Threading a needle can be tricky. Sometimes the thread just does not want to go through the eye of the needle - like those 3 strands of dark red floss and the no. 12 perle in the needles in my pincushion.
The close up photo on Quora in this link here helps explain why a thread can be so stubborn*.
As a child, I learnt to solve the problem of trying to push those splaying fibres through the hole by first giving the thread a quick lick and a pinch. This may be fine for a piece of embroidery that will soon be washed. If not, the tiny drops of saliva that are transferred to the fabric may with time cause small yellowish spots on the embroidery.
If your needle refuses to be threaded, rather wet the very tip of the thread in a saucer of clean water, squeeze it between your fingers and then thread the needle.
Another method of threading the needle is to fold the end of the thread over the needle, pinch the two threads together near the fold, and push the folded edge through the eye. It works first time nearly every time for me.
Next time I'll show you the little pulled thread sampler I wrote about here and here, and how I finished it off.
Till then, happy stitching!
*Thanks to Carina of Carina's Craftblog for sharing the link.
