Evelyn, Go to a 80/12 "SHARP" needle. The ball point may be causing the needle to flex slightly as it tries to penetrate the cap. The larger size will also give the needle more ability to penetrate more accurately. Herb ----- Original Message ----- From: Evelyn Runge To: amayausers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Wednesday, October 19, 2005 11:03 AM Subject: [amayausers] Need help on column stitch on hat Hello Everyone in Amayaland! I need some suggestions. I'm stitching a structured hat, large letters in fill with a column stitch outline. Problem is column stitch looks real "jagged" almost "zig zag" on the outside edge. I have played with density, column width, underlay until I'm blue in the face. Any suggestions? Using #11 ball point needle, MT = 10 if that matters. TIA Evelyn Express It With Thread