Reticello Ornaments

Someone was asking if there were any freebie Reticello patterns available that could be used for Christmas tree ornaments.

Laura of Ricamiamo Insieme in Milan has 6 exquisite little Reticello freebies on her website. I didn't think them for beginners (which I am) but I decided to try to do one anyway to see how well it turned out. I feel pretty good about the framework preparation but you will see that my stitching leaves a bit to be desired.

Before we get started I have to say that this is how I executed the work and not how Laura or anyone else teaches it. This is strictly my own interpretation using the resources that I have. That said, Laura does teach Reticello if you live anywhere near her, or there are a number of good books on the subject if you're not in Italy. For books, check out my Library page or check out "Reticello" under the Labels heading on the homepage of this blog for a number of posts on Reticello.

I used 40 ct Giori linen called Cupolone for this project because a very kind person sent me quite a long strip of it some years ago. I'm not sure that Giori is still producing this linen as I have heard rumours that they have closed. Their website is still up so I'm really not sure what the story is. Anyway, a compact, high count linen is good to use. I also used DMC Coton a Broder thread, weights 30 and 35 for making the framework (if you don't have any, use Pearl Cotton nos. 8 and 12) and Soie d'Alger silk thread and Mill Hill beads for the design.

First I made a Four-Sided Stitch frame around the area (I counted how many from the photos of finished pieces here) using the Coton a Broder no. 30 over four ground threads ending up with a square of stitches composed of 21 x 21 Four-Sided Stitches. For a more open look you can withdraw a thread top and bottom or pull your stitches a little tighter. (I didn't do either for my project):


The trick is not to cut the wrong threads so I always baste to be more confident - remember to leave four threads all around the inside of the square for your overcast edge:


Then the cut threads are folded to the backside and basted down. This gives a much cleaner edge than Hardanger and we will overcast around the square when everything else is done. Basting them down keeps them out of the way so they don't get tangled up with other threads or accidentally pulled out or cut during the working process.


We're ready to needleweave our bars now - I used Coton a Broder no. 35. The needlewoven bars must not be too tight as you will have to travel about your design running your working thread underneath the needleweaving stitches:


Here is where I tread into unknown territory. I tried several threads before settling on the Soie d'Alger. Even now, I'm not crazy about it but my bars were starting to show wear from all the unpicking that I was doing so I decided to carry on with the silk. I only used one strand but I'm thinking that two would have been better.


I was unable to produce nice Bullion Picots so I substituted them with red beads! Once all this was done, I overcast my outer design area with Coton a Broder no. 30 using two threads laid on the fabric for padding. I took the work out of the hoop for this as I find it easier to find the holes I need by laying the fabric over my index finger. The overcast stitches go into each hole and stitches should lay side-by-side going into the row where the Four-Sided Stitch is. This is not as difficult as it seems, just take care not to split your Four-Sided Stitches but come up underneath them. In the corners I skipped two threads on each side like so:


After you have finished your overcasting then you can trim away (on the backside) the excess threads that you folded over and remove your basting.

I strung some beads for the trimming and made a little "star" at the top. I put some Organza behind the open framework but I think it's a bit strong, I'll have to find something more delicate:


Many thanks to Laura for the fantastic Reticello ornament freebies!

If you've got some tips for better execution – they are appreciated! Please leave them below in the Comments section.

If I hadn't unpicked several times, I think I could have done the whole thing in a couple of days, or even one long Saturday so there is still time before the Holidays to try these out!

Macramé Tassel Handle

All this talk of tassels made me remember that I had started a tutorial on a Macramé tassel handle back in September and didn't finish it. Anna Maria from the Accademia Punto Assisi showed me a neat way to do a handle for a tassel using an Alternating Half Hitch Knot when we were at the EGA Seminar in San Francisco.

This is the tassel with the Macrame handle Anna Maria made for my daughter out of varigated Egyptian cotton:


I had to try it out right away and used the pieces of yarn hanging from my suitcase handle to reproduce the knot so I wouldn't forget. Later at home I did a little tassel using single knots for the fluffy parts and did the Macramé handle. I was going to add more legs and then I got distracted by something else and it has sat on my side table for a couple of months now.


To incorporate the Macramé handle directly into your tassel, you start out in the usual way by threading your pieces on to a double length of yarn as described previously. This time though, I cut between each knot for pieces that only had one knot instead of two:


When I had a leg of the desired length I did a couple of knots to give it some space between the pieces and the handle:


... and pinned it to my Macramé pillow (you can use anything, even a clipboard):


Then I did a length of Alternating Half Hitch Knots. First starting on the left (click on the image for a closer look):


... and then on the right:


The hardest part was remembering to alternate!


Once the Macramé was long enough, I knotted it into a loop for the handle and continued on attaching my pieces on to the second leg.


Then I added a third leg by knotting it on just under the handle. I want to add at least two more legs to this tassel but you get the idea.

New Book on Italian Tassels

Rosalba Pepi and Maria Rita Faleri with Thessy Schoenholzer Nichols have just released their latest publication on Italian Tassels! It is a book called Nappe, forme di ornamento tessile [Tassels, forms of textile ornament].
(I've already sent my letter to Santa!)


The text is in both Italian and English.

You can go here to look at a few of the pages and see how the book is laid out (click on the picture of the cover to get started, then click the bottom right-hand corner to flip the pages).

There is a history section with photos of ancient tassels, you can zoom in and read some of it by clicking on the pages.

Then there are instructions and diagrams for making 30 different tassels.

For those in Italy, you can order the book directly from the website here, payment is by money transfer.

For those of us outside of Italy, Elena is carrying it on her website Italian Needlecrafts and she accepts PayPal (there are also a couple of different pages to look at there).

Latronico Netting

The small municipality of Latronico is in the province of Potenza in the Basilicata region of southern Italy. The town has about 5,000 people. Last year at the Italia Invita Forum in Parma, Rosanna Pirotto and Maria Perretti from the Cultural Association Il Tassello caused quite a stir among needleworkers with their Puntino ad Ago di Latronico [needle lace of Latronico] booth. They taught two hour workshops to some 80 people and sold a little booklet on the technique.

(Image courtesy of Wikipedia)

The technique had already caused a bit of excitement when it was featured on the cover of the February 2009 issue of RAKAM magazine and had a feature article in the April 2009 issue of Ricamo Italiano.

The article in RAKAM tells of ancient origins in the cities of Magna Graecia and of the early 20th century popularity of this technique in the surrounds of Latronico as an embellishment for bridal trousseaux. Today in the area it is often an embellishment of clothing, lingerie and table linens.

The projects in the Ricamo Italiano issue are realized using very small knitting needles (nos. 1 and 1.5) as mesh sticks and Pearl Cotton no. 12 with a Tapestry needle for the execution of the needle lace netting.

This technique can also be found in Thérèse de Dillmont's Encyclopedia of Needlework online – see figures 618 and 619 and the text under the heading: Loose loops in clusters.

If you're up for the challenge, check out Filiforme's latest freebie: gorgeous little bell ornaments made of Latronico Netting complete with stitch diagrams.

Ars Canusina and Reggio Ricama

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Reggio Ricama Cultural Club there will be an exhibit of the best of their member's embroideries from the past 20 years from the 20th of November until the 8th of December 2010 at the Reggio Emilia Diocesan Museum. (Reggio nell'Emilia is between Bologna and Parma in the central northern part of Italy.)

To mark the occasion they have published their fourth book, Canusino Embroidery over 20 years of Reggio Ricama. I hope it will showcase the pieces in the exhibit but I won't know for sure until I get my hands on it, I'll be sure to let you know!


As the title of the book is in two languages, I am assuming that the book is too, though it doesn't say on their website.

You can see some examples of Reggio Ricama's needlework at a show in 2009 here.

Lots of the Reggio Ricama work has been showcased in Italian needlework magazines like Ricamo Italiano and RAKAM over the years. Pieces I would delight to see up close!

I told you a bit about Ars Canusina in this post here. It is a very textural and stylized embroidery with designs inspired from architectural details from the castle of the Great Countess Matilda of Canossa and the churches of the surrounding area. If you want some interesting reading (in English) on the Countess, David John Hay's thesis is available for download in pdf format here.

At the Reggio Ricama exhibition will also be about 50 pieces from the famous Loretta Caponi collection, though it is not specified if these pieces will be clothing or embroidery, I hope it's a bit of both. If you check out the show, will you write and tell me about it?

Punt'e nù - Sardinian Knotted Stitch Embroidery

As you may have been able to figure out, I love knotted stitches! In my previous post I mentioned Punt'e nù or Sardinian Knotted Stitch Embroidery.

This technique has long fascinated me and I was fortunate enough to get some one-on-one lessons when I went to Rimini for the Italia Invita Forum in 2007. Many online friends arranged to stay in the same hotel and in the evening we took over the hotel's lounge area and shared our purchases, news and favorite stitching techniques.

One lady from Sardinia kindly demonstrated (many times!) the Punt'e nù stitch. She explained that it was best done on evenweave fabric of about 28ct, she recommended Etamine fabric but I was unsuccessful in finding any. DMC in Europe sells it (it is a cotton/rayon blend) though not over here. I'm told the "real" Etamine fabric of old is no longer available though I have seen the name being used here and there for different fabrics, for example Zwiegart markets it as 22ct Mono Canvas. Anyway, I found 28ct Jubilee cotton to be a lovely substitute.

Of course at the time (in 2007) I was so exhausted in the evenings after the days at the Forum that I couldn't comprehend much and when I got home my notes didn't make much sense and I was unsuccessful at finding any instructional books on Punt'e nù Embroidery.

This year the same Sardinian lady who patiently gave us demonstrations in 2007 decided to put some instructions on her blog. If you look down the right hand side of the page under the heading "Etichette", you will find a series called: lezioni punt'e nù and while it is all in Italian, there are some great photos and even a little video to help you understand the basics of Punt'e nù Embroidery. If you are okay with the Italian, make sure to read all the comments on each post as they are full of questions and answers.

Punt'e nù embroidery is done on the vertical warp threads of the ground fabric and is almost always worked on the diagonal. The actual movement of the stitch ascending left to right is pictured in lezioni punt'e nù/6 on Renata's blog. There is a right way to hold your thread, depending on the direction you are going and whether you are ascending or descending. The ability to count is crucial – a skill which I discovered that I lack. I got very good at unpicking my knots during this tutorial!!

Renata covers all of the basic traditional motifs and there are many patterns throughout her blog.

Punt'e nù Embroidery is also one of three traditional Sardinian needlework techniques demonstrated in this series of videos (Punt'e nù starts at 4:45 in the second video and continues into the third video). Set the YouTube video window to display 420p for higher resolution! The first video is good viewing too but covers Punt'a Brodu Embroidery.
The first video (8 mins 17 sec).
The second video (7 mins 14 sec).
The third video (6 mins 11 sec).

I have had lots of fun experimenting with this technique and made some biscornus...


... and even Christmas tree ornaments (going outside the realm of the traditional!) based on patterns drawn by Renata.

There is very little written on this technique and what there is, is difficult to come by. I've seen a picture of this book: Su Punt'e Nù e su Punt'a Brodu by Quintina Calurgioni though I have been unable to purchase it, and I have downloaded a pdf file (click on the first "Libretto") by the same people who made the above-mentioned videos. Do go through the other links on this page, there are lots of lovely works embroidered by much better stitchers than me!

I am deeply grateful to Renata and her endless patience for preparing this tutorial and teaching me yet another wonderful knotted stitch!

Sardinian Bird Motifs

Another delicious item in the package I received on Sunday is this piece embroidered in my favourite colours:


Check out the little "bird's feet" along the hemline!

This piece was also stitched by Elisabetta from Sardinia. She has done a series of embroideries with these birds and I have often told her how much I love them. You can see another one of her bird designs on her blog here. I have seen others, all equally delightful, I hope she will post them all to her blog one day!

Birds (peacocks, chickens, doves, and more) are traditional motifs in Sardinian art. I've seen them on pottery, metalwork, leatherwork and woodwork, woven into baskets and fabric and if course used as embroidery motifs – here is one on a leather wallet made in Dorgali:


Usually birds are figured in pairs (as this one was), facing each other across a fountain or tree or even beak to beak.

Sometimes they are even very stylized like this rooster here, done in Punt'e nù Embroidery. Can you see him on the corners? Here is what the motif looks like before stitching. Here are some others.

Check out the birds on this lovely Cassapanca [Hope Chest].
At the Sardinian Digital Library website you can download pdf versions of two great books showcasing Sardinian art: Arte Sarda and Artigianato Sardo. Lots of inspiration there for unique needlework designs!