The first punch needle was invented in the late 1800s, evolving from the American craft of rug hooking. In recent years, the popularity of punch needle has grown massively thanks to social media and the likes of Arounna Khounnoraj and Amy Oxford.
Given this popularity, a lot of new punch needles have become available and the choice about what to buy can be daunting and so can the information out there. Some needles are adjustable, allowing you to create loops of different heights, some come with different sized tips and some are ergonomic and self threading. They also come in different sizes, so you'll need to use different thicknesses of wool and in some cases, embroidery floss, depending on the needle.
The punch needle that is best for you really depends on the type of project you want to work on and the fibre that you want to use.
Lavor Punch Needles
Lavor punch needles are a good quality, more affordable punch needle. This punch needle is made in Europe from metal and recycled plastic. Three needles are available, the Lavor punch needle embroidery tool, the 4mm Lavor adjustable punch needle and the 5.5mm Lavor adjustable punch needle.
Lavor Adjustable Punch Needle
This needle comes in two sizes, the 4mm and 5.5mm. Medium, worsted and aran weight yarns are suitable for the 4mm, whilst chunky / bulky yarn is suitable for the 5.5mm needle. It comes with 7 different notches, allowing you to create 7 different heights of loops. Both 12 count monks cloth and linen fabric are suitable for these needles.
Lavor Punch Needle Embroidery Set
- Small (use with 6 stranded thread)
- Medium (use with doubled up 6 stranded thread)
- Large (use with tripled up 6 stranded thread or 4-ply fingering weight yarn)
12 count monk’s cloth and linen fabric is suitable for the largest needle tip, whilst weaver’s cloth is best with the smallest two needle tips.
Oxford Punch Needles
This tool is my personal favourite. The Oxford punch needle needle is designed by Amy Oxford and handmade in Vermont, USA. It is self threading and ergonomic, making it comfortable to punch comfortably for hours on end.
This tool consists of three parts, the needle, the channel (a lot running the length of the tool to feed the yarn) and the handle.
The Oxford punch needle comes in two thicknesses, the Fine and the Regular. The Fine uses medium weight yarns (worsted or aran) whilst the Regular uses thick chunky or bulky weight yarns or multiple strands of thin yarn. The Oxford is also available in 5 sizes - #8, #9, #10, #13 and #14. The numbers stand for the length of the loop the needle makes.
|
Needle |
Loop Length |
|
#8 |
½ inch |
|
#9 |
3/8 inch |
|
#10 |
¼ inch |
|
#13 |
3/6 inch |
|
#14 |
⅛ inch |
Both 12 count monks cloth and linen fabric are suitable for these needles.
Other punch needles
There are also punch needles which are smaller in size and are used with embroidery floss or thinner yarn. Please note that I have not tried these out.
Ultra Punch 3 Needle
The Ultra punch needle set is similar to the Lavor punch needle embroidery tool. It uses 6-strand embroidery thread on fabric with a tighter weave, like weavers cloth or a tight weave linen. It has adjustable loop heights and 3 interchangeable needle tips (small, large and a medium tip installed).