We’re so excited for you to start stitching one of our Christmas stockings! This is your stitch guide, which will serve as your road map as you work through this project. It is organized into sections so that you can easily navigate to exactly what you need.

I believe that anyone can stitch an heirloom and I believe that perfectly imperfect stitching is gorgeous. I include this illustration as a reminder that this is what the design will look like when you’ve finished stitching. So, if you ever get too obsessed with that single weird stitch, take a breath, look at this image, and think about the bigger picture.

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For a 13-count canvas (which is what you have), I suggest knotting together these amounts:

• 6-strand metallic: one strand
• 2-ply crewel wool (like Appletons crewel wool): two strands
• 4-ply tapestry yarn (like Silk & Ivory): one strand
• 6-strand embroidery floss: one strand
• No. 8 perle cotton: two strands

Note: Appletons 2-ply crewel wool is my favorite, and what I provide with most Spider Spun kits.

If you want to play with different threads, here’s a post all about needlepoint thread >

If there is any doubt, like if there seems to be more than one color on an intersection, you should stitch with the color that is most prominent on that intersection. 

Assuming you’re using two strands, thread a 30-ish inch length through the needle and knot the ends together. When knotted, it should be about the length from your hand to your elbow.

1. Poke the needle through the front of the canvas about five holes away from where you’ll start stitching. There’s an ugly “waste knot” on the front of the canvas, but you’ll cut it off shortly.
2. Bring the needle from the back of the canvas to the front at your starting point. There should be a half-inch of thread stretched across the back, connecting the waste knot to your first stitch. 
3. Stitch toward the knot, encasing the thread tail. Once your stitches reach the waste knot, carefully snip it off from the front.

1. When you have about three inches of thread left on the needle, take your needle to the back of the canvas.
2. Insert the needle through five or so existing stitches, then pull taut. You may have noticed that this is the reverse of how you started the thread :)
3. Snip the thread tail just outside the stitches. 

The most basic (and classic) needlepoint stitches are called “tent stitches.” Put simply, needlepoint is one diagonal stitch over each intersection of your canvas.

Tent stitches always slant from the lower left to the upper right, like this: /////

There are three types of tent stitches: Half-Cross Stitch, Continental Stitch, and Basketweave Stitch. All look the same from the front, but different on the back of the canvas. Each provides a different amount of structure and coverage.

You don’t have to stick to just one type of stitch for each project. In fact, most of my canvases are a mixture of all three types of tent stitches.

If you are lost in a specific area, you can pop over to the Stitch Guide section to see exactly which stitches I recommend.

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If you’re wondering about which colors or stitches to use on a specific area, here is how I would approach stitching this design. This is certainly not the only way to do it, but if you’re looking at the canvas and wondering where to start, hopefully this helps.

Just remember, there are no needlepoint police — it’s totally okay if you don’t follow these rules. Stitch in a way that makes you happy :)

I stitch by “area” of the canvas. Within each area, I first stitch the tiny details, then move on to the small and medium areas. At the very end of each section, I will fill in the larger sections, which are usually backgrounds. The big blocks of color are often the very last thing I complete on any stockings.

Each yarn requires a different amount of strands. Please follow these guidelines to stitch your stocking:

• Appletons crewel wool: stitch using 2 strands of yarn
• Silk & Ivory: stitch using 1 strand of yarn

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Hopefully these answers help answer your questions! You can also check out our YouTube page or Back of Work blog for more tutorials.

If you're still feeling unsure and need a second pair of eyes, send an email to info@spider-spun.com with pictures (close-up pictures) of the front and the back of your stitching. I will do my very best to help!