Dear Sun Spots: I am writing you for much needed advice.

I have two pairs of leather sandals that are my most comfortable ones but I wore them all last summer and they now have a “stinky feet smell.” Do I have to toss them out or can they be somehow saved? Your help would be appreciated. – No Name, No Town.

Answer: Sun Spots does not have any hints here, other than trying to wash and air them out. However, perhaps other readers may have some tips they’re willing to share with you.

Dear Sun Spots: I am looking for someone who can do a water color portrait from a family picture for a reasonable price. I would like to do it as a gift. I can be reached at (207) 933-5421. – No Name, Monmouth.

Dear Sun Spots: I love your column and read it faithfully every day. A few years ago your readers were so responsive in answering my request for patterns for round dishcloths. I am now writing to see if anyone out there has a pattern for knit scrubbies. I have one for a crochet one. You readers’ help would be appreciated. – Jo An B., Rangeley.

Answer: In addition to responses from readers, you may want to try the following knitted pot scrubber pattern. Materials needed: 5 yards of netting (rough tulle) No. 8 knitting needles, kitchen crochet cotton. Directions: Cut netting into strips 1 inch wide. Tie the pieces together or overlap the next piece of tulle over the one running out while working. Cast on 5 stitches using tulle and kitchen cotton held together. K2, yo, K REM sts. Repeat pattern until you reach 20 sts. Next row: K1, K2 TOG, yo, K2 TOG. K REM sts. Repeat pattern until 5 sts remain. Cast off.

You may also be interested in the following pattern, Copyright 2003, from Frugal Knitting Haus, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425-0346. Materials: Small amount of bedspread cotton, one pair of No. 8 needles. Gauge: 5 Stitches = 1 Inch. Directions: With 2 strands held together, cast on 7 sts.

Row 1: *K 1, increase in next st.*, repeating across row, end with K 1.

Row 2: K across, 10 sts.

Row 3: Increase 1 st. in each st. across, 20 sts.

Row 4 & 5: Repeat rows 2 and 3, then repeat row 2.

K each row until total length from beginning is 3″.

Start Decreasing:

First Decrease Row: *K 2 together*, repeating across row.

K across next row.

Second Decrease Row: *K 1, K 2 together*, repeating across row, ending K 2 together, for 13 sts. K across next row.

Last Row: *K 2 together* across row, ending K 1.

Bind off. Weave thread end in and out of cast on row and pull together tight. Repeat with bound off edge. Sew up side seam, fasten off.

Dear Sun Spots: Would you have an address for concert pianist and recording artist Richard Clayderman? – No Name, Lewiston.

Answer: You might want to try contacting him through his Web site at http://www.clayderman.co.uk. Additionally, you can try writing him at 150 BD Haussman, F-75008, Paris, France.

You may also be interested in noting Clayderman was born Philippe Pages Dec. 28, 1953, in France. His father, a piano teacher, laid the foundation for his son’s later success and began teaching him how to play at a very young age. It has been said that, at the age of six, Richard Clayderman could read music more adeptly than his native French.

When he was 12-years-old, Clayderman was accepted at the “Conservator of Music” where, at 16, he won first prize. He was predicted a promising career as a classical pianist. However, shortly after this and much to everyone’s surprise, he cast aside his classical training and turned to contemporary music.

Clayderman’s international success has resulted in a punishing itinerary which, in the past, has seen him play as many as 200 concerts in just 250 days, outside of his home in France.

This column is for you, our readers. It is for your questions and comments. There are only two rules: You must write to the column and sign your name (we won’t use it if you ask us not to). Letters will not be returned or answered by mail, and telephone calls will not be accepted. Your letters will appear as quickly as space allows. Address them to Sun Spots, P.O. Box 4400, Lewiston, ME 04243-4400. Inquiries can also be posted at www.sunjournal.com in the Inform Us section under Press Release.

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