Look at the next area of your chart and identify a small group you want to stitch. Match its symbol to the color key, then match the listed number to your floss label. Similar shades can be sneaky, especially when the light changes.

Keep each color with its number. If you separate strands for later, tuck them with the same labeled thread rather than letting them join an anonymous pastel pile. The leftovers are still useful; they just need an address.

For a simple area, finish one connected group before changing colors. Our example has three pink squares followed by three aqua squares. You do not need to alternate threads after every X unless the chart or your chosen method calls for it.

Complete the last intended X in the group while you still have several inches of working thread available. Its final downward movement leaves your needle at the back. Turn the frame over and find nearby, securely stitched thread bars.

For ordinary stranded cotton, slide the needle under four or five suitable stitch backs, between those bars and the grid. Avoid piercing the strands or making a new hole. A short path beneath the same or a similar color helps keep a darker tail from showing through a pale area.

Pull gently until the thread sits neatly. Check that the end stays tucked and that the front has not tightened or distorted. Check first, trim second. Leave a small tail beyond the last bar and keep your scissors clear of the grid and neighboring stitches.

Return the frame to its original front-facing position. Check the new color number and the strand count for that stitch type. Prepare a manageable length, separating ordinary six-strand cotton one strand at a time before combining what you need.

Anchor the new thread using a method appropriate for your pattern and floss. If you are using two working strands of solid-color cotton, the loop start from Stitch School 04 is an option: fold one separated strand in half, thread both cut ends through the needle, and catch the waiting loop behind the first diagonal.

Keep the new thread separate from the old finished tail. There is no need to tie the two colors together to move between them. Make the first X in the new color, check its position, and then continue the group.

The next color may begin beside your last stitch, above it, below it, or in a separate part of the design. Use a stitch you have already checked as your reference and count both the horizontal and vertical movement.

In this example, the aqua start is one column right and one row down from the last pink stitch. Count the destination square before anchoring the new thread. The dashed arrows show the count; they are not long stitches you should make.

Mark the group you finished on a working copy of the chart, while leaving symbols readable. Keep the next color’s number close at hand. A little “pink done, aqua next” note can save a surprising amount of head-scratching after a break.

You can return to the same color later with a new length. Working every stitch of one color across the whole frame is not a requirement. Choose manageable nearby groups, keep the counting clear, and give your hands a comfortable pace.