Thanks for the post - its easy to get confused!

If you always remember that we thread toward the flat (ie, if the flat is to the left - we thread right to left), you know which way the needle will go in every time.

For which way to thread - you can look at the last thread guide, and that will tell you. For instance, in the picture that Cogito posted, you can see that the in the first illustration, last guide is pulling the thread to the left, so we thread left to right. In the second illustration, the thread is pulled to the right on the last guide, and we thread right to left.

Archaic Arcane, I knew that too, but for me that is a lot less precise.....sometimes placement makes me question myself. This way is unequivocal.

Cogito, I don't know if I've had a machine yet that has not worked using the way I described. What makes it less precise? The slot method could be a problem because as others have mentioned, it doesn't exist anymore on some of the newer vintage machines don't have the slot.

The page in the manual is very specific on what models it works for. I never said it was all inclusive. Your method may work for you, I said it is less precise for me because of placement of the last guide sometimes I second guess myself. To each his own. :) I happen to like the method I posted. Lol.

Of course! :) I was just curious as to why it didn't work for you.

I am left handed and I have always blamed my slow brained confusion on that. ;)

and us old farts who have round shaft needles? humm? humm? lol joking

LOL! Well, I guess I'm an old fart too. I have 3 machines here right now that have round shank needles, including my quilting frame. ;) How about scarf opposite the last guide?

When I did the workshop last week, I taught them the way I remember it and not one person asked about the round needles. ;) Originally, I used to think of it as the scarf toward the hook tip, but then I discovered that many of the people I talk to don't know what the hook is or a scarf for that matter, so I started looking for an easier way to describe it.

I could be wrong here, but it would seem to me that knowing where and what the hook is would be critical for a person trying to learn beyond "my manual says to do X" am I missing something?