100 Stitches - Ladder Stitch

This amazing looking stitch is {not surprisingly} called the Ladder Stitch.   The Ladder Stitch is the latest stitch I have learned on my 100 Stitches  journey.

I think the braided edges on this stitch are really lovely. I had a bit of trouble figuring out the instructions for this stitch but I think I finally have it solved!

For my demonstration, I am using this pretty floss - it is dmc pearl cotton color variations #4040. 

According to 100 Stitches, this stitch can be used to fill shapes that have varying widths, but they demonstrated the stitch between parallel lines so that is what I did.  I made my guidelines 3/8" apart:

The first step is to come up through the fabric on the left guideline:

Pull all the way through and go back into the fabric on the right guideline:

Pull all the way through. This makes a horizontal stitch.

Next, come back up through the fabric on the right guideline just above the horizontal stitch:

Pull all the way through and go back into the fabric on the right guideline and out of the fabric on the left guideline:

Pull all the way through.  This forms a vertical stitch on the right side:

Now bring the needle around and slide under the horizontal stitch.  Don't go into the fabric, just slide under the stitch:

Pull all the way through.  This forms sort of a knot on the left guideline.

Now bring the needle around and slide under the vertical and the horizontal stitch.  Don't go into the fabric, just slide the needle under the stitches:

Pull all the way:

This will form a second horizontal stitch.  Go back into the fabric on the right guideline below the second horizontal stitch and come back out of the fabric on the left guideline:

Pull all the way through:

Bring the needle around and slide the needle between the two horizontal stitchs and under the vertical "knot" on the left guideline.  Don't go into the fabric, just slide between and under:

Pull all the way through:

Bring your needle back around to the right guideline and just repeat the stitches:

Soon a whole line of stitches looks just like a ladder:

The underside of this stitch is beautiful too:

This is stitch #37 and is found in the Looped Stitches section of 100 Stitches.