Kente Inspiration œ Page 30 of 38 LE S S O N FO U R Brick Stitch Design area: Leaves & Stem block B, background Thread: Paternayan, Light green #613 Strands: 2 Paternayan, Medium green #612 The Brick stitch is a straight stitch over two threads, and is worked in horizontal rows. Each element is offset up or down one thread relative to its immediate neighbor. The stitch sequence is shown in 17 13 9 5 1 the diagram at right. It can be worked in either 19 15 11 7 3 direction. This stitch is used for the background of the Leaves and Stem Blocks (#3, 13, and 17). The background of these blocks is two-toned: the center strip is worked in two strands of the medium green Paternayan bracketed by a strip on either side worked in two strands of a 3 lighter green Paternayan. Block 13 is diagrammed below. The previously stitched 13 17 leaves and stems are shown in gray. The background color change occurs at the dotted line, which runs through the tips of the outer Diamond Ray Stitches. The strip on the left is 8 threads wide; the strip on the right is 9 threads wide. In order to fit better around the central motif, the Brick stitch is rotated by 90 degrees, as shown in the diagram. You may need to rotate your frame 90 degrees to stitch and lay the yarn comfortably. Place a waste knot about an inch and a half below —1“ and come up at —1“ to start the sequence. Work the gray row all the way down the side of the block. This is the only complete, uncompensated row of brick stitch in this small area. The bottom arrow indicates how to change direction, starting ©2007 Denise Beusen. The contents of this booklet are for individual use only. No part of this document may be published, reproduced, stored in, or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (including electronic, mechanical, photocopy) whatsoever without written permission from Denise Beusen. Kente Inspiration œ Page 31 of 38 up the outside row. Notice that the stitches in this row alternate between 2 and 3 threads high. The —3-thread“ stitches are extensions of the usual brick stitch; they eliminate the need to do a separate row of compensating stitches in which every other stitch would be one thread high. Vertical and horizontal stitches over one thread tend to get lost on the canvas, and as a result using them for compensation is not as visually pleasing in this area. Once you‘ve finished the outer row, start the inner row as shown by the upper arrow in the previous diagram. As you move through the inner edge of this area, compensate as shown by lengthening or shortening stitches to accommodate the already stitched leaves and stems. Notice the thinner stitches next to the stems. These are stitches that need to be done with one strand of Paternayan, not two, and should be worked after the rest of the area is completed. The right side of the block is worked in the same fashion. A few of the top stitches are diagrammed so you can see how they are positioned. When the side strips are done, you should have compensated so that the inner borders of the side strips are straight. This detailed treatment of the boundary between the two colors ensures that the background of this block looks the same as that in the other design blocks. The next step, shown at right, is completing the center strip using the darker green wool. The first row is shown in black to help you get started. Don‘t forget to rotate your canvas to work block #3. ©2007 Denise Beusen. The contents of this booklet are for individual use only. No part of this document may be published, reproduced, stored in, or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (including electronic, mechanical, photocopy) whatsoever without written permission from Denise Beusen. Kente Inspiration œ Page 32 of 38 Mosaic Stitch Design area: Fish block E, background Thread: Paternayan Medium yellow-orange #726 Strands: 2 Paternayan Dark yellow-orange #725 The Mosaic stitch is composed of three diagonal stitches that form a box: the first over one intersection, the second over two intersections, and the third over 59 19 17 1 one intersection. Its small size and ease of 57 55 21 23 15 13 3 5 compensation make this a useful stitch for filling both 53 25 11 backgrounds and design areas. Be sure to keep your 51 49 27 29 9 7 tension tight for the longer stitch, other wise your 47 31 work will look uneven. 45 43 33 35 The Mosaic stitch can be worked in horizontal, vertical, 41 or diagonal rows. The diagram at right shows how to 39 37 work the stitch in diagonal rows. This stitch is used in the background of the Fish block, #8, 12, and 22. 8 12 The schematic below shows block #22, with the stitches of the fish in gray. Two strands of the darker orange Paternayan are used to stitch the outside strips of the 22 background. The thick black diagonal lines show how the Mosaic stitch is positioned in these areas. Work it diagonally as shown above, starting in the upper right corner of each strip. Note the compensation of the stitch on the left side of the left strip. The thin black lines show where to place the center background stripe using two strands of the lighter yellow- orange Paternayan. Don‘t forget to rotate your frame before stitching blocks 8 and 12! ©2007 Denise Beusen. The contents of this booklet are for individual use only. No part of this document may be published, reproduced, stored in, or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (including electronic, mechanical, photocopy) whatsoever without written permission from Denise Beusen. Kente Inspiration œ Page 33 of 38 Hungarian Stitch Design area: Geometric block, between zigzag and stripes Thread: Dark maroon #900 Strands: 2 The Hungarian stitch consists of three straight elements œ one over two threads, one over four threads, and the third over two threads. It yields a moderately textured surface that is suitable for both 1 5 7 11 13 17 backgrounds and design areas. It is worked in 3 9 15 horizontal rows, leaving a space between each unit. The following row is offset from the one above it, so the stitches nestle up against each other as shown in the diagrams at right. This stitch is used in each of the Geometric blocks, in the spaces between the zigzag and the white stripes. This is an irregularly shaped space and the stitch will require some compensation. It is easiest to do the compensation if you first do a row of complete, 29 25 23 19 uncompensated stitches. The diagram below shows 27 21 where to start this first row. As shown below, place a waste knot at the *, and come up at —1“. Work from right to left, laying in the first row, and once it is complete, reverse direction to complete the row above or below, compensating as needed. 2 4 6 7 9 11 14 16 18 2 19 21 23 1 Below the zigzag, all of the stitches have been drawn in to show how that area will look once it is filled. It also shows how to compensate the stitch. Don‘t forget to rotate your frame so you can work the Geometric blocks on the other side of the canvas. ©2007 Denise Beusen. The contents of this booklet are for individual use only. No part of this document may be published, reproduced, stored in, or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (including electronic, mechanical, photocopy) whatsoever without written permission from Denise Beusen. Kente Inspiration œ Page 34 of 38 ABO U T KE N T E CLO T H Kente cloth purchased by my sister-in-law, Nancy Gerber, in Africa. Photo by Denise Beusen. Strip weaving Kente cloth is one of the many forms of strip weaving that is practiced in West Africa. Although the origin of this traditional art is unknown, it goes back to at least the 11th century and possibly earlier. The development of strip weaving is linked to the rise of Islam and the growth of trade routes that linked West Africa to North Africa and Europe. The weaving is done in long narrow strips, mostly using small portable looms. These strips can be anywhere from 1“ to 18“ wide, and up to 10 feet long. The strips are sewn together along the selvage to form large cloths used as body wraps, wall hangings, and bed coverings. The narrowness of the strips gives the weavers a great deal of flexibility in making patterns that would otherwise be difficult to create on large looms. The strips are designed to generate blocks of colorful patterns which when sewn into the final work create overall patters that are striped, checkerboard, or nonsymmetrical. When assembled, the positions of the blocks with respect to each other create movement in the designs and give them unique rhythms and tensions. ©2007 Denise Beusen. The contents of this booklet are for individual use only. No part of this document may be published, reproduced, stored in, or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (including electronic, mechanical, photocopy) whatsoever without written permission from Denise Beusen.