Thrifty

My friend Trish is thrift shopping - she's gotten hooked on sweater-unraveling for reclaimed yarn - and by telling me about it, she's making my own thrift obsession worse.

I read about recycling yarn last year (before I acquired tools that coincidentally make the job easier) and thought it sounded like a ton of work, but now that I'm spinning fibre I get the appeal of winding yarn from sweater to swift so you can wash and dry it. I'm doing that now anyway - with the Trish approach, you just skip the hours and hours of spinning.

That said, it's not sweater unraveling that is making me dream of thrift stores: it's sheets. I've been longing for more vintage weathered fabric for tote bag sewing (why am I not yet sick of making tote bags?) and then last weekend I watched some experienced picnickers throwing old sheets over scarred and filthy picnic tables for an instantly glam outdoor meal. Gah! more uses for thrifty sheets.

And have I actually found any on my thrift store runs? No.

That should change this month. This is Road Trip month - of the day-long variety. Pick a town with decent weather on the day that's available, and see everything it has to offer (including thrift stores.) Last summer I got buttons and crocheted doilies that supplemented my sewing actvities nicely, and this summer - well, I'm really, really hoping for some sheets. And some rip-out-able cashmere sweaters for Trish. After all, what a friends for?