March: Basic Interlinking
The stitch for March is the basic interlinking stitch. It's the stitch I first present in my "Intro to Sprang" class. Depending on the yarn you use and the tension you put into the cloth, it can be loose or snug, but always it will have rather amazing sideways stretch.
Also included this month are instructions for shrinking down those large loops at the top of your warp.
Also included this month are instructions for shrinking down those large loops at the top of your warp.
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This is an introduction to the basic stitch of sprang, the interlinking stitch. There are two rows that alternate, the plait row and the overplait row. For North Americans I talk about a braiding row, the row that off-sets the pairs, and a follow-up row that re-sets the pairs.
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Here is a clip from my DVD, where I show you the basic interlinking stitch. The secret is that there are two rows that alternate the plait row (braiding row) and the overplait (follow-up row). Alternating these two rows has threads linking around the neighboring thread to the right, and then around the neighbor to the left, creating a structure that looks like the structure in chain-link fence.
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This is a pair of fingerless mittens, made using a skein of sockyarn that I dyed at a workshop with Abiquiu Dye Studio in New Mexico.
As I cut the threads to separate the mittens, I made each thread "double back" on it's path for 3 rows before I tied threads in groups. In this manner the fringe points in the other direction, |
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Click on the photo at the left and you will find a video showing you how to shrink down those long twists from the initial row.
Cancel Out The Extra Twists I have found several solutions in the historic record, ways to shrink down the loops at the top and bottom of the cloth. This is the technique that I share with students in introductory sprang classes. |
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The invisible seam
The interlinking stitch offers you an opportunity to make an invisible seam. Make an overcast stitch, using only the edge thread, and the sewing-thread will imitate the structure in the cloth, giving you an invisible seam. | ||