Elizabeth? Or someone? <Elizabeth's Star Embroidery Tutorial>

[twouglyducks]

http://knitinyourpants.com/fpdb/images/coyote_desertscape_front.jpg

How can I get pointy, 5point stars like this??? I'd need them to be a little bigger. I am having issues.

[KnitInYourPantsMama]

To embroider a star - I begin by using a thin piece of wool. I like to insert the needle from the right side a couple of inches away from my desired starting point, then pull yarn up from the wrong side. Leave just enough to weave in ends after you are sure you are happy with the results - about 2-3 inches for me.

Begin by stitching a "circle" with dashed lines as shown. I am making a 5 pointed star here, so I will embroider a pentagon shape. Stitch around once, then come up and stitch around again as shown. You should end up with a completed "circle". It's o.k. to keep it pretty snug, esp if you are making small stars.

After the last stitch of the circle is completed, bring yarn up in the center of the circle. Insert needle under the first line, pull thru, loop around and under the next line as shown. Work your away around the circle until all of the loops have been caught. Gently tug the yarn, slightly gathering the looped stitches as shown. You should begin to see the star shape forming. While keeping some tension on the gathered stitches, Insert your needle in the center of the gathered stitches, back thru the center of the star where you brought up the yarn earlier. Fiddle with it until it looks good to you.

One advantage of this technique is there is no pull on the center stitch so the star lays flat provided you don't work it too tight. Also, there are no long "floats" on the back of the fabric to get caught and pulled by accident. After you have done one or two you should be able to count the stitches so that you always get the size you want and the "center" is fairly centered.

Weave in ends, or weave loosely across the back of the fabric to the next star location.

The stars on my soaker are single strand tapestry wool. You can go a little bigger, but I'd be careful about having long loose strands of wool that can get snagged. They may look star shaped, but that's just the effect of the gathering I think. Perhaps if you made a larger circle and gathered loosely it might look even more star shaped.

I did do a larger filled embroidered star on the crescent moon and star soaker in my gallery. I almost went nuts doing it and had to redo over and over.
good luck!

Post pics of your finished soaker in the gallery :)

hth
Elizabeth
http://knitinyourpants.com/fpdb/images/startutorial1.jpg
http://knitinyourpants.com/fpdb/images/startutorial2.jpg

[twouglyducks]

can't wait to try this. I NEVER EVER would have come up with this technique. Thank you!!!

[Susan_WW]

Wow!!! What an ingenious techique! Thanks so much for sharing :D

[Jester]

This is great! Pam, can you please add this to Technique Links so Elizabeth's tutorial won't get buried in the main forum? :D

[pamelamama]

:thumb

Excellent Elizabeth! You should make it a standalone page on your site to draw traffic! Well, from knitters anyway! Is it on your knitting blog?

[KnitInYourPantsMama]

hmm..I meant to put it on my blog but I'm not sure anybody actually reads it. I need to move it. There's no way to subscribe and it seems a little too no-frills to me. There's no spot for permanent personal info although I think you can click and read a bio

I am sure I was heavily influenced by this 30.00 embroidery book that I keep visiting at the bookstore lol I'll have to check and see how much next time I go. I know I spent quite a lot of time working it out.
Doesn't matter what you think up, somebody got there first!

good idea about the website. If i can figure out how.

edited to add:Nope, I checked the book and looks like I did make it up myself :) Wow there are a lot of embroidery stitches out there, but so many inappropriate for knitting. I think I got the idea from all of the stitches that start out with a framework and then you emboider within the frame or manipulate the frame as I did here.
that's sort of how I do my outlines, lay out thread then tack it down. I must have tried to lay out thread and pull the strands in to tack in a star shape.

Must take notes from now on lol

Elizabeth

[meco]

that is so gorgeous!

[pamelamama]

found it again, what a great technique.