Reference
Glossary
192 words you'll meet in patterns, forums and shops, for cross stitch, needlepoint, knitting, crochet and more.
A
- AB drillsDiamond painting
- Drills with an iridescent coating, named after the aurora borealis. Where a plain drill shows one color, an AB drill flashes a rainbow sheen as the light moves.See also: Drills, Square drills, Round drills
- AidaCross stitch
- Stiff cotton fabric woven in small blocks with a hole at each corner, so each cross covers one block and counting is easy. Its count is the number of stitches per inch, and 14 count is the usual place to start. More in what Aida count means, or compare sizes with the Aida count converter.See also: Count, Evenweave, Tapestry needle
- Algerian eyeCross stitch, Embroidery, Needlepoint
- A specialty stitch of eight or more straight stitches that all go down into one center hole, making a small star. On evenweave, pulling each one gently snug opens the center into a little eyelet.See also: Smyrna cross, Specialty stitches
- AnchorCross stitch, Embroidery
- The other big six-strand floss brand, with its own numbering, and every DMC swap is a nearest match, not an exact one. DMC bought Anchor in 2023 (minus its US distribution), and it has been hard to find in US shops since late 2024, after losing its US distributor. Find equivalents with DMC to Anchor and Anchor to DMC, or read DMC vs Anchor.See also: DMC, Conversion chart, Stranded cotton
- Applicator penDiamond painting
- The pen-shaped tool for picking up drills. You press its hollow tip into wax or putty so a drill will stick to it, and press it back into the wax when it stops grabbing.See also: Wax, Multi-placer
- Assisi workEmbroidery, Cross stitch
- Italian counted embroidery where the motif stays bare fabric and the background around it is filled with cross stitch. A Holbein stitch outline, traditionally black or brown, defines the shape against a red, blue, green or gold ground.See also: Holbein stitch, Blackwork
- Away waste knotCross stitch, Needlepoint, Embroidery
- A thread start with the knot on the front of the fabric, 3 to 5 inches from where you're stitching and well clear of the design. Once that area is stitched, snip the knot, take the tail to the back, rethread it and weave it under your stitches (more in starting and finishing).See also: Waste knot, Loop start, Pin stitch
B
- BackstitchCross stitch, Embroidery
- A line stitch where each stitch goes back to meet the end of the one before, giving a solid line. Cross stitch charts draw it as straight lines, and it usually goes in after the crosses, often with a single strand. See backstitch outlines.See also: Holbein stitch, French knot, Strand
- BAPCross stitch
- Short for "big a** project," stitcher slang for a very large chart, often full coverage. The really daunting ones get called an MCBAP: a massively complicated BAP.See also: Full coverage, Parking, Digital chart
- BargelloNeedlepoint
- Needlepoint made entirely of upright straight stitches, usually over two or more canvas threads, stepped up and down into zigzags and flame patterns. It's also called Florentine work, and the name Bargello comes from a set of 17th-century chairs in the Bargello museum in Florence.See also: Canvas, Tent stitch
- BasketweaveNeedlepoint
- Tent stitch worked in diagonal rows, which leaves a woven, basket-like pattern on the back. It's the hardest wearing way to work tent stitch and distorts the canvas least, so it's the one to use for big backgrounds, pillows and chair seats.See also: Tent stitch, Continental stitch, Half cross stitch
- Berlin wool workNeedlepoint, Cross stitch
- A 19th-century fashion for stitching bright wool on canvas from charts, mostly in cross stitch or tent stitch. The early charts were printed on grid paper and colored in by hand.See also: Chart, Tent stitch
- Biggie beadsFuse beads
- The large fuse bead size, about 10 mm across, sold as biggie or maxi beads depending on the maker. They're made for small hands (ages 3 or 4 and up) and only fit their own large pegboards.See also: Midi beads, Mini beads, Pegboard
- BlackworkEmbroidery, Cross stitch
- Embroidery usually worked in black thread on white or off-white fabric, using lines of Holbein stitch and backstitch to build outlines and geometric fills. It's most associated with Tudor England and was at its height under Elizabeth I.See also: Holbein stitch, Assisi work, Sampler
- BlancCross stitch, Embroidery
- DMC Blanc is plain white floss. The range has other whites too, including B5200 Snow White and 3865 Winter White, plus Ecru, so check exactly which one a chart calls for.See also: DMC, DMC 310
- Blanket stitchEmbroidery
- An edging stitch that started out reinforcing buttonholes. Worked close together it's called buttonhole stitch, and spaced out, as on the edge of a blanket, it's blanket stitch. These days it's as often decorative as practical.See also: Chain stitch, Running stitch
- BlendingCross stitch, Needlepoint
- Putting two colors in one needle, usually one strand of each. The stitch reads as a shade in between. Designers use blends to soften big jumps in shading and to give fur, leaves and bark some texture, and each blend gets its own chart symbol; how many colors covers when it helps.See also: Tweeding, Blending filament, Key (legend)
- Blending filamentCross stitch, Embroidery
- A fine, shiny polyester thread, most often metallic, made mainly to share a needle with floss, often one strand of filament with two of floss. Because it stretches and floss doesn't, some stitchers find it easier to work the area in floss first and go over it with filament alone.See also: Metallic thread, Blending
- BlockingNeedlepoint, Knitting, Crochet
- Wetting a finished piece and pinning it to shape so it dries straight. Needlepoint pulls the canvas out of square as you stitch; DMC's method is to spray it, pin about every 3/4 inch (2 cm) and leave it until bone dry, which can take several days. Knitters soak and pin to even out the stitches and hit the pattern's measurements.See also: Basketweave, Stretcher bars, Gauge swatch
- BobbinKnitting, Crochet
- A small holder for a short length of yarn, one per color block, used in intarsia and C2C so the colors don't tangle behind the work. Wind the yarn back up close to the fabric before you move on.See also: Intarsia, C2C, Floss bobbin
- Bullion stitchEmbroidery
- A long, coiled knot made by wrapping the thread around the needle several times before pulling it through. DMC suggests it for flower stamens and animal fur.See also: French knot
C
- C2CCrochet
- Short for corner to corner: crochet worked on the diagonal in small square tiles, each made of three double crochets and a chain-3 space, so one tile can stand for one square of a graph. For a square, rows grow by one tile until the piece is wide enough, then shrink back down to the opposite corner. How to read a C2C graph walks through it.See also: Mini C2C, Graphgan, Bobbin
- CanvasNeedlepoint, Latch hook, Diamond painting
- The stiff, open grid that needlepoint is stitched on, sized by mesh (holes per inch) and sold as mono, interlock or penelope. Latch hook uses a much coarser rug canvas, and diamond painting borrows the word for its sticky printed base.See also: Mesh, Mono canvas, Interlock canvas, Penelope canvas
- Carrying threadCross stitch
- Running your thread across the back from one stitch to the next instead of ending it. Keep the jumps short (about half an inch is a common limit) and don't carry across fabric that will stay bare, because the strand can show through, especially on linen.See also: Parking, Cross-country, Confetti
- Catching floatsKnitting
- Trapping a long float against the back of stranded knitting by twisting it with the working yarn partway along to keep it from snagging later. Most knitters catch any float longer than 5 to 7 stitches.See also: Float, Stranded colorwork, Peerie
- Center marksCross stitch, General
- The arrows on a chart's edges that point to its middle row and column. Fold your fabric in half twice to find its middle too, and start stitching there to center the design.See also: Chart, Gridding, Margin
- Chain stitchEmbroidery
- A row of interlocking loops, each one held down by the next. It works for outlines and borders and can be packed into rows to fill a shape.See also: Lazy daisy, Split stitch
- ChartGeneral
- A grid where each square stands for one stitch, bead or drill, with a symbol or color telling you what goes there. Most charts rule a heavier line every 10 squares to help you count. Start with reading a chart.See also: Key (legend), Symbol, Grid lines
- Chart repeatKnitting
- The block of a knitting chart, usually boxed in or set off by heavy lines, that you work again and again across the row. Stitches outside the box are edge stitches, worked once.See also: No-stitch square, RS / WS, Knitting graph paper
- Checkerboard methodDiamond painting
- Filling a big single-color patch of a diamond painting by placing a drill in every other square first, then going back for the gaps. The drills already down hold the rest in straight rows.See also: Square drills, Multi-placer
- Color dominanceKnitting
- In two-color stranded knitting, the yarn carried below the other travels a little farther, so its stitches come out slightly bigger and stand out more. Keep the same yarn on the bottom for the whole piece and the pattern will look even.See also: Stranded colorwork, Float, Fair Isle
- Color reductionGeneral
- Cutting a photo down to a limited set of colors that still read as the original, the step that turns a picture into something you can stitch. Craft Studio's free photo to pattern converter does this and matches each color to DMC floss, and how many colors helps you settle on a number.See also: Dithering, Palette, Confetti
- ColorfastCross stitch, Embroidery
- Dyed so the color won't run when the piece is washed. DMC tests its floss for this, but some hand-dyed floss can bleed, and one hand-dye maker recommends not washing finished pieces at all.See also: Hand-dyed floss, Finishing, Dye lot
- Compensating stitchesNeedlepoint
- Partial versions of a decorative needlepoint stitch, used where the full stitch won't fit at the edge of a shape. Keep them at the same angle as the full stitch and the pattern carries right up to the edge.See also: Stitch guide, Specialty stitches
- ConfettiCross stitch
- Single stitches of one color sitting alone among other colors, common in photo-style and heavily shaded charts. Any too far apart to carry between need their own start and finish, which is slow, and a loop start or pin stitch keeps the back tidy. Turning a photo into a pattern explains where they come from.See also: Pin stitch, Loop start, Parking, Dithering
- Continental stitchNeedlepoint
- Tent stitch worked in straight horizontal or vertical rows, leaving long diagonal stitches on the back. It's harder wearing than half cross but not as tough as basketweave.See also: Tent stitch, Basketweave, Half cross stitch
- Conversion chartCross stitch, General
- A table that pairs a color in one thread brand with the closest color in another, such as DMC to Anchor. The matches are close, not identical, and one long-standing chart warns to use it only as a guide.See also: Anchor, DMC, Hex code
- CouchingEmbroidery
- Laying a thread on top of the fabric and tying it down at intervals with small stitches in a second thread. It's how thick, delicate or metal threads get attached when they can't be pulled through the cloth.See also: Metallic thread, Thread conditioner
- CountCross stitch
- How many stitches (on Aida) or threads (on evenweave and linen) fit in one inch. Higher counts mean smaller stitches: 14 count Aida gives 14 crosses per inch, and so does 28 count linen worked over two. The Aida count converter shows the finished size on the common counts.See also: Aida, Over two, Mesh, Design size
- Counted cross stitchCross stitch
- Cross stitch worked on blank fabric from a separate chart, counting squares to place every stitch. The alternative is stamped cross stitch, where the design is printed on the fabric, and cross stitch basics covers getting started.See also: Stamped cross stitch, Chart, Aida
- Crewel embroideryEmbroidery
- Free surface embroidery in fine wool, traditionally on tightly woven linen twill, following a design drawn on the fabric rather than counting threads. Jacobean work, with its fanciful plants and animals, is a well-known style of it.See also: Crewel wool, Surface embroidery, Long and short stitch
- Crewel woolNeedlepoint, Embroidery
- A fine two-ply wool, thinner than tapestry wool, used for crewel embroidery and for detailed needlepoint such as petit point.See also: Tapestry wool, Persian yarn, Petit point
- Cross-countryCross stitch
- Stitching one color across a whole page or the whole chart, rather than one small block at a time, before starting the next color. It's the main alternative to parking.See also: Parking, Carrying thread
D
- Design sizeGeneral
- A pattern's size in stitches, such as 130 wide by 78 high, rather than in inches. Divide each number by your fabric's stitches per inch for the finished size, and use the total stitch count to estimate how long it will take.See also: Count, Margin
- Diamond paintingDiamond painting
- A craft where you press tiny resin drills onto a printed, sticky canvas, matching each symbol to its drill color square by square. Diamond painting for beginners covers the basics, and photo to diamond painting turns a picture into a drill chart.See also: Drills, Applicator pen, Full drill
- Digital chartCross stitch, General
- A chart used as a PDF or app file instead of on paper. In a chart-tracking app you can tap off stitches as you finish them, highlight one color and zoom in, which helps most on big full coverage pieces.See also: Marking off, Full coverage, BAP
- DitheringGeneral
- Scattering pixels of the colors you have so that, from a distance, they blend into colors you don't have. On a stitch chart it turns into lots of isolated single stitches, many needing their own start and finish.See also: Confetti, Color reduction
- DMCCross stitch, Embroidery, Needlepoint, Diamond painting
- The French thread company (Dollfus-Mieg et Compagnie, founded in 1746 in Mulhouse) whose floss numbers most English-language patterns use. Most diamond painting kits label their drills with the same numbers. Craft Studio's DMC color chart lists all 489 solid colors.See also: Anchor, Mouliné, Floss, Blanc
- DMC 310Cross stitch, Embroidery
- DMC 310 is DMC's black floss, usually listed on charts simply as 310. Published conversion charts pair it with Anchor 403.See also: DMC, Blanc, Conversion chart
- Double crochetCrochet
- The US name (dc) for the tall basic stitch that UK patterns call a treble (tr). Confusingly, a UK double crochet is a US single crochet, so check which terms a pattern uses before you start.See also: US and UK crochet terms, Single crochet, C2C
- DrillsDiamond painting
- The small resin pieces, round or square, that you stick onto a diamond painting canvas. Each color comes in its own bag marked with a code, usually a DMC number, and the canvas legend tells you which symbol it goes on.See also: Round drills, Square drills, AB drills
- Duplicate stitchKnitting
- Embroidery on top of finished stockinette that traces each knit V in a new color, so it looks knitted in. It's handy for small details that would be fussy to knit as intarsia, and it's also called Swiss darning.See also: Stockinette, Intarsia
- Dye lotCross stitch, Embroidery, Knitting, Crochet
- A batch of thread or yarn dyed at the same time. Two lots of the same color number can differ slightly, so hold a new skein against the old one before using it in the same area.See also: Skein, Hand-dyed floss
E
- EvenweaveCross stitch
- Fabric with the same number of threads per inch each way and no blocks, usually stitched over two threads. It gives a smoother background than Aida and makes fractional stitches easier, since the center hole is already there. Compare the options in cross stitch fabric types.See also: Over two, Linen, Lugana
F
- Fair IsleKnitting
- Stranded knitting from Fair Isle in Shetland: two colors per round, the spare yarn carried only a few stitches, and bands of small motifs like OXOs and peeries. Plenty of people use the name for any stranded colorwork. See Fair Isle vs intarsia.See also: Stranded colorwork, Peerie, Steek
- FFOCross stitch
- Fully finished object: a piece that has gone past the stitching stage and been framed or made into something, like a pillow or ornament. Some stitchers read it as "finally finished object."See also: FO, Finishing
- Filet crochetCrochet
- Crochet lace built on a grid of open and filled squares, built mostly from chains and double crochets. An open square is usually two chains and a double crochet, a filled one three double crochets, and the chart shades in the filled squares. How to read a filet crochet chart covers the squares and terms.See also: Double crochet, Graphgan
- FinishingCross stitch, Embroidery
- Everything that turns stitched fabric into a finished piece: washing and pressing, then framing, lacing onto board, finishing it in its hoop, or sewing it into a pillow or ornament. Finish and frame cross stitch goes through the options.See also: Lacing, FFO, Colorfast
- FloatKnitting
- The strand of unused yarn carried across the back of stranded knitting until that color is needed again. Spread the stitches out on your right needle before you change colors so the float isn't too tight.See also: Catching floats, Stranded colorwork, Color dominance
- FlossCross stitch, Embroidery
- Six-strand cotton embroidery thread, pulled apart into single strands and recombined as the pattern asks. DMC sells it in 8.7 yd (8 m) skeins, and the floss calculator works out how many skeins a design needs.See also: Strand, Skein, Mouliné, Perle cotton
- Floss bobbinCross stitch
- A flat plastic or card holder that you wind floss onto, with room to write the color number and the chart symbol. Bobbins for one project are often kept together on a ring.See also: Floss, Stash
- FOGeneral
- Finished object: a project that's complete. Cross stitchers, knitters and crocheters all use the abbreviation.See also: WIP, UFO, FFO
- Fractional stitchesCross stitch
- The family name for stitches smaller than a full cross: half, quarter and three-quarter stitches. Quarter and three-quarter stitches are easier on evenweave, where each stitch already has a hole in the middle, than on Aida, where you have to pierce the block. See cross stitch stitch types.See also: Half stitch, Quarter stitch, Three-quarter stitch, Petite stitch
- French knotEmbroidery, Cross stitch
- A small raised knot: wrap the thread around the needle (two wraps is usual), then go back down right beside, not into, the hole you came up through. Charts mark it with a dot, and for a bigger knot you switch to thicker thread rather than adding wraps.See also: Bullion stitch, Backstitch
- FroggingGeneral
- Ripping out stitches to fix a mistake, because "rip it, rip it" sounds like a frog. Knitters and crocheters use it for pulling out whole rows, and stitchers for unpicking; cross stitch fixes are in fix cross stitch mistakes.See also: Tinking, Lifeline
- Full coverageCross stitch
- A design where every square is stitched, so no bare fabric shows. They're often big projects, and they're where parking and digital charts earn their keep.See also: BAP, Parking, Railroading
- Full drillDiamond painting
- A diamond painting covered edge to edge in drills, with none of the printed background left showing.See also: Partial drill, Drills
- Fuse beadsFuse beads
- Small plastic tube beads that you set on a pegboard in a pattern and melt together with an iron. The sizes don't share pegboards, so match board to bead. The fuse bead guide covers the basics, and photo to bead pattern turns a picture into a chart.See also: Pegboard, Fusing, Midi beads
- FusingFuse beads
- Ironing a bead design so the beads melt together. Lay ironing paper over it, keep a medium iron moving in small circles without pressing down, lift the paper to check, then flip the piece and iron the other side; an adult should handle the iron.See also: Ironing paper, Pegboard
G
- GaugeKnitting, Crochet
- How many stitches and rows fit in a set width and height, usually measured over 4 inches (10 cm). Match the pattern's gauge and the piece comes out the size it should; UK patterns call it tension. The gauge calculator does the arithmetic.See also: Gauge swatch, Knitting graph paper, US and UK crochet terms
- Gauge swatchKnitting, Crochet
- A test square worked before the real project, with the yarn and needles or hook you plan to use, for measuring your gauge. Make it at least 6 inches (15 cm) square and measure over the middle 4 inches, away from the uneven edge stitches.See also: Gauge, Blocking
- Graph paperGeneral
- Paper ruled in a plain square grid, used to draw cross stitch, needlepoint and bead charts by hand. Knitting needs a different grid because knit stitches aren't square. The cross stitch graph paper tool is free and needs no account.See also: Knitting graph paper, Chart, Grid lines
- GraphganCrochet
- A crochet blanket (graph plus afghan) with a picture worked from a graph, where each square is a stitch or a block of stitches. It can be made in single crochet, C2C, tapestry crochet and other methods. Photo to crochet pattern makes a single crochet graph from a picture.See also: C2C, Tapestry crochet, Single crochet
- Grid linesGeneral
- The heavier lines most charts draw every 10 squares to let you count in tens instead of from the edge each time.See also: Chart, Gridding, Center marks
- GriddingCross stitch
- Marking your fabric every 10 stitches to match the chart's grid lines, using a water-soluble pen, fine wire or thread. Thread is easy to pierce as you stitch and then hard to pull out, and any pen needs testing on a scrap first. It cuts down on miscounts, one of the problems in fix cross stitch mistakes.See also: Grid lines, Water-soluble pen, Center marks
- Gros pointNeedlepoint
- Tent stitch on coarser canvas, roughly 8 to 16 holes per inch. Penelope canvas lets you mix it with petit point: work over the paired threads for gros point and split the pairs for petit point.See also: Petit point, Penelope canvas, Quickpoint
H
- Half cross stitchNeedlepoint
- The needlepoint method that works tent stitch in rows with only short upright stitches on the back. It uses the least yarn but wears the least well, so it suits framed pictures more than pillows.See also: Tent stitch, Continental stitch, Basketweave
- Half stitchCross stitch
- One diagonal of a cross, corner to corner across a square, often used for light, see-through areas. Charts usually draw it as a diagonal line; unless told otherwise, slant it the same way as your top legs.See also: Top leg, Quarter stitch, Fractional stitches
- Hand-dyed flossCross stitch, Embroidery
- Floss dyed by hand in small batches, so the color drifts along the strand and skeins vary a little even within one color. Some can bleed when washed, so rinse a length and blot it on a white towel before stitching.See also: Overdyed floss, Variegated floss, Colorfast
- Hand-painted canvasNeedlepoint
- A needlepoint canvas with the design painted on by hand, nearly always on mono canvas in mesh sizes like 13 or 18. On a stitch-painted canvas every stitch is painted one solid color, so you never have to guess where a color starts.See also: Mono canvas, Printed canvas, Stitch guide
- HardangerEmbroidery, Cross stitch
- Counted embroidery named for the Hardanger district of western Norway. Blocks of satin stitch (kloster blocks) frame squares whose threads are cut and pulled out, and the open grid left behind is wrapped and filled so it looks like lace. Today it's usually worked on Hardanger fabric, a 22 count cotton evenweave woven in pairs of threads; older pieces used fine linen.See also: Kloster block, Satin stitch, Evenweave
- Hex codeGeneral
- A six-digit code like #FF0000 that describes a screen color by its red, green and blue values. Floss colors on screen are approximations, so treat a hex to DMC match as a starting point and check it against real thread.See also: Palette, Conversion chart, DMC
- Holbein stitchEmbroidery, Cross stitch
- A line stitch made by working running stitch along a line, then coming back the same way to fill the gaps. It looks the same on both sides and is the main stitch of blackwork and the outline stitch in Assisi work; it's also called double running stitch.See also: Blackwork, Assisi work, Running stitch
- HoopCross stitch, Embroidery
- Two rings, the outer one tightened with a screw, that hold fabric taut while you stitch. Hoops can leave ring marks, so take the fabric out when you put it away rather than leaving it clamped for weeks. A hoop can also double as the frame, as finish and frame shows.See also: Q-Snap, Scroll frame, Stretcher bars
I
- In the roundKnitting
- Knitting in a continuous tube instead of back and forth, so the right side always faces you. Every chart round is read right to left, and stockinette is just knit every round; knitting for beginners covers the basic stitches.See also: Jog, Steek, Stockinette
- IntarsiaKnitting, Crochet
- Colorwork where each block of color gets its own yarn, usually on a bobbin, instead of carrying colors across the back. Twist the old and new yarns at every color change to avoid holes, and expect to work it flat. Crocheters use the same idea, and Fair Isle vs intarsia compares it with stranding.See also: Bobbin, Fair Isle, Duplicate stitch
- Interlock canvasNeedlepoint
- Needlepoint canvas made by twisting two thin lengthwise threads around each crosswise thread, which locks every intersection and keeps it stable. You can trim it close to the stitching without it unraveling.See also: Mono canvas, Penelope canvas, Canvas
J
- JogKnitting
- The step that shows where a round of color starts and ends when you knit in the round, because each round is really one turn of a spiral. One common fix: on the second round of a new color, lift the stitch below the first stitch onto the needle and knit the two together.See also: In the round, Stranded colorwork
K
- KAL / CALKnitting, Crochet
- Knit-along and crochet-along: a group, usually online, working the same pattern at the same time. Cross stitchers call theirs a SAL.See also: SAL, WIP
- Key (legend)General
- The table that tells you which thread or drill each chart symbol stands for, usually with the brand and color number. Read it before you start; blends get their own symbols there too. Diamond paintings print theirs along the edge of the canvas.See also: Symbol, Chart, Blending
- Kloster blockEmbroidery
- The building block of Hardanger: five parallel satin stitches over four fabric threads. Kloster blocks outline every area that will be cut and hold the threads around it in place.See also: Hardanger, Satin stitch
- Knitting graph paperKnitting
- Graph paper with rectangular cells, because knit stitches are wider than they are tall and a design drawn on square paper knits up squat. Craft Studio's knitting graph paper is sized to your gauge, and how to read a knitting chart explains the rest.See also: Gauge, Graph paper, Chart repeat
L
- LacingCross stitch, Embroidery
- Mounting finished stitching on a board for framing by folding the edges around it and lacing them together across the back with strong thread. It holds the fabric taut without glue or tape, both of which conservators advise against.See also: Finishing, Margin
- Latch hookLatch hook
- Rug making where short lengths of yarn are knotted one at a time into a coarse rug canvas with a hinged hook, building up a thick pile. Each knot fills one square, so a latch hook chart reads like any other grid chart. The latch hook guide walks through a first project.See also: Latch hook tool, Rug canvas, Pre-cut yarn
- Latch hook toolLatch hook
- A hook with a small hinged latch behind the tip. Fold a piece of yarn over the shaft, push the hook under a canvas thread, lay both ends into the hook and pull back; the latch closes over them and the ends come through the loop to make the knot.See also: Latch hook, Pre-cut yarn
- Laying toolCross stitch, Needlepoint, Embroidery
- A smooth, pointed tool used to stroke the strands flat and side by side as you pull each stitch down. The tip of a pair of embroidery scissors can stand in for one.See also: Railroading, Strand
- Lazy daisyEmbroidery
- A single loop of chain stitch tacked down at its tip, also called detached chain stitch. A few worked in a circle make a quick flower.See also: Chain stitch, French knot
- LifelineKnitting
- A strand of contrasting thread run through every stitch of a row you know is right. If you have to rip back later, the knitting can't unravel past it, and the stitches go straight back onto the needle.See also: Frogging, Tinking
- LinenCross stitch, Embroidery
- Fabric woven from flax with the same number of threads each way, so it's stitched like evenweave. Its threads vary in thickness, and the small slubs are normal, not flaws. It's usually stitched over two, so 28 count linen comes out the same size as 14 count Aida.See also: Evenweave, Over two, Over one
- Long and short stitchEmbroidery
- Rows of closely packed straight stitches that fill a shape. The first row alternates long and short stitches and later rows are worked into it, so one shade can blend softly into the next.See also: Satin stitch, Crewel embroidery
- Loop startCross stitch, Embroidery
- A knotless start for an even number of strands. Fold one strand in half for two strands (or two strands for four), thread the cut ends through the needle, make your first half stitch and pass the needle through the loop on the back to lock it.See also: Away waste knot, Pin stitch, Waste knot
- LuganaCross stitch
- A soft evenweave sold under this name by the German weaver Zweigart, a cotton and rayon blend usually found in 25 count. Stitched over two it gives 12.5 stitches per inch, and the Aida count converter handles the math for evenweave too.See also: Evenweave, Over two, Count
M
- MarginCross stitch
- The bare fabric you leave around a design. For a piece you plan to frame, allow at least 3 inches (7.5 cm) on every side; a card needs about an inch.See also: Design size, Lacing, Finishing
- Marking offCross stitch, General
- Highlighting or crossing out each part of the chart as you finish it, on a paper copy or a digital chart, so you can always find your place.See also: Digital chart, Gridding
- Mercerized cottonCross stitch, Embroidery, Knitting, Crochet
- Cotton treated with caustic soda, which makes it stronger and better at taking dye; done under tension, it also gains a silky luster. The process is named after John Mercer, who devised it in 1844, and DMC says its floss is mercerized twice.See also: Floss, Perle cotton
- MeshNeedlepoint, Latch hook
- The needlepoint word for canvas count: holes per linear inch. Common sizes run from 10 to 18, and latch hook rug canvas is far coarser at about 3.3 to 5.See also: Canvas, Count, Gros point
- Metallic threadCross stitch, Embroidery
- Thread with a metallic finish, which twists and tangles more readily than cotton. Slow down, let the needle dangle now and then so it unwinds, and use braids as a single strand straight off the reel rather than separating them.See also: Blending filament, Couching, Thread conditioner
- Midi beadsFuse beads
- The standard fuse bead size, about 5 mm across. Hama and Artkal call it midi, and Perler calls it classic.See also: Mini beads, Biggie beads, Fuse beads
- Mini beadsFuse beads
- The small fuse bead size, about 2.5 mm across, half the width of standard beads. They need their own mini pegboards, and makers rate them for ages 10 or 12 and up.See also: Midi beads, Biggie beads, Pegboard
- Mini C2CCrochet
- Corner to corner crochet worked in half double crochet instead of double crochet. The tiles are smaller, so the same graph comes out smaller, or a piece of the same size can carry more detail.See also: C2C, Graphgan
- Mono canvasNeedlepoint
- Needlepoint canvas woven from single threads. It's flexible, so it wants a frame or stretcher bars while you stitch, and nearly all hand-painted canvases are painted on it.See also: Interlock canvas, Penelope canvas, Stretcher bars
- Mosaic crochetCrochet
- Colorwork that uses one color per row and builds the pattern by dropping double crochets down into the rows below. Overlay mosaic changes color every row and is worked from the right side only; inset mosaic works two rows per color and turns, so the yarn can travel up the side. The mosaic crochet guide explains overlay and inset charts.See also: Tapestry crochet, Mosaic knitting, Double crochet
- Mosaic knittingKnitting
- Two-color patterns made with slipped stitches, knitting just one color per row in two-row stripes. Barbara G. Walker named it and made it popular, starting with A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns in 1970.See also: Mosaic crochet, Stranded colorwork
- MoulinéCross stitch, Embroidery
- French for stranded floss. DMC sells its six-strand cotton as Mouliné Spécial in 8.7 yd (8 m) skeins, and Madeira and Anchor use the word for their floss too.See also: DMC, Floss, Stranded cotton
- Multi-placerDiamond painting
- A pen tip that picks up several drills in one go, for filling large single-color areas faster.See also: Applicator pen, Checkerboard method
N
- Needle minderCross stitch, Embroidery
- A decorative two-part magnet, one piece on the front of the fabric and one behind, that holds your needle while you check the chart or change threads.See also: Hoop, Q-Snap
- NeedlepointNeedlepoint
- Stitching yarn or thread through a stiff open canvas, usually covering it completely. In the UK it's often called tapestry, though true tapestry is woven on a loom. Needlepoint vs cross stitch compares the two. Needlepoint stitches compares the tent stitches.See also: Tent stitch, Canvas, Tapestry
- No-stitch squareKnitting
- A square on a knitting chart, often shaded gray, that isn't a stitch at all. Skip it and work the next real stitch; it holds the place of a stitch a decrease removed or an increase hasn't made yet, which keeps the columns lined up. See how to read a knitting chart.See also: Chart repeat, RS / WS
O
- ORTCross stitch, Embroidery
- The leftover snips of thread from stitching. Many stitchers save them in an ORT jar that fills up as a record of what they've made, and the letters get read as "old raggedy threads" or "orphaned random threads." Ort is also an old word for a leftover scrap.See also: Stash, SABLE
- Over oneCross stitch
- Stitching each cross over a single thread of evenweave or linen instead of two. It doubles the stitches per inch, so 28 count over one gives 28 per inch, and it calls for a fine needle (size 26 or 28 on 28 count).See also: Over two, Petite stitch, Count
- Over twoCross stitch
- The standard way to stitch evenweave and linen: each cross spans two threads across and two up, leaving an empty hole at its center. Over two halves the count, so 28 count gives 14 stitches per inch, the same as 14 count Aida.See also: Over one, Evenweave, Count
- Overdyed flossCross stitch, Embroidery
- Floss with extra color dyed over an already colored base, usually by hand, so the shade shifts gently along the strand. As with other hand-dyed threads, each skein comes out a little different.See also: Hand-dyed floss, Variegated floss, Dye lot
P
- PaletteGeneral
- The set of colors a design uses. For cross stitch that means a list of floss codes, and image to DMC palette pulls one from a picture.See also: Color reduction, Key (legend), Hex code
- ParkingCross stitch
- Working one small area at a time (a row, a 10 by 10 block or a page) and, when a color is done there, bringing its needle up where that color is needed next and leaving it hanging on the front. Stitchers lean on it most for full coverage and confetti-heavy charts.See also: Cross-country, Full coverage, Confetti
- Partial drillDiamond painting
- A diamond painting where only part of the picture gets drills and the rest stays as a printed background.See also: Full drill, Drills
- PeerieKnitting
- Shetland dialect for "small." In Fair Isle knitting, peerie patterns are small bands only a few rows tall, often used between the larger motifs.See also: Fair Isle, Stranded colorwork
- PegboardFuse beads
- The plastic board of pegs that holds fuse beads while you build and iron a design. Each bead size has its own boards, and square ones can be linked to make bigger pieces.See also: Fuse beads, Ironing paper, Mini beads
- Penelope canvasNeedlepoint
- Canvas woven with pairs of threads, so its count is written as two numbers, like 10/20. Work over the pairs for gros point or split them for petit point, and it's also the canvas used for trammé.See also: Gros point, Petit point, Trammé
- Perforated paperCross stitch
- Stiff card punched with a grid of holes, usually 14 to the inch, used for stitched bookmarks, cards and ornaments. It tears if you force thick thread through, so use what you'd use on 18 count fabric.See also: Plastic canvas, Count
- Perle cottonEmbroidery, Cross stitch, Needlepoint
- A shiny twisted cotton thread that isn't split into strands. DMC makes it in sizes 3, 5, 8 and 12, and the lower the number, the thicker the thread.See also: Floss, Mercerized cotton
- Persian yarnNeedlepoint
- Wool needlepoint yarn made of three loose strands that you separate and recombine for your canvas. One basketweave guide uses 3 strands on 10 mesh, 2 on 12 or 14, and 1 on 18.See also: Tapestry wool, Crewel wool, Mesh
- Petit pointNeedlepoint, Cross stitch
- Tent stitch on fine canvas, about 16 holes per inch or more, used for detailed work; the name is French for "small point." Some cross stitch sources also use it for tiny crosses worked over one thread.See also: Gros point, Petite stitch, Tent stitch
- Petite stitchCross stitch
- A full cross worked over one thread in a design otherwise stitched over two, so four of them fill the space of a normal stitch. They add fine detail and are much easier on evenweave or linen than on Aida, where you'd have to pierce the blocks.See also: Over one, Petit point, Fractional stitches
- Pin stitchCross stitch
- A tiny anchoring stitch for starting a thread under an area that will be covered. Leave the tail on the front of the fabric, make two small stitches through it, trim the end and cross stitch over the top.See also: Loop start, Away waste knot, Confetti
- Plastic canvasNeedlepoint
- A stiff plastic grid sold in pre-cut sheets and shapes rather than by the yard, stitched with yarn and a tapestry needle.See also: Canvas, Perforated paper, Tapestry needle
- Pre-cut yarnLatch hook
- Rug yarn sold already cut, usually to about 2.5 inches, so every latch hook knot comes out the same length.See also: Latch hook, Latch hook tool, Rug canvas
- Printed canvasNeedlepoint
- A needlepoint canvas with the design printed by machine instead of painted. Printing is less precise than painting each stitch, so now and then you decide which color an intersection should be.See also: Hand-painted canvas, Canvas
Q
- Q-SnapCross stitch, Embroidery
- A brand of square or rectangular frame made from plastic tubes, with clamps that snap over the fabric. It doesn't crease the fabric the way a hoop can, and it comes apart for storage.See also: Hoop, Scroll frame
- Quarter stitchCross stitch
- A short stitch from one corner of a square to its center. On Aida that means piercing the middle of the block, and some stitchers switch to a sharp needle for it; on evenweave stitched over two, the hole is already there.See also: Three-quarter stitch, Half stitch, Fractional stitches
- QuickpointNeedlepoint
- Needlepoint on large canvas with fewer than about 7 holes per inch, so it fills in fast.See also: Gros point, Mesh
R
- RailroadingCross stitch, Needlepoint
- Passing the needle between the strands as you finish each stitch so they lie flat and parallel instead of twisting. Stitches cover the fabric better and look smoother, at some cost in speed.See also: Laying tool, Strand, Full coverage
- Release paperDiamond painting
- Non-stick paper laid over parts of a diamond painting canvas you aren't working on, finished or not, to keep dust and debris off.See also: Drills, Sealing
- Rhodes stitchNeedlepoint
- A raised square of straight stitches that all cross at the center, each one turning a step around the square, usually worked over 4 to 12 canvas threads.See also: Smyrna cross, Specialty stitches
- Round drillsDiamond painting
- Drills with a round face. They leave tiny gaps between them, which gives a softer, slightly textured finish that looks more like cross stitch.See also: Square drills, Drills
- RS / WSKnitting
- Right side and wrong side: the side meant to be seen, and the back. Knitting charts show the right side; worked flat, right-side rows are read right to left and wrong-side rows left to right.See also: In the round, Stockinette, Chart repeat
- Rug canvasLatch hook
- The stiff, open canvas used for latch hook, much coarser than needlepoint canvas at about 3.3 to 5 holes per inch.See also: Latch hook, Mesh
- Running stitchEmbroidery
- The simplest line stitch: in and out of the fabric at even lengths, making a dashed line. It's also used to gather fabric and quilt layers, and it's the first pass of Holbein stitch.See also: Holbein stitch, Backstitch
S
- SABLEGeneral
- Stash acquired (or acquisition) beyond life expectancy: the joke for a supply stash too big to use up in one lifetime.See also: Stash, ORT
- SALCross stitch
- Stitch-along: a pattern released bit by bit so a group can stitch it together. Knitters and crocheters call theirs a KAL or CAL.See also: KAL / CAL, WIP
- SamplerCross stitch, Embroidery
- A stitched piece that shows off stitches and motifs, often with an alphabet, borders, the maker's name and a date. The word comes from the Latin exemplum, "example," and the oldest surviving European ones date from the 16th and 17th centuries; by the mid-1600s many were long, narrow band samplers.See also: Blackwork, Specialty stitches
- Satin stitchEmbroidery
- Straight stitches laid side by side to fill a shape solidly and show off the sheen of the thread. It's used for petals, leaves and monograms, and Hardanger's kloster blocks are small runs of it.See also: Long and short stitch, Kloster block, Split stitch
- Scroll frameCross stitch, Embroidery
- A frame with two rollers that the fabric is attached to and wound around, so only the section you're stitching is stretched. It leaves no crease marks and suits large projects you'll be at for a long time.See also: Q-Snap, Hoop, Stretcher bars
- SealingDiamond painting
- Coating a finished diamond painting so the drills don't pop off. It's optional; brush-on sealer reaches between the drills better than spray, and it helps to press the drills down with a soft rubber roller first.See also: Drills, Release paper
- Seed stitchEmbroidery
- Tiny straight stitches scattered at random over an area. Packing them closer together or spacing them out is an easy way to shade.See also: Running stitch, French knot
- Single crochetCrochet
- The short basic stitch in US crochet terms (sc), which UK patterns call double crochet (dc). It's the usual stitch for tapestry crochet. See crochet for beginners.See also: US and UK crochet terms, Double crochet, Tapestry crochet
- SkeinCross stitch, Embroidery, Knitting, Crochet
- A loose bundle of thread or yarn. A DMC floss skein holds 8 m (8.7 yd) of six-strand cotton.See also: Floss, Dye lot, Floss bobbin
- Smyrna crossNeedlepoint, Cross stitch
- A double cross stitch: a regular X with an upright + on top, usually over two threads each way. It's mainly a needlepoint stitch but turns up in cross stitch as a raised accent.See also: Algerian eye, Rhodes stitch, Specialty stitches
- Specialty stitchesCross stitch, Needlepoint
- Decorative stitches on a cross stitch or needlepoint chart beyond the plain cross, fractional stitches, tent stitch and backstitch, such as Algerian eyes, Smyrna crosses and Rhodes stitches.See also: Algerian eye, Smyrna cross, Rhodes stitch, Stitch guide
- Split stitchEmbroidery
- An outline stitch where each stitch comes up through the middle of the one before, splitting its strands. It looks like a tiny chain and also works as padding under other stitches.See also: Chain stitch, Satin stitch, Stem stitch
- Square drillsDiamond painting
- Drills with a square face that sit edge to edge, so neighbors help line each other up. Keep the tray turned the same way as the canvas and the edges stay straight.See also: Round drills, Checkerboard method
- Stamped cross stitchCross stitch
- Cross stitch with the design printed on the fabric, so you stitch over the marks instead of counting from a chart. The ink washes out when you're done.See also: Counted cross stitch, Waste canvas
- StashGeneral
- Your collection of supplies waiting for a project: floss, fabric, yarn and charts you aren't using yet.See also: SABLE, ORT, WIP
- SteekKnitting
- Extra stitches knitted where an opening will go, so colorwork can be knit in the round and cut open afterward for a cardigan front or armhole. Sticky wool holds together on its own; superwash and slippery yarns need the steek reinforced with sewing or crochet before you cut.See also: Fair Isle, In the round, Stranded colorwork
- Stem stitchEmbroidery
- Slanted, overlapping stitches that make a twisted, rope-like line, used for stems and outlines.See also: Split stitch, Backstitch
- Stitch guideNeedlepoint
- Instructions written for one specific painted canvas, telling you which decorative stitch and thread to use in each area, with diagrams and notes on compensating stitches.See also: Hand-painted canvas, Compensating stitches, Specialty stitches
- StockinetteKnitting
- The smooth basic knit fabric, with V-shaped stitches on the right side and bumps on the back. Worked flat, you knit right-side rows and purl wrong-side rows; in the round, you knit every round.See also: RS / WS, Duplicate stitch, In the round
- StrandCross stitch, Embroidery
- One of the six thin threads that make up floss. Pull them out one at a time and put back together however many the chart asks for; two strands is the usual choice on 14 count Aida, and fine backstitch often uses one.See also: Floss, Railroading, Loop start
- Stranded colorworkKnitting
- Knitting with two (sometimes more) colors in the same row or round, carrying the unused yarn across the back as floats. Fair Isle is one tradition of it, alongside others like Selbu and Bohus, and photo to knitting chart can chart a picture; keep the color count low for stranding.See also: Float, Fair Isle, Color dominance
- Stranded cottonCross stitch, Embroidery
- Another name for six-strand embroidery floss, common in the UK. Anchor sells its floss as Stranded Cotton.See also: Floss, Anchor, Mouliné
- Stretcher barsNeedlepoint, Cross stitch
- Bars that slot together into a frame, with the canvas tacked on starting at the center of each side and tacks about an inch apart. They keep needlepoint canvas from distorting while you stitch.See also: Mono canvas, Scroll frame, Blocking
- Surface embroideryEmbroidery
- Embroidery worked freely on top of the fabric, following a drawn design rather than counting threads. Crewel work is one kind.See also: Crewel embroidery, Counted cross stitch, Water-soluble pen
- SymbolGeneral
- The mark in a chart square, such as a dot, letter or shape, that points to one color in the key. A small version of a symbol tucked into one corner usually means a three-quarter stitch.See also: Key (legend), Chart, Three-quarter stitch
T
- TapestryNeedlepoint
- In the UK, the everyday name for needlepoint. Strictly speaking, a tapestry is woven on a loom, not stitched on canvas.See also: Needlepoint, Tapestry wool
- Tapestry crochetCrochet
- Colorwork where you crochet over the color you aren't using, so it travels hidden inside the stitches instead of floating behind. Single crochet is the usual stitch, and if the carried color peeks through, try a smaller hook. See the tapestry crochet guide for the slant and chart reading.See also: Mosaic crochet, Graphgan, Intarsia
- Tapestry needleCross stitch, Needlepoint
- A needle with a blunt tip and a large eye, so it slips between fabric threads without splitting them. Higher numbers are finer: 24 is the usual match for 14 count Aida and 26 for 16 count.See also: Count, Aida, Over one
- Tapestry woolNeedlepoint
- A 4-ply needlepoint wool that you use as it comes, without splitting it, on canvas of roughly 10 to 14 mesh.See also: Persian yarn, Crewel wool, Mesh
- Tent stitchNeedlepoint
- The small diagonal stitch over one canvas intersection that most needlepoint is made of. Half cross, continental and basketweave all look alike from the front but differ on the back, in how much yarn they use and in how well they wear.See also: Basketweave, Continental stitch, Half cross stitch
- Thread conditionerCross stitch, Embroidery
- Beeswax or a synthetic coating that you run thread across to cut down on tangling and fraying. In embroidery, beeswax mostly goes on the thread that sews down metal threads in goldwork and on thread for attaching beads or buttons. Waxed thread darkens over time.See also: Metallic thread, Couching
- Three-quarter stitchCross stitch
- A quarter stitch plus a half stitch in one square, making a triangle of color. Charts show it as a triangle or a small symbol in one corner, and the quarter usually goes in first (cross stitch stitch types explains how to work it).See also: Quarter stitch, Half stitch, Symbol
- TinkingKnitting
- Undoing knitting one stitch at a time, slipping each one back onto the left needle; "tink" is knit spelled backward. It's slow but safe, so it's best for mistakes a few stitches or a row or two back.See also: Frogging, Lifeline
- Top legCross stitch
- The second diagonal of a cross, the one that lies on top. Either direction is fine, but every top leg in a piece should slant the same way or the stitching looks uneven.See also: Half stitch, Railroading
- TramméNeedlepoint
- Long horizontal stitches laid along a row of penelope canvas and then covered with tent stitch. On a trammed canvas the whole design is laid in this way in colored wool, so it shows you which color goes where.See also: Penelope canvas, Tent stitch, Printed canvas
U
- UFOGeneral
- Unfinished object: a project you've set aside and aren't working on anymore, as opposed to a WIP you still pick up.See also: WIP, FO, Stash
- US and UK crochet termsCrochet
- The same names mean different stitches on each side of the Atlantic: US single crochet is UK double crochet, US half double is UK half treble, and US double is UK treble. US patterns also say gauge where UK ones say tension.See also: Single crochet, Double crochet, Gauge
V
- Variegated flossCross stitch, Embroidery
- Floss whose color changes along its length, through shades of one color or through several. DMC makes a small Variegated range in its regular floss and a separate Color Variations line that shifts within one color family.See also: Overdyed floss, Hand-dyed floss, Floss
W
- Waste canvasCross stitch
- A stiff, starched grid basted onto fabric that has no countable weave, such as clothing. You stitch through both layers, then dampen it and pull its threads out with tweezers, leaving only the design.See also: Count, Stamped cross stitch
- Waste knotCross stitch, Needlepoint, Embroidery
- A knot on the front of the fabric a few stitches from your start, placed so the tail on the back gets covered as you stitch toward it. When you reach the knot, snip it off.See also: Away waste knot, Loop start, Pin stitch
- Water-soluble penCross stitch, Embroidery
- A fabric marker whose lines rinse out in plain water. Remove every mark that way before you iron or launder the piece, and test the pen on a scrap first; heat-erasable pens are riskier, since their marks can come back in the cold.See also: Gridding, Surface embroidery
- WaxDiamond painting
- The sticky pad you press the applicator pen into so it can pick up drills. Keep it covered when you're not using it.See also: Applicator pen, Drills