And this is a .... what, exactly?

[SmallTownGirl]

Found this amongst sewing threads, needles etc when clearing the house of an elderly relative. 

The whole thing is hollow and the handle, which unscrews completely, seems to be made of something very like Bakalite (sp?)

Does anyone have any idea what it is, please?

[Finley 1]

Is it a 'bodkin'?

xin

[mauricej]

Looks like a rag rug making tool.

There's been a couple of these lately, see also
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,641540.0.html

[Finley 1]

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-bodkin.htm

or yes a rug making tool...

xin

[SmallTownGirl]

I'd wondered about rug making - there were a couple of rug hooks in with her things too - but can't see how it would work. 

[SmallTownGirl]

Found this ...

http://www.iriss.co.uk/product.php?xProd=322&xSec=3

so it's a punch needle. 

[SmallTownGirl]

Just tried it out with some string on a bit of old sacking.  Think I've got the general idea.

Thanks peeps.

STG

[Lydart]

I've got one (somewhere !    ) .... Granny called it 'a proddy' !      Thanks for the info; I now know what it was used for.