Daisy, Daisy

Day 31: Yesterday, a not-too-obscure piece of fiberarts equipment came under discussion when the person who owned it posted a photo with the suggestion that it might be a potato peeler. I laughed, because it was not the first time someone had showed me a rug-maker's punch needle believing it to be a kitchen tool. The shape is very similar. Most people are familiar with a latch-hook, but fewer would recognize the punch. I've made many rugs with one, although I prefer the much faster method of weaving them.

So...obscure bits of fiberarts equipment on the board, how many of you would have known what a daisy winder was? Daisy-making was popular in my grandmother's day, and indeed it was at her knee that I learned to make them on these same two winders over sixty years ago. The principle is simple: turn the knurled knob to extend the spokes, wind yarn over them proceeding around the clock, stitch the center in an under 4/back 3 fashion until one or two circuits are complete. Tuck the tails, turn the knurled knob the opposite way and...off pops your first daisy! Repeat this procedure until you have enough daisies for your project.

The last part is the hardest. Daisies get very boring after a while, and if you had planned to make an afghan, you may find yourself wishing you'd signed on to count the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the seashore. A scarf or a bed-jacket is a much more reasonable goal. Trust me, I know. In fact, my daisy afghan was so much work that I keep it tucked away in the cedar chest, not wanting to put it out for daily use. That said, every now and then, I break out the winders and make a scarf for a gift, rows of daisies separated by rows of hairpin lace. Oh! Hairpin lace! That's another fiberart which has almost gone by the wayside. Arts of bygone days, they are...most taught to me before I was school-age by a grandmother who was an exceptional needleworker.