Some people say they are reluctant to take up counted cross stitch because it looks complicated. It is not, and this should explain why.
All you are doing is transferring a design from paper onto fabric using coloured threads, working cross stitches and counting squares as you go.
What comes in a kit
A cross stitch kit includes a chart and an explanation, along with the fabric and threads. Buy a chart on its own and it will carry all the same information – the difference is simply that you supply the fabric and threads yourself.
How the chart works
The chart is a grid. Each square on the grid represents one cross stitch on the fabric.
Each square carries a symbol, and each symbol corresponds to a thread colour. The key beside the chart tells you which symbol means which colour, usually giving a manufacturer’s shade number.
That is the whole system. Find the square, look up the symbol, stitch that colour. Everything else is detail.
Why symbols rather than colours
Charts printed in colour alone are surprisingly hard to work from, because similar shades are almost indistinguishable in print – and cross stitch designs frequently use several close tones to create shading.
Symbols remove the ambiguity. Many charts show both, colour blocks with a symbol printed on top, which is the best of both.
Starting in the middle
Charts mark the centre, usually with arrows on the edges. Fold your fabric in half both ways to find its centre and start there.
This matters more than it sounds. Starting from a corner and counting outward means any small error in your count pushes the whole design off the fabric. Starting from the middle means errors stay local and the design stays centred.
Counting
The grid is normally divided into blocks of ten squares by heavier lines. Use them – counting in tens is far more reliable than counting individual squares, and the heavy lines give you a way to check your position against the chart at a glance.
Backstitch
Most charts include backstitch lines shown as solid lines on the grid, usually worked after all the cross stitch is done. This is the outlining that sharpens the design, and it makes a much larger difference to the finished piece than its small share of the work suggests.
Fabric count
The count of your fabric – 14 count, 16 count, 18 count – is how many stitches fit in an inch. A higher count means smaller stitches and a smaller finished piece from the same chart.
It does not change the chart or the stitch count in any way, only the size of the result. If you want the design larger, use a lower count fabric rather than looking for a different chart.
