Slippery Needles Makes Hard Hand Stitching

[Handstitched]

And heres me thinking that I was the only one that used pliers, boy was I so wrong. 

 But I second the comment by ' snubbyfan' , wiggle the needle about  bit if they get a bit stuck.  I also have a similar  issue with the  waxed mox thread. After a short while , my fingers are ' greasy' and don't grip the needle. I always have a roll of paper towel handy ,  dampen my hands with water, and wipe dry with paper towel , grip returns . 

HS

 

[Lloydc]

The problem I’m having is that the needle gets hung up on the knot that forms in the thread and slides up to the eye. Having to use pliers on practically every stitch is a royal pain. I’ve tuned my pricking irons and stitching awl to a fair thee well—the latter will inflict painful puncture wounds if you’re not careful.  How can I keep this from happening? Paradoxically, I’ve found that a bit larger needle, seems to be easier to get through the leather, because its eye is also larger and, like the fullback in football, makes the hole larger so the following knot (runner) can pass through more easily.