Tutorial Tuesday

I hope you all enjoyed practicing the Ship last week!  If you haven't looked at last week's lesson, you will need to read it before attempting this week's.

So, I think I invented this variation.  I'm not sure.  I haven't come across anything like it on any Hardanger websites.  I was thinking about the idea of a scroll border, and pulled out my trusty graph paper to think it through.  Then I stitched it, and L-O-V-E-D the results.  I love it so much that I'm going to give you a look at the finished motif BEFORE I give you the stitching instructions.

See how much I love you guys?  I think it looks like a Viking ship on the ocean, thus the name.

Okay, so here we go (nervous typing).  I started by stitching the standard left-side, flat Ship (instructions here).  After completing the curve of the first Ship, I started the curve of the Ship that is reversed and to the left.  (Note: you could start with the "upside down" one if you were doing a whole row and didn't want to stop and start your thread.  I did that on the other side of the Tutorial Sampler.  But for teaching purposes, this is easier.)  To make it easier to understand, the "Ship" is in light blue, and the "wave" scroll is in dark blue.

Counting from the bottom of the final 2-thread stitch of the first Ship, bring your needle up one thread down and to the right.  Cover 2 threads (this will parallel the "outside" stitch from the first Ship).  Bring your needle up one thread UP and to the right and cover 2 threads (parallel the last stitch of the first Ship).

Then we do our skip to tuck the carrying thread:  Bring your needle up 2 threads down and to the right of the bottom of the previous stitch, cover 2 threads.  Then comes our 4-thread "fill-in-the-blank" - bring the needle up one thread down and to the left, and cover 4 threads.

Now we begin our long arm (working the Ship upside down).  Bring your needle up 1 thread down and to the left of the bottom of the previous stitch, cover 2 threads.  Make 5 parallel stitches.  Increase like a normal satin stitch diamond.  The final stitch of the "arm" is the first stitch of the diamond; increase each column by 1 fabric thread.  The fifth stitch will cover 6 threads.  Decrease in the same manner - your final stitch in the diamond will cover 2 threads.  You can stop here, or you can work another arm and curve to continue the scroll.

When designing with this border, remember that it is deeper than just the normal Ship or Star.  Count carefully to make sure you have enough room!  I love that this actually looks like the rolling waves of the sea.  I want to stitch this all the time, now!

Next week's variation - the Tulip!