Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Tent Stitch

Joni Stevenson has written a series of essays on tent stitches that you will want to read and re-read.   It's dense going, but if you want to improve how you make tent stitches, it's a Must Read.  Joni starts out with a look at the three different stitches in the tent stitch family.  You'll learn all about half cross, continental and basketweave, from their disadvantages to how best to end threads if you are basketweaving, and there are plenty of good photos to illustrate Joni's points.  If you've never understood how to use the weave of the canvas to do beautiful basketweave, read this.
http://creative-stitch.blogspot.com/2012/04/tent-stitch-part-1.html

Once you understand part one, settle down with Joni and read part two, which talks about basketweave in detail, particularly how to achieve a smooth look when you change colors, and also explains why stitching tent stitches on linen and on needlepoint canvas is different.
http://creative-stitch.blogspot.com/2012/04/tent-stitch-part-2.html

In part three, Joni talks in depth about starting and stopping threads when you are doing basketweave. Her technique will keep the starting point for a new thread from showing on the front as a hole.
http://creative-stitch.blogspot.com/2012/04/tent-stitch-part-3.html

The last tent stitch article talks about ending waste knots and about pin stitches, then goes on to analyze the best starting points for large areas of basketweave.
http://creative-stitch.blogspot.com/2012/04/tent-stitch-part-4.html

My favorite book  about basketweave (and the only one I've ever seen that treats basketweave in depth although Joni says Jane Zimmerman has also talked about basketweave) is Davie Hyman's The Diagonal Basket Weave.  This book is out of print but well worth hunting down.  There's nothing about basketweave that Davie didn't understand and explain well, including how to basketweave if you are left handed.  Here's a bit about the last (fourth?) edition of this wonderful book.
http://www.daviehyman.com/book.htm

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Kurdy's Hints

When I was browsing the Threedles website earlier, I came across a page of Hints that the canvaswork designer Kurdy Biggs has written to help other stitchers.

http://www.threedles.com/06012011/Hints.html


It's interesting stuff.  She has all sorts of unusual tips like using angle brackets to keep your stretcher bars square.  These are useful for any needlepointer, whether you love counted projects or are a painted canvas junkie.


Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Free Stocking Designs from Janet Perry

Even though summer is nearly here, it is time to start thinking about Christmas projects if you want them done in time for Christmas 2012.  Janet Perry helps out those who like line drawn and charted stockings with a free project on her blog.
http://www.nuts-about-needlepoint.com/byzantine-options-part-1-free-project

http://www.nuts-about-needlepoint.com/byzantine-options-part-2-free-project

http://www.nuts-about-needlepoint.com/byzantine-options-part-3-free-project

Here's the second design.  I'll update this article as more information for this new project becomes available.
http://www.nuts-about-needlepoint.com/holiday-ribbons-free-needlepoint-stocking-part-1


http://www.nuts-about-needlepoint.com/holiday-ribbons-free-design-part-2

http://www.nuts-about-needlepoint.com/holiday-ribbons-mantle-sock-free-design-part-3


Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com