Florentine

I wanted a little piece of stitching to keep my fingers busy when I have a few spare minutes. Florentine, or Bargello, is just the thing.

It's easy to work.  It uses straight stitches, usually over 4 threads and steps up or down by two canvas threads according to the pattern you choose. It's easy to count on a 14 count canvas and it's rewarding too because it works up quickly.

Some of the special appeal of Florentine is the use of colours graded from light to dark within a colour family. To help decide on a colour I looked up the Pantone Colour of the Year for 2018. I don't know what I expected but I was surprised to find that the chosen colour is ultraviolet, a colour of 'exploration' and 'possibilities'. Interesting. See more about the concepts behind the choice of ultraviolet here.

Then I matched up some DMC threads that had been passed on to me some time ago to the colour displayed on my PC screen. Usually I would use wool on a 14 count canvas, especially for straight stitches like those used for Florentine embroidery, but my supplies are low. It's a good opportunity to see how the stranded cotton works.

Till next time happy stitching!