What size needle for cross stitch? Needle and strands chart

For 14 count Aida, use a size 24 tapestry needle and stitch with 2 strands of floss. Aida 11 takes a size 22 needle and 3 strands; Aida 16 and 18 take a size 26 needle and 2 strands. With tapestry needles, the higher the size number, the thinner the needle, so finer fabric needs a higher number.

In short

• Cross stitch needs a tapestry needle, which has a blunt tip and a long eye.
• The needle size goes up with the fabric count: 22 for Aida 11, 24 for Aida 14, 26 for Aida 16 and 18.
• Floss is made of 6 thin strands. Cross stitches are usually worked with 2, or with 3 on coarse Aida 11.
• Backstitch (outlines) is worked with 1 strand.
• On dark fabric people often add a strand, because the background shows through the stitches.

What needle do you use for cross stitch?

A tapestry needle, also sold as a cross stitch needle. Its tip is rounded, so it goes into the existing hole in the fabric and pushes the threads apart instead of piercing them. The eye is long, so 2–3 strands of floss thread easily. A sharp embroidery needle will also go through, but it catches the fabric fibers, splits stitches you’ve already made and pricks your fingers. A sharp needle is only useful for quarter stitches, which have to pierce the middle of an Aida block. How cross stitch differs from surface embroidery is covered in Cross stitch vs embroidery: what’s different?

What size needle for 14 count Aida?

A size 24 tapestry needle. For 11 count use size 22, for 16 count size 24 or 26, and for 18 count size 26 or 28. The needle should slip into the hole without stretching it, and you need enough strands to cover the block. Here is the cross stitch needle size chart with the usual combinations:

Fabric	Stitches per inch (per cm)	Needle	Strands for cross stitch	Strands for backstitch
Aida 11	11 (4.3)	size 22	3	1–2
Aida 14	14 (5.5)	size 24	2	1
Aida 16	16 (6.3)	size 24 or 26	2	1
Aida 18	18 (7.1)	size 26 or 28	1–2	1

For Aida 16 and 18, charts differ by one size. Kreinik suggests size 24 and size 26, while many stitching blogs say 26 and 28. Both work: a thinner needle spreads the block less, and a thicker one is easier to handle. Our cross stitch calculator suggests size 26 for both.

Why is a higher needle size thinner?

That’s how every maker numbers tapestry needles. DMC makes them from size 13, the thickest, to size 28, the thinnest. DMC also prints on the pack how many strands each needle is meant for: size 22 for 4 strands of floss, 24 for 3–4, 26 for 2–3 and 28 for 2. A needle that’s too thick pushes the holes apart and leaves marks in the fabric. In an eye that’s too narrow, the floss frays and is hard to thread.

What size needle for evenweave and linen?

About the same as for Aida with the same stitch size, often one size thinner. On evenweave and linen you usually stitch over 2 threads of the fabric, so there are half as many stitches per inch as threads. Evenweave 28 gives the same stitch as Aida 14:

Fabric	Same stitch as	Needle	Strands for cross stitch
Evenweave 25	Aida 12.5	size 24 or 26	2–3
Evenweave 28	Aida 14	size 24 or 26	2
Evenweave 32	Aida 16	size 26 or 28	2
Evenweave 36	Aida 18	size 28	1–2
Evenweave 40	Aida 20	size 28	1

The holes between single threads are smaller than in Aida, which is why people often take a needle one size thinner for evenweave. If you stitch over one thread of the fabric, the stitch is half the size: use a size 28 needle and one strand of floss.

How evenweave and linen differ from Aida, and which to pick, is covered in Types of cross stitch fabric and how to choose.

How many strands for 14 count Aida?

Two strands of floss. DMC floss comes as a thread of 6 thin strands that you separate before stitching. Aida 14 and 16 take 2 strands, Aida 11 takes 3. Opinions on Aida 18 differ: with 1 strand the work looks lighter but the fabric shows through, and with 2 the stitches are denser. If you’re unsure, start with 2.

To keep the strands from twisting, pull them out of the bundle one at a time, holding the length by one end, and then put the number you need back together. A length of about 20 in (50 cm) tangles less and doesn’t wear out before you’ve stitched it.

How many strands for backstitch?

Usually one. Backstitch draws thin outlines, fur, whiskers and lettering, and with one strand it doesn’t cover the cross stitches underneath. For a bold outline, or on Aida 11, use 2 strands. If a pattern wants a different number of strands for backstitch, it’s written in the key next to the color.

How many strands on dark fabric?

One more than on light fabric, if the background shows through the stitches. On black or navy Aida 14, a cross stitch in 2 strands often looks sparse, and people stitch it with 3. The same can happen with a single color on light fabric: EGA gives the example of black DMC 310, which may need 3 strands on Aida 14.

How do you check that the needle and strands are right?

Make 3–4 stitches at the edge of the fabric, where the frame will hide them later, and check that:

1. The needle slips into the hole without effort and doesn’t stretch it.
2. The stitch covers the block, and the fabric barely shows through.
3. The stitch lies flat and isn’t lumpy.

If the fabric shows through, add a strand. If the stitch is thick and bulges, take one away. If the needle goes into the hole tightly, take a needle one size higher, which means thinner.

How much floss will you use with more strands?

Floss use grows with the number of strands. By the editor’s estimate, stitching with 2 strands, one DMC skein covers about 1,100 stitches on Aida 14. With 3 strands you’ll use one and a half times as much floss, with 1 strand half as much. How the fabric count changes the size of the piece and the floss you need is covered in Aida cloth sizes: which count to choose for cross stitch.

Try it

Upload a picture to the editor, choose a fabric in the “Fabric” section and open the “Threads for your pattern” list. It is worked out for 2 strands. If you’ll stitch some color with 3 strands or with 1, open that thread’s menu, choose “Thread settings” and change “Strands in the needle”. The skein count updates, and the PDF gets a note.