What's the difference between a stitch guide and stitch suggestions?
Stitch Guides
Stitch guides are a written description of the threads and stitches the author used when they stitched the model. The author has confidence that the threads and stitches will work on the canvas they stitched. However, thread purveyors frequently discontinue threads due to lack of sales or closing of mills or other factors. Therefore, sometimes the thread the author used to stitch the model is no longer available and you will either have to go on a search to find the discontinued thread at an LNS or on Etsy or Ebay or make substitution. Most needlepoint canvases are hand painted. This production method can result in variations between canvases of the same design. You may need to stitch your canvas slightly differently than what is defined in the stitch guide to take account of these variations.
Stitch Suggestions
Stitch Suggestions differ from Stitch Guides in one key way: Stitch Suggestions are what the author thinks, based on his or her experience, will work for you to successfully stitch the canvas. The author has never stitched the canvas using these ideas. When a stitcher actually stitches a canvas, he or she sometimes find out that what they thought would work in a certain area isn't the best approach. Often in Stitch Suggestions the author provides additional ideas for stitches, threads, beads, or other approaches other than what he or thought of at first blush. Make the canvas your own!