One of my favorite sewing notions is these wonderful Rip Tweezers.
http://store.quiltworx.com/product-p/riptweezer.htm
When my friend recommended them highly, I thought why do I need tweezers and a ripper on the same unit? Well, you don't rip but once or twice and you appreciate these so much. That little piece of thread you can't catch with your fingernails is no problem for the tweezer part. The ripping part is a fine small ripper and will rip even tiny stitches. The only thing they could do to improve these is to add a light. I will tell you, you cannot use either end as a crowbar....they do break.