How to Choose a Sewing Machine Needle for Knits

Choosing the proper sewing machine needle is crucial to the success of a sewing project. The wrong needle can result in skipped or loose stitches, broken thread and aggravation. The machine may even refuse to stitch altogether. So, picking the correct sewing needle size and type is incredibly important. Use this guide to help select the correct sized sewing needle according to fabric type. This guide centers around knit fabrics.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Purchase a variety pack of ballpoint or universal point needles. Ballpoint needles have a rounded, dull tip that allow knitwear fibers to bend around the needle without breaking. Standard needles won't work on a knit. Universal needles are great if money or selection is restricted, because they'll work with most fabrics.

2. Analyze the knit fabric for weight and density. A sheer illusion knit is going to require a finer needle than a coarse woolen. Finer knits will show damage, or scarring, when too large of a needle is used.

3. Select the needle size appropriate for the project. Use size 9 to 11 for lightweights and sheer knits, 11 or 14 for medium-weight (normal t-shirt jersey), 14 to 16 for heavyweight (dense cotton sweater knit) and 16 to 18 for very heavy knits (thick winter woolens).

4. Insert the needle into the machine and test the stitching with a small square of fabric. Make certain that all of the stitches are tight, evenly spaced and of the same size. If this isn't the case, either try another size needle or check the upper thread stitch tension.

Tips & Warnings

• For best results, change needles every other project.
• For convenience, use double-sided tape to stick the entire assortment of needles somewhere on your machine. This makes it easy to locate new needles on the fly, rather than having to hunt through a sewing basket for them.
• Try marking different needle sizes with a dabs of different colored nail polishes to distinguish the sizes. This information is printed on each needle, but it's tiny and hard to see with the naked eye.