I have written this guide to help you decide which size needle to use when stitching on aida or evenweave fabric.

Tapestry needles have a large eye and a rounded tip and are generally used for counted thread embroidery including cross stitch, blackwork and hardanger. The smaller size tapestry needles are also often referred to as cross stitch needles.

They are are manufactured in different thicknesses for use on the various counts of material.

The higher the number of needle - the smaller the needle actually is (although a customer in Italy has recently advised me that Italian needle sizes work the other way ! ? )

If you are sewing on aida fabric you may find that a size smaller needle helps when sewing fractional stitches, for example if sewing on 14ct aida use a size 26 needle.

I hope the information below will help you chose the size needles you require when stitching on aida and evenweave fabrics.

As a general guide:
Size 18 - 6 count aida fabric
Size 20 - 8 count aida fabric
Size 22 -11 count aida fabric / 22-25-27 count evenweave
Size 24 -14 count aida fabric / 28 count evenweave
Size 26 -16 count aida fabric / 32 count evenweave / 22 count hardanger
Size 28 -18 count aida fabric / 36 count evenweave

The details below relate to the needles I sell - you will find that these dimensions do vary slightly from manufacturer to manufacturer.

Size 18 : length of needle approx 48mm / length of eye approx 10.0mm
Size 20 : length of needle approx 44mm / length of eye approx 9.0mm
Size 22 : length of needle approx 40mm / length of eye approx 8.0mm
Size 24 : length of needle approx 36mm / length of eye approx 7.5mm
Size 26 : length of needle approx 33mm / length of eye approx 6.5mm
Size 28 : length of needle approx 28mm / length of eye approx 5.5mm

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Busy-Lizzie-Crafts