I do not know where else to go---

[Mark]

Off-the-wall suggestion: a needle for repairing canvas tents or whatever. It is a bit elaborate, but picture an awl, with a hole at the base for holding string. You stab it through the canvas, grab the thread and pull it through, re-thread it, and carry on. In the absence of thin, sharp pieces of metal, hard wood might have been the best substitute.