I HAD to smile wryly when I read Mary Richards' latest article in the Cornish Times. Everything had to earn its keep when I was young, so recycling was a fact of life in our household. My mother's motto was: 'Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves', and it's surprising what can be adapted and re-used when every penny counts. The sleeves of cardigans would be unpicked and re-knitted. Sheets were turned sides to middle. This I disliked as the seam, right down the centre of the bed, was most uncomfortable to lie on. Towels, when worn thin, were cut up into face flannels and prettied up with an edging of crochet. My mother's piece-de-resistance, however, was rag rugs. These were also known as peg or clippie rugs. One would be made nearly every winter as we sat of an evening listening to the wireless. There was always a feeling of great satisfaction when a rug was finished, to think that something so attractive and useful had cost us nothing!
AUDREY HYAMS (Mrs) Callington