Well everyone, I finally learned how to cross stitch! With a little help from Phil’s Next Kick and Corrie Berry I learned the basic stitch. If you are looking for a beginner video that will assist you in learning this skill, I highly recommend these two videos. I started out by practicing the stitch on my own without using a pattern. This helped me understand how to finish one stitch and move on to the next by moving through the fabric straight across in the back and crossing over in the front.
My first cross stitch.
I then moved on to practicing with a pattern. I found a simple letter pattern by Crafts Unleashed. I found it slightly difficult to keep track of my stitches and there were a few times I made a mistake and crossed horizontally through the fabric instead of diagonally. Overall, I think the letters turned out fairly good for being the first cross stitch I have tried using a pattern.
Letter pattern by Crafts Unleashed. 
My first cross stitch using a pattern.
One of my goals for next week is to keep the back neat. It the videos I watched, the back of their cross stitch was neat and organized. As you can see below, mine is quite a mess. I learned that having a thread that is too long can cause it to get tangled and causes knots. To prevent this, I will cut all my threads at the same length and make them shorter than I did this time.
Overall, I had a great time learning how to cross stitch and I am finding it a fun and relaxing hobby. I look forward to working on a sailboat pattern this week and keeping you updated with my project!
I really love this learning project! I’m actually a bit jealous that I didn’t choose this as mine as it looks like a really relaxing and almost therapeutic project. I really like how you included some very attainable goals such as cleaning up the back and some great pictures to show what you’ve done so far. I’m really excited to see your progression over the semester!
Thank you Lauren! I am happy with my decision to pursue this activity as a learning project! It has become a relaxing part of my day that I can focus on something other than assignments. After learning the basics, I believe anyone could learn how to cross stitch quite easily. If you are looking for a hobby, I highly recommend learning how to cross stitch!
Grace,
I am so impressed by how far you have come with your learning project already! It looks great. I love your use of pictures to illustrate your progress and I am looking forward to seeing how you make out with the sailboat pattern next week. Also, way to examine how you can improve and set goals for yourself! Is that something you will try to do every week? I think you should!
Thanks for sharing,
Kylie