Saturday, June 12, 2010

The French knot marathon


I've reached the Goat Island lighthouse finish line after running a French knot marathon.

Since my last post, I added a beacon--Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #002HL--and a little signal light--Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #032--in spring stitches. These are simply oblong cross stitches which are tacked down horizontally with tent stitches.

The shading was stitched with DMC floss #415, while the windows were worked with DMC floss #318, and the door with DMC floss #414, in satin stitches. Using DMC floss #312, I worked the water in a diagonal horizontal cashmere stitch, which gives the look of movement in a very small area.

On to the rocks at the water's edge, which were worked in satin stitches with DMC floss #647. The small grassy area was filled in with a diagonal mosaic stitch using Impressions "Emerald."

For the dense vegetation in the foreground, I chose two silk/wool blend threads: Impressions #5011 for the lighter shade of green and Felicity's Garden "Evergreen" for the darker shade. I worked this whole area in French knots, with one strand of thread and two wraps of the needle. Every so often I switched from lighter to darker thread to provide shading. I'm really happy with the depth that the French knots have given to the canvas!

I'll be back at the beginning of the week with a new project, stitching a canvas that--for a change--isn't one of my own designs!

6 comments:

Possibilities, Etc. said...

That's surely a lot of French knots! I like this one - it's simple and colorful. Makes a statement!

Anonymous said...

Such patience - putting in all those French Knots. It looks terrific and I like the idea of the two shades of green to make it more realistic. A beautiful addition to your lighthouse collection.

Cool City Stitcher said...

I love the texture of the water and the shrubs.. very cool!

Pierrette =^..^= said...

Hi Anne,

I absolutely adore doing French Knots and they are just perfect for the grassy area.

I don't know if you remember this, but when working on "In the garden" Easter egg, I ended up with some French knots for the grass and just loved it. It was not my intent at first but it just degenerated into that. Sometimes you start with one idea and end up with something else (grinning)

When I have time I want to stitch a little nature scene made all of French Knots.

Can't wait to find a few minutes to start working on that.

Pierrette =^..^=

Front Range Stitcher said...

A French knot marathon...my favorite kind! Your's are beautiful and so effective especially with the thread choices you've made. I love using both Impressions and Felicity's Garden. Nice job Anne.

Cyn said...

Hi Anne,

Looks great!

Cynthia
Windy Meadow