[/caption]My son recently surprised me with the news that he had found a long forgotten crochet stash of mine. I was so excited when he handed it over to me! Not only did I find crochet hooks in sizes that I didn't know I had, but there is also yarn that I can use! Two of the skeins are Lion Brand Wool-Ease in the Hunter Green Sprinkles colorway. I can't figure out exactly how old it is because there isn't a date on the yarn label, but I'm guessing it's from the late 90's. I remember the color Hunter Green was such a big thing 'back in the day!' (I'm sure you won't be surprised when I tell you that colorway has been discontinued.)
One of the coolest things about this discovery is that some of these hooks look quite old. My husband was saying that part of the reason the older hooks looked different from new ones because they aren't anodized. The paint is much less shiny and its fuller in places. It looks like the diameter of the hooks are just a smidge thicker than my newer hooks, but perhaps that's just my mind playing tricks on me.
You may remember when I mentioned in my introductory episode of the podcast that my Grandmother Berger taught me to crochet when I was five years old. She sent me things during my adult years like old crochet magazines, hooks and yarn that regrettably I haven't kept up very well with over the years. I'm hoping that some of these older hooks were ones that she sent me, but honestly I can't remember. Now she's gone and I have no way of really knowing.
I'm using the Lion Brand yarn to make one-color granny squares for the projects I'm wrapping up. I think the little sprinkles of color add a nice pop that will hopefully match well with the other squares that will be attached to them.
I can't get over how much I love having these newly discovered hooks! It instantly reaffirmed that I have a growing desire to collect vintage crochet hooks. One of these days I'm going to start visiting antique stores, especially ones in small towns. I think it would be so fun to hit the road, end up in tiny Texas towns and chat with antique store proprietors. Maybe when cooler weather emerges in a few months. (Unfortunately, that sounds like such a long time from now!)
