Friday's Finds, July 10

If you know someone who thinks opera is a drag, they need to see this.

I know just how this lady feels. I was doing my own rendition when...  But I am ahead of myself. Let me begin at the beginning.

The setting: A rare day in town--not the usual, 13-miles-away town, but the one that takes half an hour or so to reach. A young man with errands to do has persuaded his mother (our heroine) to go along.

Scene 1: A thrift store. A fairly new thrift store, in fact, and one our characters have only been in a couple of times. A festive banner waves outside. It reads,"Everything 50% Off". A small but determined middle-aged lady (the heroine, of course) hastens across the parking lot toward the door, straining to bolt inside at peak speed while endeavoring to look nonchalant and casual at the same time. In her wake follows her lanky, laid-back and very skinny 22-year-old son (and part-time Etsy shop model) sporting a pony tail.

Scene 2: Inside the store. It's buzzing with avid, similarly salivating shoppers, each hoping to find and nab his or her idea of the proverbial junking Big Kahuna. Our heroine scans the shelves with a practiced eye--at least, as best she can manage considering there are various bulging shoppers with various bulging cartloads of junk blocking the aisles.

The heroine is beginning to think the shelves have already been thoroughly picked over of desirable vintage treasures, though she does find a few inconsequential items which she hands over to her son to carry.

Finally, in near despair, she spots a lower shelf with an array of craft materials, and happily seizes upon a large bag of vintage yarn. She also spots a vintage knitting caddy, one like she has successfully sold through her Etsy shop in the past, and is pleased to note it is priced at $5.79, which means she'll only be out about $3 after the discount. Peeking inside, she notes some small dabs of  woolly yarn, a knitting needle, and a piece of an abandoned in-progress knitted project. Ah, what the heck? she figures. I can always unravel the unfinished piece and salvage the yarn. She and son head for the counter, pay for her purchases, and return to their vehicle.

Scene 3: It is 20 minutes later. Inside said vehicle, the heroine decides she can't wait any longer and decides to gloat over her treasures.(Don't worry; she's not the one driving.) 

She opens the bag of yarn, exclaims over the contents, and then moves on to the knitting caddy. She knows what to expect there already. Or does she??? 

Sighs of delight escape her as she pulls out a wonderful vintage Bernat knitting pattern book. (No, this is not it. Our heroine refuses to part with hers. This is a duplicate which is available for a very reasonable $6.99 from Etsy seller, patternpeddlerannex. But you can see now why she was in a a genteel swoon at the discovery.)

www.etsy.com/listing/227414348/bernat-handicrafter-book-89-sweaters

 

Now this the one belonging to our heroine. Plus a look at the odds and ends of yarn.

Heroine then moves on to the discarded, half-finished knitting project for examination. She coaxes forth what appears to be a sleeve, cuff first. Finally, she has some dialog. Only it's not so much dialog as...
  
     HEROINE:   Whhhaaaaa-hooooooooooooooo!!!
                    Look at this!!!! Yippeeeee!!!!!!!!!! I 
                    can't believe it! Wow!! Ah-ha-ha-ha
                    ha-ha-ha-ha-ha...  (etc. etc.)      


What our heroine has unearthed for her $2.90 plus tax is not only a vintage knitting caddy, a few vintage knitting needles, a dab of vintage yarn, and a terrific vintage Bernat knitting pattern publication, she has unearthed....





Scroll down for it!




 Take a deep breath!




Prepare to be amazed...

...or at least to be relieved that this long and tedious tale is nearly over...

 She has unearthed 

a SWEATER!!!

...an entire, hand-knit, finished-except-for-weaving-in-the-loose-ends-and-blocking raglan SWEATER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 
(End of our little drama. Curtain falls to sounds of maniacal, joyous laughter from heroine. Audience, if not comatose from boredom, will applaud from the sheer wonder of having survived the performance.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now back to that sweater!

Isn't this terrific? I can't believe it. It is gorgeous! The yarn is Spinnerin Frostlon Petite, 67% mohair and 33% orlon. I'm still blown away that it was in there--fortunately lightweight, airy knitting projects such as this can be rolled up pretty small. A worsted or bulky-weight sweater would never have fit in the caddy along with the other stuff. A handknit treasure! And basically free, when I think about it.

Now that's what I call a proper Friday's Find!