SAL: coral knot stitch leaf edge

I’m using my new big hoop (because I got it for my birthday and I want to use it!). In working the coral knot stitch, I’m finding it is difficult to insert the needle in a sewing action without some of the fabric threads of the satin weave breaking. To stop this from happening, I am working it in a stab motion.

Of course, I could also take it out of the hoop, slacken the fabric tension off, or just use a smaller hoop so that I can reach to manipulate the needle with my finger, but I’m being persistent about the bigger hoop, because I can have much more of the design visible at once. (Honestly, it would be much easier and probably happier all round to use my smaller hoop…)

To work coral knot stitch as a stab stitch, rather than using a sewing motion, its a bit slower as there are more steps involved.

So here we are, stitching along with coral knot stitch. I’ve spaced the knots out a bit, so that they’re not too close together.
On the back you can see that very very little of the coral knot stitching is on the back. This is because you take the needle under only the tiniest bit of fabric (usually just a few threads). This is because if your stitch is too long, you’ll never be able to make a nice small neat coral knot stitch. Too long a stitch makes too large a knot.

To start the next stitch, take the needle into the fabric a short way along (this distance governs the distance between knots), just to the right of the outline of the leaf. Don’t insert the needle too far away from the line, as this is the start of the tiny stitch under the fabric. (This step isn’t shown… sorry about that!)
Bring the needle up again, just on the other side of the line, creating the very short stitch under the fabric. Do not bring the needle the whole way through yet – leave it sitting in the fabric.
Take the working thread around the needle, in an anticlockwise direction.

Pull the needle through, making a small neat knot. Keep cycling through the steps to make a line of stab-stitched coral knot stitch.

Of course, if you want you can work normal coral knot stitch. I just found that this method of coral knot stitch worked better for me. It produces exactly the same result, but just allowed me more control as I was stitching.

As a round up, here’s the list of stitch along posts so far:
Mountmellick stitch along details
Tracing the pattern
Getting inspiration
Deciding on stitches
Participating fully
Buttonhole petals
Lily centre
Outlined petals and leaves