Recently a student asked about where to start Basketweave if the shape you are stitching is round. She pointed out that “with basket weave, I am used to stitching on a square or rectangular canvas with its straight right margin -starting at the top right of the canvas. But with a circular design, I am not sure where to start.”
That’s a good question. If you have a painted canvas, such as the Monty Python ornament pictured above, it’s easier to see where the background begins. You’d use the procedure below, but it should go quickly.
If the outer edge is marked only with a line, you’ll probably need to follow carefully each line you view.
When you stitch you’ll start with the outermost diagonal row in the upper right corner. The tricky part is to figure out what that row will be.
It’s likely to be near where the curve is sharpest. The best way to figure out if the row you think is the outermost is correct is to use a needle to follow the row. Decide which end of the row you’ll work from, top or bottom. Enlarge that hole for the row.
Using your needle start to follow the diagonal one intersection at a time.
If you find that there are rows outside the row you are following stop; you know this is not the outside row. Move the needle over one intersection and follow the diagonal again.
You will know you have gotten to the outside row when there are no more intersections outside the row you are counting, but there are only rows inside that row.
Enlarge the holes at the beginning and end of this row, if you have not done so.
Now you need to know if that row is an up row or down row. Look at the intersections in this row and see if they have horizontal or vertical threads on top. If the threads are horizontal, it’s an up row. If vertical, it’s a down row.
About Janet M Perry
Janet Perry is the Internet's leading authority on needlepoint. She designs, teaches and writes, getting raves from her fans for her innovative techniques, extensive knowledge and generous teaching style. A leading writer of stitch guides, she blogs here and lives on an island in the northeast corner of the SF Bay with her family
Leave a Reply