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Goodwill Hunting, Part II

How sweet is this little teacup and saucer? The colors are so cheery -- it reminds me of Japanese quilting cottons. The little teapot shapes are melamine teabag coasters. The one on the right is a nod to the Red Hat Society.

Below is a page from the Cross-Stitch book from the last post. Some of the projects are "dated" (bad) as opposed to "vintage" or "retro" (good). In another 25 years or so, "dated" will mature into "vintage". (Copyright of the book is 1991.) Moot point in the case of the tea cozy, as I can't recall a tea cozy I didn't love. (Okay, maybe if it was decorated with Smurfs or worse yet, Care Bears....)

I love soup plates, and I love forget-me-nots...so this pair is a big score.I can't seem to resist any of the needlework books put out by Better Homes & Gardens in the '90's, even with the occasional project that makes me cringe a little.In the above photo, everything was from the GW shop, except the little heart-shaped pincushion on the left. I just thought it looked cool with the bright thread and button colors.

I made it when I was a girl. I didn't realize I still had it, and ran across it recently. The plastic bag was so intriguing, just $1.99. And the zippers! A variety of lengths, and all in colors I tend to wear:: JaCkPoT!I had such fun discovering what was in the bag. It was hard to get a look at the buttons; it was the thimble and crewel/embroidery needles that grabbed me.

And look at the interesting screwdriver on the spools - I've never seen one like it. I assume it goes with a sewing machine, like for adjusting the tension on the bobbin case?

The buttons are okay; I think my favorite is the MOP one next to the thimble, or maybe the 3 large ivory leather ones...or the few little itty-bitty baby ones.I couldn't pass up these Folkwear patterns. They were among a bunch which were "dated".

And I thought I'd try this one for the pants and vest.

I haven't often bought thrifted clothes. I get so discouraged, being a plus size. Most of the really cool vintage stuff is tinier than I could possibly ever wear. (Not many women in the 1940's and '50's were 5'8", and they certainly didn't have my "robust" figure.) I haven't typically had the patience to look through the overstuffed racks. But, I'm warming up to it. On one trip, I found the silk scarf below, which features two of my better colors: the soft blues and the corals. Behind it is a black knit velour skirt, long and narrowly cut. I wore it to church on Sunday with black boots and a pretty top. Looked great, super comfortable. $2.50!

And finally, another trip, LL Bean's ladies' blouses (with darts!), and some light sweaters, all in my color palette (I think I am a Summer, according to the "Color Me Beautiful" book I picked up for $1). All 6 for probably less than $20, as have learned to shop the color-coded tags for the 50% savings! I should have discovered thrift store shopping a long time ago.

Goodwill Hunting, Part I

No, not the movie with Matt Damon, but just the fruits of my recent forays into the 3 Goodwill stores in my realm. I drool when I see what others find, and am so sure that there is nothing as lovely in my stores, and that really is true when it comes to textiles. The pickings are a little better when it comes to dishes, though, and so I thought I'd share my recent successes. Really, there are quite a few pictures, and I think I will share them in more than one post, just to keep it sizeable. I had good light for picture-taking this morning, and got started in the southeast corner of the house, between two windows. Then I didn't like how they were coming out, and took a break to nose through the camera manual. Then Jeff dug the tripod out of the basement, and that helped even more. By then, the sun was gone, and it was snowing, but I plowed on anyway....(get it? I "plowed" on while it was "snowing"? C'mon people!)

Now that I've put evertything away and sit at the laptop, to type, the sun is out again.

The Amy Vanderbilt Cookbook was not a Goodwill store find: it was offered to me by a colleague who was de-cluttering. (?That's clutter?!) The oldest books I usually see in in GW are from the 1970's, and with apologies to 1970's fanciers, I personally do *not* fancy the 1970's. I don't have much use for any of the fashions, home dec, etc. after, say 1964. That's pretty unfortunate, since I turned 2 in 1964. I told you I was born in the wrong era.

We will re-visit that cookbook in future. It's one of those visits to the domestic ideals of another (pre-1964) time that I love so much (and I hope you do, too).

So, the pic below shows a little better close-up of the dear little creamer....when I was fiddling with trying to learn how to get better focus in the close-up mode. I should've turned off the flash, though. And set up the tri-pod. Here's the progression.

Before I read the manual (You know what they say, "When all else fails, read the directions!").

After I read the manual, and had the camera on the tripod, but forgot to turn off the flash.

After I turned off the flash, ahh... much better. I think this double-handled cup-and-saucer set is referred to as a "cream soup" bowl or set or something. You know, for the soup course you serve to your family when you gather to dine (in colder weather, as warmer seasons dictate a clear soup, or even a cold soup).

These next two aren't exactly "vintage", but are sweet nonetheless. I have admired Lenox's Butterfly Meadow for a long time, and never purchased any. Imagine my surprise to find this mug selling for $0.99! Snatched that puppy up right away, you can be sure! It pays to keep your eyes peeled when looking through all the cheap novelty mugs nobody wants.

And who could resist this little bone china vase from Towle? I can't wait to tuck some Spring buds in it, perhaps on my night stand. Wouldn't some grape hyacinths do it justice?

This next pic affords me the opportunity to link to my cousin's blog, here:http://dothenextthings.blogspot.com/. Diane lives about an hour's drive away, and among many things we have in common is an affection for our red kitchens. Her kitchen is getting a facelift right now (see the blog!), and her red counters are no longer, as she prefers her "red" in accent doses, against a clean white background. Her everyday dishes are clean and simple white Corelle, but I found a few to mix and match in on occasion. I hope she likes the cheery red stripes. They have a vintage feel for me, reminding me of the stripes on Buffalo or Syracuse restaurant stoneware. The beauty of a GW-store gift is that it's hardly money wasted if my guess is all wrong!

I know I'm not alone in my fondness for Pyrex/FireKing/Anchor pieces. I sometimes collect the fruit-shaped pieces, mostly apple (I think made by Atlas), but today's is a strawberry, probably not very old. I especially *heart* custard cups. (The one shown is FireKing aand the handled bowl is Pyrex). I recently have been cooking more, and trying new recipes and bought some new Pyrex cups for measuring out ingredients, so that "measuring" is one step, and then "assembling" is another step, quicker and easier, like how the pros do things on TV. It seems way more fun (and less chaotic) that way, getting all your washing and chopping done at once. Then I re-dicovered custard. When I was growing up, my Mum used to serve simple desserts almost every night. Something baked, like an applesauce cake or some cookies, custard or rice or bread pudding, a bowl of sherbet or ice cream, often with fresh fruit or a stewed fruit sauce. (Have times changed or do most people still serve dessert regularly? I know I rarely do, as my boys usually prefer to fill up with hearty meat-and-potatoes meals, and would rather have extra biscuits or garlic bread than something sweet for dessert, so you can imagine who ends up nibbling leftover desserts....) I have made custard in individual cups lately, and I've discovered I can save leftovers in the fridge for snacking, etc. My next experiment is to see how they come out using eggbeaters and Splenda, as much as I loooove to make it rich with whole milk, eggs and sugar.

That's all for now. More next time.

Mmmmm, I love Saturday mornings........

Don't you? I guess it depends on what your obligations are. This morning I took a break away from Vogue Knitting magazine to take Evan to a team breakfast before his hockey game. But otherwise, my morning is all about knitting. I'm at a fresh start. I have nothing OTN or OTH. I'm not counting projects that are hibernating. (See the Jaywalker socks, and the Teapot Dishcloth.) That bread on the plate was part of a terrific gift basket from my Grammie (of the Country Club Shawl) and my Aunt Anne. Homemade goodies! The little loaf looks like a cinnamon roll, but there's chocolate rolled in too. Mmmmmmmm. I microwaved it just a little and melted a little pat of butter and sipped my Red Rose tea with it. (Someday, I'll blather on about why Red Rose is my brand of tea, bet you're all aquiver with anticipation...)I'm thinking about trying to make the pink sweater in the picture above. It's in the Winter 2009/10 issue. I'd probably make it in a robin's egg blue, a better color for me, although everybody looks pretty in pink. It's all soft and lacy and ruffly and romantically feminine, everything I love in a sweater, or any garment for that matter.
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I finished the tie last night, weaved in the ends, washed it in the sink with a mild lavender detergent, squeezed it out in a towel, and pinned it out to block on my ironing board. It already looks so much better without the puckers it has when you're knitting it.

This is how it looks in the morning light, still slightly damp on the underside. I'm dying to un-pin it and give it to Ian. Maybe he'll even humor me and try it on and let me take pics?

See the purple and gold yarn? That's all I have left from the scarf. May have to get more if I seriously want to make a tie....but then I'll really have a lot left over.... wonder if any other Cheverus students would pay money for a hand-knit school colors tie? They knit up pretty quick....
I'm having a lot of fun lining up my next round of projects. I like to have more than one project going at once. Things I can work on at hockey games, in the car, which often means in the dark. Things I can make as gifts for others, as little treats for myself, practical items for the household, pretty little crocheted doilies and tatted lace.

And then there's the itching to get a stitching project going. Have you checked out Mary Corbet's Needles 'n Thread website? I'm an avid reader, and I just want to get going on something. Check out the needlebook she made recently. I always picture Olivia deHaviland in the "The Heiress" stitching away on a gorgeous tapestry of some sort. Seems so genteel.

I'll post again on this topic when I have some projects lined up.

OTN Update

Here is what I've been working on. First, a dishcloth and dishtowel set. Here, I demonstrate the impracticality of not planning out your project before you begin. As you see in the picture, I have completed the dishcloth and am now working on the dishtowel. Note how cleverly I have rewound my little multicolored skein into a center-pull ball and am working both sides from the two ends of yarn. Note also the tiny ball of soft yellow cotton. Raise your hand if you think that tiny ball will complete the project. If you are raising your hand now, you lose. If you are thinking that I have a second ball in my stash to join at the end of this ball, you are wrong again. I will have to go to the drug store where I bought this stuff and hope they have another one, hope the dye lots are close. If I am lucky, I will be the only one who buys cotton yarn at a drug store, and the only difference between my first purchase and my second will be an (un)healthy layer of dust. I'll let you know.
I graphed out the teacup and saucer on an Excel spreadsheet, which wasn't too hard. Used that for the dishcloth. For the dishtowel, I started by borrowing a teapot graph I found on someone's website, but then I modified it to suit my tastes. Put that on an Excel ss too. But I'm knitting the teapot top-down, so that's why it looks like only plain stockinette so far. It is.
Next up in Wendy's Knitting Follies is an example of slow learning. I had this skein of Lion Brand Magic Stripes, which you may know is discontinued. It is intended for knitting one pair of socks, and will dutifully demonstrate self-striping. If you follow the label directions. Which I didn't.
Noooooo, I had to up the anti. I wanted a little more interest. I wanted a pattern, one that wouldn't get lost in the self-striping hoopla. I chose the jaywalker. If you are on Ravelry, then you surely are familiar with the jaywalker sock. Grumperina, who designed it, lives in Cambridge, Mass. and named it so because it reminds her of jaywalking in Boston (where the traffic is often bumper-to-bumper, and you have to walk around stopped cars to jaywalk). First you go right, then left, then right again. Love the look of this sock. Love most of the knitting. I amended the cuff so that I could at least like the cuff.

You will notice that my first jaywalker sock is still OTN. You will be supposing that I haven't closed the toe because I am dreading the Kitchener stitch. Well I am, but that isn't why I didn't close the toe. The skein started out at 3.5 oz., and so, in order to have enough yarn, each sock can only consume 1.75 oz. (stay with me on the maths). Before I finished shaping the toe, I threw the remaining ball on the postal scale at work. 1.6 oz., flickering to 1.5! What! But the label promised me a pair of socks. Oh yeah, smarty pants, but not a pair of socks knit on size 1 needles and with a pattern gauge of 38 stitches to 4".......

So now, having considered my options, and remembering that the skein cost me $1.99 st a discount dump, I mean store, I am going unravel a bit and complete the toe with a solid color and then knit a second sock with a matching solid toe. The Magic Stripes, remember, have been discontinued, but Lion Brand has superwash merino with almost identical yardage per weight, so I can rescue this $1.99 pair of socks for about $5.00. The fiber content will be a little different. The Magic Stripes yarn is good for socks because it is reinforced with 25% nylon. So, I'll probably wear through the toes after all my hard work. Sigh, too bad I don't love them. They'll probably last forever (to remind me of my erring ways) and serve me well.

This next project is finally cast off and I am fringe-ing. This is the Country Club Shawl in a color called Persimmon. (inexplicably spelled Persimmion on the label) This is another discontinued discount purchase. A huge amount of yarn for a piddling price. I want to turn my nose up at it because it is all acrylic, but I can't cause it is so soft and cushy. It is a textured yarn (specifically, Red Heart Value Textured Yarn - no pretense there), and so it's really kind of fluffy, and begs to be made into something cozy. I'll show you the fringe when I'm done. Never done this before, a bit tedious.

Another view. I wish I knew how to photograph this to show you the rich color, and with less light bouncing off of it.

Well, that's all for now. All three of these projects still have more to go, so I'll be dribbling them in a bit at a time. I know you are on the edge of your seat to know how they all turn out.

Half a snack set

Here's a little arrangement I made using my unmatched snack set plate. Can you see the pretty little pressed design on the glass? Suddenly the flowers remind me of poinsettias. I feel so clever.What arrangement could you make with half a snack set? Can you see my reflection with the camera on the glass balls?

Tomorrow, I'll test my cleverness with something I have OTN and maybe I'll show you how my OTH project comes along.

Don't you wish you were me?

Yesterday, when I got home from work, I thought I was going to have to throw together a dinner for hungry, albeit grateful teenage boys. (You don't believe teenage boys show gratitude, beyond seeming to appreciate something hot and reasonably tasty to shovel into their mouths? You'd be shocked-at my house, my husband and I get thanked by each kid, at each meal! I know, I know we still stare at each other, mouths agape, each time. You never really get used to it, and I guess that's the point, that they never take it for granted either.) Well, if that little aside isn't enough to make you wish you were me, then look what I found waiting on the dining room table.

My oldest son, Ian, and the youngest one, Sean (Evan was at driving school-don't you wish you were me?) are responsible for the fact that I have pictures to document my delightful surprise and thus have a blog-post to share with you. You see, I was given a new digitial camera for my birthday, almost 3 weeks ago, and being a bit of a technophobe, I hadn't tried it. I'm one of those people who wants to read the entire manual, before I do anything with whatever the techno-gizmo is. This is my mother's fault. Every Christmas, we took pictures of her puzzling over such acts of wizardry as "setting her new watch", and.....well, I don't know what else, but you know what I mean. Let me just say, she has never owned a cell phone. Last week, however, she achieved a milestone: she e-mailed a link. No, really. Now do you see what I mean?

So, anyway, the boys wouldn't let me open what was in the box, until we had the camera fired up and ready to document the process (since my argument for wanting a new digital cam was that I am, after all, a blogger.)

This is the part where I sheepishly admit that, after diss-ing my mother for her techno-backward ways, she was in fact the giver of the gifts herein! (Shame on me....)

That pic above is another look to emphasize the gorgeous presentation by the folks at Victorian Trading Company. I am sure that Mum paid extra for gift-wrap, and they did a fine job. Those boxes are not actually gift-wrapped but gorgeous decorated and re-usable boxes. The little card is scrumptious and a fine example of the Victorian ephemera reproductions they do so well. Mum introduced me to their catalog years ago, and I curl up with it with almost as much anticipation as I do with some of my favorite magazines. I am the lucky owner of only a small handful of their products, but my Wish List is a mile long.

This is what I found inside: Don't you wish you were me?

It took my breath away! I told you in a previous post about my ambivalence for tea-for-one sets, but I have yet to bore you with, I mean share with you how charming I find these little snack sets. I mean you can have a light lunch or a snack with them. Can you picture anything from a humble grilled-cheese sandwich with a cup of tomato soup to tea and cake served on such a set? What about a donut and hot cider? Coffee and a bagel? tea and crumpets? tea and muffins? tea and your-favorite-pastry-here? I love them! They always remind me of having a cosy tete-a-tete. (I wish I knew how to type in the proper accent grave.)At Goodwill last year, I picked up a plate for about $1, but alas no matching cup, but no matter, I mix-and-match with other teacups and this fall, I found a new re-use. I put a pillar candle on it, with a little dried arrangement on the body of the plate and it looks fab on my windowsill.

Okay, not the greatest picture, just me playing with new cam.

Don't you wish you were me? New camera, early Christmas present, and by now, husband in the kitchen making grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup...

No? Not yet? Holding out for more?

I left out the part about 12-year-old son forgetting for a minute to be a sullen near-teen and freely giving me a welcoming hug and kiss. And the merry Cocker Spaniels, who always behave as if your arrival is the best thing all day. (Every breed description of Cocker Spaniels uses the adjective "merry" to describe their personality, and what can I say, they really are. Makes you wonder how they will out-do their usual to celebrate Christmas....)

So, Okay, if you still don't wish you were me.................

There was more!!!!

The teapot, with birds, red-and-white transferware, and don't miss the hand-painted flourish on the spout! What's not to love?

When are you coming over for tea and cake?

Have a really good day anyway, since you can't be me. Only I can be me. Just sayin'.