My most vivid memory of my lovely Acadien grandmother is that of her sitting in her cricket rocker (a small chair without armrests that would get in the way of her constantly-moving hands and arms) knitting, crocheting, tatting or embroidering. Her silver gray hair that had never seen a scissors was braided and wrapped around her head like a crown. In her homemade cotton housedress, she looked like a little queen to me as she serenely turned out items to keep her family warm or put some beauty into their simple but always immaculate home. Being in my college years when she died, it never occurred to me to ask for her needlework supplies or equipment. They were most likely given away or worse yet, simply thrown away. Now in my mid-fifties, I have followed in her footsteps, partly as a homage to her and partly to satisfy my own need to put some high touch into a high tech world. Over the years, quite a collection of unique and valuable needlework implements has been amassed. Many are no longer available - a complete set of hand-turned black walnut crochet hooks, bamboo knitting needles curved by the heat of my hands into a perfect fit, a birdseye maple tatting shuttle that has turned out dainty finery for blushing brides. As I feel the pull of time and realize that the winter of my life is coming on, it has occurred to me to make provisions for the disposition of those things. They will undoubtedly be just a nuisance to the unlucky individual who gets stuck cleaning out Mom's junk. But one man's junk is another person's treasure. So as you're going through yet another box of Mom's stuff, wondering what the heck this thing is, remember that there is a whole group of people out there to whom such things have value which is measureable-in cash. Needlework is not just for women anymore. Some of the best designers and craftpersons these days are men,and not those "light in the loafers" either. One of the most beautiful handknit sweaters I ever saw was designed and knit by a big burly college football player. His career-executive wife refused to make him a sweater he saw and dearly wanted, so he made it himself and thoroughly enjoyed the process. Nobody laughed at him either-he was a BIG guy! My point - don't throw those precious artifacts into the estate auction junk box or the garage sale bargain bin. Keep it in the family if you can. Either way,pass on the tradition by making them available to people like myself, or better yet, young people who just might find a life-long avocation that will keep babies and family warm and bring a bit of beauty and serenity into a world moving too fast for its own good. You might also be surprised at the cash value of Grandma's "trinkets". The trick is to find your market. It's definitely a small niche. But between the avid practitioners and the collectors, there's gold in them 'thar hooks and needles. Do some homework. Wander into a high-end needlework shop and look around. Ask the proprietor where items like yours might be obtained and at what price. Expect to get laughed out of the place. Don't bother with the guy coming to look at the antique furniture. He'll just throw you a lowball offer for the lot, then head out and make like a "chop shop", selling it off piece by piece for big bucks that could have been yours. Find your market, then sit on your goodies with the patience of a saint. If you get tired of babysitting for the stuff, donate it to a museum or charity auction and take a nice fat tax deduction. Needlework-it's not just for little old ladies anymore. They're even teaching it at colleges now - to guys. Get the picture?