# Has anyone ever seen this? What is it?!?



## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

http://www.benfranklin.com/Store/Crafts/Catalog/More+Brands+Needles+&+Hooks/default.aspx?categoryId=805&ItemId=206454

If the link doesn't work, it's at http://www.benfranklin.com/store
under crafts > knitting & crochet > needles & hooks > More brands needles & hooks
and it's called Pattern Hooks. They're sold $4.84 for a box of 12.

I've never seen the like, and now I'm curious as to what they're for.

Any ideas?


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## starryblu (Apr 6, 2011)

that looks scary :shock: :shock:


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## MistyBabe (May 16, 2011)

All I have found so far on google.....



PPA Pattern Hook 

Strong Metal Hook with Nylon Cord 

Perfect for: Hanging Commercial & Domestic patterns to keep from creasing and becoming damaged.


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## RookieRetiree (Jan 27, 2011)

I think the straight end goes through a hole in the packet holding the pattern and the rounded-hook end then holds the packet up on the yarn rack...


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## Sharolynn16 (Jul 4, 2011)

That seems like the probable use for something that looks so scarey!!


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## cardinal (Mar 28, 2011)

Jessica-Jean said:


> http://www.benfranklin.com/Store/Crafts/Catalog/More+Brands+Needles+&+Hooks/default.aspx?categoryId=805&ItemId=206454
> 
> If the link doesn't work, it's at http://www.benfranklin.com/store
> under crafts > knitting & crochet > needles & hooks > More brands needles & hooks
> ...


I'm shocked! I have not heard or seen the name Ben Franklin Store since I was a teenager! That was just a few years ago. 
We don't have them here anymore. Anyway, I have no earthly idea what that gadget is.


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## hildy3 (Jan 29, 2011)

Jessica-Jean said:


> http://www.benfranklin.com/Store/Crafts/Catalog/More+Brands+Needles+&+Hooks/default.aspx?categoryId=805&ItemId=206454
> 
> If the link doesn't work, it's at http://www.benfranklin.com/store
> under crafts > knitting & crochet > needles & hooks > More brands needles & hooks
> ...


J-J..love puzzles and this is a dilly! Hook goes over rod or does it? Hmmmm I printed it and will show it to owner of LYS. Maybe she will know. Thanks..this is fun..Hildy :thumbup:


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## Ida (Apr 14, 2011)

NO puzzle to it. They are used for storage for sewing patterns. You attach the pattern to T end and hang it on a bar.


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## Dreamweaver (Feb 1, 2011)

I think Ida is exactly right. At first, I thought hook end would go in pegboard for displaying patterns, but it isn't the right shape. The straight edge would also you through center holes in plastic bags that hold crossstitch patterns or other items.

Loved going to Ben Franklin and Woolworths Five and Dime as a kid. So many treasures.


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## Ida (Apr 14, 2011)

I searched on Yahoo "how to use pattern hook" and found what is is used for.


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## coloursofgrace (Jul 3, 2011)

Pattern Hook
Metal hook and "T"-bar strung together with 8" of nylon cord. Used to hold sloper or pattern pieces together in storage. Also comes in an all metal type, this is one definition I found!


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## lovethelake (Apr 6, 2011)

Salutations

My gyno had noidea what it is


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## lovethelake (Apr 6, 2011)

Salutations

My gyno had no idea what it is


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## Leonora (Apr 22, 2011)

I worked in the manufacturing industry eons ago, and I'm sure they are for hanging the card pattern pieces on, to keep them in good condition, and easier for storing too.


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## sahoo (Jul 7, 2011)

I think it should be on a medical or an Xrated site !!!!


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## christine flo (Apr 11, 2011)

is it for holding pattern open


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## Palenque1978 (Feb 16, 2011)

starryblu said:


> that looks scary :shock: :shock:


Exactly what I thought too, Starryblu. I had an instant flashback ... getting a cervical examination... Yikes!!

Whatever it is, I don't want one. If any of you ever get me for the Secret Pal Exchange, don't send me one of these creepy-looking things!


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## Palenque1978 (Feb 16, 2011)

sahoo said:


> I think it should be on a medical or an Xrated site !!!!


LOL!!


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## mac.worrall (Jun 24, 2011)

My line of thought [and I was a gyno..]


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## Palenque1978 (Feb 16, 2011)

Jessica-Jean said:


> http://www.benfranklin.com/Store/Crafts/Catalog/More+Brands+Needles+&+Hooks/default.aspx?categoryId=805&ItemId=206454
> 
> If the link doesn't work, it's at http://www.benfranklin.com/store
> under crafts > knitting & crochet > needles & hooks > More brands needles & hooks
> ...


Jessica-Jean, you're a kinky one.


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## elsienicholls (Mar 24, 2011)

customer service at Ben Franklin said "These hooks are used to carry pattern papers when transporting is required."


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## jbagnall (Jun 14, 2011)

torture instrument perhaps. :shock: :hunf:


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## shanni (Apr 18, 2011)

http://thedomesticdiva.wordpress.com/2007/09/21/professional-pattern-hooks/
had to use google to find out though


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## daniel (Apr 27, 2011)

theey use this type of hook for storing patterns in garment factories sow the patterns dont get damaged for further use as i have used them before in the ware house


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## clogden21 (Jan 25, 2011)

It could be handy to keep your pattern close to your work also. punch a hole in your pattern loop this gizmo through and hang on your work.


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## Carol (UK) (Mar 18, 2011)

Looks like something out of the dark ages or the Gynae Clinic!! It's a pattern hook but I don't think it's for our kind of patterns. More like an industrial item.


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## Carol (UK) (Mar 18, 2011)

Looks like something out of the dark ages or the Gynae Clinic!! It's a pattern hook but I don't think it's for our kind of patterns. More like an industrial item.  Oops repetition!


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## dawn lenz (Mar 3, 2011)

I miss ben franklin. I would ride my bike there as a child and always buy now and laters. I worked in the woolworth snack bar for a while in our mall. Miss that fun place too! It was the only job that paid you in cash.....


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## MARIAN FRANKS (Jun 16, 2011)

I wonder if it is a pattern holder, the hook possibly hooks and anchors under a table or stand, the clip is to hold the pattern . I am just guessing however.


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## LBush1144 (Jan 23, 2011)

Was anything like that used in the story of "Sybil"? It looks like some device of torture.


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## lawnchairlady50 (Feb 25, 2011)

Vermont had a Ben Franklin up untill about 2 yrs. ago in Fair Haven. Stopped there on my way to Mass. Was shock to drive up to it and find out it was a different store!


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## marymal (May 9, 2011)

starryblu said:


> that looks scary :shock: :shock:


That was my first thoughts too. :evil:


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## andersjw (Apr 25, 2011)

Our BF stores have been gone for at least 20 years. Sure miss them. One of our stores had a very unique visitor. A deer decided to go shopping there. caused quite a commotion.


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## henhouse2011 (Feb 20, 2011)

Well now, you started me thinking to rig up something similar to hang over my Ott light (on the gooseneck part) to hold my pattern up off the table, out of the way and closer to my nose. I already hang my ball holder there when I am knitting socks. And while we are talking handy, my friend just knit the moebius basket from Cat Bordhi's Magical Knitting. She felted it and now it is just right to hang over your wrist to hold your yarn while knitting. Love it!


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## starryblu (Apr 6, 2011)

Palenque1978 said:


> starryblu said:
> 
> 
> > that looks scary :shock: :shock:
> ...


LOL!! please pass me on the name of your doctor, so I can put a skull and crossbones by his name in the directory 

and i don't blame you...i don't think i'd want a skeery looking object like that as a gift either. chocolate is always a good choice )

*sigh* longing for the Ben Franklin store at one of the last little towns i was living in when i was back in iowa. i had never even heard of them until i lived there. it was like taking a step back in time...to the old dime store days, or variety stores as another i used to shop in was called? anyhoo...that store was awesome....


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## MaryTre (Mar 25, 2011)

Do you think they could hold a copy of a pattern with the project? Hook it all together? Just a guess!


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## grommitt (Apr 12, 2011)

Jessica-Jean said:


> http://www.benfranklin.com/Store/Crafts/Catalog/More+Brands+Needles+&+Hooks/default.aspx?categoryId=805&ItemId=206454
> 
> If the link doesn't work, it's at http://www.benfranklin.com/store
> under crafts > knitting & crochet > needles & hooks > More brands needles & hooks
> ...


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## RebeccaKay (Feb 9, 2011)

I googled pattern hooks and I foundThe following definition if you would call it that:
Metal hook and "T" bar strung together with a nylon cord. used to hold sloper or pattern pieces together in storage. Now what exactly that means I have no idea.


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

Leonora said:


> I worked in the manufacturing industry eons ago, and I'm sure they are for hanging the card pattern pieces on, to keep them in good condition, and easier for storing too.


OK. Mystery solved ... except ... Why did the folks at Ben Franklin's list it with knitting and crochet stuff? I guess they had no idea either of what to do with it.

Thank you Leonora, colorsofgrace, and Ida for finding/knowing the solution.

Since I can't think of a use for it in relation to knitting or crochet, I won't be buying any! :-D


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## hlynnknits (May 27, 2011)

lovethelake said:


> Salutations
> 
> My gyno had noidea what it is


LOL!


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

Thanks to marylin! Now I understand why they're sold by the dozen. I still don't think most home seamstresses would use them. After all, how many times is one likely - at home, sewing for family alone - to re-use the same pattern. In a factory or commercial setting, they make perfect sense.

Thanks all! I knew someone here would know! :-D :-D


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## Hudson (Mar 3, 2011)

This is a fun post! The first thing I thought of when I saw the photo was my huge dental horse bit that I wore at night; hooked to my braces and wrapped around my neck.


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## Sewbizgirl (May 11, 2011)

I use these in the work I do-- not for knitting but for commercial patternmaking and sewing. The above picture is exactly what you will see in designers' factories where clothing is being manufactured. I am a samplemaker so I keep my designer's patterns organized this way too. A dime sized hole is punched in each pattern piece for the T bar to go through. It's very handy to hang the patterns on a clothes rack.

I have never seen the hooks for sale in a retail store! That's kind of strange...


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

Sewbizgirl said:


> ... I have never seen the hooks for sale in a retail store! That's kind of strange...


The Ben Franklin's online store isn't _exactly_ a retail store. Many of the knitting needles, crochet hooks, and notions are sold in lots of three or more. Someone in their cataloging department goofed for sure. Those hooks belong with the sewing, not the knitting and crochet stuff.


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## carey516 (Jul 3, 2011)

Looks like a torture device to me, can' imagine what or how you use it.


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## Deb-Babbles (Mar 4, 2011)

These thing look like something we used in the meat industry. We would put the flat part through the 2 bones on the calf part of the animal. The hook would go over a bar. Now you do not want to know what we did next. LOL It looks very nasty though. I DO NOT WANT ONE EITHER. NOPE NOPE NOPE.....


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## hildy3 (Jan 29, 2011)

You're all wrong!! J-J posted it just to let us know "we're all "hooked"!! Good one J-J!! Hildy


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## Knitting Betty (Jun 21, 2011)

I have not seen anything like that before! Very interesting!
If I had to guess, I would say they were used for cable stitching for hand knitting. The Cotter pin looking piece at the bottom is there so your stitches don't slip off and the hook would be to hook it into your work until you use them again.


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## bjelam1969 (Feb 15, 2011)

What a fun way to start the morning!!! Lots of laughing


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## larsan (Apr 17, 2011)

MistyBabe said:


> All I have found so far on google.....
> 
> PPA Pattern Hook
> 
> ...


That was my first thought - for a store display?


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## aknitter (Jan 25, 2011)

lovethelake said:


> Salutations
> 
> My gyno had noidea what it is


 :lol: I'm laughing at my desk.

Just what I needed!

Anita


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## gsbyrge (Jul 12, 2011)

That's funny...BF is the ONLY store within 35 miles that sells yarn or craft stuff....the nearest real yarn shop is 75 miles away, and the nearest Wal-Mart (last resort!) is 35 miles away. I've come to think of BF as my LYS! :- )


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## HookerLeo (Jun 18, 2011)

tee hee hee!


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## bjelam1969 (Feb 15, 2011)

gsbyrge said:


> That's funny...BF is the ONLY store within 35 miles that sells yarn or craft stuff....the nearest real yarn shop is 75 miles away, and the nearest Wal-Mart (last resort!) is 35 miles away. I've come to think of BF as my LYS! :- )


Would love to have a BF's to shop at....loved those stores. The Frank's Nursery's also used to have crafts around here. They're all gone too.


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## vponce (May 17, 2011)

lovethelake said:


> Salutations
> 
> My gyno had noidea what it is


I almost wet my pants laughing at your comment!


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## jimyarm (Jan 22, 2011)

Yes, Lenora, I also worked in a garment factory shipping office, many years ago, and the patterns were heavy (kinda like leather) and hung on hooks by sizes. Mya


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## lisac730 (Jul 13, 2011)

I'm sure everyone is right about this being meant to hold up patterns but...

It sure looks to me like it would make a wonderful tool for macrame - hooking it onto something while working. :lol:


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## kneonknitter (Feb 10, 2011)

starryblu said:


> that looks scary :shock: :shock:


hahahaha! That was exactly what I thought when I looked at it. Kinda like something you might find at a GYN's office. <shudder>


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## kneonknitter (Feb 10, 2011)

Dreamweaver said:


> I think Ida is exactly right. At first, I thought hook end would go in pegboard for displaying patterns, but it isn't the right shape. The straight edge would also you through center holes in plastic bags that hold crossstitch patterns or other items.
> 
> Loved going to Ben Franklin and Woolworths Five and Dime as a kid. So many treasures.


Jynx, I actually miss Woolworth's Five & Dime! It had to be the most fun store anywhere.


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## marmarcas (Apr 2, 2011)

This is a hook that pattern makers use to keep the pieces of a heavy paper pattern for articles of clothing (a dress, shirt, pants, etc) together so they don't get separated from each other. Each design has it's own hook. They ae used mainly by designers, dressmakers, and the like.


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## mamapr80 (Mar 17, 2011)

When I dabbled in machine knitting I rigged something up like this for holding weights (usually washers). The open hook made it easy to move the weight up quickly as the fabric got longer.

Just my 2 cents...
paula


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## db050505 (Jun 22, 2011)

Having worked as a patternmaker for both the fur and fashion industries, I have used many of these. They are for hard copy patterns.The "pattern punch" is used to put a 1 1/2" hole in each pattern piece and the flat part of the hook goes through the holes to keep the pattern pieces together. The patterns are then hung on racks and marked by number, size, etc. for easy access.


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## sockyarn (Jan 26, 2011)

But, why would you want to take up so much room hanging a pattern envelop up, when they fit in a storage bin so nicely. :hunf:


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## PattieK (Mar 25, 2011)

I used to use something that looked like this to pull my hair back instead of a covered rubberband. They come from France and give much better control of how tight it is than a rubberband does. I can see why you'd think it was some sort of kinky torture device thought.............. : P


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## kimmyz (May 9, 2011)

I used to teach fashion design at San Francisco State University and at the College of San Mateo many years ago (back in the days when they offered such classes). One of the courses was "Flat Pattern Design". The students learn this technique (in addition to the other method, French Draping) using a "basic sloper" which is a fitted sheath dress design or basic pant design. After sewing these up in muslin and perfecting the fit, the pattern pieces are traced onto lightweight cardboard so that you can trace around them onto paper. Then they modify the paper pattern in many ways to create virtually any design. Those hangers are for hanging the cardboard sloper pieces which are used over and over again to create designs using the Flat Pattern Method. You punch a hole in the top of each cardboard pattern piece and slip that rod through the hole. Then you can store/hang the basic sloper in your closet or on any rod. I'm not sure that many fashion designers are still using this method, but possibly some old-timers still do. Since the dawn of the computer age, a lot of the flat pattern designs are created on computers and cut in large quantities with laser cutters rather than by hand as they did in the old days. However, in third world countries or in small companies, I'm guessing they still do it the old fashioned way.


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## Grandma Jan (Apr 6, 2011)

I think it has something to do with Space Aliens.


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## marmarcas (Apr 2, 2011)

My daughter is a clothing designer and had her own business for many years-used these hooks for every pattern she and her partner designed. The business is now closed, but she still has all her patterns hanging from these hooks in her basement studio. She does still do some new designs now and then.


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## arleney1008 (Mar 25, 2011)

cardinal said:


> Jessica-Jean said:
> 
> 
> > http://www.benfranklin.com/Store/Crafts/Catalog/More+Brands+Needles+&+Hooks/default.aspx?categoryId=805&ItemId=206454
> ...


Our Ben Franklins are all gone as well. I loved getting yarn from them a lot when I was younger. We have a place that is similar to Ben Franklins called Winkie's


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## JudiBee (Mar 11, 2011)

I've seen something like that at Michaels to go on the bins of yarn to hang patterns from Patons, Lyon Brand, etc. The free patterns that you just take off the hook. Other than that, it may be a form of torture of us knitters, to hang us up out of reach of our knitting.
Judi


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## JudiBee (Mar 11, 2011)

MistyBabe said:


> All I have found so far on google.....
> 
> PPA Pattern Hook
> 
> ...


I love your avatar of your Westie!!! I have two of the wee kids, both about 11 years old and the loves of my live!!! My daughter has one too that we got from a Westie Rescue here in Southern California and she is great friends with the lady that runs the organization. It's so much fun to see the Rescue Lady at the dog park with her herd of 8-10 Westies all running their little fuzzy butts off. 
Judi, Annie & Laddie


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## martin keith (Feb 25, 2011)

TMI


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## BubbyIssaquah (Jul 5, 2011)

If you want to have a great time, find an old established five and dime store and just browse the merchandise. You won't believe the things that they sell in those stores, sometimes with a little coating of dust. There's one in Bethesda MD that I used to go to for obsolete but very useful objects that they must have had on the shelf for 30 years. The same goes for old hardware stores, where you can still buy a small quantity of what you need instead of a package of 100....and where the clerks have been there long enough to know exactly where everything is and what it's for.


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## BubbyIssaquah (Jul 5, 2011)

If you want to have a great time, find an old established five and dime store and just browse the merchandise. You won't believe the things that they sell in those stores, sometimes with a little coating of dust. There's one in Bethesda MD that I used to go to for obsolete but very useful objects that they must have had on the shelf for 30 years. The same goes for old hardware stores, where you can still buy a small quantity of what you need instead of a package of 100....and where the clerks have been there long enough to know exactly where everything is and what it's for.


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## sues4hrts (Apr 22, 2011)

cardinal said:


> Jessica-Jean said:
> 
> 
> > http://www.benfranklin.com/Store/Crafts/Catalog/More+Brands+Needles+&+Hooks/default.aspx?categoryId=805&ItemId=206454
> ...


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## judymoles (Jun 10, 2011)

As a gynae nurse it looks too much like a contraceptive coil for my liking !!! are you sure its a craft item !!??


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## greensleeves (Apr 2, 2011)

Just recovering after gyno operation glad I didnt see this item before I had op would have been worried


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## hlynnknits (May 27, 2011)

Jessica-Jean said:


> Thanks to marylin! Now I understand why they're sold by the dozen. I still don't think most home seamstresses would use them. After all, how many times is one likely - at home, sewing for family alone - to re-use the same pattern. In a factory or commercial setting, they make perfect sense.
> 
> Thanks all! I knew someone here would know! :-D :-D


Oh, for heaven's sake! How very interesting. Glad you found out what they are. I learn something new every day on this site.


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## Scoot915 (Mar 25, 2011)

laughing at the gyno comments....my first thought was that it looked like some sort of IUD lol


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## iamsam (Apr 14, 2011)

jessica - don't know if you have ever been in a professional sewing back room but when they cut a pattern they cut maybe 50 pieces of cloth at a time. their patterns are made of plastic or wood - i think these hangers are for those kinds of patterns. at least that is my take on it. i tried to call the number given but no one was available at the time.

sam



Jessica-Jean said:


> http://www.benfranklin.com/Store/Crafts/Catalog/More+Brands+Needles+&+Hooks/default.aspx?categoryId=805&ItemId=206454
> 
> If the link doesn't work, it's at http://www.benfranklin.com/store
> under crafts > knitting & crochet > needles & hooks > More brands needles & hooks
> ...


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## BISHOP (May 2, 2011)

Looks something lke the IUD I had years ago, only larger


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## KNITTWITTIBE (Jan 25, 2011)

lovethelake said:


> Salutations
> 
> My gyno had no idea what it is


Now that's a sense of humor,.....LOL  ... Ingrid


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## Mai (Jan 30, 2011)

This item is a hook that you put on your belt and yarn goes on the other end and you can walk around and knit.


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## scrappinmagic (Apr 29, 2011)

Dreamweaver said:


> I think Ida is exactly right. At first, I thought hook end would go in pegboard for displaying patterns, but it isn't the right shape. The straight edge would also you through center holes in plastic bags that hold crossstitch patterns or other items.
> 
> Loved going to Ben Franklin and Woolworths Five and Dime as a kid. So many treasures.


I miss both...and Murphy's. I was just thinking earlier today when I couldn't find a size 6 steel hook at Wal-Mart about how much I miss Woolworth's downtown Erie. a


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## Nanabee26 (Mar 23, 2011)

Sharolynn, who is the cute little pup pictured? Adorable!


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## scrappinmagic (Apr 29, 2011)

the Ben Franklin we had in Ocala, Florida was the best to shop at....it was mostly crafts and the warehouse in the back was even open for shopping old/clearanced items. When the store closed, I took my then 4 yr old dd (now 26) and we had a blast filling a hand basket with stuff....and only paid $5 for the whole lot! When I got home, I had it spread all over the living room floor....then hubby (now ex) walked in and asked where I got the money (I had well over $300 dollars worth laying there). When I told him, he handed me another $5 and told me to go back the next day and get more! By the time I got back there, they were pretty much sold out of what I was interested in. They closed about a month later.


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## andreasadat (May 20, 2011)

jessica, this is NOT going to help, looks like a rub golberg. (sp?)


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## scrappinmagic (Apr 29, 2011)

BubbyIssaquah said:


> If you want to have a great time, find an old established five and dime store and just browse the merchandise. You won't believe the things that they sell in those stores, sometimes with a little coating of dust. There's one in Bethesda MD that I used to go to for obsolete but very useful objects that they must have had on the shelf for 30 years. The same goes for old hardware stores, where you can still buy a small quantity of what you need instead of a package of 100....and where the clerks have been there long enough to know exactly where everything is and what it's for.


We have one of those here in Erie...the oldest store in the city..Kraus....I found some embroidery patterns there for pillow cases that I haven't seen in years, and some older Red Heart yarn, which is higher in cost than other places. I love looking around that store!


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## andreasadat (May 20, 2011)

Whew Maj, thank you for the answer. Its still a strange object to me. I thought I was the only one who had an IUD LOL!


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## LoorieR (Jan 28, 2011)

I'm just surprised that BF would sell such a specialty item. I better get them to keep them in business. I sew and have over 300 patterns I better get busy!


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## iamsam (Apr 14, 2011)

sockyarn - these aren't paper patterns - they are usually made of plastic or light wood.

sam



sockyarn said:


> But, why would you want to take up so much room hanging a pattern envelop up, when they fit in a storage bin so nicely. :hunf:


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## jelun (Jan 26, 2011)

lovethelake said:


> Salutations
> 
> My gyno had noidea what it is


HAHAHAHAAA


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## zbangel (Jun 28, 2011)

I found it again on Amazon.com. Also offered to buy along with it is a big roll of pattern tissue paper and a pattern notcher. So I think it's for hanging the large tissue sewing patterns.


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## knittynutty (Mar 5, 2011)

Hey Sam, thanks for the answer and it sounds more logical than some of the others. By the way, since your on this site, do you knit? Just interested since some of the best knitters are men. For example, a man named Dave just finished the Level III Master Knitting course in two months. This course takes most of us at least a year. Dave knitted 7-12 hours a day in order to finish. Not sure whether he passed since it takes two to three months for the committee to judge the submission. : )


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## Beryljoyce (Jun 28, 2011)

It looks horrible If you didnt know it was used in knitting some how you would think it was something a surgeon used :lol:


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## iamsam (Apr 14, 2011)

yes knitty - i knt - b;ut am nowhere ready for level three of anything. i'm not a bad knitter - but still having trouble with bobbles - so that lets you know about where i am. lol

i knit a lot of dishrags - try to use a new stitch pattern on each one - i find it's a good way of learning new stitches.

sam



knittynutty said:


> Hey Sam, thanks for the answer and it sounds more logical than some of the others. By the way, since your on this site, do you knit? Just interested since some of the best knitters are men. For example, a man named Dave just finished the Level III Master Knitting course in two months. This course takes most of us at least a year. Dave knitted 7-12 hours a day in order to finish. Not sure whether he passed since it takes two to three months for the committee to judge the submission. : )


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## Julianne (May 10, 2011)

It is exactly as it says, a pattern hook. Hang it from a rod or netting or whatever.. I would think it is really commercial use or for someone who has a great craft closet and likes to hang there patterns for storage. Don't have a Ben Franklin here in Illinois anymore. Closed all of them a few years ago. Was my favorite store as a kid and especially as an adult. So much fun.


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## Rose (Jan 22, 2011)

Mai said:


> This item is a hook that you put on your belt and yarn goes on the other end and you can walk around and knit.


I like your idea, I can walk and crochet at the same time.


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## Judy M (Feb 17, 2011)

hmmm, I'm thinking that the one end goes into a peg board with the hook end up to hold patterns in envelopes for storage -- may have been used in stores before they started putting patterns in drawers.


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

lisac730 said:


> I'm sure everyone is right about this being meant to hold up patterns but...
> 
> It sure looks to me like it would make a wonderful tool for macrame - hooking it onto something while working. :lol:


OH! You're so right! It would be _perfect_ for using when braiding, instead of looking for a handy nail in the wall - or worse, putting one up where it serves no other purpose. Hook it on a doorknob, bedstead, book-laden chair, or - outside - a handy branch. What a _great_ idea!!!


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

mamapr80 said:


> When I dabbled in machine knitting I rigged something up like this for holding weights (usually washers). The open hook made it easy to move the weight up quickly as the fabric got longer.
> 
> Just my 2 cents...
> paula


_Another_ great idea! I have yet to bother with the knitting machine I bought more than a decade ago. Thanks for the idea.


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

Mai said:


> This item is a hook that you put on your belt and yarn goes on the other end and you can walk around and knit.


OK. I can see it being used like that ... maybe with a spool of crochet cotton though, not yarn. I'd just have to make the length of the cord a tad longer. _Another_ idea! Thank you!


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

Judy M said:


> hmmm, I'm thinking that the one end goes into a peg board with the hook end up to hold patterns in envelopes for storage -- may have been used in stores before they started putting patterns in drawers.


When might that have been? My first memories of fabric stores were the enormous tables upon which they cut the fabric and the endless drawers full of patterns that supported those cutting tables. I was shorter than the table tops back then. I'm 6' and 65 now.


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## mcguire (Feb 21, 2011)

cardinal said:


> Jessica-Jean said:
> 
> 
> > http://www.benfranklin.com/Store/Crafts/Catalog/More+Brands+Needles+&+Hooks/default.aspx?categoryId=805&ItemId=206454
> ...


I don't know what it is but I sure hope it didn't come from a Doctors office. There is a Ben Franklin store in Carrollton Ohio. Been there.


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## Judy M (Feb 17, 2011)

Jessica-Jean said:


> http://www.benfranklin.com/Store/Crafts/Catalog/More+Brands+Needles+&+Hooks/default.aspx?categoryId=805&ItemId=206454
> 
> If the link doesn't work, it's at http://www.benfranklin.com/store
> under crafts > knitting & crochet > needles & hooks > More brands needles & hooks
> ...


Okay, when you make a pattern, you use a heavier piece of paper - mostly used by professionals or people you make their own patterns for multiple uses. Those patterns do not fold so they are hung on hooks. Also some of the pattern making tools could also be hung on them. Makes them easier to carry around too.

I'm guessing my daughter might have had some when she was taking classes at the Fashion Institute.

I see Amazon.com is also offering them


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## moreighn (Apr 17, 2011)

The mind boggles it looks as if it was invented by a male to make up for all those assembling instructions he can't get right and found a new chinese puzzle to taunt us with


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## moreighn (Apr 17, 2011)

scrappinmagic said:


> the Ben Franklin we had in Ocala, Florida was the best to shop at....it was mostly crafts and the warehouse in the back was even open for shopping old/clearanced items. When the store closed, I took my then 4 yr old dd (now 26) and we had a blast filling a hand basket with stuff....and only paid $5 for the whole lot! When I got home, I had it spread all over the living room floor....then hubby (now ex) walked in and asked where I got the money (I had well over $300 dollars worth laying there). When I told him, he handed me another $5 and told me to go back the next day and get more! By the time I got back there, they were pretty much sold out of what I was interested in. They closed about a month later.


your man sounds very understanding.I have bought over the years for my retirement trousseau but have only just got round to retiring.Anyone any ideas how a 73 year old can use up fabric,beads.ribbons,lace.yarn and heaps of other stuff which genuinely fill two side of a craftroom


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

moreighn said:


> ....Anyone any ideas how a 73 year old can use up fabric,beads.ribbons,lace.yarn and heaps of other stuff which genuinely fill two side of a craftroom


Live long and prosper ... or in this case, work on using up that stash!! :-D :-D


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## gina (Jan 18, 2011)

Looks like some kind of medical instrument I don't want to know about.


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## moreighn (Apr 17, 2011)

BubbyIssaquah said:


> If you want to have a great time, find an old established five and dime store and just browse the merchandise. You won't believe the things that they sell in those stores, sometimes with a little coating of dust. There's one in Bethesda MD that I used to go to for obsolete but very useful objects that they must have had on the shelf for 30 years. The same goes for old hardware stores, where you can still buy a small quantity of what you need instead of a package of 100....and where the clerks have been there long enough to know exactly where everything is and what it's for.[
> Last time I was in Bethesda was1983 perhaps it was modern then


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## stchr3247 (Apr 2, 2011)

sewing pattern makers in the industry use these hooks to hang the original pattern they make which is usually made from oak tag or today's poster board. Home sewers can also use them if they make their own patterns. You just punch a hole in the top and hang them up probably in a gridded type spot.


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## stchr3247 (Apr 2, 2011)

Nope. Vice versa.


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## Shdy990 (Mar 10, 2011)

suppose you could hang your pattern in front of you - what you hang it off of is a mystery as is how you would hang the pattern.....looks more like a torture device


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## Palenque1978 (Feb 16, 2011)

starryblu said:


> Palenque1978 said:
> 
> 
> > starryblu said:
> ...


Dimes stores? Our were Kress's and Woolworth. And also Roscoe's. Loved those stores from childhood to young adulthood, and then came the day when they were no longer with us.


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## BobnDejasMom (Jun 2, 2011)

I can't believe anything was able to stump Jessica-Jean. She is a great go-to-girl for advise. And thanks Sewbizgirl. I couldn't figure out how you could loop an end through a regular sized puncher hole. The dime sized hole makes sense.


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## elsiemae (Jun 6, 2011)

Isn't this one of those gadgets for holding a cable away from the knitting while you are making your next cable? 
A cable holder.


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## elsiemae (Jun 6, 2011)

Isn't this one of those gadgets for holding a cable away from the knitting while you are making your next cable? 
A cable holder.


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## Meditation601 (Feb 23, 2011)

Lord help me!!!! Why would you want 12 of them?????


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## Miss Nick (Apr 2, 2011)

At G.C. Murphy Co., when I was a kid you could go up to the potato chip counter, with the chips in clear bin and ask the clerk for ten cents worth of chips. She would measure them on a scale and pour then into a brown paper bag! The candy counter was the same way!!!! My how things have chenged.


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## Meditation601 (Feb 23, 2011)

We had Kresge's, Woolworth's and McCrory's in Dayton, OH...... And they all had lunch counter/soda fountain! 

You could get an open face hot roast beef sandwich with gravy over it on white bread for some minimal amount of money like 25 cents or maybe 35 cents. Now a loaf of bread is $2 - $3.


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## mcguire (Feb 21, 2011)

Palenque1978 said:


> starryblu said:
> 
> 
> > Palenque1978 said:
> ...


In the 5&10, how manay remember the "penny" candy?


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## BubbyIssaquah (Jul 5, 2011)

I used to buy iron-on embroidery patterns in the dime store. Do they still make those? Somewhere in the recesses of my needlework bin are envelopes full of them....lots of beautiful things to embroider on pillow cases, shirts, anything that needed something lovely for embellishment.


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## boots (Jan 24, 2011)

lovethelake said:


> Salutations
> 
> My gyno had no idea what it is


You are so funny! Love it.


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## sylviaelliott (May 11, 2011)

no idea - but it looks painful

sylvia


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## Billie B (Apr 5, 2011)

lovethelake said:


> Salutations
> 
> My gyno had no idea what it is


You should have added "but I haven't gotten pregnant since I used it."


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## Christi (Feb 3, 2011)

Good Lord ........It looks like a birth control device.


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

Yes, the non-hook end does remind me of the ill-fated Copper-7 I had for awhile a long, long time ago. But that wouldn't be sold on a non-medical site.


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## theresa141 (Mar 12, 2011)

lovethelake said:


> Salutations
> 
> My gyno had noidea what it is


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## theresa141 (Mar 12, 2011)

Ida said:


> NO puzzle to it. They are used for storage for sewing patterns. You attach the pattern to T end and hang it on a bar.


Seems like an odd way to store patterns to me. I prefers filing drawers and binders.


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

theresa141 said:


> Seems like an odd way to store patterns to me. I prefers filing drawers and binders.


Ah! But you are a home seamstress, not commercial working in a factory or such, and your patterns are tissue paper, not cardboard. Cardboard doesn't fold very well.

What got me started with this item was that I couldn't think what it was for, and I found it on a page supposedly aimed at crochet and knitting supplies. There aren't many tools for those two crafts that I haven't already come across since I began them in 1954. Asking the question got me the answer - and not a few laughs along the way! I'm a bit more knowledgeable now than before, thanks to all the answers from people who know more about sewing than I.


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## Larraine11 (Apr 1, 2011)

Hi Jessica-Jean: I used to used something similar to this for hanging paper patterns I had made for sewing. It looks like that site does carry other than knitting stuff so do yo think maybe they could be for something like that. Failing that, I guess you could contact the store and ask if you are really curious, but I'm sure someone here will have a positive answer for you. I know how you feel when you get that curiosity bug. Good luck.


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## Meditation601 (Feb 23, 2011)

This is such a sweet memory. I learned to embroider those also. 

And, my mother used to crochet chair and sofa back "doilies".... pineapple pattern.... and some for the arms of the chairs also. And while I was embroidering pillow cases for home, my mother would crochet gorgeous insets for pillow cases and also some would have edgings. She always had a few sets on hand, and in the event we were invited to a wedding, she would have some lovely pillow cases to give as gifts. 

Do you also remember "His" and "Her" pillow cases... and we had bath towels with names or initials?


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## BubbyIssaquah (Jul 5, 2011)

I sure do remember "His" and "Hers" pillow cases and towels with initials and names. I taught one of my granddaughters to embroider on a pillow case with a design she made up on the spot. She's married now, and I still have that pillow case....it says "I love you, Bubby" I doubt that she's done any needlework since then, but she still remembers the time we spent together on it. Isn't that what we all want out of being grandparents...it's not the big gifts we gave them, it's the time we spent with them when their parents were too busy or hassled to have gentle quiet time with them. My mother-in-law, of blessed memory, taught all the grand- and great-grandchildren to scramble an egg, to tell time on a "real" clock and to tie their shoes. They all remember Nana with great love.


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## Meditation601 (Feb 23, 2011)

Indeed! What a sweet note!

I wish you a blessed weekend!

MaryAnn


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## Neanie (Jun 13, 2011)

Jessica-Jean said:


> http://www.benfranklin.com/Store/Crafts/Catalog/More+Brands+Needles+&+Hooks/default.aspx?categoryId=805&ItemId=206454
> 
> If the link doesn't work, it's at http://www.benfranklin.com/store
> under crafts > knitting & crochet > needles & hooks > More brands needles & hooks
> ...


I read your question a few days ago, when you first posted it, and I'd never seen nor heard of anything like that little hook thingy. I read all the comments and replies in the days following, and learned that it was a "pattern hook", which I'd also never seen nor heard of. It didn't make sense to me, to "hook" a pattern...but THEN, last night, I was watching a movie on LifeTime Movie Network, "Circle Of Friends", and the star of the movie was a dress designer. She walked over to a rack of cardboard patterns and there they were, hung up like dresses on a dress rack, on a hook, almost identical to the one you posted the picture of! COINCIDENCE! LOL! I never would've paid any attention to it, except that I'd just been reading your posts and all the replies. I love learning new things. Glad you posted your pic!


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## starrdiana (May 21, 2011)

Learnt few new things on the site today


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