I have been dreaming about crocheting the kids some afghans for a while now (like this one and this one or this one). I knew I should have started in the summertime, but the thought of a big pile of yarn on my lap when it was 100 degrees out just made me gag. It's cold and of course they need a warm blanket and now I want to make one, but at this point it will be done for next fall. Dammit. Old lady thrift store to the rescue!

Seriously, those old ladies are the bomb. It's the only thrift store in town that hasn't been hipsterfied. Things are a little smelly and odd, but they all are priced like second hand goods, not like it's oooo vintage. This super amazing rainbow afghan was three bucks! But (big but) none of the end were woven in. Do you see all those color changes?!

How could I pass it up? I had been looking at this exact pattern to use for an afghan, because of this beautiful specimen. So last night, I happily sat on the couch with the afghan warm from the dryer and wove those 200 ends in. It's like the satisfaction of finishing a huge project without having to actually do the huge project.  Thank you whoever made this gorgeous afghan and abandoned it almost done!

p.s. see that little bit of a map up there? the room is (still) slowly coming together--might even get done.

Some loot from the thrifty store--pretty tins to fill with christmas cookies. Feeling a little old because I'm planning for christmas in september, but maybe that's just wise rather than lame. I can't tell.

I'm going to have a hard time letting this one go. I hope you find tons of beautiful things you don't need at the thrift store this weekend!

p.s. KCWC fall 2011 is filling up fast: 100 people and counting! yay!

straight from the trash and super stylish. score!

-a wooden serving tray with a lovely yellow cottage on it. My daughter said, "Is that where Laura [of Little House in the Prarie] lives?"

-a fantastic wool blanket. I got this a while back, but hey! it's 50 degrees, so we're still using it! I'm not complaining--this is my kind of summer. Awesome things to do everywhere, but none of that hot ass weather that goes a long with it.

-a ridiculously analog computer. It's hilarious, how could I pass it up?

-and this bad boy came off the curb. A metal basket for who know what, but it fits our books perfectly. And it's awesome.

Get anything good from the thrift store recently?

There is still snow on the ground (and in the forecast) but it is officially spring and trash picking season has begun! woohoo! thrifty may be good, but free is better. I picked up this beauty from the curb in a frozen rain the other night. And I might have spent all my good trash karma on it (trash picking is my thoroughly unglamorous hobby). I mean seriously, who throws good danish chairs away?

I'm thinking about recovering it with oil cloth, because my children always seem to be covered in peanut butter. All the cool kids are coming out with oil cloth lines these days too. Naomi Ito has a beautiful one, of course, but it might be too matchy matchy with my pillows (which I was going to link to, but I guess I never posted about them-oh well). I know Anna Maria Horner had some little folks oil cloth a while back. Any other good laminated fabric you know of? Not too girly, not too theme-y. Something just right.