Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Needles

There’s more to a needle than the eye and a point. Many have different shapes and are designed for specific purposes. You can use the wrong needle and still get the job done, but any craftsperson will tell you, using the right tool for a job makes the job much easier.

Eyes- The choices are round, short oval or long oval. Round eyes are the smallest and long oval the largest. Short ovals tend to bulge out larger than the shank of the needle. The larger the eye, the less it rubs on the fiber you are using. Soft fibers that fray easily require an oval eye. Sewing thread does just fine in a round eye. Crewel wool should be in a large oval.

Diameters- This is what makes one needle a different size from another. There are two different size ranges. One goes from 1-15 and the other from 13-28. In either range a high number means a small needle. A low number means a fat needle with a bigger eye. To determine size, they use a piece of metal of a set diameter and length. They make needles out of it and count how many they get. That’s why smaller needles have larger numbers. They can make more tiny needles out of the metal than they can make large ones.

Points- Tapestry and rug needles are blunt, all the other needles have a sharp point. A glovers or leather needle has a triangular point with teeny cutting edges to cut a triangular hole in the leather as you use it. Some sailmaking needles have this, too. Beading needles are sharp. Sharp needles are used when you want to pierce the threads of the ground as in surface work or crewel. Blunt needles are used when you want to go between the threads as in canvaswork or counted thread.

Shape- Well, they are all long and skinny, but the eye can create a bulge that will make a difference if you are doing bullion or French knots. For easier bullion knots, you want a completely smooth needle. A needle with a round eye has the least bulge. A needle with an oval eye has the biggest bulge. Rug needles and upholstery needles have curves in them, to do a 'scoop' stitch on fabric that you can't get to the back of. Some rug needles are flat, not round.

Length- Some needles are very long, like beading or milliners or doll making needles. Betweens can measure less than one inch. The length varies with the purpose, but the larger diameter needles are also longer than the same type of needle in a smaller size. A size 18 tapestry is going to be longer and fatter than a size 24 tapestry. For the most part, if you are making tiny stitches, expect to use a shorter needle. There is also variation between the manufacturers. Some make their needles a little longer, or larger eyed.

Metals- You can find needles coated with gold or platinum.The Lazy Wench has tried these. The platinum ones feel really nice, but are not available in my favorite size. I have worn the gold plating off several gold plated needles and don't see any reason to replace them. Some people have acidic skin and tarnish needles quickly when using them. These exotics may alleviate that problem. I have noticed that a cheap gold plated needle has significantly less gold and it wears off much faster.

If you would like a rule of thumb on what size needle to start with, try this one. Use a #24 needle if you are stitching 14 to the inch, a #26 needle if you are working 16 to the inch and a #28 needle if the stitch count is 18 or higher. The Lazy Wench rarely uses a needle larger than a #24. The most important factors are; can you thread it and does the needle damage the ground (needle too big) or the fiber (needle too small)? Once you solve those problems, nobody really cares what size needle you use. Suit yourself, not an instruction sheet.

Please also remember that needles are a consumable item. You use them up, you wear them out, you throw them away and get new ones. One needle per project is a minimum. Finish the project and throw away the needle. Often I use up a dozen or more on large projects. They get icky, and lose their coating or they get bent and I ditch them.

Do not store your needles by leaving them in the work area of your project. Even if you live in the desert, it is possible to get rust stains and funky marks in your fabric. Horror story coming up... The needle caught on the tote bag as the project was being stored and tore a hole in the ground! Boo hoo!

Below is a general list of characteristics for some of the more usual types of needles.

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