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the fourth stitch is cretan stitch, I decided to look this stitch up as I thought I knew how it was done but there was that tiny wee bit of doubt I may have remembered wrong, I hadn’t it is a flatter less loopy feather stitch or feather stitch is a loopy version of cretan stitch, here are some online links for those who are interested, and , I looked in my books Mrs Archibald Christy has 3 variations two working the stitch close to form leaf shapes and one using cretan stitch as a composite stitch worked over 2 long stitches, Jan Beaney and Val Campbell-Harding using it mostly like long straight stitches close and overlapping with various threads which creates interesting textural effects.

as I said with my first stitch I am using embroidery cotton, I have most times split it to 3 threads, I have also tended to use one colour in different shades and tints, most of these threads were given to me by my uncle (my mum’s little brother) after the death of his wife, they are her threads, I knew this aunt more than other aunts as my uncle lived with us before he married, so I first met my aunt when she came to tea to meet her boyfriends family I must have been about six at the time but can remember it well it is strange the things we remember and those we forget, using these threads now is rekindling memories, sorry I’ve gone on and off what I meant to write, well the threads all arrived wrapped in bundles according to colour which gave me the idea to use a single colour and the same thread so my only variable is ‘the stitch’ large or small, close or spaced, single or overlapped, etc.


I am not a pink person but there are lots of pink threads and I wanted to use this piece of handmade paper, I love the colour of this paper it was dyed with the roots of bell heather and no I am not digging up bell heather (which I think is protected) from the moor, the roots came from heather that was dug up in my garden on Scalpay, in a book I have on Scottish natural dyes bell heather roots were used to make purple tweed, I believe this as there is very little bell heather on the moors which is a shame as I think it is one of the prettiest heathers and flowers for a long time, the paper in real life is a delicate lavender and the pink threads looked best against it, I have not used cretan stitch much but I think this could be the start of my using it more frequently,