So little changes about needles, so the news of SCHMETZ color coded needles is HUGE! From my travels the most frequent comment heard was about identification of the needle . . . . especially after it was out of the package. The problem is now solved! Most needles will have two bands of color - the top band to identify the needle TYPE and the lower band to identify needle SIZE. The SCHMETZ Universal will have just one color band identifying needle size. The new SCHMETZ color coded needles are shipping now to your local stores. Yahoo . . . Happy New Year! Sew SCHMETZ! Rhonda PS: This is my last blog post at this address. Read the new blog on our website at www.SCHMETZneedles.com.