Parker Posey (a longtime needlepointer) on everything a beginner needs to know, from the eyeglass-case kits that quickly made Cameron Diaz capable to the 1973 pattern book written by an NFL legend.

Most simply defined, needlepoint is a method of embroidery that involves stitching yarn through an open-weave canvas to create a motif or message. While examples of basic needlework dating back to ...