effect of knotting in the mass is shown in Illustration 31,
embroidered entirely in knots, contradicting, it might seem, what was
said above about its unfitness for outline work. The lines, even the
voided ones, are here as sharp as could be; but then, it is not many of
us who work, knot by knot, with the marvellous precision of a Chinaman.
His knotted texture is not, however, always what it seems. He has a way
of producing a knotted line by first knotting his thread (it may be done
with a netting needle), and then stitching it down on to the surface of
the material, which gives a pearled or beaded line not readily
distinguishable from knot stitch.

[Illustration: 31. A TOUR DE FORCE IN KNOTS.]

The Japanese embroiderer, instead of knotting his own thread, employed
very often a crinkled braid. This is shown in the cloud work in
Illustration 85. The only true knotting there is in the top-knot of the
bird.

[Illustration: 32. INTERLACING-STITCH SAMPLER.]

[Illustration: 33. INTERLACING-STITCH SAMPLER (BACK).]

INTERLACINGS, SURFACE STITCHES, AND DIAPERS.

The samplers so far discussed bring us, with the exception of Darning,
Satin-stitch, and some stitches presently to be mentioned, practically
to the end of the stitches, deserving to be so called, generally in use.

By combining two or more stitches endless complications may be made; and
there may be occasions when, for one purpose or another, it may be
necessary, as well as amusing, to invent them. In this way stitches are
also sometimes worked upon stitches, as shown on the sampler,
Illustration 32. You will see, on referring to the back of it (33), that
only the white silk is worked into the stuff: the dark is surface work
only. There is no end to such possible INTERLACINGS. Those on the
sampler do not need much explanation; but it may be as well to say that
A starts with crewel-stitching; B and C with back-stitching; D with
chain-stitching; E with darning or running; F, G, and H with varieties
of herring-bone-stitch; J with Oriental-stitch; and K with
feather-stitch. The interlacing on the surface of these is shown in
darker silk. C and G undergo a second course of interlacing.

The danger of splitting the first stitches in working the interlacing
ones, is avoided by passing the needle eye-first through them.

Other surface work, sometimes called LACE-STITCH, is illustrated in the
sampler, Illustration 34. There is really no limit to patterns of thi