Texturally Stitching

As spring begins to turn into summer, do you ever notice how the landscape around us changes? Leaves are fully opened up on the trees and flower petals are opening up in a variety of shapes and colors. Let your surroundings inspire you to add some visual impact and drama to your project by working with textured stitches.

When knitting or crocheting, this can be as easy as working a ribbed stitch pattern or as complicated as intricate lace or cables. Consider the edges as a great place to experiment with texture. This Baby Wrap Sweater is adorable in squishy garter stitch and a delicate (but not difficult) ruffle, as shown in this shop sample. This same sweater made with an applied i-cord edging is perfect if you are looking for a more masculine item. The pattern calls for Koigu yarn, a wonderful fingering weight merino wool that is hand-painted in small batches. Baby items are great fun to work on in the warmer summer months as they are tiny and generally do not take a lot of time to complete!

Decorative needlepoint stitches can make your piece really pop! Just as when you first learned how to stitch, keep in mind that each starts and ends in a specific hole. Take care to think through your textured stitches as they may be worked over different numbers of canvas intersections, to see if they will work as full or partial stitches, and when you should work them. The end result is sure to give your piece dimension. Here we're sharing Esther's London Phone Booth ornament. Notice the stitches at the bottom, all those French Knots! Looks like a chilly night in London, doesn't it? If you need a quick refresher on how to work a French Knot, here is a great stepwise tutorial!

Until next time, happy stitching!