Considering we use them so much, cross stitch needles or tapestry needles to give them their rightful name, are staples for our craft. Therefore, when I spoke about the best types of cross stitch needles in a previous post, I thought I had all of them covered. For a while, I thought there were no others. But when we started investigating who makes the best cross stitch needles we fell upon another type of needle. One we had never heard of before; double eye needles.
What Are They?
In essence, they are exactly what you expect, a standard tapestry needle with two eyes for threads. If we’re getting specific they actually take the standard eye and split it in two. This means that you probably have to use a needle threader to put the thread through the smaller eyes, but otherwise they act just like a normal needle.
The reason they exist, however, is slightly more interesting. The double eyes are meant to carry two different threads, allowing you to either blend threads, or add in metallics without putting friction on the fabric. This should result in a neat almost railroaded blended thread look.
How To Use Them
So how do you use them? In short, you put one thread in each eye and stitch like normal. As they are blended, you need to think about the ends of your thread (no using the loop method), but otherwise its just like you’d expect.
Are They Worth Getting?
So now you know what they are, and how to use them, let’s talk about their worth. Or more specifically, are they worth getting. We don’t shy away from speaking our mind here, and we’ve previously asked ourselves if self-threading needles are worth it, but double eye needles are different. They’re just for blending.
If you don’t blend, and you have no intention of doing so, don’t get these needles. They just aren’t for you. But what if you do blend?
In my mind, these needles make blending separate threads no easier. In fact, I tend to find the threads spin around each other much more, resulting in a worse look than a standard needle. BUT then we come to metallic threads. Without a doubt, it’s hard to use these threads and anything that can make using metallic threads easier, I’m game. And that’s where these needles really shine.
The extra eye means the effort associated with metallic threads is mostly avoided, making it a much nicer experience. In my mind, if you use metallics at all, even if you aren’t blending, these things are worth their weight in gold.
Where To Get Them
So, where can you get them? The fact that I wasn’t even aware of these needles, despite Bohin, Clover and Hemline making them just goes to show they aren’t easy to find. I prefer looking for them on Etsy as you can always find someone selling them, but other than that, local brick and mortar stores should be able to stock some in, even if you have to ask.
Happy stitching,
Lord Libidan
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does blending threads mean in cross stitch?
In cross stitch, you mostly use two or more strands of thread to stitch with. Blending is when you take one strand of one color, and another strand of a different color and stitch with them together. This creates a combination of colors that can heighten the detail in a cross stitch.
How do I combine two colors for a smooth blend?
When cross stitching you normally use more than one thread of your chosen color. By swapping one of these out with a different color you can blend threads to create a smooth transition between one color and another. This method requires you to knot the start of the thread or ‘tuck’ the thread, instead of using the loop method.
Do blended threads affect stitch coverage?
No, cross stitching with blended threads does not impact the coverage.
I’ve read the comments users have made, and thought my problem might help in selecting the proper needle to use in blending two colours of threads.
I have been using a single eyelet needle to blend two threads. I must admit that sometimes it is difficult to thread the needle. Should I be using the double eyed needle or an extra long eyed needle? I had to stop my cross-stitch work because I didn’t like the look I obtained: one thread colour was on top of the other, so what’s the use of using two threads? They should appear side-by-side right?
Yes, they should be side by side, rather than on top of each other. In reality, the picking of the needle is down to how you stitch. Some will achieve the desired look better with a double-eyed needle, and some with an extra long eyed needle. Sadly, its just about trying both and seeing which works best for you!
However, the double-eyed needles offer an advantage over the single eyed needles. When stitching with single eyed needles, the thread twists, and you’ll see the two threads spiral around each other within your stitching. But a double-eye needle allows each thread to spin on its own, meaning you have a consistent stitch. When blending, consistency is best, which is why double-eyed needles are a go-to in our eyes.
I’m not sure I understand why they are so great for metallics. What does having two eyes add? (Very new to cross-stitch and 0 experience with metallics).
Metallics are notoriously difficult. They twirl around each other, they spin, they fold, they break, they coil, etc. And all of this means they lay down weirdly, and don’t have the effect you want.
However, the double-needle stops them from twirling, spinning, folding, and coiling! It does this by holding each strand on its own rather than together, which causes the issues.
Very interesting! I want to try them with Kreinik Blending Filament.
They work like a dream! Although Kreinik tends to anyway…