February 8th: Needles

Today in Japan, they observe Ha-Ri-Ku-Yo, or Mass for Broken Needles/Day of Rest for Needles. It's a ritual which dates back 1500 years, in which women take their broken sewing needles to a Buddhist temple. On the middle tier of the temple's altar is a large slab of tofu. The broken needles are stuck into the tofu and priests sing songs to comfort the needles, heal their broken spirits and thank them for work well done. Needless to say, no sewing is done on this day. As needlework is associated with love and marriage in Japan, saying a prayer at Needle Mass prayer is said to make sure of a happy marriage. Here are some things you might not know about needles.

1. Thorns and sharp rocks are thought to be what early man used for sewing animal skins together. Thread was probably animal sinew or plant material.
2. The earliest needles which still survive to be found were made of bone and had split heads rather than eyes. A point that might be from a bone needle was discovered in Sibudu Cave, South Africa and dates to 61,000 years ago. A whole bone needle was discovered in Denisova Cave and is thought to be 50,000 years-old.
3. Other materials used for making needles in ancient times include ivory, Copper, Iron and wood. Holly, Hawthorn and blackthorn were commonly used. Net makers still used holly wood needles in the early 20th century.
4. Modern needles are made from high carbon steel wire and are plated with nickel or 18K gold to stop them corroding. The eye is made by taking the molten wire and drawing it through itself.
5. Steel needles first appeared in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. They were known then as Spanish needles. Jacobean embroidery or crewelwork became popular at that time thanks to these needles. Mary I had her own needle maker, a Spanish man of African descent who took his knowledge of needle making with him to the grave.
6. It was the 15th century before needles were made in England. The first needle factory was in Redditch, producing its first needles in 1639. By 1655, there was a Guild of Needlemakers in London.
7. Needle size isn't standardised. There is a general rule that the longer and thicker a needle is, the smaller its size number. It's the same convention as for wire gauges. Manufacturers have their own standards, though, so a size 10 needle by one manufacturer will vary in size from that of another.
8. Trypanophobia is the fear of needles.
9. At Queen’s College, Oxford, there's a tradition in which each scholar is presented with a needle and thread. The reason? The founder bequeathed some money to the college with the provision that some of it be used to buy each scholar a needle and some thread. At New Year the students and fellows living in the school’s lodgings gather for a ceremony in which the bursar presents them with their needles and thread, saying “Take this and be thrifty.”
10. "Cheeking" is a word used in needle manufacturing meaning cleaning the eye of the needle.

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