worrisit?
So, since its half term and I’ve finished the thing I’ve been working on at Gareth’s, I’ve been thinking of making a c16th bookbinding as an interim project before doing the underside couching on this year’s christmas project. I”m a bit bored with underside couching right now, and the flat surface of my nails is all scratched up from it (I have soft nails and am irrationally worried I’ll wear them through if I do any more). I have a choice of two I fancy doing, and it’s actually the simpler of the two that’s been confusing me as I can’t identify one of the stitches. most of it is fairly straightforward surface couching or purl, but then there’s the loopy stitch.
I’ve been peering at the closeup picture, and Gareth and I are both agreed that this is definitely it. It’s a bit like pekingese stitch, but not, because on the original it stands up from the surface – almost as if they wanted the effect of purls but didn’t have enough(Sorry but I don’t have a pic of the original, copyright and all that). The original has it worked in quite close rows as a filler stitch for leaves, and it’s quite pretty.
So anyway, this is the version I came up with.
THread on the surface, loop it round the needle, couch the loop, repeat. Obviously I need to get it a little more even, but when you flick this with your finger it stands up and looks exactly like the original I’ve been studying.
Trouble is, as I said, I’m at Gareth’s for the week and away from my reference books, so I’m left wondering what the hell this stitch is actually called – c16th being right on the upper borders of my usual time frame my knowledge is a little hazy, I admit. (I’m also terrible at proper names for things at the best of times). It doesn’t help that the book is in German either. I consulted the internet at great length, but it was neither use nor ornament, as they say in these parts
So can anyone tell me what this is called cos it’s driving me potty?
In other news poor Hobbes went for his annual check up at the vets today. We had braced ourselves for a telling orff, but it was even worse than we expected cos poor Nobnob has managed to gain 300grammes in a year despite 12 months of strict dieting. I just overheard Gareth telling him he looks like Jabba the hutt!
opusanglicanum 
Well, I’m completely useless when it comes to identifying stitches, but can I just say: 1) that is so cool that it stands up!!! and 2) the Jabba comment made me laugh. Not so good for the health, though!
his other nickname is fatrat, poor thing!
I’m afraid I can’t be much help either. I barely know any embroidery stitches at all.
A bookbinding sounds like a wonderful idea, though. My mum is a professional bookbinder but I’ve never seen an embroidered book cover in the flesh.
hopefully it will be yummy with lots of gold and on silk velvet – am going to get alex summers to do it. theres actually two I want to make, but one at a time
I don’t know the name of this stitch as I have not come across it before but are you sure that the stitching on the original is not done in velvet stitch which would also result in small loops on the surface is left uncut?
I’m not sure you’d get far with a metal thread for velvet stitch (esp not since the original was on velvet which is horrid to embroider onto) as metal thread tends to shred pretty quickly as soon as you start passing it through fabric – which is why it’s primarily used for couching. It’sd the only usggestion so far though, so well done you!
It looks familiar, but I don’t have my stitch dictionaries to hand, so my best guess is you should go with CoralSeas!
I’m fairly certain velvet stitch wouldn’t work with metal threads though, they’d shred