Remember These?

 

Today as I was sowing a "waist expansion" button on my pants/trousers I remembered the sock darning tool Mum had.  It was not as fancy as the one above, and it had a longer handle.  I am straining my memory to remember if we called it a mushroom, or a toadstool. 

I learned to use it when I darned my own woolen socks.  I am not saying that I did it well.

I suppose that these days only fervent hikers (and maybe Infantry soldiers) wear woolen socks. Perhaps firefighters too.

My button sewing was a a bit tough.  I had to push the needle through two layers of cloth.  I needed one of these:

In the absence of a thimble I improvised with the wooden handle of a paper knife.

Speaking of thimbles  (as one does), did you ever know a person who collected them?

                                Franklin Mint Thimble Collection

Did those collections ever increase in value? 

Who dusted them?

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And there were the Coffee Spoon Collectors.

One from every country, city, town, village which the collector had visited.

                                                Here's a set on sale for $199.

I collect memories.  They are priceless!