Today’s ornament is from the way back machine, aka my early days of decorative stitching. It’s always a good feeling when ornaments from that time still make me smile. And who doesn’t smile at a cow with a red ribbon and a bell around her neck?

My best guess on the threads is Neon Rays (black lines) and Flair (yellow lines) on 18M. (UPDATE: The canvas is from the Susan Roberts Collection. It is not listed on the Susan Roberts website, so my guess is it has been discontinued. For those who want to see if they can find it through private resale, it is called Holstein Black and White Cow Roll up by Liz.)

I’ve shared some Byzantine stitches with you before. Today’s example is very close to one from the earliest days of my blog. The black lines are over two rows in the earlier version. The black lines in today’s version are over three rows, putting more emphasis on that thread and downplaying the yellow lines. And that may be something you want to do for a cute coat, Christmas tree, or animal you are stitching.

As an example, I would use a lightweight matte, such as 2-3 plies of Soie D’Alger, on 18M with a size 8 Kreinik for the yellow lines for clothing. For a Christmas tree, overdyed silk or cotton floss is a great choice for the black lines and a Kreinik Metalic (yellow lines) will add a lovely sparkle. Burmilana or Bella Lusso wool (black lines) are great standards for animals. (Well, except for Christmas cows.) I recommend a mild matte for the yellow lines, such as Petite Silk Lame, or a second color of Burmilana or Bella Lusso (in a slightly darker hue).

This stitch diagram, along with all other #whimsicalwednesday and #smallspacesunday stitch diagrams, can also be found on a Pinterest board here. Be sure to follow whimsicalstitch.com on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.

IIf you like what you see on this blog, there's more: Mary’s Whimsical Stitches Volume 1 is a contemporary how-to collection of more than 250 stitches for stitchers regardless of skill level. The book includes updated and sequenced diagrams from this blog, all-new stitches, and a chapter on the basics of needlepoint; Mary’s Whimsical Stitches Volume 2 features chapters on Balanced, Beading, Diagonal, Layered, Oblique, Small, and Straight stitches.

Also, you can download for free the first chapter from my first book which covers basic needlepoint stitches and stitch compensation techniques along with new top-line information on needlepoint materials and tools, how to handle threads, and other helpful needlepoint resources.

whimsicalstitch.com also sells Stitch Guides and Stitch Concepts for Melissa Shirley Designs, Zecca Designs, Sandra Gilmore, Purple Palm, Maggie, and Penny MacLeod, and many more. Click here to see the newest guides and click here to see the entire collection.

I hope you have the perfect spot for this stitch! Please enjoy! Have a wonderful #whimsicalwednesday!

A Note about Diagrams
I use color in diagrams to make them as clear as possible. The primary function of different colored lines is to illustrate a stitch sequence. For example, layering of colors demonstrates you add them in that order. They can also provide ideas on how to integrate additional threads (one line for each color). Or, you can use the same thread for all color lines. That's where I encourage you to use your imagination for the space you are stitching!

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