Welcome to the hand-quilting club! I use Roxanne #11 or #12 needles - mostly 11's. I feel I get a very consistent, small stitch with those needles compared to any others. I've never worried about number of stitches/inch...more concerned with consistency. That said, I probably get a good 10/inch unless I'm using a really thick thread. Not all handquilting threads are created equally either - imo.