100 Stitches - Interlacing Stitch

I am ready to show my attempt to learn the Interlacing Stitch, the latest stitch on my 100 Stitches list. Without a doubt, this stitch has been the most difficult for me to figure out.  A better name for this stitch would be confusing weaving stitch - lol!

It is a beautiful, intricate looking stitch when completed:

To demonstrate what I did, I am using three different colors of pearl cotton floss.  These are gray dmc #414, black dmc #310 and pink dmc #4180

The stitch is worked from left to right, between two well spaced parallel guidelines.  I spaced mine 3/4" apart.  The first step is to come up through the fabric on the left edge between the two guidelines.  Now bring the needle to the top guideline, a little to the right of where the floss came through and take a small stitch from right to left. Pull the floss all the way through.  This creates a slanted stitch.  Now head for the bottom guideline.  Slide the needle under the the slanted stitch, not going through the fabric, just sliding under the stitch.
   

Next, go into the fabric on the bottom guideline to the right of the slanted stitch and make a small stitch from right to left.  Pull all the way through, and this will create another slanted stitch. Head back up to the top guideline.  This time, the needle goes over the new slanted stitch.  Now you are back on the top guideline, just like this started -  repeat for the rest of the row of stitching.  When you are at the end, go back into the fabric between the two parallel guidelines.  Secure your floss underneath.

Now with one of the other colored threads, do a second line of the same stitches but start on the bottom guideline.  Notice in the next two pictures how the needle is weaving either above or below the slanted stitches.  Here...

and here:

Complete that line of stitches and now the fun begins!  Time to introduce the third thread.  This thread is just interlacing, not going into the fabric.  To start, come up through the fabric on the left edge between the two guidelines.  Weave this thread over the the first slanted stitch and under the second:

over the right arm of the "x" at the top guideline and under the left arm:

 then over the slanted stitch, under the working thread and under the bottom slanted stitch:

Then over the next slanted stitch and under the next slanted stitch, back to the top!

Just follow that little pattern all the way to the end and start back on the bottom row:

I have flipped the hoop around to show the bottom row at the top to make it a little easier (?) to follow:

Just keep weaving:

all the way back to the beginning:

Here is the underside of the stitching...no clue to the drama going on up top!

I think this stitch is best explained in pictures. 100 Stitches illustrated this with one black and white diagram.  I was really only able to figure it out by staring at the diagram, not reading the description!  So confusing!  I finally went from this:

to this!

Beautiful :)

The Interlacing Stitch is stitch #61 and is in the Composite Stitches section of 100 Stitches.