Needle
a small instrument of steel pointed at one end, and having an eye or thread, used for sewing. The early-made hole in it through which is passed a needles were all square-eyed.
Special kinds of needles are required for sewing canvas, for upholstering, in surgical operations, etc. Knitting needles are slender straight rods with rounded ends, and are used in pairs or sets of four or five. They vary in length and are made of wood, bone, or ivory, but chiefly of steel. Crochet needles have a hook at one end. Some needles are used in machinery. They are made of steel and are used for hosiery and stockinet work. Sewing-machine needles have a hook, eye, or barb at the pointed end, and are used with a single thread in making a single loop stitch both with NEEDLES eye and with barb. The best known sewing-machine needle is the one with the eye at the pointed end, having a long groove on one side and a short groove on the opposite. The needle used on leather is the wax -thread needle, and includes many shapes. Instead of an eye these needles are formed with hooks by which the thread is pulled through a hole made by an awl. The welting needle is a section of a circle in shape, used for putting welts on boots and shoes.