[Nfb-krafters-korner] The Continental Stitch in Needlepoint, or plastic canvas

Mon Nov 8 20:42:10 UTC 2010

Dixey;
Are you trying to teach him the same patern in my coaster or just the single up one bar and over one bar.  The stitches look a lot smoother if you go from the lower left to the upper right, or from b/1 to a/2.  I usually stitch over 4 to 6 stitches in the back.  If I have any extra, it can be cut off.  The beauty of plastic canvis, is you do not use knots.  Yarn is woven under other strands, in the back to secure and hide loose strands.  On my coasters, I use a plain piece of canvis for the back and stitch an over cast, double strand around the edge of the coaster.  You can hide the beginning and end of your edging between the frunt and back of the coaster.  
If you understand her method of using letters and numbers, better, I can give you the imfo for the coaster that way.  I start the coaster at the bottem left corner, because it is easier to turn and continue with out over lapping, twisting or any other problems, when making the 90 dg turn.
Send me your questions.  I should be at the meeting, tonight.
The only problem with the lettering is there are not 27 letters, but you only go up to 25 before you turn, so I guess it will not effect this project.  I never thought of using letters, because graph paper is usually done in numeric rows and columns.
Terry P.

-----Original Message-----
From: Dixie [mailto:blueherons at sbcglobal.net] 
Sent: Saturday, November 06, 2010 10:40 PM
To: 'List for blind crafters and artists'
Subject: [Nfb-krafters-korner] The Continental Stitch in Needlepoint, or plastic canvas

The continental stitch will give you a short stitch on the front and a long stitch on the back.  It gives more stability to the fabric when doing needlepoint on regular needlepoint canvas.  It looks like a half an X on the front side and it is a long diagonal stitch on the back side.  Another way to describe it is on the front side the stitch crosses over one intersection of the canvas bars, or up one and over one space.  On the back side the stitch goes up one and over two spaces.  For the plastic canvas This stitch is used for items you want to have a finished back on.

If you look at your canvas as you would the grid of a Battleship game, the holes along the top edge are numbered 1 through 10 and the rows down the left edge are letters a through j.  Now to start leave a tail about an inch long in the back side of the canvas.  Put your needle up from the back through hole number A2.  Pull through so you only have your tail in back.
Now put your needle down into hole B1.  Then come up in A3 and go down in B2, come up in A4 and go down in B3, and continue across until you have gone down in B9.  Now is time to turn your work.  Keeping the numerical and alphabetical designations on the same place on the canvas, when you turn it around the J10 hole is the top left corner.  You are now going to bring your needle up in the C9 and go down in B10 which shares the hole with a prior stitch.  , come up in C8 and go down in B9, come up in C7 and go down in B8, come up in C6 and go down in B7, come up in C5 and go down in B6, come up in
C4 and go down in B 5, come up in C3 and go down in B4, come up in C2 and go down in B 3, come up in C1 and go down in B2.  Again, turn , come up in C2 and go down in D1.  Follow along as in row 1.

 Some plastic canvas patterns have you go all the way to the edge, and make your last stitch in a row around the edge.  Other patterns leave the edge to be finished later in the pattern.

Hope this helps.

Dixie

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