Ok, this thread made me stop and think. which way is easier? So, I conducted a personal experiment. I usually use the thread off the bobbin to use it up, but here it is recommended to use it off the spool. So this is what I did: first, I took of a length of thread from the spool and ran my fingers over it, up and down. What I found was that one way was not as smooth as the other. Then I did the same with thread from the bobbin. Of course, it ran the opposite way. My conclusion: there is a right and wrong side to the thread (I didn't know that before). Then I pulled off a piece from the spool and threaded it through the needle with the end I cut off being the end that I knotted. I sewed a small binding piece with that and the stitches laid flat and smooth, no tangling, either. Then I did the same, threading the needle the other way. The thread knotted and tangled on itself more and my stitches did not seem so flat. My conclusion: it made no difference which end of the thread goes through the needle, but it does make a difference as to which end you knot. I also tried the different ways of wetting the end and found that, for me, wettng the thread still works better than wetting the needle. That's not to say there's only one way to do this, but only what worked better for me.