I've never tried it, but this link lists two different methods, the first one sounds like the one I've heard of before:

http://frugalliving.about.com/cs/craftshobbies/a/blpcrochet.htm

I too have a ton of vintage knitting patterns... the only real problem I've found, other than what's already been mentioned, is that the sizing runs very differently.  Not all the patterns (or, at least, the older ones I have) list finished sizes for the garments, and if you're any bigger than a modern size 8, you'll most likely have to tinker with it to get it to fit.  Depending on the age of the pattern, of course - the '60s ones, in general, aren't so bad.

Anyway, good luck!

Heh, no worries!  Those sound good - definitely going to try them.  Thanks for posting them!  

[CottonCandy]

I made the cream cheese mints last week for a holiday party and can vouch for their yumminess    Thanks for posting the recipe!

Woohoo!  Glad you enjoyed!  

CottonCandy - the link for the peanut butter truffles actually points to the orange ones... is this the one you meant to link to?  http://www.recipesource.com/desserts/chocolate/00/rec0006.html  (That sounds good... I think I'm going to try those regardless!)

I only made a couple small things this year, although I started larger things for a couple people that will be gifts next year... my ambition far exceeded my time frame, heh.

Scarf for the boyfriend:



Not that you can really see the pattern, but it's sort of a spread-out ribbed seed stitch;  it came out squishy and good and he loves it.

Ornaments for my friend Erin:



Like Midtowner, I went all out with handmade things last year - and I think it was scarves, too - and typical of me, I waited far too late to start them.  Everything was finished on time, but I think I burned myself out.  I'm planning on more handmades for next year.  

I'm definitely interested in the peanut butter ones - my boyfriend's sweet-tooth weakness is anything peanut butter, so that would be perfect.  

Package everything up in a big box and send it to me.    Heh, just kidding.

Oh, so many ideas...

The bobby pins can be decorated with some of that, to make hairclips... the fake flowers, the buttons, the bottle caps, even the fabric scraps.

The dice could be drilled through and used as beads for bracelets, I think.

I've seen quite a few ideas for records on this site... record bowls (and bowl purses) and bracelets being the top ones I can think of off the top of my head.

How stiff is the wire?  If it's thin enough to bend easily, but still stiff enough to hold a shape, you can try your hand at jewelrymaking with a wire jig - http://jewelrymaking.about.com/library/blwjig.htm

I'm sure I'll think of more, hehe...

My first thought was to frost the window, like this:  http://megan.scatterbrain.org/notmartha/tomake/windowfrosting.html - it would still let in light, but as you can see from her example, you really can't see through it.  But maybe that's not as opaque as you were thinking...

This is one my mother's made for pretty much every family party I can remember... it's always a huge hit, and the leftovers are *incredible* in an omelette or on a burger.

Three-Cheese Ball

2 8-oz pkgs cream cheese, softened
1 cup (4 oz) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese (4 oz), softened
1 small onion, finely chopped (1/4 cup)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley or sunflower nuts

Beat cheeses, onion and Worcestershire sauce with electric mixer on low speed until blended.  Beat on medium speed, scraping bowl frequently, until fluffy.  Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours but no longer than 24 hours.

Shape mixture into 1 large or 2 small balls or logs.  Roll in parsley.  Place on serving plate, cover, and refrigerate 2 hours till firm.  Serve with crackers and cut-up veggies.

Can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for 2 weeks, or freezer for up to 2 months - just roll in the parsley right before serving.

Those mints sound Yum!  Do they need to be refrigerated?

I do refrigerate mine, if I end up keeping a lot of them - heh - if they're going to be eaten up within a week or so (say, if you split them up amongst a good number of recipients), then I'd say no.