Revision Homework - Stitches 246 - 250

This set of five stitches was one of the easiest and most rewarding ones to make a Sunbonnet Sue sampler of. They were perfect for

• a rose, 
• a comb, 
• a fan, 
• a zipper 
• and a frothy lacy loopy hem. 

Everything a signorina dancing the flamenco would ever need. Well, she is missing her castanets.

The fan caused me some trouble and I did add a few supporting stitches to keep the fan spread open.

Sunday Stitch School - Revision: Stitches 246 - 250

As we have completed another set of five new stitches, it is time to revise them and make a Sunbonnet Sue sampler.

Click on the title to get the stitch instructions.

246 Merrow Stitch

This is the stitch that looks like it has been done on a Merrow lock machine.

247 Scallop Blanket Stitch

Here is a pretty version of the Buttonhole Stitch. It is especially nice when worked in a variegated thread.

248 Surrey Stitch

This Canvas stitch gives you loops galore. Leave the loops uncut or snip them open into a nice fringe.

249 Fly Stitch Rose

This is the first ribbon embroidery stitch included in Sunday Stitch School. Of course, it can be made with other threads, too.

250 Danish Knot Chain Stitch

A stitch whose name we can't be sure of, but it sure is funny and charming. 

Surely you can see the wobbly tower of acrobats standing on each others' shoulders, or even heads sometimes! They must be sure of themselves to manage this balancing act.

Homework:

How can we use these five stitches for Sue? 

Well, let's use red as the main colour, and play around with the stitches.

Friday Homework for Lesson 250: Danish Knot Chain Stitch

This stitch has a confusing name, as I mentioned in Sunday's lesson. Another interesting thing is what you see when you look at it - a doll balancing on a ball, a clown, a snowman with his stick arms raised above his head, an ornamental chain, a Japanese rain chain...

Danish Knot Chain Stitch is easy and fast to stitch. Furthermore, it takes a curve well. The only negative aspect is that it uses up a lot of thread.

Aida Sampler

Sunday Stitch School Reference Chart

Mottled Wool Scribble Cloth

 

Sunday Stitch School - Lesson 250: Danish Knot Chain Stitch

At first, I didn't know what to call this week's stitch but finally settled on Danish Knot Chain Stitch. 

I found the stitch in Totsuka Embroidery Stitch Book 6, 

where its Japanese description translated into English would be: 'like a Cable Stitch followed by Lazy Daisy Stitch repeatedly'.

The excellent Totsuka hand embroidery books are packed with basic stitches and masses of variations. Unfortunately,  the stitches have only rarely been given a proper name. Instead, they are often described, as you saw in the example above.

When there is a name, it seldom corresponds with one known in most Western countries. I don't know where Madam Totsuka gets her vocabulary from, but what she calls Cable Stitch is nothing like what we in English call Cable Stitch, nor is it the Cable Chain Stitch. It is known to us as Danish Knot Stitch. Her German Knot Stitch is the same as Sorbello Stitch. 

The difference between Danish Knot (Sunday Stitch School #4) and Sorbello Stitch (TAST #152) is that the former is shaped like a triangle and the latter a square. Complicated? Oh, yes! 

I made a sampler to compare the stitches and their names:

Names found in most Western stitch dictionaries

The names used in Totsuka's books

.........................

Anyway here is today's stitch:

Homework: Add the Danish Knot Chain to these samplers.