<< ...and those balls of (I thought string) twine that those little silver knitting type needles (shorter and had a hook like tip) clattered as those nimble fingers made the most amazing designs and various shapes. >> This sounds like tatting to me -- something my PD granny did *all the time* using bobbins and special thread, (cotton, but not "stretchy" like yarn). I can recall writing tatting patterns on a blackboard so that Granny could follow them. Unfortunately, although I could knit just fine, all attempts to teach me the fine points of tatting ended in hilarious laughter and a few fingers well-anchored to each other! (Well, at least it wasn't as bad as the time we tried to make taffy -- we barely rescued the spoon before the whole mess turned to rock candy!) Oops, sorry, just re-read Ed's description and decided he may be talking about crochet hooks after all... I still think tatting was more mysterious, even though I could not crochet, either! Anne Lurie St. George, Vermont