Spider web cross stitch pattern

About this design

The web has eight straight spokes radiating from the centre and four rings of thread between them. Each ring dips slightly between the spokes, the way a real web sags, which gives the design its hand-made look. The threads are DMC 318 Steel Gray Light, soft enough to look delicate on white or cream fabric. Four single stitches of 3753 Antique Blue Ultra Very Light sit on the web as dewdrops, and a black 310 spider hangs on its own thread near the lower right, with a single 321 Red stitch on its back.

How to work it

Stitch the eight spokes first, counting from the centre stitch outwards; they give you the frame for everything else. Then work the rings from the inside out, checking each section against the chart. The lines are one stitch wide, so a well-lit surface helps. Add the spider, its thread and the dewdrops last.

Finishing ideas

At 41 × 39 stitches the web measures about 2.9 × 2.8 inches (7.4 × 7.1 cm) on 14-count Aida and 2.3 × 2.2 inches on 18-count. Stitched on black or dark purple fabric with white or silver thread instead of grey, it becomes a striking Halloween piece. It also works as a corner motif on a cushion or a framed decoration for the season.

Colour plan

DMC 318 Steel Gray Lt does the most work, 93% of the 443 stitches, followed by DMC 310 Black at 6%. DMC 3753 Antique Blue Ult Vy Lt (4) and DMC 321 Red (1) are used only a little: small details worth marking on the chart so you don't miss them. 72% of the grid is left empty.

Working notes

49 squares stand alone in their colour, with no same-coloured neighbour along a side; stitch those as you pass rather than starting a new thread for each. The busiest row changes colour 18 times.