When I first discovered cross stitch, I used anything I had in my stash. Later down the road, I learned that different needles gave you different effects on your projects. Depending on the size of the needle, your floss can pull and stretch the fabric. If the needle is too small, the floss can get "loss" in the fabric. Since not all needles are created equal, let's discuss some of best out there and what to look for when starting your project.


 

When it comes to your needle, size does matter. In the average pack of needles, you will find different sizes. Like I said above, when I first started, I just picked up any old needle and got to stitching. Your needle size is important to the way the fabric will handle the floss. As a good rule of thumb, these are the needle sizes you will need for aida fabric:

• Fabric 8-12: Needle Size 22
• Fabric 14: Needle Size 24
• Fabric 16-18: Needle Size: 28 

Are you seeing the trend here? The smaller the weave, the larger the needle size (which is actually the skinner the needle)

Buzy Lizzy's Crafts has an excellent tutorial and information on needle size and which one will work best for your project.Check out the article and don't forget to bookmark it for a handy reference. 

What about the eye of the needle? Does that mean anything? Yes, it does. A thinner or smaller eye is a great needle for beading. These needles are normally thinner all the way down and use one strand of thread. Cross stitch needles have wider rounder eyes for pulling more floss through.

 Another distinction between cross stitch needles, embroidery needles and sewing needles is the tip of the needle. Cross stitch needles have rounded blunt ends where embroidery and sewing needles have a sharp more tapered ends. 

You now have the information about the basic cross stitch needle, but what about those specialty needles? Are they really worth it? Let's see what's out there and you decide. The first specialty needle is a double eyed needle. These are needles with two eyes and are great for blending colors or using two colors close together. It is perfect if you don't want to switch out your floss all the time. Another special needle is a gold or gold plated needle. This type is perfect for those who have allergies. The gold plated will wear off after time and are a bit more expensive but if you have allergies they are definitely worth it. There are also specific needlework needles that allow you to better do a certain stitch. I'm not sure those are worth it. I think you can make french knots just find with a regular needle. 

Who knew that cross stitch needles had so much depth to them. You can certainly use any type of needle that you want, but if you want beautiful results, chose a needle accordingly. It could save yourself from a headache down the road.