Just an update for anyone like me who is new to cross stitching and were as confused about this as I was lol. Here are a few things I've figured out from tips I got here and things I've researched:
As you can seen the whole needle is black now except for the tip and the eye.
Cleaning did not help. I think it actually made it corrode faster.
As several people have said, once it corrodes it becomes more difficult to use as it doesn't glide at all anymore. It's not terrible with 14 count Aida, but anything smaller would probably be a real pain to use it with.
Gold plate needles will NOT fix this issue. In fact, everything I've read online says they will actually corrode much faster. There are good reasons to pay for gold plated needles, but this is not one of them.
I did find a company online that sells stainless steel non corrosive cross stitch needles, but they cost almost NINE US DOLLARS PER NEEDLE... ๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ
So ultimately it seems if your needle turns black, your best bet is to just keep using it until it becomes difficult to do so, then just throw it out/repurpose it, and use a new one!
Being transparent, I saw this post in my ALL feed. I love this conversation as it gives me insights to a community I would never have known about. In my house Im the one with a sewing kit, I do all the minor repairs, rips, buttons, etc. I have done some basic crosstich pieces as a child. With all respect, I have never, ever considered that needles could lose functionality. With respect, why not just replace the needles? Why bother electroplating? What am I missing? I truly mean no offense, y'all have just blown my mind with you passion for needles.
I'm at the point where I think replacing it is probably what I'll do, although there have been some good suggestions here. For the record, I do have more needles lol! I've been sewing since I was a teenager and have just never seen a needle turn black like this, so for me it was just kind of interesting! I'm guessing it's something specific to cross stitching? I had never spent an hour or two per night sewing until I started this hobby about a month and a half ago, so I'm guessing this just wears out needles faster than stitching my clothes back together does