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Star (Christchurch), Issue 19122, 15 July 1930, Page 7

Exactly how old the needle is it would be hard to say. Its original form is believed to have been a bone implement of the crochet-hook type, but authentic bone needles with eyes—sometimes in the middle—have been found in cave deposits in this country and in France. The steel needle came to Europe by way of the Moors. According to Stow, “ the making of Spanish needles was first taught in England b\- Elias Crowse, a German, about the eighth year of Queen Elizabeth.” Formerly the pointing (sharpening) was done by hand —as, indeed, was the whole process of manufacture —and though this sounds a laborious process, a good worker, holding a couple of dozen at a time against his grindstone, could point 100,000 needles a day. Even before the days of the almost-human automatic machine our forbears had discovered rapid and effective methods of manufacture.