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The art of needlepoint - something for the masses to enjoy.

Here's the basic tools if you're just starting:

1) Tapestry needle - they're thicker than usual needles because of the heavier fabric they need to be able to get into and out of.

2) Thread - a given. BE WARNED: it's a pain at first knotting and finishing off a part, for instance a leaf. So even if you're working from a pattern and that pattern calls for a specific amount, ALWAYS get more.

3) Small scissors - they should be little and very sharp. What you want is something that'll cut your thread evenly with the other threads. It sounds silly, but once you've tried getting a few threads of slightly different lengths through a needle's eye, you'll see what I mean.

4) Frame - some people prefer to work without one, but it really is easier. This way, you can have your fabric neatly stretched taut, to prevent disasters like pulling a thread through a fold that wasn't supposed to be there at all, and so on.

5) Pattern - Some people will work with a pattern, drawn out on graph paper and printed in books - that's counted cross stitch. Others will get a pattern that's pre-painted on so it sort of ends up like color-by-numbers for needlepoint.

6) Fabric/canvas - Canvas is very easy to use for needlepoint; it already has all the holes present. Fabric is much less easy and I would not recommend that to a beginner; you can very easily get lost.

That's all the tools a real beginner in needlepoint needs. There are also kits sold on-line, by catalog or in craft stores, which will give you everything you need, but trust me they are not any faster than the other kind where you get all your own materials together. They can also be pretty pricey.

Learn more about this author, Jess Howe.
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