Necessities~

I love cloth handkerchiefs. My first love started at an estate sale when I was visiting my sister in Bend, OR. We did our usual round of garage sales and thrift stores and on one of the back roads we came across an estate sale. It was all laid out on the very long driveway and an old box caught my eye. Inside was a lot of cloth handkerchief's. I wanted one that had pansies on it but they would only sell the whole box. I didn't know what I would do with them all but I bought it all for .25. That was the best quarter I've ever spent.

Ever since, I've been buying handkerchiefs from garage sales and thrift stores. I've never bought them at antique stores but they sell them there too. I've included some of the hankies in swaps, gifts but I mostly use them. Never when I'm sick but great to have when there's cold whether out. I always have one in my pocket or in my purse. I do color coordinate them with what I'm wearing and on occasion, I make my clothes choice if I feel the particular pull to carry a hanky of a certain color and design. They have a way of calling me.

At Christmas time I went to a holiday bizarre with all the usual crochet, knit and homemade items for sale but there was a lady selling vintage potholders and handkerchiefs for a dollar each. My heart did a happy leap and I stood there for about 15 minutes going through her basket of wares. She had about a hundred to go through. Above are my latest acquisitions. Happy colors. Don't you just love the aquas? My most fav color and she had some beauties.

I love laundry day when I wash my hankies. That load makes me the happiest. Better than linens and I do love linens. I iron my hankies because I like to carry mine neatly folded in a little square. I usually stack them by size and not color because I want to be able to see each hankie all the way down the pile. Do my hanky habits show me as some sort of crazed woman? Maybe but it's a happy craze as far as I'm concerned.

Early November I started walking regularly and the winter walking is just the kind of whether that calls for a hanky. Little cold air sniffles require a hanky. Above are also the necessary items for a walk.

1. Fingerless gloves I crocheted. If my fingertips get a little chilly then I just curl them in and they get warmed up but I like to keep them free in case I need to answer a phone or reply to a text or change my song on my ipod.

2. Lip balm is another essential in the cold air. Heavy breathing dries my lips and I do not like dry lips.

3. Cellphone. In case of emergency, so my family can get hold of me or if some sort of unique thought comes to me and I need to share it through a text. Ha!

4. A handkerchief.

5. And my ipod. Christmas gift a few years ago from my son Tommy. I always ask for socks for Christmas because I love, love, love new socks BUT my family gets so tired of me asking for them. I don't understand why this is such a crime but they get so upset when that's my answer. So one year I told my second that I wanted an ipod shuffle. I was only saying it in jest because he was sp annoyed with my usual answer. Now I don't like to ask for more spendy items and back then they were about 90.00 but on Christmas morning, when I opened the little box that I had no clue as to what it could be.....I think I let out a little surprised gasp of happiness. I use this gift daily. Either at work M-F or on a walk. It is such a necessity.

I made up this pattern for these crocheted gloves. This particular pair is made from chocolate brown cotton and are much warmer than I thought they'd be. I am going to make more so I can have color choices but my second child had requested a pair for his girlfriend and those are first. Peace.