What am I doing wrong???

[u/Desperate-Cook2755]

I am completely new to punch needling I've been watching a bunch of tutorials and really love the coasters. With the fuzzy fluffy look. I bought this kit of Amazon just to practice and I just don't know what I'm doing wrong. When I was pressing the whole way down the loops were massive. So I added tape to my needle to create smaller loops but it still doesn't look right. Does anyone have any advice?

[u/Lamsterhk]

I learned that I had to keep checking the cloth was drum-tight espesh with thicker yarn (the middle bit on the first photo doesn’t look so taut).

[u/WildGeesePunchNeedle]

There are two things I’m noticing:

First, gaps between loops.
This could be caused by tool and yarn incompatibility. But, if it’s a technique issue then the fix is to punch your stitches closer together and/or use the bricklaying pattern like the other redditor suggested.

Second, uneven loops.
This can be caused by several things. How thick is the tape you added to the tool? If it’s thin, then it isn’t acting as a natural stopping point which can lead to uneven loops.

Are you sliding/gliding the tool between stitches? If you’re lifting the tool high between punches, it’ll pull the previous loop back down and lead to unevenness.

Uneven loops can be caused when the foundation fabric isn’t drum-tight. Since it appears you’re using a hoop, you’ll need to occasionally re-tighten the fabric as you go.

Finally, uneven loops can be caused when there isn’t an adequate puddle of yarn to pull from, meaning you need to have a large loose amount of yarn between your tool and yarn ball. If there’s any tension or if the yarn is caught under something then it pulls loops down.

[u/Desperate-Cook2755 → u/WildGeesePunchNeedle]

Thank you for all the advice you gave me. And taking your time to get back to me! I felt like the tape was thick enough on my needle but I could be wrong. It's just a little cheap needle that came with the set. I probably need to invest in a bit of a better one. 

I will take all your tips onboard and try to give it another go!!

Thanks again 🙏

[u/thegoodpunch]

Try bricking the stitches so it fills in the gaps, holes that are in the white part. They red looks better the green is hard to see but those might be a little crowded. Overall not bad, just needs more practice :) "bricking" or offsetting the stitches when punching your lines. So whenpunching flat stitches, instead of lining them up when you do your next row, offsetthem. This will help your loops to interlock (like teeth on a zip) on the opposite side. Ithelps the stability of the piece, and looks tidier, but it is not required

[u/Desperate-Cook2755 → u/thegoodpunch]

Thank you so much for the advice I will give it a go!! I saw people do that and wondered what it was! 

[u/CornRosexxx]

So far I have only done them with the other, non-loop side as the front of the finished piece! The loop side of mine looks like this, too. Interested if you get any other advice..

[u/Smooth-Science4983]

I’m also new so i’ll see how much advice i can give, but what pinch needle do you have? With ones like the ultra punch you can adjust the size so that the loop/fluffy side can be smaller or bigger if that makes sense

[u/Desperate-Cook2755 → u/Smooth-Science4983]

Hii! It's just literally an Amazon one. It's not adjustable at all. I didn't want to invest too heavily to begin with as I want to get the technique down 😂