Spider web stitch

How to work it

1. Lay the first long stitch

   

   Draw a circle and mark eight evenly spaced points on its edge. Bring the needle up at A and take it down at B, straight across the circle and through its center.

2. Cross three more stitches over it

   

   Lay three more long stitches from mark to mark so that all four cross at the center. Together they make eight spokes.

3. Come up beside the center

   

   Bring the needle up at C, as close to the center as you can, between two spokes. From here on, the needle only slides under the spokes and does not go through the fabric.

4. Go back over one spoke, under two

   

   Take the thread back over the spoke behind C. Slide the needle under that spoke and under the next one, so it comes out one gap farther on. Pull the thread snug.

5. Repeat around the wheel

   

   Keep going the same way: back over one spoke, forward under two. Each time, the thread wraps once around a spoke. The wraps stack up into ribs.

6. Fill the wheel and finish

   

   Wrap until the spokes are full, or stop early for an open web. Take the needle down beside the last wrapped spoke and fasten off on the back.

At a glance

Also called

ribbed spider web, whipped spider wheel, whipped wheel, ribbed wheel, back-stitched spider web

Used for

raised, textured circles; spider webs and wheels; single decorative accents; ribbonwork and raised embroidery

Thread

Any thread works. Thicker threads such as pearl cotton suit the ribs well, and stranded floss works just as well. Three strands of floss is a good place to start for the wrapping.

Needle

An embroidery (crewel) or chenille needle for the spokes. Change to a tapestry needle with a blunt tip for the wrapping.

Tips

• Any number of spokes works for the ribbed web, odd or even.
• Use a blunt tapestry needle for the wrapping, or lead with the eye of your needle, so it slides under the spokes without splitting them.
• Pull each wrap snug, the first round tight against the center and each later round against the one before.
• If the long stitches slide around where they cross, hold them with one tiny stitch over the center before you begin wrapping.
• You can travel around the wheel in either direction, as long as every stitch goes back over one spoke and forward under two.

When it goes wrong

No ribs form and the wheel looks woven

The needle is going under one spoke at a time. Go back over one spoke and forward under two on every stitch, so the thread wraps all the way around each spoke.

The center is loose

Start right beside the center and pull the first round firmly. A tiny stitch over the crossing before you start also helps.

Gaps show between the rounds

Slide each new wrap down the spoke until it touches the one before it.

Left-handed

Mirror the diagrams and work around the wheel in the other direction. The finished web looks the same.

Variations

• Woven wheel. The thread is woven over and under an odd number of spokes instead of wrapped around them. It makes a raised, rose-like wheel with no ribs.
• Open spider web. The wrapping stops partway out, so the bare ends of the spokes show beyond the wrapped center.
• Two-color web. The spokes are stitched in one thread and wrapped in another color or type of thread.