...I lucked into a spool of thread - a huge spool (about 2.5 lbs) remanded to the “free” bin at the mill because it was pretty grubby. There’s a label inside the cone that states it’s 70% pima cotton and 30% linen and the count is given as 24/2x2. I have no idea what that means, but the stuff works up perfectly on a #9 crochet hook.
I wanted to make a nice table center for a friend who is redecorating this summer and it seemed that this stuff might be the ticket - if I could clean it up reasonably well. So I made a test piece - a small motif of the type that tablecloths were made from in the earlier part of the last century. (Celt’s Vintage Crochet is a great resource for vintage crochet patterns - tons of really beautiful stuff). Then I washed it in the kitchen sink - and wasn’t too careful about it either. Dish detergent, lots of rubbing and squishing, lots of rinsing and then crumpled into a ball inside a couple of paper towels to get as much water out as possible. Then I pinned it out on a towel to sit overnight and dry.
Clean and dry
It looks decent, I think - the grubbies are all gone anyway. The color is sort of an ecru/oyster blend that fretted me a bit until Myria suggested that it looked heirloom. I don’t know about that, but it doesn’t look too bad.
So, the material worked up well, cleaned up nicely and is good and sturdy. That was all I needed to know to start this:
Table centerpiece
The design (from the above mentioned site) is called “White Sapphire” and was new in 1943. Currently, the diameter is about 6.75” (unblocked) and I expect it to be about twice that when complete. I’m quite enjoying working this project as I had thought my fine crochet days were well behind me at this point. It’s nice to know I can still manage this.
I finally got to work on the other Harry Potter scarf and am, at last, making progress. I’m still mulling over matching hats and when/if I come up with something, you all will be the first to know :)
Harry Potter and the Black Jade of the Blue Moon
Last, but absolutely, positively, categorically and certainly not least, barb-in-east-texas sent me this:
All your bathmats are belong to us!
It’s the Sugar ‘n Cream Potpourri Ombre I ran out of for the new bathmats! It was incredibly nice of her to share this with me. Barb - you’re a peach and a half! Thank-you, thank-you and thank-you :) Now I can complete the mats which will really look nice. I will post pictures when I’m done. Just what you wanted, right - to see the inside of my bathroom?
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Very pretty crocheting, girlfriend. 
It IS nice to discover that “fine & fiddley” are still in your repetoire. Your friend will love it!
Thanks a bunch Bron :) From you, that’s high praise indeed! And it is fun. Myria is beginning to mumble about placemats - heheh!!
Hey, you will never run out now! Oh, and thank you for sharing that lace site! My heart jumped seeing all those vintage doily patterns! The one you are working on looks great! ...just wondering it takes a while to download your blog /comment box(I have highspeed) is anyone else having the same trouble or is it just me?
Hi PJ - Celt’s VIntage Crochet is a great site, isn’t it? I want to make one of everything there!
I don’t know why it should take a while to download the blog. As far as I know, no one else is having a problem 
Computers can be funny…
