Chain Stitch

To create Chain, bring the needle up to the top at point 1.  Hold the thread down with your left hand, and bring the needle down at 1 again.  Then, bring the needle up at 2 and pull through.  Repeat this until you finish the line.  The last stitch is a small anchor that holds the last loop.

On the right you will see Chain worked in a row on the canvas.

Needlepoint tends to create squared shapes on the canvas.  Somethimes, a softer curve is more attractive in a design.  A curve can be created by using Chain as an outline.  In the graph on the right, you can see Chain as a curve on the canvas.