Creations in Cross-Knit Looping

In the March/April 2018 issue of PieceWork, Barbara Morrison says, “Cross-knit looping is an adaptable and easily learned technique; it’s also easy to transport and a good way to use short bits and pieces of yarn or thread. With nothing to cast on, cross-knit looping can be added as trim to any type of fabric.”

This technique borrows from knitting, embroidery, and weaving to create a hybrid technique. In her article, “Nasca Cross-Knit Looping,” Barbara explains, “Most knitters will be familiar with the Scandinavian craft of nålbinding, to which cross-knit looping is almost identical. Nålbinding, however, seems to have been used, and still is used, to construct warm utilitarian garments. It was also used to make fabrics, but the exuberant creativity of the ways it was used sets it apart. Embroiderers will know the Van Dyke stitch, which is identical to the straight line form of cross-knit looping, and more adventurous stitchers will know how to needle weave and make needle lace.”

Wrap yourself up in luxury and add a touch of whimsy with Barbara Morrison’s stellar scarf. Photos by George Boe.

Below are the materials needed for making Barbara’s delightful scarf with an edging and a three-dimensional dragon in cross-knit looping.

Materials • Wool or cashmere broadcloth, ⅓ yard (0.3 m) • A selection of crewel wool or other needlepoint yarn, pearl cotton thread, or yarn/thread of choice • Tapestry needles, large • Embroidery hoop, small

Barbara Morrison’s dragon.

To make Barbara’s “Creations in Cross-Knit Looping,” pick up a copy of March/April 2018, PieceWork’s 25th-Anniversary issue. See more photographs of a hat and another scarf embellished with figures made by this clever technique in Barbara Morrison’s companion article, “Nasca Cross-Knit Looping.”