COUCHING STITCH
Couching stitch is achieved by laying yarn or thread onto your fabric in the shape
or design you want and then whipstitching it in place with a second, thinner, yarn or
thread. It results in colorful, playful outlines.
1 Begin by arranging the thicker thread on your knitting in the shape or line
you want it to ultimately be.
2 Whipstitch it in place, using a needle threaded with a thinner yarn.
3 When you are done, weave in the yarn end.
Decorative Details
chapter 13FRENCH KNOT
You can use French knots for infinite purposes: as the centers of lazy daisies, as eyes,
or as accents along a line at a border. They add a nice three-dimensional effect to
your embroidery.
1 Thread a tapestry needle with the yarn you want to embroider with. Tie a knot
in the yarn 6 inches up from the end. Bring the needle through the knitting from
back to front, pulling through until the knot stops it.
2 Grasp the yarn about 1 inch above the point where it came out and wind the
yarn around the tip of the needle three times, moving from the eye of the
needle to the tip, as shown.
3 Still grasping the wound yarn, reinsert the needle right next to the point where
it came out and pull it through all the way to the back to create the knot.
You have made one French knot.
LAZY DAISY STITCH
You can use lazy daisy stitch to embroider flowers onto your knitting. You work it
the same way as chain stitch, but not in a line. After making the petals, you can use
a contrast color to embroider a French knot in the center.
1 Work one chain stitch as described on page 189, but instead of bringing the
needle back into the stitch, insert it just below the loop of the chain, bringing it
back out to the front, above the stitch, as shown.
You have made one daisy petal.
2 Repeat step 1 in a circle, until you have completed the daisy. When you are
done, weave in the yarn end.
Note:You can use satin stitch to fill in the petals, if desired.