A Quick Guide to Common Cross Stitch Symbols – Cross-Stitch

Because I live in the Northern Hemisphere, this time of year all I want to do is sit somewhere with a warm beverage and craft. Maybe we can actually craft something inspired by a warm beverage? With that in mind, let’s take a look at some hot chocolate cross stitch patterns.

First I love this little easy mug of cocoa with candy canes coming out from Bella Rose Craft. This would be a cute one to stitch on a napkin you use while drinking your favorite warm beverage. The design is 1.71 by 2.29 inches, or 4.3 by 5.8 cm on 14 count fabric.

Stitch up a sweet hot chocolate recipe with this design from Stitchrovia, perfect for hanging in your kitchen during warm beverage season. The pattern is 120 by 180 stitches, which on 14 count fabric comes out to 8.6 by 12.9 inches, or 21.8 by 32.7 cm.

Being a knitted of course I love the hot cocoa pattern from Maple Squirrel Stitch, which features hot chocolate loaded up with candy canes and marshmallows and in a mug with a knit-like coffee cup cozy. The design uses 30 colors and 7 blends, and is worked on 108 by 131 stitches. For 14 count fabric that’s 7.5 by 9 inches, or 19.6 by 23.8 cm. It includes full, half and back stitches.

Flat Iron Tack has another cute loaded cocoa project, this time with a mug that says “cold outside, cocoa inside,” which sounds like a pretty good plan. The design is 145 by 128 stitches and uses 14 colors.

This design from Autumn Andrea looks good enough to drink, and the blues make it more of a winter project than a Christmas one. At 196 by 196 stitches, on 14 count fabric it comes out 14 inches (35. 5 cm). If I can count correctly it uses 54 colors.

And if you’re looking for a super detailed, colorful and maybe kind of intense project, check out these loaded mugs from Laser Arts Designs. This pretty picture would be especially welcome at Christmas with all the red and green, and the traditional snowflake on the mug is a great touch. It only uses 14 colors, and measures 193 by 112 stitches. On 14 count fabric that would be 13.8 by 8 inches, or 35 by 20.3 cm, though the pattern includes counts for other sizes if you want to make it smaller.

15 Delicious Hot Cocoa Recipes [Edible Crafts]

Cozy Cocoa House Cross Stitch Pattern

Giselle’s Cross stitch is a sweet Etsy shop based in Sweden with a focus on holiday designs and items from nature. 

The biggest category in the shop is Christmas, and it’s filled with cute nutrcrackers, snowflakes and Christmas houses. I like this Baking Christmas Bright pattern, which would be super cute added to the pocket of an apron or made for a grandparent who likes to bake with the grandkids. 

It uses 14 colors and is 99 by 70 stitches. On 14 count fabric that comes out to 7.1 by 5 inches, or 18 by 12.7 cm. She says that it only took her five or six days to stitch this one, but I think it would take most of the rest of us a bit longer!

There’s also a general holiday section that includes Easter, Valentine’s Day, and a project for mom or dad. The Halloween patterns include a cute Halloween greenhouse, some cheeky ghosts and the Grim Reaper, among other things. 

Another large category on the site is the nature one, which has a butterfly, some floral patterns, geese, a frog and some cute fall-themed samplers with mushrooms, foxes and rabbits. 

You can also get a little Gothic with a series of potion bottle cross stitch patterns, a ghost chasing bubbles and an ambigram of the word witch (an ambigram is like a visual palindrome, so the word looks the same right side up and upside down). 

Or stitch up some food. This section is heavy on fruit and I love the series of fruits that are made of the word for the fruit in the shape of the fruit. There are also some salty quotations, cute bookmarks and other fun designs, so check it all out at Giselle’s Cross Stitch on Etsy. 

Have a favorite designer you’d like to see in the spotlight? Let me know in the comments!

[Photo: Giselle’s Cross Stitch]

As a fan of cross-stitching, I’m always looking for fresh ways to make my projects pop. So when I came across Cross Stitch Alphabet & Number Patterns by Artsy Betsy, I couldn’t wait to dive in! This book is a fantastic resource for anyone looking to personalize their cross-stitch pieces with custom quotes, names, or monograms. If you’re into making meaningful, one-of-a-kind gifts or adding a personal touch to your home decor, this is definitely a book you should check out.

What I love about this book is how versatile it is. Inside, you’ll find more than 500 characters across 12 different font styles. That means whether you’re stitching a heartfelt quote for a friend or creating a personalized monogram for a family heirloom, there’s a font that will fit your style. These fonts aren’t just pretty—they’re also easy to follow, which is a huge plus for crafters at any level.

The alphabet and numbers are clearly presented with easy-to-read charts, making it simple to find and stitch exactly what you need. Plus, the large print format is easy on the eyes, which means you won’t have to squint while working on those intricate designs.

If you’re like me, you’ll be thrilled with the endless possibilities for personalizing your work. From adding unique quotes to creating custom names and dates, this book gives you the tools to make your projects truly your own. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced stitcher, the ability to create something meaningful adds a new level of satisfaction to every piece.

The 12 font styles are varied enough to suit different tastes—whether you prefer a classic, elegant script or something a bit more bold and modern, there’s something here for every project you have in mind.

I’ve already started using some of the alphabet patterns for a few holiday gifts, and I can already tell these will be well-received. Imagine stitching a custom quote onto a framed piece or a cozy pillow for a friend—it’s the kind of thoughtful, personalized gift that shows you put real effort into creating something special. Plus, these patterns are perfect for adding a personal touch to your own home. Whether it’s a monogrammed throw pillow or a custom family name plaque, this book gives you the inspiration and tools to make it happen.

If you’re into cross-stitching and want a simple, yet powerful way to make your creations more personalized, Cross Stitch Alphabet & Number Patterns by Artsy Betsy is a must-have. With over 500 characters in 12 stylish fonts, this book opens up a world of possibilities for your craft projects. The instructions are clear, the patterns are beautiful, and the large print makes it super easy to follow along. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced stitcher, this book will definitely take your cross-stitching to the next level.

Want to get your hands on this book? Grab it on Amazon here: Cross Stitch Alphabet & Number Patterns

If you like repeating cross stitch designs, borders you can use on other projects or as bookmarks, florals and Japanese-inspired designs, you’ll want to check out 200 Japanese Cross Stitch Designs by Saeko Endo. This collection of 200 cross stitch charts is low on instruction but big on inspiration for those who are comfortable taking a chart and running with it. 

The book includes a brief introduction to the needed supplies and basics of stitching, but mostly is just photographs of finished designs and the charts that go with them. The charts vary widely in size and there can be anywhere from one to six charts printed on a single page. 

Many of the designs are repeating patterns, but the chart shows a larger version so you can see how the repeats go together. Each chart has marked what portion is repeating and how many stitches and rows it includes. Other than that the charts are not numbered, but there are darker lines every five rows to help you count. 

The patterns all range from one to three colors, and some include half cross stitches or back stitching, but most are full stitches. 

The book is arranged into categories of motifs: geometric patterns, retro patterns, traditional Japanese patterns, floral and fauna and borders and pictorial motifs. 

My favorites are the Japanese designs, many of which are recognizable from woodcuts, kimono designs and traditional shashiko embroidery.  You’ll find cherry blossoms, suns, knots, and simple line designs that would be lots of fun to stitch. 

There are a few pages devoted to different ways to modify charts such as changing colors, changing the way to design is repeated, flipping and rotating designs.

Other than that you’re on your own for how you actually want to use these designs. Of course they can just be stitched and framed but it might have been nice to see some of the projects stitched and staged in a way you might use them in everyday life (repeating motifs as coasters, or a bigger design turned into a pillow, for example). 

Sometimes it helps to see designs used in different ways to get you thinking about how you might use them yourself. If you don’t need that creative push, this is a fine book full of patterns you’ll have fun playing with in different ways. 

About the book: 112 pages, paperback, 200 patterns. Published 2025 by David & Charles. Suggested retail price $24.99.

I’ve long had a soft spot for puffins, so of course when I found an Etsy shop called Murder Puffin I had to share it. 

And I’m so glad I found it because they’ve got some weird stuff that I hope you’re going to like as much as I do. 

There are cryptids and true crime, nautical themed designs, holiday wanted posters and an entire section called memento mori. So if that sounds like something you’d be into, read on. 

The biggest section on the site, though, is Altoid tin cross stitch patterns. If you can’t quite imagine what an Altoid tin cross stitch pattern would be like, this mummy cross stitch tin is a pretty representative example.

Most of them have a character (in this case, the mummy, but it could be anything from an alien to a racoon to a gnome) or more than one, who is made into a tiny stuffed doll. There’s a design for the top and bottom inside of the tin; here it’s a pyramid and an anhk design. There’s also a small design for the top of the box. And finally, a kind of blanket and a pillow so you can tuck your little character into the box. 

Each one is a cute little set that would be so fun to display (and play with!) on your desk or bookshelf. And there’s a great range of options to choose from. 

In addition to those, you’ll find a lot of other fun stuff for the strange and unusual on your gift list. There are some delightfully creepy (and mostly cryptid-inspired) tarot cards. A whole set of dark samplers called Gothic murder family. And a section called potted cross stitch, with little designs like mushrooms, plants and pumpkins you can stitch up and “plant” in tiny pots. 

There’s so much fun stuff you really just need to stop reading this and go visit Murder Puffin on Etsy. I hope you find it as delightful as I do!

[Photo: Murder Puffin]

Stitch with Coffee is an Etsy shop that is almost completely devoted to holiday designs, with the exception of a series of designs that feature the exploits of a tuxedo cat named Tuxey. It’s also almost completely devoted to cat designs, as we’ll see. 

Because I happen to own a tuxedo cat (her name is Haru) we definitely have to spend some time talking about those patterns Haru means spring, so it seems appropriate to share this one of the cat in a field of daisies. The pattern measures 91 by 52 stitches and is all full cross stitches with a little bit of backstitching. It doesn’t say how many colors are used but I think it’s six or seven. 

I love the look of it on this sage colored 28 count linen but you can use whatever you like. 

The largest category in the shop is for Halloween, and here, too, you’ll find a lot of cats (I also have a black cat so you know I love that, too). There are cats doing potions, a skeleton cat, Frankencat, Dracula cat, cats in pumpkins, a cat witch flying a broom and more. There are also some ghosts and other patterns that don’t involve cats, but I can’t stress enough that there are a lot of cats in this shop (maybe it should have been called Stitch with Cats instead of Stitch with Coffee!).

In the Christmas section there are still more cats: in sweaters, with antlers decorated with holiday lights, in stockings and a cat snowman. There are not Christmas patterns that don’t feature cats.

There are a couple of Valentine’s Day patterns that don’t feature cats, but they still predominate here. You get the idea. 

If you like cats every day of the year you’re sure to enjoy this shop. And if you like cats every month of the year, make sure you check out their calendar series, which features cats doing seasonal things like watching a snow globe, being a leprechaun and waving a flag surrounded by fireworks. 

Check out all their designs at Stitch with Coffee, and let me know if you see something that catches your eye!

[Photo: Stitch with Coffee]

I’m primarily a knitter, and in the knitting world the “emotional support chicken” has been a big trend probably for a couple of years now (I don’t know how long something has to be popular before you can stop calling it a trend, but whatever).

There are chicken crochet patterns that are popular as well, and now I’ve found a cross stitch chicken pattern that might just become the newest iteration of the emotional support chicken theme.

The Funky Chickens pattern from Satsuma Street are three-dimensional, triangular chickens embellished with felt to make their facial features and tail feathers. The bodies include stripes, curves, speckles and other little designs to mark different parts of their bodies. They’re super cute and not any more difficult to stitch than any other pattern, though of course there’s more finishing than you would normally expect.

The pattern includes designs for three chickens, which are actually a rooster and two hens. The rooster is slightly larger, at 120 by 60 stitches, or 4 by 4 inches/10 cm when finished. The hens are 100 by 50 stitches and come out to 3.25 inches/8 cm when finished. These measurements are for stitching on 14 count fabric or 28 count over two.

The patterns use 13 colors, and if you want to make all three, one skein of each color will make all of them. In addition to your regular cross stitch supplies you’ll need three or four little pieces of felt of different colors to add all the details.

These chickens would be great to use as pincushions, or you could put something heavy in the bottom and use them as pattern weights if you do sewing. They’d also be fun gifts for anyone who likes chickens or needs a little emotional support if you explain it to them.

The pattern is available from Satsuma Street on Etsy.

[Photo: Satsuma Street]