I know many embroidery needles have larger eyes that are specially square shaped to allow as much room for the thread as possible. They might be the way to go for hand spun threads.
I've read that old thread works poorly in machines because as the cotton sits around it gets brittle, and can snap in a sewing machines harsh treatment. I haven't really had the opportunity to try old-but-not-antique thread in my machines. If it get some 20 year old thread I'll give it a go
... Golden Orb spiders bite...