Redefining "Vintage"

Day 173: The word "vintage" has no precise definition when it comes to the age of an item, although it's generally considered to be somewhat newer than "antique." That said, I have started work on a thoroughly modern "vintage" tablecloth, and if that phrase seems confusing, a word of explanation is in order. You see, the 24 balls of ecru DMC #20 crochet thread in this photo were bought by my mother before I was born. She intended to crochet a pineapple-design tablecloth, but somehow just never managed to get that elusive "round tuit" which is notorious for its accumulation of unfinished crafts. That said, I've kept the thread all these years, hoping to eventually find the ideal project for it. It's in perfect condition and, I must add, of a significantly better quality than the threads available in today's market. The twist is firmer, the cotton fibers are sleek and shiny (Egyptian, undoubtedly), and the colour is warmer than the dingy, drab "ecru" found in stores today.

I wasn't inclined toward crocheting a pineapple design, but as I've been enjoying the relative speed of needle-tatting, an idea was sorting itself out in the back of my mind. Why not tat a tablecloth? I figured that something modular would be the best way to go because of the latitude it allows in finished size, but I was dissatisfied with any of the tatted motifs in my library of patterns. Thus, over the last several days, I've been developing a pattern of my own. I wanted to incorporate a round element in the design, and did so by making a series of rings in the center. Corners are created in the second row, and the third brings them out to points. The prototype 3-inch square is shown on the right, made with some leftover white thread. The squares go fairly quickly, an hour or so for each one. They'll be joined at the corner points and at each center picot of the outside chain. How big will the finished tablecoth be? Will it be square or rectangular? I don't know. That's the nice thing about modular work. You can quit when you get tired of the project.

It Slices! It Dices!

Day 169: The words of the TV commercial still ring in my ears: "It slices! It dices!" and although I didn't fall prey to the hype, my husband did, and on a notable Christmas morning close to fifty years ago, I became one of the myriad housewives who possessed a Veg-o-Matic. I remember feeling somewhat disappointed when I tore through the wrapping paper, but like several of Bruce's other peculiar gifts, the Veg-o-Matic proved its worth, slicing and dicing its way into an honoured position in my kitchen. I'm not big on food prep. If it broke, I might never again make scalloped potatoes. I suppose it's considered a "vintage" item nowadays, a term which could be applied equally to me. We're both a little stained and dented, not quite as sharp as we were in our salad years, but we still get the job done.

What were some of Bruce's other odd gifts? Well, two spring to mind because they're still standing me in good stead half a century later: 50 spools of sewing thread in every colour but pink, and a 5000-yard cone of common string. Believe it or not, that cone of string was one of the best gifts ever. I only have about a third of it left. Conservation measures have been put into effect.