Bob & everyonne else,
You can also make up a 'needle fork'. Get a conventional fork cut the two outer tynes off, and bend the two inner tynes very close together, allowing a small slot of about 1-2mm to exist between the two tynes.
Use a cheap, pressed sheet, flat tyned fork, is the best bet as it provides the most pressure on the inside of the needle on the shaft.
Not Granny's heirloom silver forks with the rounded points.
Make these tynes so close, that you can only slide them around a shaft, then the circular part of the needle (mounting bit where the shaft goes through) can be used as a purchase point
behind the needle.
When removing the needle, slide the fork behind the needle rest the tynes against the circular part in the centre, and pull vertically. It will save you twisting shafts..
Ian.