Creative

Of course! Cross stitch is like the pixel art version of embroidery. Assuming you'll be working off of a pattern, the general process is that you'll purchase either a kit (which has all of the supplies you'll need) or just a pattern of what you want to make.

Then you need to gather materials - if you bought a kit, you can skip this part. The pattern will tell you all of the colors you need - usually these are indicated by one of the major embroidery floss brands such as DMC or Anchor, and each color has its own number or other classification. For example, for my current project I need two colors, DMC 799 (which is a pale blue), and DMC 3750, a dark blue. You will also need a fabric to stitch into. For my current project I am using linen, but there are other options such as Aida (a fabric specifically for cross stitch). You'll want a blunt needle as well, usually called tapestry needles. Depending on your project size 24-28 are common for cross stitch (the larger the number the smaller the needle). If you have a local needlework shop it's great to shop there, otherwise I buy my supplies at 123stitch.com (in the USA).

The pattern will be on gridded paper, with symbols corresponding to each color. Each symbol in the grid represents making a little "x" with that color in that spot. There are apps to keep track of where you are in the pattern - Markup R-XP on iOS and Pattern Keeper on Android are the major players, but I've also heard of people using a knitting pattern tracker as well, but I forget the name of it. Or you can print out the pattern on paper and highlight or cross out squares as you finish them.

And then eventually you have a picture! I don't know if you can post pictures in replies in beehaw, so I posted one of my recent finishes and my current WIP on mastadon: https://mastodon.social/@Kamirose/110471012242274125