Best Cross Stitch Kits for Beginners UK

Almost everyone who gives up on cross stitch gives up on their first kit, and usually for the same two reasons: the design was too big, or the fabric count was too fine to see.

So the honest answer to "which kit should I start with" has very little to do with the picture on the front. It is about size, count and whether the box actually contains everything.

What a complete kit should contain

A beginner kit should leave you needing nothing else. Before you buy, check it lists all four of these:

• The fabric, cut with a margin around the design so it fits a hoop.
• Threads sorted to the chart, not a bag of loose skeins you have to identify yourself.
• A blunt tapestry needle. Blunt matters - it slips between the fabric holes instead of splitting the threads.
• Printed instructions and a chart you can actually read.

Every kit in our beginner starter kits range includes all four. A hoop is the one thing often left out, and it is worth having - a hoop keeps tension even, which is most of what makes stitches look tidy.

The fabric count that suits a beginner

Aida is sold by count: the number of stitch squares per inch. The lower the number, the bigger each stitch.

• 11 count - the largest squares, easiest to see. Good for children, or anyone whose eyes are tired by evening.
• 14 count - the standard starting point, and what most beginner kits use.
• 16 and 18 count - finer detail, smaller holes, noticeably harder on the eyes. Leave these until you have finished something.

On 14 count the usual practice is two strands of six-stranded floss for the main stitching and one strand for backstitch outlines. If your stitches look thin and gappy, you are probably using one strand where you need two.

Counted or printed for a first kit?

A counted kit gives you plain fabric and a chart to count from. A printed or stamped kit has the design already on the fabric, so you stitch over what you can see.

Printed is the softer landing and there is no shame in it. Counted teaches you to read a chart, which is the skill every later kit assumes you have. If you are torn, our counted vs stamped guide works through it properly.

Pick a small design, then pick a pretty one

This is the part people get backwards. A large kit bought in enthusiasm takes forty hours, stalls at hour six and goes in a drawer. A mini kit or a small kit finishes in an evening or two, and a finished piece is what makes you start the next one.

Themes worth starting on: birds, because feather texture hides uneven stitches; and florals, because petals are forgiving in the same way. Sharp geometric designs and lettering punish small errors, so save samplers for your second or third project.

What you do not need yet

Thread conditioners, magnifying lamps, gridded fabric, a floor stand. All useful eventually, none of it necessary now. The only genuine upgrade worth making early is a decent thread set once you start stitching your own designs.

When you are ready for the technique itself, the complete beginner's guide covers starting without a knot, keeping the back tidy and what to do when you miscount.

The short version

• A complete kit means fabric, threads sorted to the chart, a blunt tapestry needle and printed instructions.
• 14 count aida is the standard starting point; 11 count is easier to see, 16 and 18 are harder on the eyes.
• Two strands of floss for main stitching, one for backstitch – thin gappy stitches usually mean one strand where you need two.
• Printed kits are the softer start; counted kits teach you to read a chart, which every later kit assumes.
• Pick small before pretty. Birds and florals forgive uneven stitches; lettering and geometric samplers do not.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best cross stitch kit for a complete beginner?

A small, complete kit on 14-count aida with a forgiving design - birds or flowers rather than lettering. It should include the fabric, threads already sorted to the chart, a blunt tapestry needle and printed instructions, so you need nothing else to start.

What count aida should a beginner use?

14 count is the usual starting point at 14 stitch squares per inch. Go to 11 count if you want bigger squares and easier visibility, which also suits children. Leave 16 and 18 count until you have finished a project, as the holes get noticeably harder to see.

How many strands of thread do I use?

Two strands of six-stranded floss for the main stitching on 14 count, and one strand for backstitch outlines. If your stitches look thin and the fabric shows through, you are almost certainly using one strand where two are needed.

Should I start with a counted or a printed kit?

Printed - also called stamped - is the gentler start, because the design is already on the fabric. Counted gives you plain fabric and a chart, which teaches the chart-reading skill that later kits assume. Either is a fine first kit; counted just front-loads the learning.

How long does a beginner cross stitch kit take?

A mini or small kit is an evening or two. That is deliberately the point for a first project - a large kit can run to forty hours, and most people who abandon cross stitch do so partway through one they bought on enthusiasm.