Sunday Stitch School - Lesson 138: Waved Chain Stitch

I search high and low for new stitches to add to the Sunday Stitch School. However, sometimes I find the best stitches where it all began, at Pintangle. Sharon Boggon has built up a fantastic collection of stitches in her Stitch Dictionary. 

Many of them are included in her TAST (Take A Stitch Tuesday) online stitch tutorial, which was where I started learning new and unusual stitches.Today's stitch, Waved Chain Stitch, however, only appeared as a TAST stitch in 2010, (as far as I know). This was before I joined the tutorial, so I missed this charming stitch.  Basically it is a variation, extension rather, of Shell Chain Stitch. 

Waved Chain Stitch is surprisingly easy and leaves an attractive zig-zag line.

Originally the stitch comes from one of Edith John's books.

Instructions:
Make a straight Chain Stitch.

Make a second Chain Stitch.

Insert the needle in the same hole

as the first stitch, but come out

slightly below and to the right of 

the first Chain.

Make a third Chain Stitch,

in the same way, below and to the 

right.

You now have three Chain Stitches

each one gradually larger than the 

previous one.

Start the next set of three 

Chain stitches with a small 

vertical straight Chain Stitch.

Make the second stitch slightly

below, but to the left.

and then the third one...

Continue zig-zagging in the same way
until you have as many as you like.

Aren't they attractive?! Imagine this in metallic thread - you'd have a lovely chain for a necklace.

For anyone who compares the Waved Chain Stitch in the stitch dictionary on Pintangle and my version will notice that I have made a slight change - I use the same starting hole for all the three stitches. This results in a 'rougher sea', my waves are higher, the zig-zag line is more obvious.

Homework:

Don't get seasick as you stir up some waves on these samplers: