Passing a Camel Through the Eye of a Needle

The characteristics of a needle, and those of the				you find yourself tugging at the needle, try a needle
thread must be taken into consideration when trying to				with a larger eye.
pass a camel through the eye of a needle. There
are several methods of threading a needle. But first				What do you do when your local needlework store is
you have to deal with the camel.				closed and you need a blunt needle but you have
				nothing but sharp needles? Keep a dulling tool in your
1. You have to catch a camel. AND give				workroom. My dulling tools are big stones, rounded
him a good brush up.				and smoothed by the Pacific Ocean. I found them
				when walking on the beach at Qualicum Beach,
2. You must clean, card, and spin the				Vancouver Island. Rubbing the point of the sharp
camel’s combed hair.				needle on a rock will make it a blunt needle in no
				time. Pay attention, though, that you don’t have
3. The spun camel hair thread will pass				any rough spots as you grind down the point: you
through the eye of a needle.				don’t want to add snags to your beautiful
				embroidery.
A CAMEL HAS PASSED THROUGH THE EYE OF
A NEEDLE.				4. You can cut the camel hair thread on the
				bias to help it through the eye.
Getting the camel hair thread through the eye of a
needle can be tricky. It may help to know, generally				5. A disgusting habit, but one even I have
speaking, how a needle is made.				practised, is to lick the end of the thread and push it
				through. It helps if you also stick the eye of the
Steel is squeezed through consecutively smaller holes				needle in your mouth: that little extra saliva helps
until it reaches the desired dimensions of the needle.				draw the thread through. Cut the sopping mess of
A hole is punched through one end and a point is				the thread end off before you begin stitching.
made at the other end.
				6. Dip the thread end into some white glue
In olden times needles were hard to come by and one				and set it aside to dry. Once dry it will be stiff and
needle was carefully housed in some pretty ingenious				strong. It now replaces the need for a needle.
needle cases. A favourite gift for a sailor’s lady				Remember to cut off the glued end when your thread
was a whalebone needle case carved with care				is finished. This, obviously, is used in canvas work.
during long trips at sea. Often the sailor decorated
the exterior with etching on its outer surface:				6. If you wish, you can fold the camel
scrimshaw. Sometimes these needle cases held				thread over the end of the needle and, held securely
tools for tatting and netting and sewing.				between thumb and forefinger, have the eye of the
				needle edged over the folded thread. This works
Nowadays, there are needles for just about every				particularly well when you are doing needlepoint or
use. Small, sharp needles are used in quilting, while				crewel work with wools: they tend to be fuzzy and
small blunt needles are used in petitpoint needlework.				must be trained to go through the eye.

Needles come with big eyes and little ones, with round				Handmade Japanese needles are
eyes and oval ones. And some have square eyes.				wonderful to work with: they are fine and small.
Some needles are really 2 pieces of steel joined at				And they have a square eye. The foldover method
each end: twist them and an elongated ‘eye’				works particularly well with the flat silk threads used in
opens.				the Japanese silk embroideries.

Some needles are long and strong to be used in				7. Another method of getting the camel
making soft animals and dolls. They have very large				through the eye of the needle is to place the end in a
eyes. And some needles are curved: they are				small piece of paper folded over which is then passed
used in upholstery making and saddles and shoes.				through the needle’s eye. I personally have never
And sometimes fine ones are used in beading. The				used this method because it seems to me to be
long fine beading needles are also called ‘straw’				adding bulk where you don’t want it.
needles for their similarity to a length of straw.
				8. Remember my telling you that the eye is
Thin, flexible strands of steel twisted together have				a hole punched into the steel? Well, that plays an
nice round holes which collapses as it goes through				important role when trying to thread your camel hair
beads. The eye of these needles will remain				thread through that needle’s eye. On one side it is
collapsed the more often they are used. These and				smooth an curves inward but on the other side there is
the long lean beading needles found in packages of				a bit of a lip at the edge of the eye.
different needles are flimsy and give way under the
weight of beads. Both sharp needles and blunt ones				If the camel just flatly refuses to go
can be used in beading, my present day passion.				through the eye, turn the needle around and try
				threading from the other side.
Needles are assigned a standard number depending
on its use and its size. The higher the number, the				8. When all else fails, get somebody else to
smaller the needle. Course needles with great big				get your camel hair thread through the eye of your
eyes are used in canvas needlepoint while a 26 or a				needle.
28 needle is used in petitpoint on silk gauze.
No matter what needle is selected, the eye must be				From grooming your camel to making needles and
large enough to fit the thread. And it must make a				threading them: you are now ready for the next
hole big enough to pass through the fabric or bead				steps - - designing and stitching a beautiful piece of
that the camel hair thread passes through easily. If				art. Congratulations!

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Passing a Camel Through the Eye of a Needle