Wednesday 15 February 2012

Bits & Bobs

I’m so relieved that my eye complaint is finally improving…

The other day I found myself searching for ages for a particular file on my computer – as you do - and came across a couple of things that I’d overlooked.

The first is my personal version of a stitch I’ve seen on one particular historical sampler. 

braided chain

The picture I have of it is quite clear, in that I can see the second, larger chain, goes all the way round the smaller chain in one action. 

I think you could describe this stitch as a ‘braided chain’.  As I said, I have only seen one example of it and the closest thing I could find to its construction was the ‘Hungarian Braided Chain’.  What is unique about this kind of stitch is that both chains are worked simultaneously and you complete them in one journey. 

Its a very nice stitch, even if it is possibly only a bit of my personal guesswork?

braided chain horizontal

The other interesting item I came across was the sketch below.  I  realise I haven’t yet done the second part of my visit to Witney Antiques.  Alas, I seem to have temporarily mislaid my notes.  Or put it another way, I am scared to look in the very last place they could be.  So, I thought in the meantime I would show you a quick sketch I did of a tiny section of the goldwork gauntlets that were on display there, if you recall.

Detail of Gauntlet

I made the sketch from the fine image in the catalogue. 

I think the original detail is only about 2 cms across – can you imagine all that work in such a tiny space!

_________

 

A Little Knitted Interloper

Isn’t it weird the way one idea feeds into another?  After working out how to make DBH evenly-shaped, I found I understood the self-selvaging sides of knitted fabric that much better.  That insight led me to experiment with another pattern of mine, for this leaf.

My own pattern for a knitted leaf with serrated edges

As you can see, I was mainly concerned with mimicking the serrated edge effect.  Oh gosh, I just adore leaves!

Ideally I would like to produce this leaf pattern as another pdf file for sale, but I’m really worried that the pattern is hiding in the same place as the notes for Witney, that I mentioned earlier. 

I suppose all these missing bits and bobs prove to me, either that I should tidy my stash more often, or better still, perhaps never tidy it again!!!

Gotta go!

 

7 comments:

  1. Heavens! Good luck with hunting in the stash...

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  2. I know what you mean, seems to be more like micro-hoarding with creative reasoning...

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  3. Oh dear...having come across your acorns on youtube now I have found your blog. It is so interesting, and now here's another medium I want to try, stumpwork.

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  4. Hi Rosie
    The Royal School of Needlework's 'Essential Stitch Guides' by Kate Sinton was recommended to me last year and I find it to be invaluable.
    It's only small and spiral bound, but contains lots of things that you don't really see in other books, like making cute little stuffed faces etc.

    If you want written instructions for Tubular Ceylon Stitch, you should get hold of a copy of Jacqui Carey's 'Sweetbags' book, or hang on to order her new (delicious) 'Elizabethan Stitches', due to be published in a month's time.

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  5. Hi
    This is a bulletin for anyone reading this section. I have just posted on Etsy my pdf file on DBH Even Shaping. Price $3.00.

    Hope to post later on tonight with a proper link.

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  6. Maria Antonia (my aunts have those names!)

    Molto grato per il tuo commento gentile!

    beth

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