Cross stitch is a specialized form of embroidery where the design is made up of stitches that look like little ‘x’s.  Sometimes cross-stitch is done on designs printed on the fabric (stamped cross-stitch); the stitcher simply stitches over the printed pattern.  Cross-stitch is one of the oldest forms of embroidery and can be found all over the world.  Another popular form of Cross-Stitch is Counted Cross-Stitch; a counted-thread embroidery in which X-shaped stitches in a tiled, raster-like pattern that are used to form a picture.  

Cross-stitch is usually executed on easily countable evenweave fabric called aida cloth.  Aida is a fabric particularly suited to cross stitch as the weave provides regularly spaced holes for each stitch. Aida fabric is available in many different ‘counts’.  The count of the fabric is the number of blocks (or stitches) to the inch, so the higher the count, the finer (and smaller) the finished design. The most popular count is 14/28, but 16/32 and 18/36 are often used as well.

A helpful note; if you are new to Cross-Stitch Binca is a fabric similar to Aida but is has a much lower stitch count which makes it ideal for beginners, children and those with limited eyesight. Binca is usually available in 6 count.