Ancient Tools

Crocheting is so tedious. Knitting is much more fun.

So with dread I approach the task of crocheting a small chain to make a tiny hanging loop in a knit facecloth.

I've inherited a number of sewing tools, from several older women in my family, and alas, the previous ownership of most of them cannot now be traced. I picked up a crochet hook, works okay for the job, although a slightly bigger hook might make the task a bit easier. What size is the hook I'm using? Must be a number somewhere on the hook. Okay, it's made by Boye, a highly respected name in needleworking tools, and it's a size 5. Made in the U.S.A., I find on the opposite side, along with some more numbers -- 15 cents, only it's the little "c" with a slant line drawn through.

I stare at the price marking, permanently stamped in the metal.

Which grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, great-aunt, great-great-aunt could have been the original owner? Which ancestor of mine lived in a time of such economic stability that a manufacturer dared put a stamp, permanently on metal, of the price of their products?