Guccialong 2.0

Guccialong 2.0

Hi, stitching friends!

I can't believe it's been almost a year since I started the Guccialong project. Inspired by vintage Gucci, I drafted a couple of designs that could be charted on vintage Penelope preworked canvases. I wanted everyone to have a way to have some Gucci without breaking the bank. However, the Guccialong is inclusive of any canvas that makes you feel Gucci — there are so many amazing designers that have given us unique Gucci canvases!

There are two different Guccialong patterns which can be stitched on a small or large gauge. The smaller repeat looks great as the background on a Penelope canvas, while the larger repeat could be used for an oversized look or on 18 mesh canvas.
The spirit of the Guccialong is in community crafting — a tradition that goes back centuries, and one that I have enjoyed in my knitting life. In the knitting community, working together on the same project is common, and it's fun to see how the same design can have so many different varieties through the maker's creativity.
A digression: One of my favorite moments was contributing in various capacities to a Smithsonian exhibit of a crocheted coral reef, dedicated to bringing awareness to the destruction of reefs around the world. This project was special because it also tied to women in Mathematics (I have a math degree!) Hyperbolic models were previously expensive and fragile, and crocheting Mathematician Daina Taimiņa discovered these forms in her handiwork. Working on this project was so fun — making models, teaching people to crochet, staying in the Museum of Natural History late at night...and even getting to see the archives!
With a little prep work, you can apply the GG pattern to the background of a vintage canvas or use it on blank canvas and add a green/red stripe down the middle. I refreshed the chart I published last year to extend the repeat and display some inspiring projects to help you get started. This blog post accompanies the chart to help people who are using Penelope canvas for the first time.

Penelope Canvas

Penelope canvas is a style of needlepoint canvas that allows you to stitch at two different gauges - petit point and gros point. Rather than the typical mono canvas we're familiar with, the canvas is woven with two strands for each column and row. The larger gauge, gros point, is stitched by treating both strands as one. The smaller gauge, petit point, is achieved by stitching one strand individually.

Further resources

 

Stitch Gauge

Most Penelope cloth I've seen comes in either 20/10 gauge or 24/12 gauge. In the first case, you would either have 10 stitches per inch at gros point or 20 stitches per inch at petit point. I recommend stitching the background stitch gros point because we don't want to be stitching FOREVER.

Threads

Since most American stitchers are used to a 13 mesh or 18 mesh variety, many of our threads won't translate to a 10 gauge easily. I compiled some Penelope thread ideas here (and on this Instagram highlight):

  • DMC Retours Mat Cotton
  • DMC Tapestry Wool
  • DMC Perle Cotton Size 3
  • Appleton Tapestry Wool
  • Appleton Crewel Wool (3 strands)
  • Burmilana (5 strands)
  • Anchor Wool
  • Paternayan (3 strands)
  • Brown Paper Packages Trio
  • Elizabeth Bradley Tapestry Wool

You'll find that some of these threads leave some of the unbleached canvas peeking through—I like the canvas cleavage, and if you're using wool it gets fluffier over time and will fill in more. My personal favorite wool to use on Penelope is a pure tapestry wool—I'm not picky about the brand.

Needles

You can use a size 18 or 16 tapestry needle on Penelope, and I find it easier to find the size 18 needle.

Charting the Pattern

Reading a Chart

The way I've created the charts is so each square corresponds with a canvas intersection (on Penelope canvas, that means an intersection of 2 warp threads and 2 weft threads). I am planning a video to explain how to work from a chart, but in the meantime if you have any trouble, feel free to get in touch and I can help.

Here are some other resources:

Preparing the Canvas

If you choose to use a Penelope project, you might find it worth the time to prepare the canvas with the GG pattern before you start stitching. I recommend painting the pattern with acrylic paint (I like a 60/40 paint/water mix to make it glide easier) OR marking up the canvas with a Sakura Micron pen. I haven't done this for my project, and have to fix mistakes every once in a while. If that frustrates you, this prep might be worth it.

The other consideration is where to start the pattern so it is centered. For this, you can find the midpoint of your preworked design, and start the middle of the GG interlock where that line is.This is an optional step if you don't want to worry about centering it.

What next?

This is a community project that never ends—no deadlines, and no requirement to finish your project! Just enjoy the process and share as you go! Tag #guccialong @lastitcheria on Instagram so we can see your work!

Download the Charts

 
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