I resisted straight stitches over one row for a long time as they didn’t make sense. Today’s stitch is one of the reasons I got over it. I love its delicate size and that sweet skipped row in the center.
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The stitched sample is a background in progress on a Kirk and Bradley hot air balloon. I used five plies of Splendor on 13M. It’s a fun and quick stitch, which certainly offsets the attention required for last week’s stitch.
This is one of those all-purpose stitches that will work so well in skies, water, wallpaper, curtains, a medium size window, or the center of a flower. I love lightweight Kreiniks or Petite Silk Lame for water or glass. For the wallpaper or curtains, you could alternate the columns between Flair and silk floss. Fun fact. There are three column directions for this stitch (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal). I think diagonal columns add the most surprise.
Click on image to see the whimsicalstitch.com Stitch Library on pinterest.com. Includes all #whimsicalwednesday and #smallspacesunday stitch diagrams.
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.
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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!