The first module of the Certificate in Technical Hand Embroidery at the Royal School of Needlework is Jacobean crewel embroidery, and with good reason: many of the stitches you encounter in crewel embroidery will be useful to you in other techniques, and wool is a beautifully forgiving thread to work them in!
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
1
Crewel wool is prone to fraying so work with short lengths, about 40cm at most. Use the wool as it comes off the skein, as a single thread.