The continental stitch is probably one of the easiest stitches that there are in needlepoint. What you need is a canvas that you are comfortable handling, a needle and a thread. If you are just practicing the continental stitch you can choose any yarn and any piece of canvas. On the other hand, if you starting off on your project make sure that you buy the supplies that have been detailed in the project. This is because the specific type of canvas and the yarn that you will have to use are different in each case. These depend on the specific project that you are thinking of. For example, a wall hanging may require a different kind of material or canvas as compared to a sunglass case.

The continental stitch is a good stitch when you have to cover small areas. Pull the needle out from below in the canvas hole that you want to start from. Take a look at the canvas holes and insert the needle back into the hole that is directly diagonal to the one that the thread is coming out of. This will create something of a half cross stitch if you are familiar with the latter. Take the needle out from the opening right above the one in which you have inserted it and you should be ready to do your next stich too. Continue in this manner and you can do the continental stitch up till the numbers that you have counted in the design.