We released a series of alternative periodic table designs—a playful reinterpretation of what the “elements of life” might be.
In these designs, Ne (neon) becomes Needlepoint, and Gd (gadolinium—admittedly an unusual one) transforms into Gardening. As we stitched our way through the collection, a question emerged: how could we find—or create—stitches to represent each element? Some we discovered in books, like this one...
Others we invented ourselves. And the best part is, you can do the same.
For Gd, Gardening, we designed a raindrop-inspired darning pattern that captures the rhythm of rainfall nourishing a garden.
For Re (rhenium), we felt Reading was not only a more enjoyable pastime but also a far better “element.” To represent it, we created a delicate comma stitch—small, thoughtful, and full of pause.
NB: Darning patterns are traditionally worked in horizontal rows
back and forth.
We hope you enjoy these patterns and use them wherever inspiration strikes.
Darning patterns, it turns out, were the answer all along. There’s a rich world of them to explore—entire books dedicated to their beauty and versatility—just waiting to spark your next idea.
