I have a darning egg, that belonged to my grandmother, it is made of blown glass. It seems to be very sturdy. My mother attended a Catholic boarding school during the depression years. Darning socks was a form of revenue for the school. As a result of the amount she did, as a student, she had no love of darning socks. She did however, do beautiful work, basket weave, that was almost invisible. It would be interesting to know how much they charged.
I too, remember the basket that was kept in our living room, socks to be darned, buttons to sew on, collars to be turned etc. It was a given that ladies and older girls did not "lounge and visit" in the living room before passing by that basket and picking up a project. I still cannot sit down and relax without some sort of "busy work" in my hands. It drives my husband crazy. Thank goodness for quilting.