Stitch Dictionaries
Not sure how to perform a stitch on your newest project? Looking to expand your skills? Look no further. This page offers a variety of links to various stitch dictionaries sorted by craft.
Crochet
Knitting
While some of the images are starting to show their age, Barbara Breiter’s stitch library is second to none if you’re just looking for instructions on how to do certain stitches. Be aware that these do not include chart symbols, and some stitches have different names depending on who you talk to. These instructions also assume you turn your work, so if you use a knitting technique that does not, make sure to reverse the instructions every other row.
Hand Sewing
Sewguide.com features an excellent stitch dictionary with pictures for ten basic stitches you will likely run into. While it’s not comprehensive, these are by far the most common stitches you’ll need for everyday projects.
While more useful for machine sewing, the terms covered in this post by Luisa of Treasurie are useful for anyone with an interest in needlecraft. The post also features plenty of pictures, so if you’re not quite sure what the term you’re looking for could be, start here and maybe you’ll get lucky.
Embroidery
If you’re looking for a quick reference guide for what a stitch looks like or alternative names, look no further than the visual dictionary from Practical Embroidery. Be aware that it does not have instructions on how to perform these stitches, so this is more for trying to figure out how to recreate stitches.
Sharon B’s Pintangle offers an extremely comprehensive embroidery dictionary along with instructions from her page that walk you through how to perform each stitch. The dictionary also shows variations on common stitches, so it’s an excellent resource.