Adventures in Hardanger

I have a couple of Hardanger books in my library. Just 2 because I didn’t think I’d ever get past the intimidation of cutting the threads. Then along came my favorite embroidery YouTuber, Sarah Homfray, with her introduction to Hardanger video which has completely changed things. She completely de-mystified it for me. 

Step 1 - Kloster blocks. These are the little 5-stitch blocks that provide stability where threads will later be cut. 

Step 2 - Cutting of threads. (aka the scary part) Sarah’s advice to cut a thread in the middle of the block made me feel so much better than the thought of cutting immediately next to the stitching. With the short threads, I used a tweezer to hold the thread while I cut. I couldn’t really grab the thread with my fingers so the tweezers were a great solution. The first motif was a little rough but I got better with practice and use of the tweezers!. 

Once all the threads were cut, it was time for step 3. 

Step 3 - Decorative stitches. Woven bars and dove’s eye. 

I wanted to learn to do Hardanger because I wanted to use it on the macramé table runner I did a while back. Now I can plan my next one and this time I can use the Hardanger Luke I originally planned. It will be a good post-move project.