Long sewing needle for straw bale construction???

A couple years ago I came across a video of someone building a straw bale house and they used a needle of about 2 1/2 feet in length to re-tie bales and to "sew" the chicken wire mesh onto the walls for plastering. I remember thinking this was a brilliant idea, but I've not seen these needles advertised anywhere, nor can I find any discussion of them here in the forum. What gives? Has the bale building community not yet embraced this item? Was it found to be a less than ideal method?

As far as I know, most are field fabricated from a piece of rod with the "eye" being bent and welded. A 3 foot piece from the big box store is perfect for that. Not sure the right size, probably about 5/16 or 3/8. Any thinner and it will bend, any thicker and it will stick.

I've had great luck just using a small piece of rebar bent into an L shape and just wrapping the bailing twine around the tip before pushing it through. Haven't cut through the twine once, and its easy to aim!

Used a skill saw with an abrasive blade. Wear eye protection! Works slick.