Stitches in Small Spaces
Probably my favorite needlepoint designs of all time, are these hand-painted mini-socks from when In Good Company started. I’ve been addicted to them since the beginning, have stitched dozens of them, and, although they haven’t been made since about 1992, I keep buying them when I can find them.
Click on thumbnail to see more detailed picture.
When I snagged this one I was thinking it would be all Basketweave, very simple, and all wool. But the more I looked at it the more I saw possibilities. As needlepointers, we often think that tiny spaces can only have Tent Stitch but we’re wrong. If you only have one thread, you could do Victorian Cross Stitch, attach a bead, or make a knot. If you have a two-stitch block, you can do Mosaic, a bigger Cross Stitch, and many more stitches.
Recently I went through Stitches to Go looking for stitched which took 1, 2, or 3 threads across. I was astonished at how many there are.
And if you still think you want to do just Basketweave, why not spice it up with occasional stitches in a different thread or an ocasional Cross Stitch (called Dotted Swiss)?
I am ecstatic with the way this turned out. I counted and I ended up using three threads (#12 braid, 1/16″ ribbon, and Silk & Ivory) and 8 stitches (tent, French Knots, T Stitch, Mosaic, Victorian Cross, Cross and Straight).
I’m late posting because my mouse died yesterday (do you know how hard it is to work without a mouse?) and so I’m getting caught up. Later today I hope to post a link list for some great Bargello sites.
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