Sharon B's TAST Challenge this week is herringbone stitch. I really didn't think much about this. I may have lost all my 2011 photos and I've been trying to recover them and to say I was frustrated last night was an understatement. I just wanted to sit and relax, so when I heard some interesting space program on the TV, I decided to forget the photos for the moment, I went to the couch to stitch.

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(The dark green is from an incomplete experiment above. It wouldn't stay out of the way.)

Doing that reminded me of something I did in one of Sharon's classes. I have never seen this anywhere, but I don't think it's original to me.

This is woven herringbone. It's quite easy to do, especially on aida.

1. Start by deternining how many rows of herringbone will overlap, then space the cross stitch part of the herringbone that many holes apart. Choose an odd number. Even numbers leave two over-under rows side by side.
2. Add the second row on top, as in a normal double, but start from the second hole.
3. With the third layer, started in the third hole, start to weave. Since the second was over, this will go under the long arms of the stitch and over the next.
4. Repeat step 3 until finished, making sure that each crossed arm has alternating over-under, under-over weaving.

The first time I did this I figured out a way to finish off the ends. All I remember is that it involved some of the first arms starting and the last arms ending along the side edge rather than in the bottom row. Here I've started all in the top and ended all in the last botton hole.

I think this would make a wonderful solid border. In my example I have 12 threads (that's how I know it need to be an odd mumber) in four colors. I love that it makes a plaid, which I suppose a weaver would have realized before starting.

I liked it so much I thought I'd try it taller, with fewer threads. This is a all variegated pink perle 8.  This isn't as solid as the one above, but still a nice effect. I left the end incomplete, because I like that look, as well.

Then I moved on.

It seems I always need to try circles. This is not easy on aida. It's also a double herringbone. (Ooooo... I wonder if I could weave a circle?!???) I closed the circle with a magic chain stitch. These are sparkly craft floss, single strand.

The pink is a non-wool (polyester?), single ply machine knitting yarn. Making curves is difficult on aida, too. Perhaps any curve in herringbone will be wonky becaue of the angle of the cross at the top and bottom. Doing this, I went left to right and then turned it over and went bavk left to right. The top cross of the second row (when right side up again) is just below the cross of the first row. The lower cross is in the same place as the first row's lower cross. I liked the points this created, which led me to...

I haven't finished this row, but I like how it makes pointy leaves. I probably should have made a tulip shaped flower, but it was almost 3 am and I didn't think of it. I used perle 8 thread, and yes, there are 2 different greens. Flowers are detached chain and the stem is stem stitch.

So this is what I accomplished last night (along with a little from last week):

Along with  finishing the flowers, I may do some some more herringbone. Just off the top of my head I think of the woven circle and a fish. (With a name like that, there has to be a fish in it somewhere!)

Be sure to check out the comments to Sharon's post to see what others are doing with TAST! Also, there are pictures here.