I stumbled across this stitch (and beautiful stitched sample) on Instagram recently. It ticks all the boxes for me. Matte and metallic thread combo. Columns with skipped rows. Add pink and blue to the mix and…swoon!

The stitched sample is Pepper Pot Silk (black lines) and Petite Silk Lame (aqua lines) on 18M. It’s a perfect ode to spring…and a beautifully stitched ornament by @francieneedlepoints.

I love how the groups of oblique upright crosses add surprising height and a bit of texture to this stitch. I’m looking forward to taking advantage of that and using this stitch for clothing, especially a pair of pants or a coat. I would use two shades of single-strand silk, Burmilana, or Bella Lusso for the pants. I recommend adding a bit of sparkle to the coat by using a Silk Lame for the black lines and silk floss for the aqua lines. Or, use two metallics, such as Neon Rays and Flair, for a really cute raincoat!

Consider flipping the diagram 90° for a rug or blanket. I love the thought of integrating Alpaca into this stitch for a blanket. I would use Alpaca for the black lines and Silk Lame for the aqua lines. Both threads provide great coverage, along with some interesting contrasting textures. If you want even more texture, consider swapping the 2X2 squares with a Smyrna Cross! (The gray lines in that diagram are Smyrna Crosses.) Lastly, consider skipping more rows between the columns to create an interesting but slightly more subtle background.

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.

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.

If you like what you see on this blog, there's more. Mary’s Whimsical Stitches is a series of three books offering contemporary how-to collections of more than 250 stitches (in each volume) for all stitchers, regardless of skill level. All books include updated and sequenced diagrams from this blog plus a collection of all-new stitches from private lessons and other class projects. Visit here to find a needlepoint retailer that carries my books.

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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!