Putting odd ones together to make a pair, thankfully, is almost a thing of the past for this year.

Something else is happening, though, not so fortunate. Those cozy warm knit cuffs on coats that keep the wind from whistling up your sleeves are wearing out just as fast. They can be replaced, but finding the right color for the cuff replacement can be impossible.

I know.

I tried.

There is a grand solution, however. There is a very busy and prominent young man in our town who has new cuffs in a favorite jacket that he thought he was going to have to replace.

His cuffs are made from — you’d never guess it — those rib knit cuffs from a pair of men’s socks. The material in them is much better than regular cuff material and will, of course, last a lot longer.

This is a good thing to remember when you are needing thread color that you don’t have. Check your embroidery thread for the right color. It consists of six strands, or six fine threads in each strand that can be separated into one or two threads, which are especially good for sewing on buttons.

Embroidery needles have long, easy-to-thread eyes. I like them, especially for hand sewing. One package will have assorted sizes.

— Aunt Norie, P.O. Box 265, Tonganoxie 66086; auntnorie@bdc.net