Valerean

I finally got around to measuring all the fabric that came in my yarn & fabric lot. The pretty silk-like synthetic linings totalled 5-2/3 yards. I also got 4-3/4 yards of this dark gray denim synthetic that would make some nice trousers or shorts. I found a brand new pillowcase wrapped up with the twin-size flat sheet, and together they add up to almost four yards. Finally, this gray synthetic suiting fabric measured five yards, certainly enough to make a jacket and skirt. All together the fabric in the lot totalled 28.64 yards, much more that I'd imagined. I'd price it at $3.00 a yard resale, or $85.92. The twelve skeins and nine scrap balls that came with the fabric would be worth about $65.00 resale; add that in and the lot value totals $150.92. I paid $8.99 for everything. Savings: $141.93.

Back in October I got a single skein of Sugar n'Cream Scrub Off yarn in one of the lots I thrifted. It looked a little strange to me, as it was a cotton that appeared to be part smooth and part eyelash (I rarely use cotton yarns.) I also thought it was soiled, because some of the white eyelash yarn sections had patches with a brownish tinge to them. Judging by this retail image I found the brown is deliberate, maybe to give it a vintage look. These skeins retail for $5.99 each on Yarnspirations , so they're pretty pricey (to me, anyway.) I used the yarn to crochet a dishcloth and a scrub pad, and they came out looking a bit strange, too. Nevertheless, it was an interesting experiment, and I used up almost the entire skein. The ssecond image in this post came from the product listing on Yarnspirations.com.

I don't get into bidding wars on the thrift auction site because there are bidders who will run lots up to ridiculous prices to get what they want. There is generally nothing I want that badly, and I can usually buy it cheaper retail anyway. Generally. Usually. I was the first bidder on this lot of yarn, which included five new-looking skeins of Mandala Ombre yarn in my favorite shade of Serene. I would have added it to my latest round of wannabuts, only the skeins retail for $8.99 each and they're very hard to find locally. I also love this yarn, which is a dream to crochet. I knew there would be a bit of a bidding war over it, but I'd just gotten a nice royalty check, so I set my max bid higher than usual. Obviously new yarn attracts attention, but only four other bidders came after the lot. I did a couple of things to keep from igniting a bidding war with them that would drive the price over my max limit: I didn't react at first when I was outbid, but...

This is a rant post about arthritis, so if you don't want to read a lot of whining and whinging just skip it. Some backstory: I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in both hands back in 1983. There were no treatments except physical therapy and a lot of drugs I didn't want to take. That diagnosis put an end to my military career and my hopes of going to medical school and becoming a surgeon. At the time I was an award-winning writer and artist, too, but I also faced losing the ability to write, sketch and paint. It was a very bitter pill to swallow, but there were many more challenges to follow. On top of the diagnosis I developed a rheumatoid nodule that rapidly grew into the size of a baseball on the back of my dominant left hand. It took two surgeries to remove it altogether, and because the surgeries didn't go well I was left with only about 10% use of my hand. I had to relearn to do everything my right hand, and while I taught myself how to write again, ...

Since it's that time of year again, here are: Ten Things I Do Not Want for Christmas Appliances: This is an annual gripe, but really. I have two vacuums, two air fryers, two rice cookers, three coffee makers and every other electrical kitchen gadget known to man. Much as I love appliances, if I get any more as gifts I'll need a second house to put them in. Art: I have finally run out of wall space, so it will end up in a weird place, like taped to the side of a bookcase, or hung in a closet. Books: I have three TBR stacks at the moment that include books I got last year as gifts, so no, thank you. Candy: Once again, diabetic here. I'm wearing that medical alert bracelet that no one ever seems to notice, too. I also have plenty of sugarfree candy, thanks. Clothing of Any Kind: You probably don't know my size, or the fact that I wear a size larger on top because of my attributes there, which do not allow me to actually fit into my size. Also, I ...

Last weekend I finally had time to thoroughly clean my thrifted vintage DMC thread cabinet, which had a lot of surface dirt. Fortunately everything came off without an issue. I then measured the insides of the drawers so I could sew some liners for them. As I was mulling over what fabric to use for the liners, I happened to glance at the big bag of vintage handkerchiefs I thrifted and thought, "Hey, they could work." I found three handkerchiefs in the bag that fit the drawers, ironed them and put them in place. They look pretty. For now my thrifted bargain lot of floss is staying in the cabinet, but eventually I'll get all my art and hand-dyed threads in there.