Have I told you I LOVE the Skip Tent stitch? This isn't True Confessions; I'm just talking about an honest admiration for a needlepoint stitch. Perhaps you know it as the Basketweave Twill? Regardless of its name or your locale, it is a wonderful stitch when the moment is right.
Skip Tent stitch was taught to me by Amy Bunger; one of her "go to" stitches. If it's good enough for Amy...
First, let's begin with the pathways:
Look at this photo. I am stitching the Skip Tent stitch going on the downward/diagonal descent. I am going to have to jump over this "obstacle" and try to figure out where is my next stitch. Gulp!
Fear not. In the beginning, a choice was given: would I be stitching on the Horizontal threads or the Vertical threads? For this canvas, I chose the Horizontal threads. And, with that knowledge, I knew my stitches would ONLY be on the Horizontal threads. (Pssst.... you could choose the Vertical threads. It would have been OK. You would just always stitch on the Vertical threads. Easy breezy!)
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| Lotus Squared Zecca • ZE 134 Stitch Guide by Robin King |
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| Early Bird Zecca • ZE 107 Stitch Guide by Robin King |
The Beads, Kreinik, Ribbons and the DMC Memory Thread give just the right touch of texture. I loved stitching this piece on 13 mesh. I believe you will, too.
Until the next time... Robin
Sharon G (needlepoint designer, teacher, needlepoint book author; very smart, talented woman!) gave some other wonderful suggestions about the Skip Tent stitch.
ReplyDeleteHer website is: http://www.sharong.com/
Here is our conversation:
SharonG: I agree and it is too much fun to see what you can add to it to turn it into another stitch. But alone, it is nice.
Robin: Oh, Sharon... you're right. Skip Tent it one way, then Skip Tent it the other way. Bead the empty intersections. Knot them. Fun.
SharonG: I have another hint. If the stitches are placed on all the vertical intersections, the texture is greater than if place on horizontal intersections. If you look at the canvas weave, you will see the vertical intersections are raised higher than horizontal intersections. It does make a difference sometimes in the texture.
Robin: Sharon.. you are a wealth of information. Thanks. I will spread the word and give you proper credit.
I, too, was taught the Skip Tent stitch by Amy and have been in love with it ever since. And when I think of the contortions I have done to make sure I continued the pattern correctly.... How simple to remember horizontal or vertical!
ReplyDeleteSo is there a name for the one you and SharonG discussed? I like to do that in say a braid and a perle cotton. It gives a slight shine without being poke your eye out shiny.
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