There's more than one story from early USA history of people sharing a single needle. It was passed from person to person in a set rotation. Each lady saved her mending until the days she got the needle.
To keep the needle safe during transport, it was inserted in a potato. A potato was easier to see and hold than the needle by itself. One story had a young boy doing the transport. As he went through the woods to the next house, he met a bear which scared him so much he dropped the potato. It rolled off down the hill as he ran away. He got all the people he could find to come out and search for the lost potato... which was eventually found. The needle in it was priceless to these people because they had no way to get another one. Alice in Oregon ----- Original Message ---- From: Susan Reishus <elationrelat...@yahoo.com> To: l...@dont.panix.com Sent: Saturday, April 11, 2009 9:13:47 PM Subject: [lace] 2 pins/2 pence, but only 1 needle "In 19th century USA, pins were used as an informal monetary unit..." Alice Along with Alice and Robin, it occurred to me that "two pins" were originally "two pence." Like here people often interchange "A long row to hoe" with "A long road to tow." I have no idea which precedes. Since we are on the subject of pins, I have to ask a question that has kept popping up in my mind for some time, and if anyone would know, it would most likely be on this list. When I was a child, I remember reading a story of a young girl who had to carry the one sewing needle the area had, to someone else to have a chance to do their sewing, and of course inadvertently she dropped it (and then I am sure found it). Perhaps it was my unconscious predisposition to needlework, or care I used to take to all things so they would last forever, but the story impacted me. I believe it may have been a story from early US history. Does it ring any bells anyone? I would really like to find it and share it with my daughter. It also seems timely since so many nowadays think of everything as so disposable, and having one of something and caring for and sharing it would be more substantiation in my connection with children. TIA,Susan Reishus - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com.
