Why I Go to Wisconsin with a Half-Empty Suitcase

...because of the thrifts. And also because of the need to bring back cheese. But this post is about clothes not cheese.

It's no secret by now that going to thrift stores is one of my most favorite activities. It's a fact that has been well documented on this blog. I just love the hunt. And the uniqueness of what you can find. And the deals. And the timelessness of it. With the way that "fashion" swings through the decades these days, it's just so cool to me that you can find great vintage stuff that is totally back in style. It's also that I just really love clothes. I think I always have. I like putting fun outfits together, thinking of looks I want to add to my wardrobe and then hunting them down. But I also hate a ton of things about what has come to be known as fast fashion. I'm not going to go into a huge rant here. This is just supposed to be a fun "look what I found!" post. Go ahead and google "what is fast fashion" if you're not sure what I mean. To put in plainly: thrifting is simply my favorite way to get new clothes, for a myriad of reasons.

Okay. Back to the good stuff.

We were able to hit quite a good handful of thrifts on our most recent trip to Wisconsin. It's really a must. What makes the Wisconsin thrifts so great? Honestly I don't really know. And they're certainly not the best for everything. Mostly, I think they're the best for vintage / retro clothes. Think fancy grandma. Is that a fashion term? If so, I think I'd like to co-opt it as my personal style statement. Or how about this: what your mom wore in the 70s and 80s. Well, at least what my mom wore? I have the photographic proof. She was a total babe.

OMG I cannot stay on topic today! How about I just put the pictures in now.

I am totally in love with this entire outfit. I found both the shirt and pants at a little church-run thrift store in my hubs's hometown. They had the shirt on one of those half-bust hanger things. You know. The kind they use for the stuff they think is really good, and then they hang it up on the wall. Yeah. One of those. Clearly the retiree volunteers really knew what they had with this one because, lemme tell ya, it is fantastic. 100% silk (minus the sequins obvs) with a beautiful shape. And I'm sure it was still under $5. THANK YOU WISCONSIN! The pants are pretty killer too. Super high waisted, as you can tell, with a nice little semi-cropped leg. I think they're Route66 brand from K-Mart, which I kind of love.

Now here's what I'm talkin' bout with the 70's mom jeans! These are so fabulous. I've been wearing them almost constantly since we got home. This high waisted, wide leg, slightly flared style is so totally back. I had been hunting for a pair here in Seattle for several months with no luck. Well, no luck that went over a size 4. Which I am definitely not in vintage jean sizes (side note: Do you love or hate vanity sizing? I'm undecided. Mostly I just wish it was consistent). Normally I wouldn't want to be broadcasting my bum on the internet, but those back pockets are just too good! 

Also, please excuse my need to place my hand on the window frame for some reason. I have no idea where that came from. It must be something they teach in model school. If there's a window frame use it. 

Mom jean look number two! Although now we've drifted decidedly out of the 70s and landed in....what? Late 80s? Totally morphed into the 90s? It's possible my ideas of the decades are not entirely accurate. Either way, I'm super smitten with these. Goodbye skinny jeans. These have become my other constant wear jeans (sorry to anyone who sees me on a weekly basis for just showing you a bunch of pictures of what you have been experiencing in real life). 

Next up we have this crazy little two piece number. Two piece outfits are my new favorite thing to hunt for, ever since I found this fantastic pant and short-sleeve button up combo in a teeny black and white polka dot print that looks like a jumpsuit when you tuck the top in. Who can resist a jumpsuit? People with long torsos (points to self). I always have this constant-wedgie problem with pretty much every jumpsuit I've tried on. So a two piece number that looks like a jumpsuit is super fantastic for freaks like me! Anyway, I found this skirt and shirt combo and was (and still am) a little hesitant about it. The skirt is kind of long and I kind of wish the top was a button up. But ultimately I couldn't resist the huge floral print and the fact that it has pockets. I've worn both as separates, and I actually really like them that way. My other thought is that I could possibly turn the skirt into pants. Like, really billowy palazzo style. The only problem is that they'd be ankle length, which is sort of trend right now? But also a little weird and maybe not super flattering. I could also just shorten the skirt a bit, but I can't do both. I think I'd prefer it as pants, but it may be a bit beyond my sewing level and I don't want to ruin it altogether. AH! Decisions!




Jewelry! I got some good bobbly bobbles, which is my favorite kind of jewelry. Statement pieces, amiright?!? The one on the left is made out of actual stone beads, rather than my usual plastic. That probably means it's higher quality or sumthing. Its also got this really pretty little brass closure thing. Totally classy. The red one on the right is a style that I've been keeping my eye out for recently. It's the same shade of red, but a different length as one that I already have. That one belonged to my grandma. It's a little bit longer than this one, so I wanted to find one in the same shade that I could wear with it. Because of course one bright red plastic bobble necklace is not enough. My favorite is the one in the middle, though. BECAUSE IT'S ACTUALLY A MIRROR! It's like a functional sun medallion. Which I am all about. Sure, it's a tiny mirror. But it's perfect for touching up one's lipstick, which apparently I wear a lot of these days. I blame Andi. 

And last but not least we have Kevin! With his bestest thrift find of the trip: this fantastic coat. (Why do I suddenly sound like I'm MCing at a beauty pageant?) He found it at the Dime and Dollar in Wausau, which is definitely one of our favorite places. It's fantastic that it actually fits him, slim dude that he is. That fake fur cape thing zips up into a hood, too. So rad. Also: DIDN'T I MARRY THE STUDLIEST MAN EVER! I think so.

It's a Road Trip!

Kevin and I were long overdue for an extended, just-the-two-of-us vacation. The last one we took was in August 2014. It was this trip to Glacier National Park. So this year we decided to take advantage of the fortunate timing of Christmas and New Year's and take a long road trip. Since both fell on a Friday, taking four days off magically turned into ten blissful, work-free days! Our road trip of course meant driving south to California. One word: sunshine.



We started off on Christmas Day by driving south until we couldn't stand driving anymore. That turned out to be Weed, California in the Mt Shasta area. The most memorable thing about the drive down was the beautiful full moon we had in the mountain area. The sun was already long gone, but it was a completely clear night with a brilliant full moon. Everything was snow covered, and the snow reflected the moonlight so well that it was almost like daylight. Traffic was light enough that the headlights didn't ruin the scene, so we got a beautiful moonlight view of the mountains. So unique and pretty. We did run into a bit of unexpected-to-us snowfall at the highest point of the pass, which left me driving white-knuckled for awhile. Being from Wisconsin, I'm very comfortable driving in less-than-ideal conditions. But out here, it's the unknown and the elevation that's scary. You don't know how well they salt/sand the roads or if everyone is driving so slowly because they need to or because they're being overcautious. You don't know how steep the climbs or descents will be or how long it will last. I just never know if I should be freaking out or not! In the end, the car handled really well and  I don't think there was much or any actual ice on the roads.


On Saturday we drove the rest of the way to our first destination: Palm Springs! Neither of us had been before, but I'd read a lot of things about it being a kind of quirky, design-centric town with lots of good restaurants and plenty of sunshine. We stayed at The Saguaro, which is famous for it's rainbow color scheme. Here's the obligatory picture of said rainbowyness:

We ate our first breakfast at Elmer's, which came up as one of the most popular diner-type places. Once we sat down, we had to laugh because it turned out to be a Pacific Northwest chain, with most locations in Washington and Oregon. So essentially we drove over a thousand miles to eat at the exact same kind of place we could eat at in Seattle. Well, at least we know what we like. Next we took a long walk from our hotel to the downtown area and drooled over all of the gorgeous mid-century modern ranch homes. Swoooooon. We ended up at a thrift store (not an accident) and I found this fantastic vintage Dooney and Burke bag in my favorite shade of leather, plus these perfect little vintage t-straps. Hurray for thrifting in a style-minded community of old people!!!

We also went to the Moorten Botanical Garden, which was super cool! I took lots of cactus and succulent pictures, especially the weird ones inside of the greenhouse area. My favorite plant was the haworthia attenuata and I ended up taking a little mini one home with us. Don't worry! I didn't just pluck it from the ground...I bought it in the gift shop.

After it got dark we drove to see Robolights. How do I describe this? It's a bunch of sculptures of all sizes made from found objects and mostly painted in a single color. It has been constructed over the years by one guy. For the holidays he also adds a TON of lights and Christmas-y stuff. It's super quirky and cool that this guy just DID it. A tiny bit creepy as well? Yeah kinda. Here's Kevin looking awestruck.

That night we went out to what was our favorite dinner of the trip. We walked to a place called Mr. Lyons and opted for the lounge side (we're lounge people). Yes, it is a steakhouse. And yes, one of my New Year's resolutions is recommitting to be a better vegetarian again. So it was an odd choice. However, like a lot of Palm Springs, it has this retro, mid-century, old-Hollywood vibe that I just love. Especially the lounge section was just so perfectly "fancy supper club" and I loved it. Plus! It turns out they also make really good vegetables. Kevin was laughing at me because I ordered so much stuff! They brought over his steak frites (which was delicious), and then they just kept bringing more and more of the side dishes I ordered for me. It was a smorgasbord of plates. I especially loved the fancy deviled eggs. OMG deviled eggs are THE BEST thing. These were duck eggs and I think the filling had some kind of goat cheese plus something horseradish-y. I also got the charred brussel sprouts, wedge salad (sans bacon), onion rings, and french onion soup (not vegetarian, I know, but still not a steak). They also made the most wonderful Vodka gimlet. My favorite drink thanks to my friend Kari, but which, for some reason, seems to mystify some bartenders. It's kind of my thing to order one and just see what happens. I've gotten them in a variety of glasses, with simple syrup, a sugared rim, and even once a maraschino cherry (ew)! This one was just perfect though with vodka, lime juice, ice, and a lime wedge (I like to order them on the rocks). Here's a bad picture of me enjoying it.

Afterwards we walked to the bar in the Ace Hotel for more booze. At that point I was over fancy-shmancy and just asked the bartender for "shitty beer in a can". Sometimes that's all you want. We also took what is probably one of the best photo-booth strips of our relationship, involving me swooping in for a kiss and Kevin looking awestruck. It's awesome.

On Monday we said goodbye to Palm Springs and took the scenic route to San Diego. The drive was super pretty, and also kind of strange, since we ran into a bit more mountainy snow. Who knew.

Strangely, we arrived in San Diego to rain for our first night. But whatever, we didn't let that stop us from heading out of course. Plus who can really be angry at California for getting some much-needed rain. We got a really delicious dinner at a Mexican place, dried off a bit, and then walked to the Stone Brewing Tap Room. The vibe on a Monday night at the Tap Room wasn't too lively, which was a bit of a bummer. But they did have board games! We battled each other at Connect 4 and checkers and I'll admit that Kevin came out the ultimate winner.

For breakfast the next day, Kevin found this fantastic diner (we LOVE diners) in Ocean Beach called the Old Townhouse Restaurant. It was basically perfect. After breakfast we walked the pier and beach area. There were a couple of Pelicans perched on the pier, some people fishing, and a surprising number of surfers. Well, maybe not surprising? I don't know. Surprising to me being that it was a Tuesday morning around 10am and actually a bit chilly out despite the sunshine.

After breakfast we drove to Point Loma and the Cabrillo National Monument. We had gone there on our last visit to San Diego, but it has been overcast so we couldn't really see any of the views and didn't stay long. This time, it was completely clear and sunny. Hurray! We walked around for quite a bit and looked at a couple of the exhibits. I really liked the lighthouse exhibit, which had two of these really amazing lenses. They're so gorgeous! From the lighthouse we drove down to the tide pool area. The tide was in at the time, so we couldn't actually do any walking around the tide pools, but it was still really cool to see the rocky coastline.

Then it was tacos for lunch (so many tacos), a happy stop at a thrift store per my request, then some more outdoor wandering in Balboa Park with coffee in hand. We visited the Palm Grove canyon and walked around the museum buildings mostly. There were a TON of people taking wedding or engagement photos, which I always get a ridiculous kick out of seeing. For dinner we decided to go up to the North Park neighborhood and picked a sushi restaurant. I think we both needed a break from heavy food! The funniest part of dinner was that Kevin ordered drinks while I was in the bathroom and told me it "was a surprise". Oh my goodness. When she started brining them I was at first confused, and then - to be honest - a bit overwhelmed! The drink special turned out to be a large bottle of Japanese beer plus a large carafe of hot sake. Each. So much booze.

The next morning we hit up another diner in North Park called Rudford's. It was totally perfect with a retro vibe. I think we may also have started a new vacation-diner-breakfast tradition: ordering a banana split. I guess I was feeling extra-vacationy, because somehow I got it in my head that it would be THE BEST THING EVER to share a banana split after our breakfast mains. And I gotta say, it kinda was. It also resulted in my favorite picture of myself from the entire trip. Check it:

Then it was back on the road on our way to Los Angeles. We arrived just around lunch time and headed straight to Philippe's for some original french dip sandwiches. You order at the counter right from the sandwich makers, who make it right in front of you while you wait. You can order the sandwiches “single-dip”, double-dip” or “wet” and have a choice of classic sides. So. Delicious.

Next we continued to our hotel, which was actually in Santa Monica. We stayed at the Seaview again because we loved it some much the first time. By the time we got there the sun was setting, so we grabbed some coffee and took a little walk. Here are some more obligatory pictures of the palm trees and the rides at the Santa Monica Pier.

That night we decided to drive back into Los Angeles to go to the Griffith Observatory . This is when - for the first time - I started to sour a bit on LA. So much driving and so many people. There were a TON of cars on the road up to the Observatory, and for a while we weren't even sure if it was going to be possible to get there and park before it closed (even though we had originally planned to get there two hours before they closed). Happily we were able to park - albeit pretty far from the actual parking lot along side the road - and then walked up to the main building. We missed the last show of the night because of the congestion, although tickets may have been sold out anyway. Instead, we just wandered around the exhibits and looked in some of the smaller telescopes they had set up around the grounds. We didn't actually get to look in the big telescope because the line was literally too long. They would have closed before we would have gotten to the front. Did I mention there were SO MANY PEOPLE?!? Regardless, we were glad to have visited and the smaller telescopes were pretty cool to look through anyway. We saw a nebulon that I have forgotten the name of, and the astrologer guy that was guarding it was really fun to listen to. Also, I got this cool picture of a sign.

The next morning we stayed around the beach in Santa Monica for a bit, renting beach cruisers and getting breakfast by the beach at a place that was just okay. Then it was back on the road to our final road trip destination: Santa Barbara.

This was another place we hadn't been before, and really we just picked it off the map as a small-ish town that was further north but still on the coast. And we ended up really liking it!  We stayed at a cheap-ish motel that was actually pretty charming right on State Street, aka the main drag. Basically all the older buildings have been preserved, although many have also been converted into mainstream retail stores. We walked from our hotel down most all of State Street, stopping for ice cream and drinks. For ice cream we went to McConnell's, just because it looked cool. But it turned out to be - honestly - the best ice cream we've ever had. So. good. You can read all about their history and special ice cream making machine on their website. I had some kind of salted caramel cookie cream and Kevin had Turkish coffee. For dinner we kept it super casual and hit up a taqueria for burritos. They had one on the menu called the California burrito (not sure if this is a thing or not) that had french fries in it. Sure! Why not!

Even though it was New Year's Eve, we went back to our hotel pretty early. Honestly, I think at this point we were a bit eating-outed out. The next day we drove as far north as we could stand and stayed again in the Mt Shasta area. This time we were heading through the mountains in the daylight, and the drive was beautiful. Driving mostly in the daylight meant lots of knitting time for me!

We made two stops on the way. One for In-And-Out Burger and one to see the Monarch butterfly grove in Pismo Beach! It was hard to get a picture of the Monarch clusters, but take my word for it that it was super cool. The small forested area by a warm inlet of the coast is one of the places where Monarchs come to spend the winter. We stopped there shortly during the warmest part of the day, so we got to see lots of them both flying around and clustering together on the pine and eucalyptus branches. It was definitely worth the stop!

Well folks, if you've made it to the end of this epically long post, congratulations! I'm done!

All the Sweaters

As I packed up some of my winter clothes for the season (sorry Wisconsin...I saw you got some snow today), I realized I've amassed quite the collection of vintage and handmade secondhand sweaters. And then I felt inspired to document them all.

The crowning achievement of any thrift run is of course a beautiful sweater. I really can't pass them up. I typically look for pieces made from 100% natural fibers as a rule and am very flexible when it comes to size since I'll end up wearing most as an outer, jacket layer.

So, for your viewing pleasure, here is my hoard.

 A few details on batch number one, clockwise from the top left:

1. This is my newest addition. Purchased in Portland a few weeks back. Tag says "Nordstrikk A/S Made in Norway". It's doubleknit, but cut and serged rather than seamed which makes me assume it's machine knit and not actually that vitage. Which I'm fine with. You can't see the ribbon edging very well in this photo but trust me it's lovely.

2. Alpaca! At least I'm 99% sure. There is no tag. It definitely needs new, smaller buttons because these one's are too big for the holes. Also, those pockets are fake. Only about an inch and a half deep. Purchased at the Salvation Army thrift store in Sodo (Seattle).

3. Oh my lordy I wear this puppy all the time. I love the zig-zag cable. Tag says "100% Wool Made in Hong Kong". There's also a really detailed and charming washing instruction tag which cautions the owner not to dry clean it. Purchased at Goodwill in Monroe, WA.

4. So. Pretty. And of high quality. The yarn has a wonderful feel to it and I suspect it will never, ever pill. Both the body and the sleeves are knit in the round then joined at the yoke and steeked from what I can tell. Tag says "Norway Design HANDKNITTING Shrinkresistant Colourfast 100% Pure Wool". Purchased at the Value Village in Lake City. I think this was my first big sweater score at thrift store.

5. A lopapeysa! What a find. Definitely falls into the sweater coat category, and I love wearing it that way. Tag says "Samband of Iceland ICELOOK Handknitted in Iceland Natural Colours". Found at a small thrift store in Lynwood, WA.

6. My one and only sweater vest (although currently I'm knitting myself another). I love the combination of lace and cables, and the fit on this one is just spot on. Tag says "J.G. Hook PETITES". Guess I'm a petite in sweater vest. Can't remember where it's from.

7. The opposite of petite. This one I'll admit I rarely wear out of the house. It's completely oversized, although the sleeves are actually quite fitted. Despite not being my "out and about" go-to, I wear it a ton in the wintertime inside the house as an extra layer. Tag says "Mayo Handcrafts Ballyhaunis". Again, can't remember where I found it.

8.  If you've been reading since the very beginning then this one should look familiar. I've waxed on about how special this one is before. It features a traditional Shetland tree and star yoke and is just gorgeous. Tag reads "Kate Drewyer Knitted in the Shetland Isles". I'm not sure if Ms Drewyer is the knitter or the owner, but either way I find the tag quite charming.

In photographing the gang, I couldn't help notice some trends. First of all, it's clearly cardigans for the win. Which should surprise no one who sees me on a regular basis. Cardigans forever. Beyond that, I must also have thing for collecting as many regional styles as possible, and absolutely every item features either colorwork or cables. Yep, I'm definitely not shy on color. Although the amount of red in the mix was a bit of a surprise.

And finally, there's this. My absolute most treasured sweater by a thousand miles. It gets it's very own full-sized picture for a couple of reasons. First, it's not from any thrift store. Second, it belonged to my grandmother.

I'm pretty sure I literally gasped when my aunt first pulled it out of the cedar chest. It was just so awesome and special and a complete surprise. To be honest, I don't really know its story. I don't know who made it or out of what (although there is some acrylic in there for sure) or really even 100% for whom. My grandmother was a knitter, but for some reason I got the impression that it was made for her and not by her. But even that I'm not sure of. I was unaware of its existence until after she passed away and certainly never saw her wearing it. The colors, yarn, and shape (slightly belled sleeves) read 70's to me, which was before my time. If anyone has any details to share please feel free to share! Regardless, I feel extremely honored, thankful, and blessed over the fact that it got to come live with me.

And yeah, I totally wear it.

Long Loved Thrifts: Floral Suitcase

Soooo, I haven't exactly met my goal of posting more this year than last. On the one hand I am completely, 100% okay with this. This blog was always intended to be a fun project and not a chore, so when it's moved down on the priority list I've been totally fine with that. Some life events have also happened this year to contribute to the blog-less-ness. First, I started working full time again, thus leaving less time to loaf around coffee shops with my laptop. Why yes, I am a cliche. Thank you for asking. Second, I've started a new job. Twice. That's right, I started a new job around March then ended up leaving that job to start a new one in August. So there's been lots of general exhaustedness going around as I cram new job knowledge into by brain and get adjusted to the new schedule. Also, the first job included working weekends. So yeah.

On the other hand, I want to get back into a routine of posting at least once per week. I loved the 52 Tuesdays project as a way to stay with that schedule, but ultimately decided to take a break from it this year rather than making it an indefinitely ongoing series. That said, I miss posting about my thrifted goods! Hence, a new idea!! This idea is a combination of wanting to post more about second-hand finds, share their stories, and also add another element.

How do I say this...I like things. I get attached to them and like them for a really long time. I've been this way for, idk, my whole rememberable life I guess. As a wee girly I was super attached to all of my stuffed animals. They had names and I was very concerned about their feelings. Since most were gifts, it started with becoming instantly attached to them after the unwrapping process. It was like I was really being introduced to someone, and beyond that I had just rescued them from their packaging. I also used to rotate my "favorite" stuffed animal so none of their feelings would get hurt by not being given as much attention as the others. This may or may not be a symptom of only child syndrome...

I'm happy to say that as an adult I no longer think inanimate objects have feelings (phew). But I still really like things and particularly enjoy being surrounded by objects with meaning. I guess that's called being sentimental. Also, my taste doesn't change that much. There are lots of things that I've liked for a long time.

So now that I've rambled on for four paragraphs, let me introduce the first of a new series I'm calling "Long Loved Thrifts". The criteria are pretty simple. The item must have been purchased way, way back and still be in regular use. That is, in regular use and still loved. First up, this:

I can't remember exactly when I purchase this suitcase. Must have been high school at least if not earlier. I remember distinctly that I got it at St. Joe's Thrift Shop, which was my favorite thrift store for many, many years. I remember snapping it up immediately without a moment's hesitation. I mean, it's so good. Over the years I've used it for storage and for actual traveling. It fits perfectly in an overhead bin or even under the seat in front of you (insert my smug look as I watch the other passengers cramming their obnoxiously large roller bags into the bin). It also fits a surprising amount of stuff. I love this little guy. I doubt I will even get rid of it.

p.s. No offense to roller bag users. Of which I am one.

FO: Flame Orange Tinder

It's no secret that I love secondhand things. And I'm lucky enough to have found a friend in Seattle that loves them just as much. Dear Sarah. This is wonderful for many reasons, from epic dual thrift raids to just being able to discuss the various merits and past scores of treasure hunting. What's doubly lovely is that we have very similar taste. These two things combine to create what is essentially another thrifting "me" who is out there scoring for finds even when I am not. As a result, there are often little lovelies left outside our door on any given day that seem to have appeared there by magic, or handed off in person accompanied by a very amusing "find" story.

The yarn for this sweater was just one such find. If I am not mistaken, Sarah found it at a thrift sale associated with the Pacific Northwest Needle Arts Guild and just couldn't help but scoop up the entire bunch. A move I very much approve of and would have certainly done myself. She then presented about ten skeins of it to me to do with as I wished. It's a lovely vintage 70's wool in the most obnoxious shade of flame orange. I refuse to call it by any other name, including the most obvious sportsman-friendly color. If you know what I mean (and I think you do).

I have to admit, I was at first a little skeptical of the color. It's so, so, so bright! In a good way...but I wasn't sure about it for a whole, one-color sweater, especially in this weight. I was originally thinking of combining it with a grey for a stranded, color-work yoked type sweater. But as I thought about it more and more I decided to just go for it. I started to envision a longer coat-style sweater with a textured stitch pattern and a funnel neck collar. I also found these lovely leather buttons at an antique store that paired wonderfully with the yarn.

After some pattern searching I found Tinder. Perfect. The only thing I didn't like about the pattern was the fact that it was knit in pieces and seamed. I HATE seaming, especially when it can be easily avoided. So, I did some simple maths (can't remember exactly what, but if you're interested I'm happy to count stitches and share) and went forward with knitting the left front, back, and right front all in one piece to the underarms. I then worked the pieces separately to the neck, still keeping a two knit stitch "seam" on the sides. The sleeves were also knit in the round to the underarm, then worked flat.

I'm thrilled with how it turned out and took advantage of the small stretch of chilly days we've had recently to wear it a few times. I also feel like this sweater was a big accomplishment for me because it's right in line with my goal of knitting more sweaters this year and doing it properly. I did the most legit gauge swatch of my life with this sweater and it paid off 100%. No re-knitting, tearing out, or over-vigorous blocking required. Which is a first I think. Here's to finally becoming a proper sweater knitter!

For the detail oriented...
Yarn: Brunswick Germantown, 100% wool, worsted weight
Pattern: Tinder by
Needles: Size 6 for ribbing, Size 7 for body and sleeves
Summary of Modifications: Fronts and back worked in one piece to underarms, sleeves knit in the round. Two inches of length added to arms, yo + k2tog buttonholes.
Raveled here.

These pictures were taken on Alki Beach on a beautiful evening. I couldn't help but snap a few pictures of the skyline, which I now cannot help but share:

52 Tuesdays: Favorite Thrifts #17

What: Yellow Chair
Where: Lynnwood, WA Goodwill
Level of Love: 10 out of 10

I love this chair. It's my favorite color and it's in really good shape. Can't remember what I paid for it, but I know it was a pittance. I spotted it while just walking near the furniture section and made an immediate quick dash towards it. Then hovered over it like a protective parent until a store clerk wandered by so I could proclaim my love (for the chair not the clerk) and have him put a sold sticker on it. Because when you're thrifting alone you simply cannot risk abandoning your treasure to walk to the front of the store for a clerk. Of course. 

This chair has a great how-I-got-it-home story, too. We still had our Ford Taurus at the time and I used to pride myself on being able to eyeball what sorts of things would be able to fit in it. This came from the numerous dorm move ins, apartment moves, and even the big cross country move we've done together. Not to mention IKEA runs and past thrifting excursions. In short I was pretty freakin' confident the chair would fit - one way or another. Note the smug look on my face as I check out and carry it through the parking lot. Then, I get to the car. Confidence is still high as I attempt to hoist it into the trunk. No go. While the trunk is very spacious, you have to be able to get things in at just the right angle. Which I could not manage this time. No matter, there's always the back seat. I have fit surprisingly large items in the back seat in the past, so I'm not sweating it (yet). Case in point: this dresser. Much bigger than the chair, right? Well, sort of...bigger, but again it's the angle needed to squeeze it in with the door not being able to open all the way. I reposition it, twist it this way and that, and still the chair is just not having it. Ugh. At this point, I'm starting to feel a little nervous that I might have to sheepishly drag it back into the store and be that customer. You know, the one who buys things willy nilly without thinking through how to get them home. The situation is not helped by the fact that it is dark and raining. Yep, raining. Luckily my favorite chair is upholstered with classy vinyl so there's no risk of damage. But of course I'm not wearing a rain jacket and am starting to get soaked. Add to this the group of Goodwill workers watching and snickering at me from the donation drop-off area and you can understand both my urgency and rising panic. Nevertheless I continued to try to finagle it into place, going from one side of the car to the other and giving the trunk another go. Some might call it persistent optimism. I'm going to be blunt and call myself what I am: stubborn. Combine that with a high threshold for hanging on to my willing suspension of disbelief and I was absolutely not leaving that parking lot without my chair. At some point I decided to give the front seat a try. I pushed the seat back as far as it would go, reclined it all the way, and prayed (literally). It still needed some persuading but I finally managed to make it fit! I triumphantly (and gently so as not to accidentally shatter a window) shut the door, cast a once-again-smug look toward the Goodwill workers - who likely could not appreciate it due to the lack of sunlight - and set off. I may have ridden home with a chair leg jabbing into my ribs, but I made it nonetheless. 

Resizing a Button Down Shirt

I'm married to a skinny man. No two ways about it. Sometimes this makes finding awesome shirts for him at the thrifts difficult. If you've been in a thrift store lately, you know what I mean. The XL section goes on for miles, but there's only a measly five shirts in the S section. And one of them has a stain. On rare occasions, I do stumble across a lucky, perfect fitting find, grab it as fast as I can, and ecstatically rush towards the register before some other skinny hipster dude can body check me and make off with my find. More often, I find M or L size shirts in the most perfect prints and cry a little inside because they're so big Kevin will drown in them.

However, I've become ambitious lately due to lack of job. Mmmmm. Free time and ambition. A dangerous combination. So I got it in my head I could size down those too-big button down shirts with a flick of my fairy wand a little determination and our trusty sewing machine. Hence, the following. 

One final note before I dive in, this is not meant to be a tutorial. This was my first time attempting something like this, and you'll notice (particularly at one point) things didn't exactly go off without a hitch. But, I did learn some things along the way for next time and am happy to report the shirt was enough of a success that he wore it shortly after and I'm plotting over my next shirt victim. 

Step One: Take a BEFORE shot. Apologies for the poor image quality and the fact that it's on me and not my dude. I think you get the idea, though...it was big. 

Step Two: Cut off the sleeves. But only if you're sure they're not going to fit as is. Which I was. 

Step Three: Select a perfect-fitting shirt to use as a guide. Lay the small shirt on top of the big shirt, lining up the collars. Carefully trace around the small shirt at the sides and bottom (if necessary for a too long shirt) about a half inch out. 

Step Four: Sew the new side seams by following along the traced line. 

Step Five: Cut the excess off the sides on the outside of where you've just sewn. I suppose the outside part is obvious. However, I'm stressing it because I did the opposite by accident, as you can see by the picture below. Whoopsies. (Note: if you messed up step number five like I did, frantically try to sew the errant cut back together without it looking too messy). 

Step Six: Cut along the bottom hem as marked, being careful to line up the button bands on each side. Since I had to create a new hem, I did a double fold-and-iron so that the raw end was folded under, then did a double stitch along the bottom. I also elected to pin the hem here so that it would be nice and neat as I sewed. I finished it with a double line of straight stitching to look more like a proper hem. 

Step Seven: Turn your attention to the sleeves, which were detached from the body earlier. Lay out each sleeve like you did with the body, lining up the cuffs. Trace around the smaller sleeve about a half inch in. 

Step Eight: Sew along the traced line. There should be a point where the sleeves line up around the cuffs (most wrists are the same size I suppose). When you get there, try to make the stitches as neat and flat as possible to avoid any puckering. Cut off the excess material. 

Step Nine: Reattach the sleeves. This was by far the trickiest part, but in the end wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Turn both the body and the sleeve inside out, then line up the end of the sleeve in the body's sleeve hole. Be super careful that you're lining them up right side to right side (something I also didn't do right the first time, but thankfully caught before sewing). Pin close together so that the sleeve is nestled neatly within the body hole; again, to avoid puckering. If the sleeve is just a little too big for the hole, you can hide a little pit of puckering under the armpit. Or, if it's much too big, sew it down a little bit before attaching. 

Step Ten: Once sleeves are attached, turn right side out and finish with a double straight stitch around the armhole. Again, to look like a proper shirt.

Step Eleven: Proudly present to husband and beam when he chooses to wear it to work the following week!