This is obviously our favourite for a couple of reasons.. firstly there is the popularity of this craft with our customers, especially since Jacqui started her column in 'Cross Stitcher', we have barely been able to keep up with demand.  Secondly it was the first craft that Jacqui learnt, when she was 4 at pre-school.  She made a mini peg bag from binca (which she still has) and the fact that this craft can be enjoyed by folks of all ages and abilities really sums up what we are all about.

Where oh Where to begin?

Tradition dictates you start in the middle - but some patterns are best to start at the edge.  The choice is up to you.  Just make sure you try and keep your stitches in the same direction, especially in bulk colour areas.  NOTE: In finer areas it is not so important.
Our wool needlepoint kits are worked using counted cross stitch, which means each square on he chart matches up to a stitch on the canvas.   
The charts are marked with a centre point which you can find by folding the canvas in half and then half again.    Alternatively we leave approx 7cm around the edge which you can measure and start counting in from.
Pick a point, thread  your needle and start stitching!  

When you have patches of the same color that are close to each other, you can carry the thread across to the adjacent area without cutting.  It really depends upon how fussy you want to be, and how neat you want the back of the canvas to look. If the color areas are farther than about 2/3 cm, you will need to secure and snip the yarn off.

Larger areas are good to practise your technique - use basketweave on these areas for stability if it is not a cross stitch kit (which most of ours are).

Cross stitch in wool on canvas does not really distort the fabric so there is no need to use a frame, making it one of the easiest stitches to work with.

Securing Threads..

Regardless of the needlepoint stitch you are using, start off by securing the thread onto the canvas. Now, a needlepoint purist would tell you never to tie a knot, luckily we believe life is too short - knot away we say!  Cut off a length of thread (Our strands are already cut from hanks to approx 31 inchs/71cm)

If working in the CREWEL WOOL - 1 strand doubled over is used, leaving a loop at the end of your long end.

• Thread your needle (we put a threader in each of our kits)
• Pass the needle up from the back to create the first stitch
• As you pass it to the back to form the stitch secure the wool by passing the needle through the loop at the back of your work.
• Pull taught but not tight!
• This is a super easy way of securing which we love.

If working in the TAPESTRY WOOL - a single strand is used.

• Thread your needle (we put a threader in each of our kits)
• Make a knot at the end of the yarn.
• Starting on the "good" side of the canvas, a few holes along from where you will place your first stitch, take the needle down to the "wrong" side. The knot will be visible on the "good" side of the canvas. When you start stitching you will work toward this knot and your stitches will have covered the thread behind and held it in place so it doesn't pull out. When you reach the knot you can snip it off.

When you need to change color, or move to a different area of the canvas, or you have used up the yarn and need to rethread the needle, you will need to snip off the thread you have been using. However, you can't just leave it dangling or the stitches will loosen. When you have stitched the last stitch, with the needle on the "wrong" side of the canvas, slide it through the back of 3-4 nearby stitches. This will take the thread behind these stitches and it will be secure. Cut the thread close to where the needle emerges so the canvas looks neat.

Stitch Instructions When reading all the stitch guide graphics that follow, you bring the needle up to the good side of the canvas on the odd numbers, and push the needle down to the wrong side of the canvas on all the even numbers.

Cross Stitch

Our kits are mainly worked using Counted Cross Stitch from the colour chart provided - which makes for a more accurate finish.

Half cross stitch is when you work a whole row with the half stitch as shown.  Odd numbers are when the yarn is coming up from the wrong side and the even numbers is the stitch being passed back from the good to the wrong side.

...and then pass back over the stitches in the opposite direction to form a cross stitch.  The defining factor of this stitch is that it has a vertical stitch on the "wrong" side of the canvas. Start at the top left of your canvas or block of color. Work from left to right in a row across the canvas and then return.

Alternatively you can work the cross as you go along (this is what I like to do as you know where you are!)  Up at 1, down at 2, up at 3 etc...

The technique is the same on AIDA or EVENWEAVE - you can just leave the large areas blank as fabric.  This is the case with our mini cross stitches.  The beauty with these is that they are quicker to stitch, and a mini 4 inch hoop can be whipped up in an hour.

**Words, pictures and illustrations copyrighted J Pearce and Granny Knits 2008-11 all rights reserved.