High Atlas Rug – Progress 1

I finally have started the stitching on the new rug. Using a HB pencil, I sketched the outlines for the first part of the rug. This is hard to see because of the pencil marks, but it gives you an idea of what the areas will look like.

I started with the band that runs across the top of the rug. It’s done completely in black Trio using the Brick Stitch done over two thread horizontally. I know that you will be able to see some of the canvas through the stitches, but I don’t want to pack this section tight, because I will be top-stitching over it. The practice stitching for this really looks good, so I’m hoping that I’ve finally found the right stitches to use for this type of top-stitching. I finished that part last night. On the left below is the original of the first two sections. On the right is the start of the black band that I have completed.

After the black stitching was completed, I started the zigzag line on top of it. This is done over twelve threads, going into the canvas one stitch before the top and the bottom of the band. I’m using Splendor for the top-stitching. I pulled the Splendor apart and took  one set of four strands. I did not separate the four strands at all. It’s easy to work with and isn’t slipping around at all on the piece. I’m pleased so far.

Then I went back and started stitching the Sprat’s Head stitch in each of the triangles formed by the zigzag lines. Normally, Sprat’s Head is done with two threads between the stitches. I did them with four threads between each of the stitches. I wanted a more open stitch this time.

You can also see that I’ve started the X row as well. That will take a few days to completely finish. The background color is used for the X and for the border around each of the squares. The background for the X will vary from one to the next, using 3-4 colors – some lighter and some darker than the background color. I’ll play with different combinations as I go. I haven’t made any decision on which colors to use. I like seeing what comes to mind as I stitch. Though there isn’t much to see at this point, here is a photo of the rug so far. It’s only been 2 days. It will grow as the days and weeks go by. See you in a few days.