How to cross stitch

Learn how to cross stitch from scratch: what to buy, how to start without a knot, how to make the stitch, how to read a chart, and how to finish neatly.

Cross stitch is one of the few crafts you can genuinely learn in an afternoon. You are making the same small X over and over, following a chart that tells you where each colour goes.

What you need - 14-count Aida fabric - DMC stranded cotton in the colours your chart lists - A blunt tapestry needle, size 24 - An embroidery hoop - Small sharp scissors - A chart to follow

Prepare the thread Cut a length about 18 inches — longer than that and it tangles. DMC floss has six strands twisted together; separate out two for 14-count Aida, and thread those two through the needle.

Start without a knot Knots leave a bump that shows through when the piece is framed. Instead use the loop start: fold one strand in half, thread the two cut ends through the needle, come up from the back leaving the loop behind, then pass the needle through that loop and pull gently.

Make the stitch Every cross stitch is two diagonals. Come up at the bottom-left hole and down at the top-right to make the first leg, then up at the bottom-right and down at the top-left to complete the X. The important rule is that every X in your piece must have its top leg going the same way — otherwise the light catc