I published this tutorial over on the Ko-Fi because I said I’d put it up there, but I wanted to make sure I posted it here too, just to make sure it’s archived properly. Enjoy!
For my supplies I am going to need some fabric, a needle, a bunch of colored embroidery thread, an embroidery hoop, a mini quilting ruler, and a bunch of frixion markers.
I’m marking different colored dots down each side o my stitching column, 3/8 of an inch apart (on an actual cap this would be the space between the two halves of the coif). Why different colors? Each column of knotwork is built on a pair of mirrored herringbone stitches. This example is going to have two columns, so I will need two pairs, or four individual herringbone stitches. Each one will have a designated color which makes it very easy to keep track of when you’re working in a single thread color. In this tutorial every thread will be the same color as its marks, for science. Because we’re working with four different colors here, each color is marked off 12/8, or 1.5” apart and is offset on the other side by 3/4 inch so each color zigzags evenly down the lines.
HERRINGBONE
This series of herringbone stitches is where we set up the foundation for the knotwork that happens later, so it’s important to get this step right. I’m starting the blue herringbone thread here, and as I stitch, you can see that on the top line, the working end of the thread goes over the stitch already taken, so that the newer stitch lays on top. On the bottom line, however, the working thread goes under the stitch already taken, so that the newer stitch lays underneath.
This will hold true for every set of herringbone stitches we take going forward; top-line stitches lay on top, bottom-line stitches lay underneath.
Now for the second color, again making sure that the stitches are crossing at the lines in the proper way. We start to see the beginning of the weaving here, and the key to making sure that the crossings stay correct is to follow the thread in an over under pattern from the outside in. For example, since the first thread crossing from the top has the working thread on top, the next thread intersection must go underneath the blue thread. Since the bottom-most thread crossing has the working thread on the bottom, the next intersection must go over the blue thread. Don’t worry about the spaces in the middle, they will get filled in as the next threads get laid.
Third color, green this time. The thread goes in an under-over pattern until the next stitch at the bottom. That one starts the first crossing under, then over and under again until the next stitch at the top. You can check your pattern against the other stitches as well, making sure the weave is consistent on the other threads. The large gap will have an under-under or over-over pattern depending, this is where the last set of stitches will fill in.
Last thread, and the herringbone weave will be complete. I know what the weave should be because I can see that the pink thread crosses over the green, so the purple needs to also cross over so the pink is underneath. Then under the blue, and the working thread crosses underneath at the bottom stitch. Then it’s pretty intuitive from there: over, under over, and then the top stitch.
Keeping the proper tension is a concern as you’re doing this whole process, you want the thread to be taut, not pulling tightly against the fabric or floating too loose. Now we’re ready to get started with the looping stitches.
LOOPS: Two Column
The first line of loop stitches is going to be worked over the top two sets of thread crossings.
The thread will curve under the second row of thread crossings, and loop around each top-row crossing, working in a zig-zag manner from left to right.
Pass the needle over the top thread and under the bottom thread of the second row crossing and pull the working thread taut but not tight. The goal here is to distort the herringbone weave as little as possible.
Next work a loop around the first row crossing by passing the needle in an over-under pattern around each leg of the X. Again, pull the thread loop snug but not too tight.
And then we’re just going to repeat those two steps until we get to the end of the row. You might recognize that there is a place where the working thread passes over two threads, here. This is normal, and the pattern will be completed during the second row of loop stitches, just like we did with the herringbone pattern.
When I switch from working the herringbone stitches to the looping stitches, I also like to switch from a sharp needle to a blunt one. It’s less likely to catch on the threads as I’m working around them.
The second line of loop stitches is worked over the second and third set of thread crossings, mirroring the first line that we just did. This is going to create the knotwork columns.
We’re going to come up over the first thread crossing, in an over-under pattern. Here you can see another place where the thread goes under-under, but both will be fixed in just a second.
Make the thread loop around the next crossing as we did before, over the legs of the upper thread and under the legs of the lower.
This is where we’re going to fix both of those thread skipping issues: as the working thread moves out of the loop section and into the curve section, it forms the last strand of the knotwork. You can see the woven pattern as the needle moves through the stitch.
As I work this row, I’m making sure to adjust the tension as necessary, keeping the sets of mirroring loops aligned.
And then we start all over again.
When we finish this row of looped stitches, we’ll have completed one full column of knotwork. If you want just this one column, work it over just one pair of herringbone stitches, and you’d be finished here.
For the third row of loops, we’re not going to continue directly to the next set of crossed stitches, but skip down to the very bottom rows. It’s a personal preference; I find it easier to skip a line of stitching and fill it in last, but if you find that working strictly top to bottom is better for you, go for it.
This row is a direct mirror of the first row of looping stitches we did, over the bottom two sets of crossing threads. If it’s easier to parse, you could turn the work over so that it’s exactly the same stitch as the very first row we did, but for this tutorial I wanted to keep everything oriented the same throughout.
Final row of loops. You may notice that both sets of thread crossings that this row is worked on already have stitches on them. The curved portion will be worked as a mirror of the second half of the other column, and the loops will be worked on the middle set of thread crossings.
The loop of this thread sits behind the light green loop that’s already been worked on that middle set of thread crossings. It’s very visible now, in such different thread colors (I did that on purpose) but when stitched in the same color, it blends right in together.
LOOPS: Three Column
For the three-column version, I’ve marked out three sets of mirrored herringbone stitches instead of two, and again each herringbone stitch will be sewn in the corresponding color to the markings. The process is exactly the same as in the 2-column version except two extra threads.
Next I’ve worked a column of knotwork along the top edge of the herringbone weave… and another column along the bottom edge.
Now we’re going to work one more column of knotwork down the middle, and this time, the loop stitches will be worked behind the existing loops of both columns I’ve already stitched.
The first step of this process is the same as the very first step of the two-column version, only instead of the loops being worked on a clear set of thread crossings, they’re worked behind the bottom loops of the top column.
This final step is just like the second step of the two-column version, but again, the loops are worked behind the existing loops of the lower knotwork column.
You can see how each side of the individual columns ends up as a mirror of the other, and how each column is essentially the same, built on an extra set of thread crossings.
