Cows & Cooking & Crafts. . . B J O'S Way

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I suspect that the way the stones are "set in" to the string is a quick indentation run around the edge of the rock with a grinder. They may be set in an inexpensive bezel that, in turn, could be attached to the string, but that would be more costly. Ask your rockhound contact for more ideas when you find one. (Warning: You'll be dealing with a generous but extremely conservative bunch. Rockhounds have spent years and years trying to conserve this country's natural resources, and they've seen tramps of all kinds come and go . . . ruining all they touch. This has caused xenophobia among lapidarists and you'll have to work at making friends to get their stones.) But rockhounds respect craftsmanship: show them your work and offer to trade other things—purple bottles, old railroad ties, pieces that can be tumbled into fake amethyst and just about any old metal junk for the stones you like.

You can find lists of lapidary groups and rock shows in your neighborhood in the pages of Gems and Minerals, Lapidary Journal and other magazines devoted to rockhounds. And you can garner all kinds of ideas for perking up your macrame from these same issues. For instance, a whole curtain using tumble polished beach stones would be stunning!

Thank you Joan Lomba for the idea of a pattern library (in response to Sue Montgomery's letter in MOTHER NO. 22, pg. 118). Donating the designs no longer of use to yourself is a great idea . . . especially for children's patterns, which are outgrown so quickly.

Sue didn't mention what size her patterns are, but her neighborhood school for handicapped children can probably use them also. Many mentally retarded children are larger than normal and wear adult-sized clothes. Also, the trainable MR's are taught to sew and can use the patterns for their projects. Inquire first, but these schools also can probably find a place for leftover scraps of fabric. The children use them in many ways . . . as "touch boards" for example. These are simply to teach the youngsters about textures. Of course, after several dozen strokings; with grubby, clay-covered little hands, the boards must be replaced with new materials. Fabric swatches, ideally, should be at least 2" X 2", but some of the more exotic textures are often less than that at the school Katwen attends. Fancy lace, velvets, Lurex, satins ... what have you?

Or, you can make and show your children how to make old-fashioned frames for: the family's photographs, those great antique prints you find in thrift shops or the children's artwork. Take an ordinary, uninteresting old frame or make a cardboard one. Then use up your tiniest fabric scraps by gluing them patchwork style all over the structure. Trim off the edges, or bend them under. If you'd like to "finish off " the frame, use Tri-Chem or a permanent marker and make fancy "stitches" between each patch. This creates a fun border for something you want to hang in a country kitchen . . . and you'll be surprised how delighted grandparents are when the young 'uns make them a present like this.

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