier yarn than usual or double your regular yarn to cover the canvas completely. Once again, I recommend doing the triangles in basket-weave, starting at the center points and working outward this time. Any irregularities where two colors of yarn join, or at the edges, may be covered by back-stitching if you choose.

Click on diagram for larger view

I did this pattern for a 5-inch X 7-inch frame (13 X 18 centimeters), but I can show you how to adapt it for any rectangular frame. Turn the frame upside-down on your canvas and draw around the opening with a pencil. Remove the frame. (If necessary, use a ruler or straight-edge to square the corners and make the sides straight.) Leave extra canvas around the rectangle so that you can tape the edges. Find the center of the rectangle and mark it with a dot (O on the diagram), continuing to use a pencil. Find the centers of the top and bottom — the short sides — and mark them with dots (A). Find the centers of the long sides and mark them (B). Mark the four corners (C). Mark the centers of the lines between the A's and the center O (D). Mark the centers between the B's and the O (E). Mark the centers between the C's and the A's (F) and the centers between the C's and the B's (G). Now connect the dots as follows:

• A-O-A
• B-O-B
• Both C-O-C's
• Both E's on the top and bottom with the nearest D
• Both G's on the sides with the nearest E
• You may then erase the A-D and the B-E lines if you wish to do so.

Now you are ready to begin stitching.

If you like squares and rectangles, just wait until we get to hexagons!

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All-Over Needlepoint Patterns: Combining Elements

I hope you had fun with the all-over patterns with top-stitching. Today we will explore some of the ways that combining simple bargello elements will produce bold, intricate, all-over patterns. Let's start with one of the simplest elements: “parallel bars”. We first worked with these in the March 12, 2014 article. (You may want to revisit that page briefly to see what we talked about.) The bars are made of simple, upright stitches over 2, 3, 4 or more horizontal threads of canvas (or horizontal bars of plastic canvas). This is the first element of our design. The second element is somewhat like the “peaks” we worked with last time (July 31, 2015). There are some major differences, however. The “peaks” are thick, wide at the bottom, solid and climb slowly to their full height. This element is thin, narrow at the bottom, rather fragile-looking and climbs quickly to full height. I'm going to call these figures “spires”. When we combine the two elements, the last stitch of the “bar” becomes the first stitch of the “spire”. The second stitch of the “spire” begins in the same row of mesh squares where the first stitch ended, but does not overlap it. The other stitches rise in the same way until the top, then descend parallel to the upward stitches. The last stitch of the “spire” becomes the first stitch of the “bar”. The sample shows a “bar”, then a “spire”, and finally a “bar” - “spire” - “bar” pattern.

Here's a pattern using the “bar” - “spire” combination in a sequence of five colors. Start at least 16 squares of mesh from the top and make a “bar” of 4 upright stitches, each over 3 threads (or bars of canvas). The next stitch of the “spire” starts in the same row of squares where the last stitch of the “bar” ended. Continue until the “spire” is 4 stitches tall, then descend to the bottom of the row and make another 4-stitch “bar”. Once you have the base line established, it is relatively easy to follow the pattern. Why, then, did I stop with the pattern not yet complete?

Because most errors occur when stitchers are finishing the tops and bottoms of these patterns. I warn you about such errors because either I have made them myself or have seen my students make them. Yes, the ways to complete the pattern are simple, but they are not always obvious to everyone. Let's start with the bottom, because it is easier. You will begin with the second color in your sequence, but you will not make a “bar” -- only a “spire”. Your “spires” will be separated, not connected. Carry the strands of yarn across the back of the canvas. (Better yet, run the strands under completed stitches as you work across the back of the pattern.) Inside the first detached “spire”, you will make a second “spire” with the third color, continuing in this way until you fill the center with a single stitch. Secure each color by running it under completed stitches at both ends.

Now we will complete the top of the pattern, where most of the mistakes are made. People have a tendency to reverse the canvas to complete it. They also tend to reverse the color sequence at this point. This, of course, will disrupt the entire pattern. The first “bar” above your base row must be made with the last color in your sequence. The next higher “bar” will be done in the next-to-last color, and so on. Keep your canvas upright while you work and stitch just as much of each pattern row as you can, carrying the extra yarn across the back of the canvas, under completed stitches. If you do this correctly, there will be no errors in the completed pattern.

In the March 21, 2014 article, we explored single arches, rows of connected arches, waves made by connecting upward and downward arches and medallions made with mirror-image arches. (You may want to review those before we continue.) Now that you have mastered “bars” and “spires”, we are going to do a simple design with “bars” and “arches”. All of the stitches in the design are made with upright stitches over 3 strands of thread or bars of canvas. Below is the base line for the patterns. I did this with acrylic yarn on #7 plastic canvas for easy-to-see stitches. Begin at least 9 squares of mesh from the top of your canvas. Make a “bar” of 5 consecutive stitches. Begin the first “arch” one square of mesh higher. Use the following pattern: “bar”, single stitch, double stitch, double stitch, triple stitch, triple stitch (top of the “arch”): descend with triple stitch, double stitch, double stitch, single stitch, “bar”. Refer to the base line sample.

Here are two samples done with the pattern. The first was done on #10 canvas with tapestry yarn in a rainbow of colors. This is one horizontal pattern that works well as a vertical pattern. You can see this in the second sample. This is a “bar-arch-bar” repeated in a flesh/peach/coral/orange/rust color sequence. The more closely related your colors are, the more subtle your pattern becomes. This was done on #14 canvas with tapestry yarn. This sort of narrow pattern works well on fabric belts, hatbands, hairbands, cuffs, etc. I'd like to do it as the shoulder straps on a denim sundress.

Our final combination is a “spire” - “arch” - “spire” pattern. Substitute the “spire” we learned at the top of this article for the “bar” in the second part. This time the “arch” rises in the same way as the “spire”. Each single stitch or stitch group begins in the same square of mesh in which the previous stitch ended. As you can see, this changes the shape of the arch considerably. The last stitch of the “spire” is the first stitch of the “arch”. The rising pattern is: double stitch, double stitch, triple stitch, quadruple stitch (top of the arch). Descending, the stitch pattern is triple stitch, double stitch, double stitch. The last single stitch of the “arch” is the first stitch of the next “spire”. Refer to the large pattern sample above.

You may use as many “spires” and “arches” as you like, but it looks best if you begin and end with a complete “spire” or “arch”, rather than a partial one. This conventional pattern is done in 5 shades of green tapestry yarn on #10 canvas. Be careful when filling in the incomplete rows at the top of the pattern. This one is a little more difficult than it looks.

If you want more of a “WOW!” pattern, try the one below in acrylic yarn on #7 plastic canvas. I had decided to stop with the blue row, but I discovered some beautiful purple yarn in my scrap bag and worked it in at the top. The purple would be the next row if the pattern were continued at the bottom.

Play with your patterns,

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