Today’s stitch is kinda fun. The first step was fun all by itself so you now have two new stitches!

The stitch is nothing more than a Chevron stitch three rows tall with a tiny vertical accent covering the intersection where the diagonal stitches meet. I went a little crazy with the stitched sample. I used red and white Vineyard Silk (black and gray lines, respectively). I covered each intersection with Neon Rays in the opposite color. It was a lot of fun though I may not want to stitch with Neon Rays again for a while. (That said, I love the look.)

This full-coverage stitch will make a fantastic roof, using one color for both the gray and black lines. I think Rainbow Linen, perle cotton, or Vineyard Silk would work for those stitches for a brown roof. I would use a darker brown and cream Silk Lames for the accent stitches to add subtle interest to the roof. This stitch will create a beautiful blanket with a version of the two-color concept illustrated in the stitched sample. Imagine how pretty a blue and yellow blanket in silk floss with contrasting accents in Flair will be.

As I was working on the sample, I loved the first step as much as the end result. Just the red Vineyard Silk and white Neon Rays created such a sassy open stitch. (Note. The threads are way too visible on the back because this was the first step for the stitch above. If the plan had been to skip a row, I would have added the diagonal stitches following the horizontal path across.)

I am looking forward to using this version as a purse with two contrasting colors of Straw Silk for both lines. It will also be a beautiful vase with two shades of Kreinik Metallic with a twist. Use size 8 for the black lines and size 12 for the yellow lines.

Just a reminder about how to evaluate stitches for size on your project.

As you are auditioning stitches (from any stitch source), count the number of canvas threads on the diagram that match your mesh size. And there you have what an inch of the stitch will look like. Evaluate that against the area where you plan to use the stitch and make your final decision. If you start integrating this step into your stitch selection process, you may be surprised at how many stitches you think are large are much smaller than you realize. (Or, in today’s case, the stitch is much larger than it looks.)

By (sometimes) including this step in my own process, I find I am now integrating much longer stitches than I ever thought I would. I used to think a stitch six rows long was super big. I have very much changed my tune, which has helped me expand my creativity, especially for large-space stitches.

Today’s 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.

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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, the layering of colors demonstrates you add them in that order.  They can also provide ideas on integrating 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!