Success!

There was no bloodshed in the house. MS3 is done. Can we all breath a sigh of relief? Well, I will anyway. You can see the seam down the back, but I'm ok with that. I'm just so thrilled with it and actually once I got the groove of grafting it wasn't so bad. But, I will certainly shy away from projects with that word in them. Or at least lace projects.







So, now that that's done. And, by the way, it took me three days less than one year to finish it. Of course, I didn't work on it exclusively. In fact, I didn't touch it for several months.



Last night I finished this really cute crocheted Floppy Brim Hat. Pattern here. I had to modify the pattern to make it fit my tiny head and it still turned out a little large. But, I like it fine. Except that I don't look nearly as glamorous as I'd hoped. A good grip on reality has never been one of my strong points.



Next up...Featherweight Fantasy Shawl in black Zephyr DK for mom. I'd also like to start the Myrtle Leaf shawl in the Claudia's laceweight that I got at WHIBSIB. The VLT yahoo is doing this as their KAL for July.



We're dancing this afternoon so I better go get my butt in gear.

Holy Grafting, Batman!

Back several months ago when I blithly commented that I was going to make the MS3 in two symmetrical panels and graft them together, why oh why, didn't someone slap me?



I. HAD. NO. CLUE.



Do not be mislead...grafting lace is not for the faint of heart. I almost puked after about 15 minutes of it. Seriously. It took me an hour and 15 minutes (not counting the time I spent just staring at it swearing) to do just the 20 or so stitches in the edge. And when I came back to it the next day it was seriously screwed up. The little row of yo's did not match up. Not even close. So, I bravely set forth to un-graft. You ever done that? Well, let me tell you....it's even harder than grafting.



So, this is how much I have done now after about 3 hours. I am halfway. Yippee. I have kindly pointed out my f&%$ups aahhh errors for you by circling them in red.



The next time you hear from me...it will either be finished or there will be bloodshed in this household. Ok, maybe not quite that severe. But, let's hope for finished.

Quilted Blocks Baby Blanket

Here's a baby blanket pattern that I made a couple of years ago and thought I'd put it up here as a freebie. It's also on google docs and listed in the Freebies! link at the sidebar along with the two spreadsheets that I made for yarn weights and yardages for VLT and Folk Shawls.

Edited to add link to pdf file that you can download.

Enjoy!

Quilted Blocks Baby Blanket

Copyright © 2006 by wendydancer at gmail dot com

Materials: Worsted Weight Yarn (I used Lion Brand Cotton Ease. I used about 5 ½ balls.) Size 8 29” circular needle, 2 stitch markers. The Quilted Blocks pattern comes from several sources including Barbara Walker’s Treasury.

Cast on 176 stitches. Work 6 rows of seed stitch. The first and last 4 stitches of each row form a seed stitch border along the sides. The markers are used to mark the border. Slip all markers on all rows when you come to them. pm=place marker

Row 1 (WS): k1,p1,k1,p1, pm, k3, *p8, k6; rep from * until 15 stitches remain, p8, k3, pm, k1,p1,k1,p1.

Row 2: p1,k1,p1, k1, knit to marker, p1,k1,p1, k1

Row 3: k1,p1,k1,p1, k3, *p8, k6; rep from * until 15 stitches remain, p8, k3, k1,p1,k1,p1.

Row 4: p1,k1,p1, k1, knit to marker, p1,k1,p1, k1

Row 5: k1,p1,k1,p1, k3, *p8, k6; rep from * until 15 stitches remain, p8, k3, k1,p1,k1,p1.

Row 6: p1,k1,p1, k1, k2, *p2, k6, p2, k4; rep from * end last rpt k2, p1,k1,p1, k1.

Row 7: k1,p1,k1,p1, p3, *k2, p4, k2, p6; rep from * end last rpt p3, k1,p1,k1,p1.

Row 8: p1,k1,p1, k1, k4, *p2,k2,p2,k8; rep from * end last rpt k4, p1,k1,p1, k1.

Row 9: k1,p1,k1,p1, p5, *k4, p10; rep from *, end last rpt k4, p5, k1,p1,k1,p1

Row 10: p1,k1,p1, k1, k4, *p2,k2,p2,k8; rep from * end last rpt k4, p1,k1,p1, k1.

Row 11: k1,p1,k1,p1, p3, *k2, p4, k2, p6; rep from * end last rpt p3, k1,p1,k1,p1

Row 12: p1,k1,p1, k1, k2, *p2, k6, p2, k4; rep from * end last rpt k2, p1,k1,p1, k1.

Repeat these 12 rows until desired length is achieved. End with row 5. Work 6 rows of seed stitch. Bind off loosely.

Some Goodies for Ya!

A couple of years ago I got really frustrated because I was spending a whole lot of time thumbing through some of my books and then researching yarns online to find out first) the weight of the yarn used in the book and then second) an acceptable substitute. I started making notes and before long my book was crammed with little post its and odd scraps of paper. Finally sat down one day and made a spreadsheet of my research. So, for what it's worth, I am going to link to my spreadsheets that I made for the Folk Shawls book and Victorian Lace Today. And please remember that I am human and make mistakes so please verify anything before you take it to the bank....Look for the links in my sidebar. The spreadsheets are stored on google documents and you should be able to print or download them from there.

Enjoy and let me know if you find them helpful!

Moss & Ribs Cardi Disaster

Moss & ribs Cardi
Originally uploaded by wendydancer

I am feeling really sick right now. I've been trying to tell myself that it's my imagination or the lighting or that it'll look ok once I get more of it done. Well, I'm nearly halfway done with the front left and it definitely is lighter colored than the back. Even DH says so. And we all know that men can't see color variations, right?

I think you can see it in the picture. The back has a lot of really dark blue bits and the front has none, zero, nada. It's almost a stone washed denim look. Very pretty, but not very matchy!

The yarn co/dyer was very accomodating and offered several options to remedy the situation. One of which was for me to frog, send her the yarn back and she would dye me up 3 hanks that match.

I told her that I will try to find another project or projects for this yarn where it doesn't matter so much that the color varies. I do love this yarn. And I love the sweater pattern and I think it would look awesome in this yarn! Waaaaaa!

Let's take a look at those New Year's Resolutions

Since it's already June and the year is half over I thought it would be appropriate to review my knitting resolutions. Here they are again as a reminder:

1-Finish MS3 (even if it kills me).
2-Design (& knit) a sweater. (who am I kidding?)
3-Finish mom's afghan (which was supposed to be Christmas '07 gift)
4-Knit at least one item from each of my books. (I edited and added this one because I saw it on someone else's blog and thought it was a great idea!)

Ummmhmmmm.

#1- MS3. I am still working on it and have about 100 rows to complete it. The picture above is of both halves. The first half (the completed one) is through row 258 and the 2nd half is at about row 180. I'm not sure how many more rows I will knit because I'm just going to piece together two of the Chart D's and try to find a place that looks good. Melanie said to stop at row 313 and graft the two together there but if you do that the Cat's Paw (I think that's what the pattern in the middle is called) won't be offset at the join. Anyhoo...I'm trying to do 10 rows a day on it.

#2- Well, I am knitting a sweater. Finished the back and started the left front. But I'm worried that it's going to be too small. Will that moss & ribs pattern flatten out with blocking? But I digress. And I do have an awesome idea for a sweater. Just waiting for my abilities to catch up with my ideas.

#3-Mom's afghan is finished. However, it is now a baby blanket. And a damned ugly one at that. Maybe if I add some fringe or ribbon it'll look more baby'ish. I am not proud. But, at least it is off the needles. So, I can check it off my list because that's just how compulsive I am. I even took a picture to prove that it's done. (Which I should've cropped before putting it up because you can see my toe and part of my shorts leg.) I think this may be pushing the envelope of what's actually allowed to be counted as completing a resolution...but frankly my dear.....

#4-Hmmmm. I forgot about that one. Well, I still have 6 months to work on that.

Peppers and Tomato

We've been to North Carolina to see our granddaughter graduate from High School. She was Valedictorian and is a very smart and beautiful and poised young lady. We are so proud of her!

We drove our little Ford Focus all the way. It gets 33 mpg which is pretty good but I'm still afraid to calculate how much we spent on gas. We took a leisurely trip going up there. We left on Saturday around 11 am. Yes, I said 11 am! We'd helped host a party the night before and didn't get to bed until around 1....so there! We stayed in Fairfield Inns all the way up there and they are very nice for the most part. They have indoor pool and hot tubs which is what we wanted because DH's left hip is really bothering him. And we did enjoy the hot tubs. I must say that the Fairfield Inn in Jackson, MS was not great. But the others were wonderful. Especially the one in downtown Atlanta. Very nice.

We stopped at a Popeye's Chicken somewhere in Alabama on the way up. It was Sunday afternoon and very crowded with the little old ladies in their church finery. We were munching away when I heard a small voice "hi". I turned to look and this tiny little black boy was smiling at me. I said hi back and he put his arms around my waist and laid his head on my chest. Oh my heart be still!! It was so sweet. Then he looked at me and said "heart". Seriously I almost bawled. Then I realized that he was looking at my heart pendant. So, I said yes, it's a heart. And he pointed to his t-shirt and said "SPIDERMAN!!". Cute, cute, cute. (It wasn't a spiderman t but I guess he didn't know that.) Meanwhile his mama and grandma were telling him to come back over here and eat your lunch and fussing at him and they were just in shock that he'd done that.

Another cute story ...we were in the hottub at Fairfield Inn in Jackson MS the next night. I had my eyes closed and was really relaxed....when I felt water splashing my face....I ignored it for a few minutes but it kept on. You know sometimes those hot tubs can get a little rambunctious. I finally opened my eyes to see this little doll of about 2 yrs old splashing me. He was squatting on the edge of the tub and leaning over to splash water on my face. When I opened my eyes he gave me the most beautiful, sweet smile. I guess I am just a magnet for little 2-3 yr old black boys. {grin} Where was his mother, you ask? Sitting right there letting him splash me. Hmmmmm....

Oh yes, the subject of this post....The weather was very hot and windy here at home while we were gone so I was a bit worried about my tomato and pepper plants. But, they survived. We have ONE tomato! Several jalapeno peppers and I picked one today and used it in my gazpacho. It was very good, not too hot but a little heat there. There is a whole story about these pepper and tomato plants that is quite funny. About 6 weeks ago, I got the idea of planting tomatos and peppers in pots on our deck. And it seemed like a really great idea and DH was into it too. So, we trotted off to the garden center and bought pots and soil and plants. Somewhere in the range of $25 spent. It's all good. Tomatoes are so expensive at the grocery and they don't have any taste at all yada, yada, yada. Well, a few days later we realized that it was a possibility that the deer might come up onto the deck and munch our lovely plants. Remember the Hibiscus debacle? So, we went down and bought cages for the tomatoes and netting to put over the plants. Another $20. It's all good. We are loving it. Then we had like 8" of rain in four days and 3 hail storms. Oh the plants are not looking good. I fertilize. I turn the water off. I worry. I fret. I trot over to my neighbors who has this humungous garden and inspect her tomato plants. They already have tomatoes on them. I ask her what should I do for mine because they look really, really bad. She tells me about this stuff called Bloom Set. But it at the garden center. A natural growth hormone for vegetables. Spray it on when you see flowers. Ok, another $4.95 and I'm ready. I go out and inspect the plants every day waiting for blooms.....waiting...waiting....oh to hell with it. Spray 'em.

So, we're sitting on the deck one evening having a glass of wine and discussing our lack of vegetables and the upcoming trip to NC. DH has an interesting thought....what if the deer come up on the deck while we're gone and no one is around and they eat up the veggies? Yikes. What can we do? Well, we can enclose the deck with more railing and a gate. Yee Haw, he's a genious. Off we trot to the building supply place. You dont' even want to know how much we spent there. Suffice it to say that those 5 peppers and that one tomato are very, very expensive.

Well, since I'm on a writing roll....how about a little knitting content?

I finished the back of the Moss & Ribs Cardi while on the trip and could've gotten more done but I forgot to take my US 3 circs with me. And being the tightwad that I am....I refused to buy a set of size 3 straights when I know I'll never use them again. The only places to buy yarn or needles was Hobby Lobby, Michaels and Wal-Mart. I also made another of the circular washcloths. I was 8 rows from finishing when I ran out of yarn. I searched everywhere for matching yarn, but the afore mentioned stores did not have it. It's some kind of striped cotton yarn. Sugar & cream or peaches & cream or some such.

I have decided that Mom's afghan is not going to be mom's afghan. It's going to be a baby blanket for a preemie. I am just sick to death of knitting that thing. It's time to put us both out of our misery. But again...I am such a tightwad and so wierd that I cannot bear to rip it out so I am finishing it and will give it away.

If you've made it through this post to the end...you deserve a medal!

VLT Scarf finished

Well, dang. I hate that I cannot find more exciting titles for my posts! What a dork. Anyhoo...I did finish the scarf a few weeks ago and here it is.

I really loved making it. Not sure what it's good for...too small for a shawl...too wide for a scarf. Maybe a table runner!

I'm Terrified of Knitting in the Round

Yep. It's true. Knitting in the round scares the crap outta me.

I have only knit a couple of hats in the round and they weren't really pretty. Wish I had (not) pictures to share. There is always a gap thing going on at least on the first 3-4 rows. I don't really know why and I don't like it. Really. I'd just rather knit flat and sew the sumbitch. Ok, so I said it.

But....there is this sweater that I really love. http://shop.interweave.com/store/popup.htm?images/Gathered_Pullover_L.jpg But it's done in the round. And the freaking gauge is in the round. What does that mean? Oy! But, I think the yarn pictured above would work really well. It is Plain and Fancy wool sport. It's so soft and squishy. I just love it. And I have swatched with it. Just not in the frickin' round! http://www.ravelry.com/people/wendydancer/stash/sport

Fortunately,I still have the VLT scarf to keep me occupied...and I am loving it right now. I'm in the groove on the last border and it's like magic the way that border attaches and becomes one with the scarf. Who comes up with this stuff? I'm willing to bet that no one has thought up an original knitting idea in....forever!

Party Time

The past few 10 days has just been crazy busy around our house! Our friends from Michigan, John & Diana, came through on their way back home from the Valley. We had a little party on the day they arrived, Sunday, March 30. Then we danced the next night, then another party for them the next night, the next day we spent all day long working our asses off at Rick & Cheryl's new "playhouse" helping them clean up and move furniture into it to get ready for....yes, another party on Friday night. But wait...let's don't forget there was another party on Thursday night with more food and even dancing. Friday night was an awesome dance from 6:30-8:30 and then the afterparty which went on until 1 am. There were about 40 people there.

Rick & Cheryl's "playhouse" is a 4 car garage with one bay for a motorhome. The top floor has a gorgeous kitchen with granite countertops and custom cabinetry and built in entertainment center. It also has two bathrooms upstairs and one downstairs. The key is the beautiful hardwood flooring upstairs. Everything in this place is top quality. But why wouldn't it be?? Their home is even more gorgeous!

Ok, so we're up to Saturday now. Saturday we spent much of the day preparing for the dance that night. And nursing a severe headache....couldn't have been caused by too much wine and not enough sleep could it? Saturday night the dance was just wonderful and there was another afterparty. This one at Evelyn's. Another beautiful home. I think there were about 50 people at that party.

Sunday, we rested!!

There was a little knitting content during this period. I worked on the VLT scarf and got to the point of starting the last border. I spent all my spare time over Friday and Saturday which wasn't much trying to figure out what was wrong with that blasted pattern because I kept ending up at row 1 in the chart but the shawl was on the WS. Finally on Sunday, I found the problem. ME!! I had failed to read one little sentence in the directions. PURL ONE ROW, YOU IDIOT! So, now I'm rolling on that. The really embarassing thing is that I posted on several sites all about my woes and then had to go back and basically say, "never mind. I'm an idiot."

In between all the partying and knitting there was also dentist appts, mom & dad needed computer help and massive amounts of laundry.

But it's all good.

Double Digit Favs

I'm so excited because one of my Ravelry projects has been faved by 10 people! Yeehaw!! It's the beautiful Horseshoe Lace Shawl designed by RainyK. I don't know why it thrills me so much that it's been faved 10 times, but it honestly does. Maybe because I LOVE that shawl, too!

I am ready to put the last border on the VLT scarf. The photo is at the 60% mark so it's longer now than that pic. But, anyhoo....I can't quite get the border worked out in my head. Even though I've done a knitted on border before on the MissyLace Shawl for some reason I can't get my head around it this time.

Here's where I am having trouble..

After the last repeat of Chart B you end on a WS row. Then it says knit one row (that would be RS). Then it says don't turn. Crochet cast on 41 stitches. Ok, so this is on the right side and now I've got this long cast on. And I'm supposed to start the Chart A at this point. But if I turn the work here as normal, I'll be on the WS and the chart starts with RS. Argh! I need help.

Tomorrow is Easter

Doesn't this sweater just scream Easter? So, I finished this Baby Surprise jacket a few days ago and it just reminds me of Easter and spring and Easter eggs. It is so cute. The little buttons are either butterflies or bees, I can't really decide. But they are so cute! I don't have a baby to gift it to so I will just hold on to it until I find one.

Today we went over to some friends "Ranch" and danced and ate and had a wonderful time. Met some new people and laughed 'til we cried. I had one of those moments where you just look around you at the beautiful blue sky and the smiling friends and think "Wow! This is really special!"

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday and Mom & Dad & James are coming over for lunch. I am making a ham, sweet potatoes, salad and chocolate cake. Mom is bringing bread and James is bringing ice cream. Yummy!


Now, I haven't showed any progress reports on the VLT scarf in awhile. I did work on it in the valley and I am about halfway done with it. I am using the Elsebeth Lavold hempathy yarn. I used most of one ball for the first edge. My scale says there is 12 g left in the first ball. I got 9 repeats and 7 rows done on Chart B with the second ball and just went to the third ball today. So, I should just barely be able to make the scarf as called for in the pattern with 21 repeats of Chart B. I love the main body of the scarf but am not so crazy about the edge. I just think it looks too different.

I still have the afghan for mom otn and the blasted MS3. The other day Mom asked me to knit her a lightweight shawl in off white. So tomorrow we are going to look at patterns. I am thrilled that she asked me for a shawl. I made the Wool Peddler's for her a couple of years ago but it's really too small and a little heavy. This will be fun. I would like to make the Highland Triangle Shawl but I don't know if she wants a rectangle or triangle shape.

Plain 'ol Cuppa Joe

Sadly boring, but true....

You Are a Plain Ole Cup of Joe

But don't think plain - instead think, uncomplicated You're a low maintenance kind of girl... who can hang with the guys Down to earth, easy going, and fun! Yup, that's you: the friend everyone invites. And your dependable too. Both for a laugh and a sympathetic ear.

What Kind of Coffee Girl Are You?

What I've been doing the past 2 months.....

Ok, so there was some New Year's Eve partying.....with our friends John & Nancy.










And then there were the cookouts and potluck dinners and more partying.....









There was some birdwatching.....(yes those bright orange and yellow spots are birds). In fact they are beautiful Altamira Orioles. There are also Green Jays in the picture and Kiskadees.





And there was even a little knitting. This is the finished first border for the scarf from VLT pg. 100.

And a whole lot of dancing, although I didn't get any pictures of dancing because....well I was dancing.

So, Thursday we are off the Big Bend National Park for a week or so then we'll be back home in mid March.

New Year Knitting Resolutions

So, Dawn had this knitting resolutions thing on her blog and I thought it was a cool idea. So without further ado....here are mine.

1-Finish MS3 (even if it kills me).

2-Design (& knit) a sweater. (who am I kidding?)

3-Finish mom's afghan (which was supposed to be Christmas '07 gift)

4-Knit at least one item from each of my books. (I edited and added this one because I saw it on someone else's blog and thought it was a great idea!)

Ok. I think that's enough. I feel a little lightheaded.

I finished the Montego Bay scarf a couple of days ago and I think it looks great. Better than the photo. But here's DH in all his workclothes glory posing for me. What a guy!

I have cast on for mom's afghan and knitted about 3" on it. So, I'll put it in a gift bag with the yarn and a picture of the finished afghan. Also, I bought her a nice pair of gold hoop earrings.

I cast on the scarf from VLT on pg 100 with the Hempathy yarn that Carrie gifted me. I love the yarn. Not sure I love the pattern. It uses k2tog for all the decreases and I'm not sure I like how that looks when the decrease line is pointed left. I cannot believe that I even recognize there might be a better way. I've only done about 2 inches on it so no loss. I can frog and try another pattern.

Blogging is Hard Work!

No really, it is! But, I had to toot my horn a bit...the shawl back shrug is finished and really do like it. Honestly, the pattern was way too vague for my taste. But I had Vicki to hold my hand all the way and it turned out just awesome!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Ours was great. Just a small group of family and friends...turkey, dressing, desserts...what more can you ask for?

I've started a new project. The Montego Bay Scarf from IK Summer '07 (I'm pretty sure of the issue!). It's really fun and I'm using the Plymouth Royal Bamboo Multi. It really looks nice and it's so soft. The potato chip scarf just wasn't happening.

But really, I'm in limbo on knitting projects. Nothing that really has me loving it like the SBS did. I am still slogging away on MS3....I actually took a pic today but still I'm only on clue 4. Ugh. I doubt that I will ever finish it. I just can't get into the wing and I HATE the idea of doing it all over again so I can graft it together. I don't know why that bugs me. If I were just continuing on....I'd finish. hmmmm. I could do this same silly pattern for another 2 feet and that would be ok. But the thought of starting over....not happening.

Houston, we have sleeves!

Yeah! Sleeves are done and the rest of the SBS has been picked up and knitted. The picking up and knitting was really tricky for me to get done. I had the back on a lifeline and the fronts on seperate life lines. Some of the stitches had pulled through and were buried so that I had to get a tiny crochet hook and dig them out. At one point I had a crochet hook, a darning needle, a size 2 knitting needle and a stitch holder all poked in various spots trying to get those stitches lifted. Then I messed up on the back...instead of slip, k2tog, psso....I did slip, slip, k2tog, psso....And of course, I knitted way past it before I stopped to look it over. My clue was that the numbers weren't coming out right. But for some odd reason, I just kept on knitting. And once I realized my mistake I spent several minutes trying to figure out a way to ummmm, shall we say, cheat. I hate tinking back!

It fits a little snugly, but that's ok, I think. I know that I can block it out bigger. Right?

I love this yarn. It's so soft and just looks gorgeous! I think the body will go fast because from here I do about an inch straight and then start decreasing. The final part is to pick up all alround the outside edge and knit on an edging. The thought of that scares me so...I just try not to think about it. Just call me Scarlet.

Capelet is finito!

The New Vintage Capelet is finished.

I am not totally thrilled with it because it is way longer than the one in the pattern. Speaking of the pattern....the web link no longer works. So, it really is finito. I think that is just so sad. I have love this cape from the first time I saw it and I am so glad that I saved it for myself in doc format. But it's sad that it's not out there anymore! Michelle Kissoore....put it out somewhere else, please!

I think I will give this to my mom. I will offer it anyway, and if she doesn't like it well she doesn't have to take it.

I wore my Sun Ray Shawl today and it was great! The weather is so awesome right now. Perfect fall weather!

Ready for Sleeves?

I think I'm ready to put the sleeves on seperate needles and knit them up. I am excited about this but realized yesterday that I'll have to cut my yarn (I'm using a cone of yarn) then estimate how much I'll need for one sleeve and ball it up. I'm nervous about starting the sleeves because I'm not 100% sure how wide the back is. I guess I should put it on a piece of scrap yarn so I can get a good measurement. And then there's the blocking to factor in. This will be a learning experience that's for sure. If it's too big for me, I don't know who I'll give it to.

The New Vintage Capelet is coming along quickly. I've done about half of the decreases so it shouldn't be much longer. I think I will take it with me this weekend to work on in the car. I should be able to finish it. I need to get another pic of it.

MacGyver Level 3

So, I don't know if you've seen this site or not http://www.cast-on.com/?page_id=123 but it's pretty funny. I believe I've earned at least three badges:

1)The “Knitting Whilst Under the Influence” Badge - This applies to both actual knitting under the influence, as well as achieving moments of stunning intellectual clarity about ones knitting under the influence. Presumes talking about knitting whilst under the influence a given.

2)The “Proselytize Knitting” Badge - A requirement for all Knitting Scouts, the recipient must do his or her bit to present knitting in a positive light, whilst at the same time avoiding all references to “hipness”, grandmothers, and yoga.

But my proudest one- 3)The “MacGyver” Badge (Level Three) - The recipient must demonstrate clever use of a knitting tool in a non-knitting-related scenario working towards the Greater Good. For instance, recipient used a Clover yarn cutter, a 30” Addi Turbo circular needle, and a copy of Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Knitting Without Tears to foster world peace.

Here's the story: DH was trying to transfer some 30 years old tapes of his dear departed dad singing religious songs. DH's sister has had these tapes for years and she recently found them. She had a stroke last year and isn't herself anymore. But, she does remember the past and loves talking about it. So, DH decided he would take the tapes and put them on cd for his sister and himself. But he was afraid that if he rewound them using the tape player, they would break. Being as they're 30 years old. So, he came to me for help. "I need something to turn the tape with." My response was "use your finger". He didn't like that idea. His fingers are big and it would take forever to rewind the tape that way. We tried a pencil (too small) and various other item. Then, I had an idea! My rubber point protector and a size 2 needle did the trick! So, you see? The Greater Good being dear sister's happiness. Right? Anyway, we are going today to deliver said cds. yee haw!