Needlepoint Lingo: a modern day glossary

Every hobby has its own secret language, and needlepoint is no exception. In this episode of Oh, Stitch, Natasha and Alonsa pull back the curtain on the words, abbreviations, and inside jokes that fill up needlepoint group chats and Instagram captions. Some of these terms are practical shop talk. Others are pure internet slang that took even the sisters a minute to figure out. Either way, consider this your cheat sheet.

What They're Stitching

First, here's what they're currently stitching. Alonsa's stitching a Dolly Parton canvas from a chart by Sophie and Lili, with proceeds from the chart benefiting Dolly's Imagination Library. She's planning some bling on the shirt and shoes in true Dolly fashion, and the finished piece is destined to become an ornament. Natasha is still stitching her With Love By Bug canvas she bought at Destination Needlepoint back in June: a woman needlepointing in bed, towel wrapped around her head. She's working the robe and towel in long satin stitches using a textured bouclé thread. She plans on framing it and putting it in her Palm Spring pink guest bath.

Mesh Count: 13 & 18 Rundown

First up, one of the most confusing basics: mesh count. It would be reasonable to assume a higher number means bigger squares. It's actually the opposite. A higher mesh number means more squares per inch, which means smaller squares and finer detail. Needlepoint has two standard mesh counts: 13 and 18. Thirteen mesh has bigger holes, which makes it more forgiving for beginners and easier on the eyes, while 18 mesh allows for far more intricate detail.

Needles, Thread, and Dye Lots

A tapestry needle is what stitchers use to work a canvas, named for its blunt tip. Needle size follows the same "bigger number, smaller size" logic as mesh: a size 20 needle typically pairs with 13 mesh, and a size 22 with 18 mesh. Thread (sometimes called fiber) can be silk, wool, or a blend, and it usually comes packaged one of two ways: on a card, which holds about ten yards, or in a skein, a bundled coil of about thirty yards. One detail worth double-checking every time: dye lots. Threads from different dye lots can look identical on the shelf but stitch up looking noticeably different once they're on the canvas, so it always pays to confirm the dye lot numbers match before starting a project. Basically, buy enough thread from the start!

In Hand vs. Stretcher Bars, and Blocking

Natasha and Alonsa are in-hand stitchers! They hold their canvas and usually roll it to make it easier for stitching. One problem: stitching in hand does create canvas warping. Thankfully, it's fixable by blocking your canvas. Basically you steam the stitched canvas and pin it into the correct shape. Many people use stretcher bars or frames when they stitch. There is no right or wrong, just do what works for you!

finish vs. Finish (Yes, Really)

This one trips up a lot of stitchers. A lowercase "finish" simply means you've completed the stitching itself. A capital "Finish" means the canvas has been turned into its permanent form: framed, made into a pillow, an ornament, a bag tag, a tray, and so on. It's entirely normal to have plenty of lowercase finishes sitting around waiting for their capital-F moment.

Needle Minders and LNS

A needle minder is a small magnetic piece that sandwiches onto the canvas so a needle (or a pair of snips) can rest on it magnetically without getting lost. Many local needlepoint shops, or LNS for short, make their own exclusive needle minders, and collecting one from every shop visited has become its own fun tradition among stitchers who travel.

Modern Stitcher Slang

Beyond the traditional vocabulary, a newer batch of terms has taken over needlepoint social media. A stash is the full collection of canvases and thread a stitcher has on hand. An ort (short for "old raggedy thread") is the little snipped-off bit left over at the end of a stitch, and some stitchers keep a jar or tray just to collect them. WIP stands for work in progress, which is where "WIP Wednesday" gets its name. A UFO is an unfinished object, a project that's been set aside for a while without necessarily being abandoned. Kitted means a canvas comes packaged with its threads included, which is a great option for beginners or for anyone without easy access to an LNS. And finally, frogging is the act of ripping out stitches, whether because of a dye lot mismatch, a decorative stitch gone wrong, or simply a color that didn't work out. The name comes from "rip it, rip it" sounding a little like a frog's ribbit.

Embracing the Learning Curve

As Natasha and Alonsa point out, nobody arrives at needlepoint already knowing every term, and that's perfectly fine. Mistakes happen, questions are always welcome, and there's no such thing as a dumb one. The most important rule of all still applies: it's your hobby, so stitch it your way.

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