A single continuous path temari

Here’s my latest one. I used perle cotton since I didn’t know how much thread it would take and my specialty threads have a more limited supply. I only get 1.5 stash credits for it. Now that I know how much a round of color takes I will probably go back and do it with some of the non-perle threads I have (and brighter colors!).

This is one that I have wanted to do for a long, long time. I wanted to do it not so much for the design (although I really like it) but more because the instructions were written to stitch it with a single continuous path. This design is from the Temari for Four Seasons Volume 1 (Japanese book ISBN # 4-8377-0790-4).

There are two temari in there that are done with a single continuous path: this one and a 122 multipole with uwagake flowers like the design we know as HHG, but with only one color rather than two.  Both are pictured on page 19.

You could do this design by stitching the individual shapes but it would be a nightmare to keep track of the layering that way. You would need pins and/or concentration on the geometry of the ball at each step so that you kept it all straight. By using a continuous path, all you need to do is keep track of your starting point and all of the layering takes care of itself. Cool!