February Musings begins between winter storms—Mother Nature really had her way with us in January. I am writing this between last weekend’s ice storm and this weekend’s snowstorm.

Thank God for my gas fireplace; our power was out for just one day, mostly due to the extensive work done by Duke Power after Hurricane Helene. The roads were iced over for a couple of days, but now we have two to three days before the next storm arrives.

Staying warm by the fireplace was a perfect opportunity to curl up in my reading chair by the window. I enjoyed reading several pages of my friend’s thesis and tried out some new hat designs that were percolating in my brain. I need to restock my inventory of hats and fingerless gloves for the coming spring and into next fall and winter.

In early January I completed two restorations: a beautiful doily for my long-time customer in Ohio and a cluster squares bedspread that was returned to a stately home in Massachusetts. The customer and I compared notes about the techniques our mail delivery people use to deliver packages. Having the daily USPS Expected Delivery Notification and tracking makes shipping and receiving much easier—and it’s free.

For shipping I always recommend USPS Priority Mail and the flat rate boxes available at the post office. It is very reliable, but I still try to avoid shipping anything during the two weeks prior and one week after Christmas.

During the last year I restored several machine-made tablecloths, mostly in the Irish lace floral and filigree style. Yes, it is possible to restore them to their original condition, keeping in mind that machine-made stitches are much smaller than crochet lace stitches and therefore require about twice as much time to bring back to life.

They can be made usable again with carefully blended connector stitches that are not detectable to the untrained eye. Collector pieces, however, must be restored to perfect original condition to retain value. Depending on your plans, a family heirloom may be repaired for special occasions—but I still recommend using a clear protective cloth when meals are served.

If a machine-made piece from 1920–1940 is intended for a collector or investment, a complete stitch-for-stitch restoration is required. The work should not be detectable, even by an expert—that is the challenge.

In mid-January I received images of a once-glorious machine-made cloth from around 1924. Careful magnification revealed extensive damage. While some solid sections depicting Greek mythology were intact, most lace areas were broken and would require months of work.

Many of these tablecloths were created like quilting bees—often by nuns—connecting machine-made lace panels to storytelling fabric sections. A banquet-size cloth would have taken an extraordinary amount of time to complete.

After reviewing options, I suggested preserving the intact storytelling images by removing and hemming them for use as individual doily-style pieces. This allowed part of the heirloom to remain in the family in a meaningful way.

Currently, I am awaiting a lace bra damaged in a drawer accident. I will rebuild it with underlayment, filler, and tulle, recreating the floral embroidery design. No images at the owner’s request—but I am very much looking forward to this change of pace.

From February 6^th–20^th, I will be happily watching the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina—an area of Italy close to my heart. When I was young, we often traveled through Cortina d’Ampezzo on our way from Frankfurt to Venice.

The Olympic Games are my favorite sporting event. My yarn, threads, and hooks will be close by—but I will be glued to the TV every night.

I hope you can find the best of winter wherever you are. Stay warm and safe, and choose a cozy crochet project to enjoy. A growing afghan keeps you warm as it grows in your lap.

Enjoy snow angels, sledding, and the quiet beauty of winter.

New in the Studio

Pom-Pom Hat