another Grants Pass weekend: knitting and thrifting

Mary Poppins:  "That's a piecrust promise. Easily made and easily broken."

Well - my stash-busting, buy-nothing August got a bit derailed last weekend. I had a good run, but I went off the rails on our trip to Grants Pass last weekend.

My husband wanted to make our usual rounds to the thriftstores and I couldn't resist the sewing and knitting supplies.  I came away with some good stuff.  I also knit a sweater while we were there.

That's right - a whole sweater, from the super-bulky yarn I bought a few trips back, that I ended up having to wash once I unpacked it because it was a bit smoky.  It washed up well and I really like the variagated colors. 

I don't like the sweater much, through.  I wanted to make a slouchy, oversized sweater that would be more like a jacket.  I was thinking of a cross between a boyfriend sweater and a bomber jacket when I invented my pattern, but I ended up not liking the way that the sleeves felt (the cuffs are too scratchy to be right next to the skin. I also would have liked a little more length on the body, but this used every bit of yarn up.

I really liked the way the body felt, layered over a tee, though - it's super-warm wool.  I've decided to frog this sweater and make a vest instead.  I looked at Ravelry and my top three choices were Edda, Sarah Montie's Bulky Cable Vest,  & the Vesty Shrug.  I settled on Edda, though mine won't be as long because I don't have enough yarn... but it's top-down construction should let me make the most of the yarn I do have.

So yeah.  Frogging a sweater that only took three days to make is weirdly liberating.  It feels good to be free to remake it so I get something I will really want to wear.  Now onto the thrifting part of the weekend.

I almost titled my post "I did a bad bad thing."  - I broke my own rules about not shopping!  But hey - I made them, so I can also make new rules about how to redeem myself. And I decided that if I finish my denim Kelly, make a corduroy one, and actually make a tee shirt this weekend before the end of August, then all will be forgiven. A girl's gotta have some fabric for muslins, after all.

A little over 3 yards each of a heavy grey twill and a plum-colored cotton about the same weight as muslin.  These will be great for testing patterns and also as solid basics to layer over for fall.

Two yards of a vintage floral, a nice big piece of pale lemon lining with neat jaquard print, and a remnant of soft poly plaid.  I have been envisioning a sort of 1990s plaid babydoll homage for fall and collecting bits of various plaid for it all summer.. 

Another fall find was this bunch of corduroy - two pieces of navy, a piece of blue floral cord, and a larger piece of cadet blue cord, all a fine wale.  I'm thinking they will become a skirt of some sort.

And this pile is odds and ends - the top piece is a silky synthetic that reminds me of some 1950s housedresses I have owned in the past.  It's a little piece, but I was very attracted to it and it was only 50 cents.  Middle is a soft black poly with metallic gold stripes.  I think it would be a good muslin for the Bronte top pattern, which I promised I would buy myself in September if I actually make a plain tee in August.  I am so chicken with knit fabrics - I just need to do it!

I found this awesome home-made kit - all for sale for $2.00, a burgundy & grey heavy chambray in the right length to make the skirt from this pattern + two unopened sets of sewin needles inside.  All sealed in a little bag together. I am guessing that some 1970s seamstress set this aside as a complete project and never made it.  

Also found a skein of Cascade 220 in a versitle charcoal color for a dollar.  It wasn't bagged up so I got to smell it before buying - no stale smoke - hallelujah!

And lastly, just some bits and bobs - a couple grab-bag style button collections - one jar had a bunch of great neutrals in sets of 6-8 (yay!) and the other was kind of a bust for mutiples but had 4 matching blue ones I like and some random singles that are pretty.  Some knitting accessories, and another zipper for the collection.