Buffy, balls and batik

Another happy trip to Dandenong Savers yielded three Buffy novels I hadn't read (though that state of affairs did not last and I finished all three in a glorious reading binge - they're like chocolate, I can't leave them alone until they're done). Ah, how I miss Buffy! They had twenty or so of  these novels and about a dozen Angel ones but I limited myself to three, though it was tough choosing. $1.99 each.

A bag of assorted eyelash-ish yarn for $2.99. There are eight untouched balls, and two part-balls to add to my burgeoning yarn stash.

Approximately two metres of a really pretty cotton batik fabric, destined to become a skirt. I think. At $3.99 I found it impossible not to buy this, though I really don't need more fabric!

Pulp fiction

Two books, $1 each, from St Vinnies in Oakleigh. I had to have them because of the fabulous pulp fiction covers. The DA Takes A Chance is by the author of the Perry Mason stories. They're resting on a short length of fabulous tie dye fabric, also $1 from an op Shop in Glenhuntly (the name of which escapes me, but it's near the railway station).

Also $1 from Vinnies in Oakleigh, this book is Practical Home Mending Made Easy, published in 1946. I love books like this, it's full of great ideas for frugal me; I am building quite a collection of how-to sewing books. I particularly love this page, One Yard of Fabric-To Make a Dress.

Gorgeous book of colour photography of Chesapeake Bay, $2 from the nameless Glenhuntly op shop. I may not be able to travel at the moment, but I can dream! I'm fascinated by the personal inscription in the front and a note about osprey watching - I love the little glimpses of other people's lives via the op shop (I am such a sticky beak).

A little bag-o-yarn, $2 from Vinnies, and freebie box of little books shaped like fish from the Glenhuntly op shop. A good day!

Recycled yarn

Before: imagine this op shop jumper is twins - I bought two of them for $1 each in Oakleigh Salvos. Abercrombie & Fitch, womens size large (perhaps that's why they were in the op shop - this looks like a small to me!) with bonus gorilla arms, 40% lambswool/30% nylon/27% acrylic/3% polyester.

After: this is one of the jumpers deconstructed into its constituent yarn, and partly reconstructed into a pair of Bloke socks. There are little navy blue squiggles of yarn throughout the house, turning up in the cat's food bowl, and even one or two magically transported into the backyard, byproducts of the unravelling process. Undoing a jumper is strangely satisfying, both in a destructive and constructive way: watching the progress of frogging versus the steady growth of the new balls of yarn. By the time I undo the second jumper I will have a surfeit of navy blue.

Let's take a little gaze into my crystal ball...ah, the mist is clearing...I see...navy blue knitting...socks for me, handwarmers, maybe a beanie...lots and lots of navy blue knitting!

Lemony goodness

I haven't done much op-shopping lately, due to the press of study. BUT, having finished classes last week, I indulged in a little foray to the Salvos in Oakleigh as a detour/reward after paying some bills. The book above I'd have bought for the title and cover alone - it's so fabulous! - but it was a good read, too, so bonus (I devoured it in an afternoon - haven't done that in a very long time). There's a certain type of book that always catches my eye: 1930s through to early 1960s, great evocative covers, creamy paper, slightly musty, esoteric subjects. This fits into that category and will join my other treasures, mostly also op-shop sourced.

I also succumbed to the lemony goodness of the above cotton jumper. I've been wanting to knit with cotton, having learned to knit just a (relatively) short while ago, and kept an eye on the op-shops racks for a likely candidate to de-construct and refashion. This jumper looked to have the necessary 'zipline' construction to frog stitch back into yarn, and it took me just another afternoon (and a lot of wiggly yellow wormlets distributed liberally all over my person and the living room) to rip it back into its original constituent, pictured below. I foresee a pair of sunny yellow socks and perhaps several lemon dishcloths in my future knitting.

A grand total of $7.80, since it was pensioner's day :)

Op Shopping for Craft Materials

Hi there everyone, as you all know, I love an afternoon op shopping, looking for interesting bits and pieces for my crafting and yarning habits. I also love to search for vintage patterns. There's something about looking at vintage stuff whilst listening to "Magic 693" on the overhead radio that is very relaxing. I think its because dad always listens to it at home, and also the music takes you to another place in time.

I was disappointed to not find woolen jumpers (what I actually went for LOL) - I use them for either felting or unravelling. The one or two I did find had gross GROSS colours.

Usually, this (jumpers from an opping trip last month)



becomes this . . . (yarn for dyeing and crocheting) . . .



However I did find some other stuff - see below:

Quilt, its nice and thick, in perfect condition, and all hand stitched with perfect tiny stitches (what patience!): paid $8.50 for this (the tissue box is there for size comparison):



Suede hooded long jacket, fully lined, looks like it was never worn (the mark is from the camera flash):





Patterns of simple stuff for me to make - 50 cents each



Jacket in a gorgeous weave, fully lined. Its a size 10 so I either lose weight or make it into a seriously gorgeous handbag.



I also picked up a full set of Lightning McQueen (my daughter's fave DVD) licenced toys for $3.50, and she also managed to find a never-been-used Lightning McQueen back pack (for $3.75). There's some really great puns on it. "RPM . . . Nighttime Backfire Suppressant" and "Re-Volting . . rebuilt alternative" as well as padded pictures of McQueen and Matey. She loves it.

Hope you enjoyed my trip !

Cristina also blogs at Stramenda, homemaking, craft, life!