I use a telescoping magnet, purchased at an auto parts store for $2.99, and use it to pick up pins, safety pins and metal bobbins. This way I don't have to get up from my chair and bend down or crawl under to pick them up. Also, if I am pinning or sewing on carpet, I sweep the area with the magnet to find any lost pins so that my husband doesn't find them with his bare feet.