Tutorial: Embroidering on knitting

The biggest difficulty with embroidering on knitting is the structure of the fabric. Because of the way the yarn loops, it's often quite unstable for embroidery. Make a stitch and often it migrates quite a bit once it's tugged in close to the fabric. To get around this, and my complete inability to draw, I print out the image I want to replicate, baste that picture to the fabric, and then embroider the paper to the knitting. The paper gives the embroidery stability and tracing the image with the thread gives me confidence.

This is only one of the many ways to embroider on knitting, of course. I like it better for accents and open designs rather than solid areas of color because it becomes very stiff and patch-like if you work many closely spaced strands. Even open designs have some stiffness to them, depending on how much coverage there is, but filled in images are almost completely rigid.


Simply put, two needles are in play. One, blunt, needle holds a double strand of embroidery thread which spends most of the time on the front of the fabric. The other, sharp, needle holds a single strand of embroidery thread which spends most of the time on the back of the fabric. The single strand periodically comes through the fabric and paper and tacks down the double strand. It's a bit like couching beads, only without the beads. In fact, adding beads to this would be really easy as long as the needles fit through the beads.

Also, the double strand on the front of the fabric can be worked as a single strand. I just happen to like how it looks doubled.

As with most hand-work, it's not difficult but there's a learning curve and a bit of a knack or feel for how the thread and fabric behave.



First up, there are the necessary tools.
1) piece of knitting you want embroidered. It should be blocked prior to embroidering. This piece was not as I was pressed for time, and it's made from an acrylic/wool blend which won't block anyway. Still, if I had had the time, I would have blocked it anyway. Blocking helps prevent warping and puckering later. Luckily, I worked this piece up at a tight gauge and tugged on it a lot so it's quite even.
2) The image you want to embroider scaled to the right size and trimmed to about a centimeter or a little more all the way around. A certain amount of detail will be lost in translation depending on how fine your thread is and how complex the image is. Also, avoid using anything which might stain the thread. Ballpoint pen can leave wet globs so run a tissue over the image before using it, etc. I usually use print-outs and make sure to keep them dry while I'm using them. Pencil is good too as long as it's a hard lead.
3) Two large-eyed embroidery needles, one with a blunt tip and one with a sharp tip. Make sure your embroidery thread fits through their eyes. Also, if using fine thread, a finer needle will preserve more detail.
4) The embroidery thread. Here, I'm using DMC pearl cotton. I've got two different weights of white, but I ended up using the heavier one. In this case, the thread I used was #3 weight, and quite thick. I like the contrast of the bright cotton against the more subdued fabric, and a heavier strand gives faster coverage and hides joins better. However, the thicker the strand, the more detail is lost. Generally, I prefer using #3 or #5 pearl cotton.
5) Random sewing thread for basting the image to the fabric.
6) Scissors, a good light source, etc.



First, decide where you want the embroidery to go. Once decided, thread the sharp needle with the sewing thread and secure the picture to the fabric going all the way around the picture but being sure not to cross the thread behind the image at any point. The sewing thread needs to be kept out of the embroidery area. Also make sure to keep the fabric square and not pull or warp it. Any warping caused in this step will show up later. Also make sure to properly secure the end of the thread so it doesn't just pull through the fabric and the paper. I usually just thread the needle through the loop formed by the knot before I make the next stitch.


Once the picture is secure, wind the embroidery thread up into balls so it's easy to use and then thread your needles. The blunt needle gets the double strand which will mostly float above the picture. The sharp needle gets the single strand which will do most of the puncturing. A sharp needle means it will split the yarn easily, making the thread more secure later.

You'll notice, I pull out a really long strand and thread both needles onto the same thread. This piece is about three yards long. I thread the blunt needle so that when folded over the doubled portion is about a yard long and the single portion is also about a yard long. This cuts down on how many ends need to be secured later. In the end, it turns out I didn't need this much thread for the gold portion, but I ended up needing a bit more when I got around to the white. I can do these really long strands because pearl cotton doesn't tangle easily at this thickness. However, the action of pulling the thread through the fabric and paper starts to wear on the strand, so it can be desireable to work shorter strands regardless.



Decide on a place to start. This is where art starts coming into the equation, even working from a drawing. There's a bit of finesse involved in deciding which lines will be continuous and which will break, etc. The spot I picked wasn't particularly a good one, and I should probably have worked the outer circle first.

Working from back to front, bring the blunt needle and the double strand through the point where you want to start. Try and keep the needle as perpendicular to the fabric as possible when finding the spot. I generally prick at the paper from the back until I hit it, and then pierce it properly and pull it through. When doing this, however, make sure that you're pulling all the way back to clear the fabric, or you can pucker the fabric.

Pull the double strand through until the short end leaves about a 4 inch tail. This will need to be woven in later. While working on the rest of the embroidery, try and keep all the tails out of the way and not catch them with the working needle as that can make it difficult to secure them properly later.



Next, take the sharp needle with the single strand and pick a place along the line to secure the double strand. I don't like leaving very long distances as once the piece is done they can gape and catch on things. Half an inch or a little more than a centimeter is about as far as I let them go. Find the spot and go up through the fabric, around the double strand, and back down through the same hole. Make sure the single strand isn't twisted, etc. and pull gently on both until they are firmly couched, but the little loop doesn't pull through the paper. If it does pull through, make sure it isn't going to cause the fabric to pucker or gather.



Continue laying down the double strand in this way. When the line needs to end or come to a sharp point, instead of couching the thread again, bring the blunt needle straight through the fabric to the back. Pull on both the double and single strands to neaten up the line of thread, and push them about a little if necessary to finesse the shapes. Then bring the blunt needle with the double strand back up in another spot and start laying down more lines.

Keep in mind when bringing the needle back up through the fabric that it shouldn't be too close to where it had gone in. There's a risk that it hasn't caught enough of the fabric to be secure. I try and keep about a quarter inch between spots to make sure that doesn't happen.


When trying to decide where to put the next loop, it can help to use the needle tip to guide the thread and see how it will look. I often will put a pinprick in the spot once I've decided on it, and then go to the back of the piece and find it with the needle.


Another thing to keep in mind while working on the front is the back of the piece. Periodically check to make sure the thread isn't tangled or loose in spots, and if you will be stranding the thread more than half an inch or so, consider securing it under another existing strand so it doesn't hang around loose. This reduces the risk of it catching on something and distorting the image.



Once a color or section is done, I like to cut the strands and weave in all the ends so I don't have to worry about them later. You don't have to do so, but I find it much easier to keep track of things without lots of ends floating about.

I weave them in and out of the back of the embroidery, being careful not to catch the knitted fabric, and also following the contours of the image in case it shows through. I also weave in each end separately so it doesn't become too thick in any one spot, although that doesn't always work out.




Continue, beginning any new colors in the same way. Add a double or single strand as needed and don't worry about getting both needles onto one strand unless both are close to running out. In the case of the white, I ran out of the double strand and merely added it in a likely spot and left the ends for weaving in later. If I had wanted to, I could have woven in the ends before bringing it through the fabric instead.



Once all the embroidery is complete, cut the basting thread and remove it. Then rip off as much of the paper as possible, holding fast to the fabric and embroidery with one hand so the loops and knots don't get too stressed. Then gently stretch the paper to break it in several places and carefully tease the bits out from behind the thread. The blunt needle is handy for this in tight spots. Make sure to get all of it.

And that's it. All done. If desired, the reverse can be covered up with something like a lining. I have a scarf design where I make a facing pocket to hide the back of the embroidery so it's functional as well.

Here are a few other examples of it worked up for both solid and open designs:

Note that the dots in the second one were French knots.