Stash Enhancement

Went to a yard sale yesterday , and came home with some interesting stuff ...

All this, for only $20.00! There is enough of the green David Grains Icelandic Lopi to make a sweater the woman said (but I am thinking felted bags or slippers - we'll see how it felts up), 7 skeins of the grey Irish Cove Wool (probably also destined for a future life as felted bags, or maybe a sweater, if I had some suggestions of a nice pattern), and the rest is a mish-mash.

I bought the mixed bag because of the history -- there are about 8 balls of Lady Galt Patons Kroy 3 Ply in 6 colours that could probably become something really nifty (maybe socks?), and some other neat old yarns.

There was also a bag full of needles

... I really like the old yellow knitting needles that I have in my needle collection (they were my grandmother's) and now I have some "new", still in the package ones (and now know that "Perfecto" is the brandname). The needle bag had dpns, circs and lots of sizes of straight needles, plus stitch holders, safety pins and row markers. A good find!

Going through all this stuff made me a little sad ... I know one bag of yarn was given to the sale by a knitter who was destashing , but I got to wondering about the rest of it -- did the knitter give up on the hobby? did she get better needles and give up her old ones? or did she pass away, and her family, not knowing what to do with a lifetime of knitting, simply donate it to the yard sale to get rid of it?

The last option has me feeling a little melancholy, and thinking that I will write explicit instructions of who gets my stash and needles when I go. Knit Nite gals ... you will have to duke it out for the better stuff in my stash! LOL! or maybe I will plan to have a knitting challenge for you (coordinated minutes after the funeral - very tasteful!). Oh, or (this just popped into my head) the entire stash will be gifted to the knitter(s) who knits during my funeral. A knitter has got to plan for her stash, and I want mine to go to loving homes (I know the Knitterpuddlians will care for mine!).

A little local interest (click to make bigger) -- the stitch holder (one of 5 in the bag) is from back in the day when the Ball & Skein was on Market Street (!!), and the Kroy was bought on sale at Stedmans (how long ago would that have been?) for 25 cents (originally priced at 85 cents for a 50 gram ball of 3 ply).