On Finding the Good Stuff

It's a disorder. I must thrift shop. I would stop, but I keep finding cool stuff. And really, I think that the thrift shop smell is not nearly as bad as the smells on the bus, which I have been riding A LOT. Because I loaned my car to my mother. And apparently she doesn't want to give it back.

So here's this week's haul...

Smocking and a kerchief? Lovely.


Fitted or babydoll? Cute!


I think I already have a copy of the coat pattern. Check out the puffy sleeve ends on the dress, very cool.


Oh, the Cobbler Apron. What's not to love, apron + many pockets, yay! And see that wild fabric? It must be a good 2 yards or more.


And who doesn't love Rowan yarn? 10 skeins of Cotton Tape, 2 of Plaid, and one plus a little bit more of Tuft.



Not a bad haul for about $12.

I think the Plaid would make a nice hat, something like An Unoriginal Hat or Cool from the Rowan Plaid Collection book. And I can make something for the kids with the Tape, but what to do with a skein of Tuft? Hmm...

Tasty Like Ice Cream

I have a weakness for anything with a Neapolitan color scheme, so imagine my delight when I got my hand on an elusive skein of Vesper 100% Merino Sock Yarn. I have the perfect pattern picked out, and now I am struggling to finish my Clementine's Baltic Socks so that I can start on this yummy yarn.



And won't the finished socks go well with this item that I picked up at the thrift store? Yes, it's an Orla Kiely purse. For a measly $5 (it has some wear, but it's still cute!) And I do already have a couple of Orla Kiely bags that I received as presents. I know, I really am pretty lucky sometimes.

Hey Kids, it's the Latest Installment of Thrift Score!

I was at the thrift store the other day (and no, I'm not telling which one!) and first I spotted this sewing pattern...



And a few minutes later I found these oversize vintage knitting/needlework magazines...



Do you ever have one of those moments where you feel like you're getting away with something and you have to hurry and pay and get out of the store before someone says, wait, it shouldn't be only $1.87 for those things? Yeah, that was me, I didn't even stop to peek inside the magazines!

But now that I have, look at these patterns, how cute! Dozens of pages of fabulous circa 1940 and 1950 knitting patterns, just lovely!

Homicidal Cars

I am nothing but scattered lately. Maybe if I make a list will make more sense than any attempt at organizing my thoughts into coherent paragraph form. (scroll down if you only come here for the pictures.)

A) The driver's seat belt latch failed in my car today. I can only buckle it into the passenger latch. This requires moving the seat way back and wishing my chest were smaller, or my legs longer. And I have to choose between using my seatbelt or the cup holder. Of course my chest is the only thing holding the belt off my neck so I guess I'd pick longer legs.

B) My ABS brakes failed in my car today, right after the seatbelt failure.

C) The mechanic can fix the brakes and the seatbelt next week. No hurry, right?

D) I think that my car is trying to kill me, see A and B. Or is my mechanic in on it? See C.

E) My 3 year old went to the doctor earlier this week and got a dose of a liquid steriod. Her review, "It tastes like garbage."

F) I got my bonus this week for my business trip, not huge but still, woohoo! Oh wait, I have to spend a lot more than the bonus, see item C.

G) My 3 year old is still sick, see E. She really wants to lay around and have me read books whilst playing with my hair, and for optimal satisfaction my hair must be damp. I give her as much as I can but sometimes I find myself standing just for a bit of personal space.

H) I haven't washed my hair in four days, see G.

I) I bought yarn today to take the edge off my anxiety, see A and B. For further justification see F. Also because my car troubles happened 2 blocks from a lovely yarn shop. Bonus was that a lovely knitter was working today.

J) My 3 year old's favorite phrase is, "I'm tired of that" and last night it was, "I'm tired of your contact lenses."

K) We went to a fun party last night and I found out that the hostess had ordered allergen-free cakes for the party especially so that my kids could eat them. No one told me so I brought cupcakes. It was so sweet of her that I almost cried. Also, the paella was unbelievably good.

L) The yarn I bought is a lovely Sea Silk and I picked purple. I don't actually like purple (and yet I really like this purple yarn!) and my rationale was that I was buying it to make a gift.

M) Why didn't I just buy something for myself? I deserve it, see the whole damn list.

N) I haven't been to knitting night in almost 3 weeks. I haven't knitted in days, see G. I miss my dedicated knitting time.

O) In a moment of questionable judgement I volunteered to teach knitting to a bunch of elementary school children.

That's all of the alphabet that I have in me. OK, here's the yarn, soft and lovely with such great sheen and vaguely rendolent of the beach.

Short Vacation

We’re back from vacation! What? Oh, yeah, we were away on one of the San Juan Islands. I forgot to tell you? Well, let me tell you now. ..

We left for a little relaxing at a beach-side cabin. So first you drive for an hour and a half (sounds good, right, a little knitting time?) and I was riding in the passenger seat working away on my Grownup Bonnet. And then I get to the part that says switch to smaller needles. Bam! I didn’t see that one coming, and I have no smaller needles. Ok, I try not to panic, let’s see...I have socks in need of toes that I can work on and… Ahh!!! That’s all I packed for four days!

Get on the cell phone. There must be a yarn shop on the way...Yes! It’s Wild Fibers in Mt. Vernon. We have a boat to catch so I’m cutting it a little close. Jump out of the car. Run in and grab the needles. Don’t get distracted by the pretty yarn, hurry and get to the register. Don’t let them see the panic in my eyes as I try and patiently wait to be rung up whilst picturing my husband in the car ticking down the minutes on his watch. I think I cut ahead of someone that wandered away from the register. I am ruthless in my panic.



Back in the car. Red merino sock yarn? How did that get in my bag? I swear I wasn’t shopping for yarn. (Dang clear plastic shopping bags!)

Hurry to the marina. Get the kids into lifejackets. Hurry to boat and check my watch. Whew, four minutes to spare. Do you think I would’ve lived down that one if I’d made us miss the boat?

That same night at the cabin my daughter’s cough took a turn for the worse, and when your 3 year old would rather be home than at the beach it’s time to call the Water Taxi and admit defeat.

Four day vacation shortened into 14 hour vacation. At least my little dear is doing a slight bit better with medication. The Grownup Bonnet however did not fare well after all that, and I'm not saying more about it for now.

Alone In the City

This one's for you Tasha. Well, how the heck was Chicago, you ask ?

I got there on Thursday afternoon and got sucked into a time warp called "What the he!! was I thinking, the el from O'Hare to the Loop and back up to Lincoln Park and then a mile walk?" When I snapped out of it in front of the hotel, well, three hours had passed. I still can't explain that one. Let's just say the first hotel was a huge letdown after the trek.

I ate yummy food at Sushi Toro
Note to self, stick to what they make best, the sushi (so good!), not some decrepit and overcooked vegetables that no one else would ever order.

And the bar at Frontera Grill
Jessica, thanks for suggesting that I eat at the bar. It was easy to get a seat and yum! Note to self, remember, you don't notice the effect of tequila until you get up from your bar stool. Two drinks is one too many, even if it is tasty mango-mulberry margaritas (try saying that fast.)

Which led me to a tipsy shopping adventure at H & M
Outfits for the whole family!

And Loopy Yarns. Yes, of course there was yarn (vacation money doesn't count like real money, right?), and everyone there was friendly and they wound my yarn for me and carefully individually wrapped in tissue paper. I'm thinking about the Grownup Bonnet from Knit 2 Together in this buttery loveliness.



I also had fun exploring the Art Institute of Chicago.
This place is amazing. Impressionism, Industrial Design, Russel Wright pieces, a Hall of swords and armor.

And the Chicago Cultural Center. Now, I didn't have high expectations of this place, but there was a fun retrospective exhibit of Karl Wirsum artwork.

And it was right by my second hotel, the Monaco, which by the way was fabulous, located right on the Chicago River, downtown near all kinds of fun places. Here is the view from my room.



Oh, and the work bit, it went fine, turns out I don't suck running a trade show booth. It was actually pretty easy and painless.

And getting away from the family for three days, well, love them but that's just priceless (and it was all expensed to the company except the clothes and the yarn, what could be better!)

Organized Chaos

Well my vintage sewing, crochet, embroidery, and knitting patterns are getting a little out of control. So I am attempting to catalog them on Flickr so that I can keep track of what I have. That and putting them into organized storage boxes.

If you feel like perusing my collection, click on the image below. I will keep adding pictures as I continue to sort through my patterns. And as the collection continues to grow of course. Like the patterns I just picked up today, ahem.

Have Some Fun, Bang A Drum

For Rusted Root, after some deliberation I decided to go with Cascade Sierra in pale blue rather than the pink Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece that I was considering. Same fiber content, similar gauge, different color choices at the store, and really, it's all about just the right color.



So I cast on and got 10 rows in and I don't like how holey my Kf&b&f&b increases are looking. See just above the purl row? Maybe that's how they are supposed to look but one is way bigger than the rest. Plus it looks like I'm a little off gauge so I am frogging and starting over.

On the subject of my thrifting addiction, here are a few vintage sewing patterns I found today...

I want to make this red dress, but note the length, popular in girl's pattern of this era. It ends just past the bottom, so I would definitely lengthen this.



Here is a pattern from an earlier era, for a slip but it would make a cute dress. I love the pink one...



And a dress in two views, serious or glamorous. How cute is the green one tied at the waist?



And my impulse purchase for today, a drum, specifically a Pearl floor tom, for the kids. Because 3 and 4 year olds just aren't loud enough.

In Case You Had Any Doubts, I'm a Girly-Girl

I hit the thrift store again today, not really expecting to find anything, and then debating whether I would pay .99 each for copies of 50s-60s handcraft magazine called Workbasket. They are in sealed bags which makes it a bit of a gamble. I was just about to leave the store and admit defeat when I realized that I skipped the sewing pattern section. I can't tell you how many goodies I have found in this section, and today I was rewarded with a bunch of vintage sewing patterns.



OK, two of the patterns are from an earlier visit, but anyhow, behold the cuteness. If they don't just make you go aww, well, I just don't know if we can be friends. Click on the picture if you're not sure. That colonial costume, I would have died for that when I was eight or ten. Some of the others I actually plan to make, like all of the girly dresses and the bonnets that come with the coat patterns, sized for five and six year olds!

But first I must finish two of the twirly dress that I started on Sunday at the Sewing Bee. I am currently perplexed by the button closure, something about the construction just doesn't add up for me. I swear that vintage patterns presume a level of sewing expertise that modern patterns do tend to spell out a bit more. But for these fashions I will accept the challenge.

And if that wasn't enough goodness for one day, when I got home there were two packages, the pattern for Rusted Root, and some Cotton Fleece. This will be my first adult sweater, top-down seamless. I'm trying not to get in over my head and I do suck at finishing. But now a dilemma, it is a really girly pattern (lace panel, puffy sleeves) so I am reconsidering my yarn choice. Maybe a less girly color? Like lime green or blue?

Be Safe, People!

My camera has run off. Maybe it's in a toybox or something, but I can't find it, so no posts of my recent sewing. Instead I offer a scan of a recent thrift score. I found a half dozen vintage knitting magazines/pattern books. This photo is irresistible! Is it the lack of neck/chin shaping that makes it look so darn prophylactic? Love the small photo with the matching legwarmers, circa 1978.

Stash and Destash

Instead of crafting I am busy unloading a bit of yarn, books, and magazines that I don't intend to use at the Destash blog. And it appears I am also re-stashing, since someone listed a skein of Greenwood Fiberworks cotton sock yarn, which I have wanted to use again since I made some blue socks for my mom last year, and this yarn has been hard to come by lately.

Crafty Goodness!

Thanks for all of the sweet birthday wishes! I hope that everyone had a lovely holiday (or a relaxing day off for those that don't celebrate the holiday?) Ours has been fun and hectic, with several birthdays and Christmas.

I have projects to report but my computer is still out of action which limits my posting abilities. (Doesn't it just figure that the computer acts fine when I take it to the store but it is obviously toast the minute I take it back home?)

I will instead give you the highlights of the fabulous crafty gifts I received. First, several lovely and inspiring books:
















Linen Crafts
The baby blanket is so sweet, and the reversible linen/Liberty print skirt is on my to-do list!



Sew U: The Built by Wendy Guide to Making Your Own Wardrobe
Everything you need to design your own clothes and make them fit right.
















Amy Butler's In Stitches
I am a little overwhelmed by some of the diagrams but everything in this book is beautiful. I might start with the pleated short apron.


Also, two fabulous Japanese sewing books:
















Hakka Book 1
Skirts for kids, including the sweet wrap skirt on the cover and a pleated one I have to make.
















Skirt a la Carte
It's hard to tell but the cover skirt has the cutest pleated pockets!

And the best present ever, thanks to my husband!
Riso Print Gocco PG-11
It's like a mini self-contained silkscreen machine, very cool!

More Vintage Pattern Love

Here are two patterns I am considering making. The left is a cute peasant top, this looks pretty simple, note that I fall somewhere between the 32 bust specified on the pattern and the 42 bust scribbled on the envelope, but I think I could modify this pretty easily. This one came from my sister with her expert thrifting skills and fabulous fun taste.

The right hand pattern is a simple wrap skirt with an a-line shape, talk about perfect for my skill level. A bias binding edge, a buttonhole and a bunch of mostly straight seams, this would be really cute. It may be hard to appreciate with the drab beige fabric in the larger illustration but I can see this in a fun springtime fabric, perhaps with a different pocket style. I am not thrilled about the center front seam, but I think I can make it work. I found this pattern a couple of weeks back at an otherwise dreary thrift store, it's one of may favorite pattern scores, it's simple but I think it would be really flattering.

Progress continues on the Backyard Leaves scarf, I am 6 repeats into the second half, so there are about 5 repeats to go. I will spare you the boring in-progress shots, but I hope to have it blocking by the end of the weekend. I have some car rides and a ferry ride that might be just what I need to finish it off.

Rick Rack Love

Another thing I love, rick rack. In all materials, mercerized cotton, rayon, with "Lurex" and even "Perma-Finished!" And all colors, silver, pink, and chocolate brown. Big rick rack, baby rick rack... And the Trimtex box, how much do I love this packaging with the dressform cutout? Very much, thank you.

Vintage Pattern Love

Do you know how much I love vintage patterns? Adore them. Plus what's not to love at 49 to 69 cents each at the thrift store? These are just some of the patterns I found today. See the two long sleeved dress patterns? They are almost matching but not quite, one is sized for my 2 year old, and one is sized for my four year old, perfect twirly fall dresses. I will make them sans petticoat. Now I just have to finish a dozen or so other projects first.

Backyard Leaves progress continues, I am at the 10th repeat, only 12 or 14 to go.

(Background fabric is from Superbuzzy of course.)

Sew Buttons On Your Underwear

I went to an estate sale...actually I went to the same sale twice, there was just too much stuff to take it all in at once. It was fabric, patterns, sewing machines, notions and more. I got a couple of yards of fabric and some silver leather scraps, but the buttons, that's what did me in. Here I am jumping on the button bandwagon it appears. I gave you a taste in my Pretty Buttons post yesterday.

I tried to get them to sell me the whole box of buttons on the cards but no chance, so I picked out about 50 cards of buttons, but there were many hundreds more. So many have carved looking designs, and there are some real mother-of-pearl ones, and the colors are lovely. And I had to grab about 15 wooden spools of thread. I really just want them because I love wooden spools but I always need more thread colors. There were two big cardboard boxes of spools.

I may go back to the sale again today. This little picture was about $8 worth, including the fabric, and it doesn't do justice to the lovely buttons. My two year old loves playing with the button cards, and I now have some for almost any outfit.

Pretty Buttons

A few pictures of some lovely little buttons. Don't they look like tasty candies that you just want to bite into? Enjoy!

Thrift Score

I have had on my mind the Speedball Deluxe SilkScreen kit, at the art supply store for $65. It would be fun to try silkscreening again but I don't want to spend a bunch on gear right now. I want to make T-shirts, fabric designs, prints and cards.

I used to have some gear about a decade ago. I do remember making photo emulsion screens, but what I printed I can't really say. It was messy and I didn't have many successful prints. I gave some gear to my sister and her boyfriend (at the time) and he made some great band T-shirts by hand painting onto the screens (which is known as the screen filler method, you paint everywhere you don't want the image to be, blocking out the negative space.)

Today I found myself with an unexpected morning without the kids, and instead of cleaning or working on a project (anyone else have trouble getting started when you aren't fighting for a few spare minutes to yourself to cut something out without one kid or the other wanting to help you?) here I am goofing off.

So I went thrift shopping and found this unused circa 1990 Speedball Screen Printing Kit! It is complete and was only 14.99, heehee! Can you tell how excited I am? It's so worth the price for just the screen. Ok, so the cover graphics are really uninspiring (they include the art for the duffel bag and other pictured projects so you too can make one, wheee!) but I will come up with something fun to screen. Elephants maybe? I really have cute elephants on the brain.

And yes, this picture is crap, I don't want to go outside to take one. There is an almost-swarm of confused yellow jackets that have been living in my roof and just got dosed by pest control with somewhat natural (but toxic to them) spray.

Happy Chois!

What's this we have in the mail? A package from Japan!

From fabulous swapper Jenn, there are candy treats. The flavors? Azuki bean, green tea, and umeboshi delights! I was raised Macrobiotic, so those are like comfort flavors to me, yum!

Coincidentally, Giant Jeans Parlor just reviewed this shaved-ice-matcha-azuki-flavor Kit Kat a few days ago and I was thinking it sounded delicious so imagine my surprise when I received some today!



Note the Casual Ceram platter (I never have enough platters) and diamond pattern fabric, these were thrift store finds today.

But wait, there's more! Fabrics with cute characters!
Cinnamaroll!
Ducks that say "Piyo Piyo!"
Bunnies and cats looking out of bus windows! ("We are best friends-go on a school excursion")
I'm not sure what "Happy Chois" is about, but that one is my favorite.
I can't wait to trim some toddler clothes with the unbearable cuteness!



Thanks so much Jenn, you rock!! I hope you enjoy your package as much as I like mine.

More info on International Swapping can be found in my Gimme post and at the Gimme Your Stuff blog.

Eye Candy

Subway Knitter linked to my blog today, check her out. Thanks for the mention Colleen!

For your enjoyment today, macro shots of Japanese fabrics, the first is a linen which may become a toddler jumper with buttons on the shoulders. The other two are Cosmo prints, really busy fabrics that will probably become toddler tops and skirts.