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| That is the most beautiful thing since the whole world combined. |
In third grade our teacher introduced us to the most wondrous pastime, crochet and hot pad making. At recess in the winter she would let us stay inside if we wanted and teach us how to crochet. For the uncoordinated she had these little yarn-pattern nail boards that you could string copious amounts of yarn into a pattern on, and then tie at the intersections, cut loose and bam! A hot pad or a place mat.
As you know every home needs at least two good hot pads. These were not good hot pads but they were so quick and easy to make we figured our mothers, grandmothers, and aunts could all use a couple of ratty looking yarn messes around the house. We had to supply our own yarn so kids were begging their moms to feed their addiction. We would promise to turn a bunch of useless yarn into hot pads, place-mats and anything that a flat mat of yarn could be re-purposed into.
We would get so absorbed into making these that we would forgo the usual necessities of recess like going to the bathroom to spend just a few more minutes at the loom. If you didn't go to the bathroom during the break you had to spend one of your tickets to go during class. each student got two tickets every day and at the end of the week you could buy candy with your tickets. I never used any because the teacher would sell these massive fruit flavored candy sticks for ten tickets, which was a perfect ticket week. My obsession with hot pads and my determination to never use a ticket along with a school play conspired to publicly humiliate me. But that is story for another time.
