Gift

I had a nice surprize gift last week. A work colleague had been on a round the world cruise during the last few months, and brought me back four thimbles from various places they`d stopped at. Here`s one of them.



It`s quite unusual in that the design is in relief on the outside of it. You can probably see that clearer in this picture.

Digitabulist

If you haven`t guessed what a digitabulist is (which I referred to in my post on Tuesday), its a person who collects thimbles.

My hobby of collecting thimbles started, I would guess, about 20 years ago, when I was given for a Christmas present one thimble and a small wooden house shape case with 12 compartments in. I soon filled this with other thimbles - as one looked so lonely in it!, and things just took off from there. I now have 625 in thirteen various cases and stands. Some I have bought myself, others have been given to me by friends and relatives.

Besides the many china ones, from various places in this county and abroad - not that I`ve ever been abroad, but these have kindly been brought back for me by people travelling to other lands - I`ve some wooden ones, a glass one, a corn-dolly type one, enamelled ones, pewter, and a few cloisonne ones, like the one above, which is my latest one which was given to me on my birthday. This one is from Barcelona, Spain and has a type of lizard or creature going all round it.

I keep details of all my thimbles listed in a book, including the name of the person who has brought it for me. So my collection of thimbles is more than just a collection of items, its also a collection of friends, as when I look at them I think of the people who have given them to me.