Updated January 8, 2018
Probably my favorite needlepoint designs of all time, are these hand-painted mini-socks from when In Good Company started. I’ve been addicted to them since the beginning, have stitched dozens of them, and, although they haven’t been made since about 1992, I keep buying them when I can find them.
When I snagged this one I was thinking it would be all Basketweave, very simple, and all wool. But the more I looked at it the more I saw possibilities. As needlepointers, we often think that tiny spaces can only have Tent Stitch but we’re wrong. If you only have one thread, you could do Victorian Cross Stitch, attach a bead, or make a knot. If you have a two-stitch block, you can do Mosaic, a bigger Cross Stitch, and many more stitches.
Recently I went through Stitches to Go looking for stitches which took 1, 2, or 3 threads across. I was astonished at how many there are.
And if you still think you want to do just Basketweave, why not spice it up with occasional stitches in a different thread or an occasional Cross Stitch (called Dotted Swiss)?
I ended up using more threads than just wool, including Silk & Ivory, and metallics. For stitches I used Mosaic, Smyrna Cross, and Diagonal Gobelin, along with Tent.
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
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