For those who are still interested, Shire Album #71 is titled 'Needlemaking'. A fascinating book! (The Shire series has got all sorts of great little illustrated essays on similar obscure topics.) On p4, antler and bone needles dating from 1500BC found in Irkutsk, Siberia are pictured. They are basically identical in form to modern-day needles, except that their holes are round, not slits. And yes, if a metalsmith is making a fine needle, then it's usually a specialist trade. An estate or village smith could make a coarse needle, though.
Also interesting is that some ores were better than others for needlemaking. Presumably this would apply to Gloranthan ores, too. Needles being so light, I could see either a special industry near the ore deposit, or special ores being exported. Would probably depend on the level of craftmansship in the mining area, though I could easily see an argument that for special-purpose, sacred purposes (e.g. tattoos), the best smith in the clan/tribe might prefer to make them where the godi could bless them as they were made.
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