NEEDLE THREADING

Guinness Rules

You should also read the General Guinness Record Guidelines.

  1. This is a solo event.
  2. It involves threading a strand of cotton through a number 13 needle (eye 12.7 mm X 1.6 mm 1/2 in X 1/16 in) as many times as possible in 2 hours.
  3. The needle may placed vertically in some object which holds the needle firm and in position. This object (block of polystyrene, for example) may in turn be held by an assistant.
  4. You do not have to use the same strand of cotton for the full 2 hours - you may use other strands if the old one starts to fray. If for any reason you need to change the needle, this is perfectly acceptable.
  5. The method to be used is as follows. The strand of thread is fed through the needle so that it comes out the other side. You then take it round the outside of the needle and feed it through the same direction as the first time, and repeat this procedure. Thus every time the thread is fed through the needle in the same direction. The diagram below explains this.

how to do needle threading (GIF, 1 kB)

Note: This set of rules is operating since 1996. The previous records for needle threading were achieved with other rules and cannot be compared with the new style records.

World Records

3,471      Dean Gould (Great Britain)    1996
5,879      Dean Gould (Great Britain)    1997

Back to the World Record Homepage,
Back to "Members and Records",
Read The General Guinness Record Guidelines