Bookworm Bookmarks

My friend Rena Worthen is the genealogy librarian in Fincastle, VA.  This is the library in Botetourt County that has the most extensive material for researching your roots.  Fincastle is the county seat for Botetourt County.  She has added tons of material and researches names at as many local cemeteries as she can find.  Now she needs more bookcases.

  

On a recent trip to a library in Pennsylvania, she saw that they were selling bookworm bookmarks as a fundraiser.  Rena decided this was a way to help her purchase her bookcase.  Then she decided that I would be the perfect patsy best one to make these bookmarks.  I was a willing servant and started making some based on the pattern she provided me.
    

I have a lot of yarn from various other projects, so I made a few in several colors.

  

  

Most are long enough to use in a hardback book.

  

Googly eyes make them look more wormlike and kind of cute!

  

I made a few short ones with no eyes for little kids so they can't choke on them.  I didn't make too many of the little ones as a kid book is usually finished in one sitting, but if someone wants to buy one for their little one, who am I to argue?

I have a large, flat, heart-shaped basket made with patriotic fabric that I thought would nice for a display.  A silly sign finished off my contribution.

  

If they sell, I will make more.  This is an experiment to see if there is a market for hand crocheted bookmarks in the library.  It is up to Rena to price them.  The cost of the yarn and the googly eyes is negligible, but each one takes about 10 minutes to make, so I hope she gets a decent contribution for them.

The Glebe, Rena and Genealogy

Rena is a co-worker of mine at the Fincastle Library. She loves, loves, loves genealogy. I think she likes dead people because they can no longer disappoint you. She helps people from all over the United States find members of their family from long ago. She also helps people trying to get into the DAR even though she thinks it's silly to brag about something over which you have no control or responsibility.

That being said, she also loves to go to various groups and teach them how to do the research they need to flesh out (or leaf out) their family trees! For the last month or so she has been going to our local senior living gem, The Glebe. It is a large complex similar to the San Clemente Villas where my mother is living. They have libraries, restaurants and a multitude of activities for the residents. Rena has been giving classes in genealogy research to a group and the culmination was a visit to the Genealogy Room in the Fincastle Library.

Now, I don't know how Rena does this. She has several groups a year in to tour and use our resources. She always manages to have a nice buffet table of delicious food and a modicum of decor to match. One thing you have to know about Rena is that she does not cook. Not ever. Except microwave coffee...blecch. It is something about which she is most vocal. So while Rena sits in her blue throne at the front desk of the library she has her minions do the work. And by minions, I include Paige who is the HEAD LIBRARIAN. Paige and I bake, Doris and Cathy organize and decorate and Rena gets the kudos. (Insert surprised and amazed face here!)

So The Glebe crowd loved the food and thanked Rena as they all filtered out.




As I was the scone baker, I was very pleased to hear the conversation between a husband and wife as they left the library. She was either much younger or just in better shape than he was. I got stuck behind him in our hallway as he stopped many times to breathe heavily and rest. She kept urging him on because the bus from The Glebe had come to pick them up. As he walking slowly out the door, I heard him complain, "But I want another scone." I wish I had thought fast enough to grab one and take it to him. Next time we should include doggie bags.