Rodney, I forgot to mention this gadget! It might be too late for you to get one but I love it for having needles all set to go with them already threaded and don't have to worry about tangling. It's really handy and not very big. If I lived closer to you, you could borrow it to see if you really want one.
http://www.connectingthreads.com/too...e__D82032.html