Saturday, August 31, 2013

Double Trouble

Well, the double double stitch isn't difficult, but it's fiddly and slow, and you can't get any sort of rhythm going.
Make the first half of the double stitch and flip it, then pass the shuttle through the flipped loop.
Snug the stitch up carefully to join the previous stitches, so there are no unwanted loops.
Make the second half of the double stitch, flip it and pass the shuttle through the flipped loop, as before.
Done. The chain is very stable, it doesn't twist or scrunch. Karen Cabrera has a video of the process on her blog.  

9 comments:

  1. it looks just like the macramé we were taught at school in the fifties!

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  2. Interesting... I'm guessing its a real pain to take out if you make a mistake!

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  3. Oh, I find it fast. I don't do it that way. I just do the first half twice and then flip, then the same with the second half. I've done a page on it somewhere. Hang on, here it is http://www.janeeborall.freeservers.com/doubledouble.pdf

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  4. You can actually work it without all the "passing through." Just make TWO first halves, flip, then two second halves, flip. It is important to keep the second of the halves through the loop formed toward the work, for the flipping to produce a good looking double/double, and you may have to keep the thread that will flip a bit looser than for a regular stitch, but this produces nice stitches and CAN have a rhythm. Good luck!

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  5. Thanks Susie and Jane, I'll have another go. I thought to myself this morning, if I'm not doing this correctly, someone will put me right! Jane, I did look at your instructions before and I couldn't really understand them, I have to say. What I was doing didn't finish up looking like your picture. Back to the drawingboard.

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  6. well this is fascinating glad you brought it up just out of curiosity, what patterns call for it I would like to see it in something. I do get that it does seem straighter, and that along is a benefit! You bring up cool stuff I am going to have to start another note book of information along with all the books I have.

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    1. I must admit that I haven't seen it in a pattern, though someone did tell me that they used it to do a dragonfly body. I'm using it to make the waterlily leaves because a normal chain or ring twists too much. Well, and because I'm trying to learn new techniques for my 25 motif challenge, of course.

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  7. Mille Fleurs on Frivole's blog uses a few half double/double's to make petals for the flowers. http://www.intatters.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=24684&d=1376091967 has a picture of the wreath in the bottom right.

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