There will be two TAST challenge announcements this week. Todays stitch and I will post week 44 tomorrow as I am going away for a couple of weeks to New Zealand. While I am away I will be checking comments etc from internet cafes but the moderation process is bound to take a little longer.

Well on to this weeks challenge stitch which is Drizzle stitch. You will find directions in my stitch dictionary.

Drizzle stitch is a down right peculiar stitch with loads of personality and individuality. It is quirky and amusing as it stands free from the foundation fabric. When you first read the instructions, if you are kind, you will think there is an editing error. If you are not, you will think I am mad. Let me assure there is no error. In order to create this stitch you have to unthread and rethread the needle a number of times during the process of working. This feels counter intuitive particularly if you hate threading needles!

This threading and unthreading does make it time consuming but Drizzle stitch it is worth the effort simply because it is so different and adds high texture to embroidery. I have yet to show it to anyone without their reaction being one of first smiling then wanting to touch. It has a wonderfully organic feel to it which makes it ideal for the centre of flowers or situated in underwater scenes.
It is a very distinctive and individualistic as a stitch but it is also a good team member as well. Drizzle stitches look good in clusters.So work lots of them! It doesn’t mind hanging around with other stitches either. Its a very social stitch (even if sometimes the eccentric in the group). Drizzle stitch works well in the company of knotted stitches such as French knots or bullion knots. It also looks great if you combine with woven or whipped wheels. Beadwork techniques are easily included tucked in between clusters of this stitch. Or you can manipulate the foundation fabric to start off with a textured and painted surface on which to stitch.
Drizzle stitch is a member of the cast on family so if you enjoyed cast-on stitch in week 31 you will enjoy this too. Since it is a textured stitch a thread with a firm twist in it such as pearl cotton is ideal to use to test it out. Once mastered experiment with other threads particularly those that have been space dyed by hand.

That’s it for this week. Remember to swing by and leave a comment preferably on this page, so that people can follow the link and see what you have done. There is a Take a stitch Tuesday flickr group which you can browse

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For anyone enjoying this challenge or who enjoyed the Sumptuous surfaces class, you will possibly enjoy the Develop a Personal Library of Stitches starting on Wednesday November 7. Crazy quilters will be pleased to know that the Encrusted Crazy Quilting is being offered again starting on November 9.