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Box and diagonal stitches · Easy

Woven stitch

Diagonal stitches over two intersections, in rows that lean left and right alternately and tuck under one another like a weave.

Woven stitch: the finished stitch on canvas, 25 stitches in two colors, in seven horizontal rows that lean left and right alternately, their ends tucked under stitches of the other color
The finished stitch on canvas. Each stitch covers two intersections; its ends are tucked under the stitches that cross it. The colors mark the two slants. In the steps, new stitches are red, and the numbers give the order: up at an odd number, down at the next even one.

How to work it

  1. The first stitch

    Woven stitch, step 1: the first stitch on the canvas. Numerals 1 and 2 mark its ends, in working order. It leans up to the left.

    Start at the top right of the area. Bring the needle up at the right edge, two canvas threads below the top, and go down two threads to the left and two up.

  2. Finish the first row

    Woven stitch, step 2: four stitches on the canvas, the three this step adds in red. Numerals 3 to 8 mark the ends of the new stitches, in working order. All four lean up to the left.

    Come up two threads straight below the hole where the first stitch went down, and make the same stitch again. Continue to the left edge, a stitch every two threads.

  3. Turn and lean the other way

    Woven stitch, step 3: five stitches on the canvas, the one this step adds in red. Numerals 9 and 10 mark its ends, in working order. It leans up to the right, its upper end under a first-row stitch.

    From the hole where the last stitch went down, count three threads down and one to the right, and come up there. Go down two threads to the right and two up. This stitch lies over the lower end of the last stitch of the first row and goes down under the middle of the one before.

  4. The row back

    Woven stitch, step 4: seven stitches on the canvas, the two this step adds in red. Their upper ends are under first-row stitches.

    Work to the right, a stitch every two threads, each over the lower end of one first-row stitch and down under the middle of the next. The last goes down under the middle of the very first stitch.

  5. Fill the area row by row

    Woven stitch, step 5: 25 stitches on the canvas, the 18 this step adds in red. Seven rows lean left and right alternately.

    From the hole where the second row ended, make the same turn, three threads down and one to the right, and come up at the right edge. Work to the left as in the first row, then back, and continue down the area, each row one canvas thread below the last.

At a glance

Also called
woven plait stitch
Used for
baskets; grass and treetops; clothing; hillsides; backgrounds
Coverage
Light to full: a thin thread lets the painted canvas show
Direction
Slanted both ways
Stitch length
Over 2 intersections

Half the stitches lean each way, so the texture is balanced, and about as much thread lies on the back as on the front. The weave suits baskets and clothing, and gives grass and hillsides depth. Each stitch is short, so the pattern fits nearly any space, small shape or background.

Choose the thread for the thing stitched: a tweed thread in browns for a sturdy picnic basket, narrow silk ribbon in pastels for a fancy Easter basket. For treetops, an overdyed or variegated thread adds depth. Trees in the distance take a lighter thread than trees in front: for the distant ones, two strands of floss on 18 mesh or four on 13 or 14 mesh, laid with a laying tool.

Tips

  • In a shape with uneven edges, work the first row across an open part and fill in below it, then above. A row added above tucks the other way: its lower ends go under the stitches of the row below it.
  • It can as well be started at the top left: swap left and right in every step.

When it goes wrong

The second row does not lock into the first.
Count the turn again: three threads down and one to the right of the hole where the row ended. The rows are one canvas thread apart, not two.
The hole for the upper end of a stitch is hidden.
It lies under the middle of a stitch in the row above. Push that stitch aside with the needle until the hole shows.
A whole stitch does not fit at the edge.
Work a compensating stitch: a shorter one at the same slant, over one intersection.

Variations

  • Double woven stitch. Work the stitches in pairs, the second stitch one thread farther along the row, and a pair every four threads. Turn three threads down and two to the right.
  • Triple woven stitch. Work them in threes, one thread apart, a group every six threads, and turn three threads down and three to the right. It covers more canvas and needs room.

Questions

Is woven stitch the same as woven plait stitch?
Yes. Other patterns are called woven stitch too, some made of straight stitches, so count the threads on a chart before starting.
How is woven stitch different from herringbone stitch?
In herringbone stitch the two slants alternate along one row and cross. In woven stitch a whole row leans one way and the next row the other.

Where to go next

Stitches

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