Monday, January 11, 2010

I Most Certainly Did Not

Surely Not, Madam.

Behold the cover of just one of a short stack of such publications that I received with great joy on Christmas Day. I think we may need to take a little wander through them together. What do you say?

120 comments:

  1. OMG!!!
    I mean, yessir!

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  2. Anonymous4:27 PM

    well - yea

    But - WHO gave them to you?
    margieinmaryland

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  3. I think someone was confused by what you mean when you say "I like antique knitting patterns."

    I got a few of those just like that for Christmas too. Should be fun to see if yours are as awful as mine...

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  4. It's the same addiction as yard sales - the conviction that somewhere in there is a priceless gem (or at least something that looks both knittable and wearable). Can't wait to see what's inside.

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  5. YOU asked for these . . .

    well, the granny square housecoat, not so much.

    I do believe that my mother has that doily, tri-colored pansies and all, lovingly crocheted by 'Cousin Alvira who's dead'. (Why my mother always refers to her like that, I'm sure I'll never know but it is kind of snappy.)

    The Christmas ornaments - possibly.

    Can't wait to see what the rest of the stack brings!

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  6. I'm sure my mother made that pansy doily over sixty years ago! I remember it on her dresser when I was a little girl.

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  7. Oh, ye gods! The flashbacks! The flashbacks are starting!!! Arrrrrggghh!

    Ahem...of course! How delightful! Thank you so much for asking.

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  8. Sweet glittery Jebus. That looks FABULOUS. OMG!

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  9. More, please. As the owner of a full set of Golden Hands partworks (c. 1973) I think I can take it...

    (Verification word: caturb. I'd like to see what ISAHAC would make of that.)

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  10. Anonymous5:26 PM

    OMGOSH! I'll match your pile, and raise you another pile. I love those magazines and instruction sheets.

    Are you planning on tweaking some of the patterns so that they're more this century?

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  11. I think the thirty-five cent price tag is a little steep.

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  12. Anonymous5:43 PM

    heck yeah; i have tons of them; so show us your all!

    marie in florida

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  13. Ooh! I especially like the pansy doily (it's one of my all-time favorite doilies - I wonder what it says that I have favorite doilies). Anyway, looks like fun!

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  14. YES YES YES BRING IT

    I mean, it seems like the makings of a knitting version of the Weight Watchers recipe-card review, and how can that be wrong? If it is, I don't want you to be right.

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  15. I (double dog) DARE you to show up at your next speaking engagement in that granny square housecoat complete with snazzy hairdo >;)

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  16. Gerri5:58 PM

    I haven't thought about my great-Aunt Birch in awhile. The pansy doily brought her to mind. Thanks.

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  17. Anonymous6:02 PM

    That pansy-edged doily? I grew up with that on top of the stereo.

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  18. Anonymous6:09 PM

    oh yes please, sir.

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  19. Y!E!S!

    *snort* My verification "word" for this is "manho". Seriously.

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  20. anne marie in philly6:35 PM

    OMFG is correct! 70s style shiz!

    yeah, let's all take a peek under the covers...

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  21. I have a big stack of my grandmother's "Workbaskets". I pull them out every once in a while because ... well.. styles come and go. I always think these are better gone, but can't bring myself to throw away my grandmother's patterns.

    They're in the music cabinet, along with a big stack of turn of the century sheet music... :)

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  22. Oh, I can hardly wait!

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  23. I *cannot wait* to hear what you have to say about these...

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  24. Anonymous7:10 PM

    But those are crochet patterns. Not antique knitting at all...but interesting, very interesting...as Artie Johnson used to say.

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  25. I can practically feel that housecoat's itchy acrylic yarn on my skin. It's that powerful. Brrrrrr. Bring it on!

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  26. how is it that you disappear for weeks, MONTHS at a time and then reappear and we all pretend that we didn't miss the crap outta you? Huh!!

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  27. Wow. I can't even tell if that's a real woman on the cover, or a mannequin.

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  28. Oh yeah, take us on a TOUR! Have you seen "Gentlemen Prefer"? I blathered about it (pictures too) some time ago. I think it's my favorite of all of them.

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  29. Here, http://knitnzu.com/?p=272, for your entertainment... G is for Gentlemen...

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  30. Kathy7:55 PM

    I dare you to make that housecoat thing.

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  31. Revl...granny-square housecoat, yeah. But Franklin---with a snazzy hairdo? Nawww, don't go there.

    Franklin, yes plz. What a hoot. I have to say, though, I have some doilies (cherished) done by my MIL of blessed memory, and one of my bestest friends still makes those. Anachronistic? maybe, but they are beautiful. (My "word" is "cidist" -- I've been called worse.)

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  32. Okay, I'm hanging my head in shame--I actually kinda like the granny-square jacket . . . I've always had a fondness for the squares because they're about the only thing I can crochet any more.

    Years ago, one of those magazines had a pattern for a granny-square lining in a denim jacket. I still think that would look cute.

    I'll go hide now . . . .

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  33. I'm picturing Dolores in that granny square jacket...

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  34. We could play a little pattern poker. I see your granny square housecoat and raise you the yellow acrylic knickers in the stack of patterns I inherited from my grandma.

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  35. I'll bet that coat squeaks like nothing else in Red Heart. Can't wait to see more.

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  36. Some things were best left in the 70's...

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  37. So wonderful. I must get a shot of the neon orange poodle bottle holder that my dad inherited from his grandmother. I inherited the pattern. wOOt

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  38. At the LYS where I work, we collect these gems and hang them up in the store bathroom (which is public, so they get a LOT of comments)

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  39. I will only go along with this if you show closeups of the freaky red santa thing under the tree.

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  40. Jen M9:13 PM

    I think I will need a cocktail first, then fire away!!

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  41. =Tamar9:25 PM

    I knew a woman who looked like that.
    I kinda like the pansy doily, but I don't crochet. There must be something in there that's knitted.

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  42. Sounds like a plan! I think my grandma had that EXACT doily with the pansy edging on her living room table.

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  43. Anonymous9:26 PM

    well, yeah! (says the one who collects old better homes and gardens cookbooks- where else do you get a recipe for "perfection" salad? ewwwwww!)

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  44. Oh what wonderous things to look forward to!

    I can't wait...

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  45. Anonymous9:41 PM

    I keep clicking and clicking on the front, and it doesn't open! So I eagerly await the wandering through them, all of us together.

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  46. Ohhh, the pansy doilies. I collect them and have probably 15 by now. One was done in muted purples and golds and it is the most lovely thing. Looks very vintage, which it is, but much more so than the ones done in brighter colors. I've made a zillion of those crocheted pansies for swaps and little gifts but never made the whole doily.

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  47. arrgh! But, please, go ahead and do so. I could use a few chuckles.

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  48. Awful can be so alarmingly wonderful. Please Sir, share some more.

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  49. Anonymous11:24 PM

    Oh yes, yes, yes! One of the great joys of visiting remote wilderness cabins in Alaska is (yes) reading the old magazines that were left behind from the 20s/30s/40s, etc. Love them!

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  50. Leigh Witchel11:45 PM

    I most certainly DID ask for the fabulous Granny Square lounging kimono thankyouverymuch. And I'm going to wear mine with the same shade of coral frost lipstick and Laura Petrie hairdo.

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  51. "You asked for it" seems rather menacing instead of generous. But 35 cents!? Can't wait to peek inside.

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  52. I'm wondering how many pansy doilies were made in total. Quite a few were lurking in the homes of my relations years ago.

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  53. Oh, I think peeking at those with you would be a lot of fun. Besides, that might inspire you to post more frequently, as I love reading your posts.

    Hmm, my word is actually a word, and it is something that varies widely, tastes, as some people may actually find the granny square jacket to their taste.

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  54. Anonymous, too12:03 AM

    Scary . . .very scary. . .Caron Yarns' Simply Soft web site has a pattern that looks like a direct descendant of the one on that booklet:

    http://www.caron.com/projects/br/BR7_granny_jacket.html

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  55. Can't wait!

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  56. Anonymous3:29 AM

    Wow...is this Dolores' idea of a Christmas present?

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  57. The doily doesn't look so bad, but the red santa is scary!

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  58. SusieQ1003:51 AM

    Yeee gods!!!

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  59. Nom. You show me yours and I'll show you mine! You absolutely HAVE to come over and see my collection of vintage GAH patterns. I think they're all in about a size 2 (and you've met me, although I'm not large I am NOT a size 2) and most involve some sort of atrocity. I know you're a little far away just to pop over, but I have plans, dear heart. Plans.

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  60. That is truly frightening.

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  61. hell yes! In fact I NEED the recipe for that coat. So stylish! :D

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  62. Um, guess what? (That's right!) Chicken butt!

    Someone made the effort. Let's have fun with it!

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  63. rosesmama6:15 AM

    yes, please.

    my word verification was rismom

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  64. Anonymous7:22 AM

    they are only 35 cents a book

    there is no cent key on the keyboard!

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  65. If that one is Christmas ornaments on the tree I may just have to stalk you down and steal it.

    I love classic, often tacky, crafting (knitting and crochet, mostly) pattern books! Do share!

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  66. Oh yes!

    My aunt had that exact doily.

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  67. Hmmm... well, maybe Cate Blanchett asked for that housecoat..!

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  68. Does anyone find it scary thinking about what future crafters will say about our popular items?

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  69. My mom made that orange and purple pansy doily. I wonder if she still has it...

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  70. Mon ami, I send you short email. You receive?

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  71. Yesyesyes! Pleeease!

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  72. Yup. We do. Shades of my childhood!

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  73. Absolutely, I can't wait

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  74. I have that doilie!!!
    My mother-in-laws mother made it and my sister-in-law had it framed. it's actually kinda pretty
    Frankilin..........you'd look wonderful in that sweater!

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  75. Dolores. In the housecoat.

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  76. I love the angry, red-faced Santa under the tree. Gorgeous.

    My verifier word is kedingu. As in, "A kedingu ate my baby!" Seriously, Franklin, do you pick these words yourself?

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  77. Anonymous12:23 PM

    This is awesome! Your peeps sure love u. Share pics, pls

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  78. I can't quite tell - is that a real woman or a Barbie doll?

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  79. Love it! Can't wait to see what you find - I'm betting there are some real gems in there!

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  80. Anonymous12:34 PM

    I can't wait! :-)

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  81. Sweet Sassafras! My mother in law has that exact doily (only it's much larger) smack dab center on her dining room table!

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  82. I just received something very similar in the mail. "Golden Hands," a British needlecrafts magazine. It has appropriately creepy 70s photos. I LOVE them.

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  83. Oh my dear lord. {clutches pearls}

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  84. knit happens1:50 PM

    Where can I get that granny square housecoat pattern? Seriously! I love it!

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  85. Absolutely!! This should be fun.

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  86. Please sir, may I have another?

    I received the Stitchy McYarnpants book myself this year. You will have to write your own snippy comments, but I think you are up to it.

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  87. Anonymous3:56 PM

    Yes! And another vote for Dolores in the housecoat.

    (My word is spinesti!)

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  88. Knittease5:01 PM

    Can't wait!!!

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  89. Great plan! I thoroughly enjoyed studying the vintage patterns you have critiqued and translated thus far. This "new" stack will be a trip down memory lane for many of us (and surely you'll be gentle).

    This could become your next book. Yarn over...

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  90. mary lee6:33 PM

    Lead the way.

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  91. Sara in WI7:21 PM

    I'm ready!!

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  92. Me neither.
    Though my tree has a knitted star as a topper :-)

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  93. Sir yes Sir, indeed! Your scanner is going to be busy!

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  94. Anonymous9:24 AM

    oh.yes.please! (as she wipes away tears and tries not to laugh out loud while her students take a test) konna in ecuador

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  95. Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!

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  96. That cover shot is taking me back to high school days. *Love* the pansy doily; pansies are my favorite flower. Oh dear, I am now visualizing granny squares out of the Malabrigo leftover from my Autumn Asters sweater... my word verification is "bandubb"; why am I suddenly mindful of MilliVanilli?

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  97. Oh joy. We shall explore the 60s and 70s together. Better than when I lived them.

    Lead on Oh Fearless One [with Delores as our guide]

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  98. I have the bottom left item that someone made me. I cannot wait to see what your stack will bring us!

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  99. A black wig with a flip! OMFG indeed.

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  100. Oh, my. I feel faint. I'm having memories of crocheting doilies like this for my grandmother back in my days before bifocals, using fine crochet thread and size 12 steel needles. She loved them...in fact, I just stumbled across one recently that was caught in the drawer of what used to be her nightstand. Of course, she was 100 at the time...

    Now I can't wait to see what else you unearth!

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  101. I collect old Star and other crochet thread pattern books. And old knitting pattern books. They cant be beat for baby patterns and the odd sock pattern or mitten pattern. And the lovely old doilies!

    Of course, you have to get past the ugly colors and the scary hairdos.

    Deb in Wis

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  102. OMG! Bring it on...it's like stepping back in time and remembering my schoolmates wearing granny-square pullover vests, shag haircuts and bellbottom pants. Red Heart was king back then. Ick.

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  103. Wheee! Yes, please!

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  104. Anonymous1:39 PM

    If I had been aware of their existence, yes I would have asked for these gems.

    LaurainOregon

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  105. Anonymous6:34 PM

    Boy, that takes me back. I had a biology teacher in high school who wore a granny square vest, with lacing up the side seams, a bow tie in his collar, and a goutee. Even in 1973 he looked eccentric.

    Leah

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  106. Franklin,
    I have that doily, exactly that doily, made by my grandmother.
    Thanks for sharing.

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  107. Seriously, my mother made the doily on the left. Yes she did, we had doilys and granny square couch and footstool cover in my living room. Soooo seventies!!

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  108. ellen in indy7:18 PM

    slorksph!!

    that's both my verification word and the noise that came out my mouth and nose as i saw your xmas treasure! you absolutely must show more of these period pieces.

    quoting from tom lehrer's song "smut," which predates the patterns a decade or so, "more! more! i'm still not satisfied!"

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  109. Cat Humphreys8:31 PM

    I have 4 boxes of these that I have inherited from the step-mother-in-law and my grandmother has many boxes of them that I will be getting eventually. I feel your pain, but I just can't bring myself to get rid of them.

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  110. Last Sunday, I was shopping at the Oakland Museum of California's White Elephant Sale. There in all its glory and costing on 10 cents was this magazine. I was able to resist the siren call. There were many more.

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  111. Franklin- I have a milk crate full of said publications- Workbasket 1950s-1980s- staring up at me from my garage floor. Really. If you-or any of your mad, mad friends- want them you need only speak.

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