Look. Let’s think about this rationally. If, let’s say, you went to your local yarn store and they had sweater-sized amounts of yarn bagged up together for under five dollars, you would be nuts not to grab some, wouldn’t you? Even if it was a giant snarl and you would have to untangle it before you could use it, that’s one heck of a deal. As we all know, there’s (almost) no such thing as “too much yarn.” So why do I feel bad that the nicest yarns in my stash are still in sweater form? Well, I think it’s because that when you buy a sweater with the intention to dismantle it for parts, you’ve bought something that already qualifies as a WIP. Therefore, each sweater you buy before completing the recycling of the previous ones adds its massive bulk to the pile of projects you’re working on, forcing you to say, “Yeah, haha, I’m working on it, but I’m not quite done yet…”

I guess what I’m trying to say is that I bought more sweaters.

Before I show them to you, let me explain! My local thrift shop has a bag sale once a month, during which you can stuff a paper bag as full as is physically possible (from the clearance section of the store) for only $5. The last time I went (interestingly enough, it was a year ago…) I got a set of encyclopedias and a red cotton sweater. I frogged it, and the yarn is even now in my stash as a pile of kinky little red balls. I think that if I were to wind it and wash it it would be much more attractive and likely to get used. Anyway, they only accept cold-weather clothing through February, so I’m expecting that this rash of nice sweaters is going to dry up in a month or two (to be replaced with the ubiquitous tatty cotton-raime blend), and not be seen again until next Christmas. Can you blame me? Besides, at the bag sale it costs the same amount to put one sweater into a bag as it does five. I only got three, but I got some other stuff as well.

Firstly, I got a bucket of Duplo Mega-blocks (aka, off-brand legoes) for Max – original thrift store price? $10.00 – Hah! No wonder it didn’t sell.

There are more blocks in the bucket, but it is by no means full to the top. I also picked up a huge men’s sweater in an alpaca blend (what are the odds of that? You know, here. In the land of the Midwinter Sunburn.)

That’s 51% acrylic, 39% wool, 10% alpaca. I can tell the alpaca is there, though. It feels so delicious that I seriously pondered leaving it the way it is just so I could wear it right away. I think the pattern on it is pretty appalling, though, and if you combine that with the voluminous cut I think it would make me look like a giant checkerboard. I’m really interested to see how the yarn comes out: I’ve looked at it, and it looks like that there might be two strands – either worked together or plied together, I’m not sure, but the backs of the white sections are black, and the backs of the black sections are white, and the backs of the bluish-gray sections are darkish gray, and – you get the idea. I just hope that it unravels into nice, long segments of yarn. I think it will. Let’s see…there was a gigantic, fuschia lambswool cardigan (100%)…

This photo doesn’t do justice to the bright, eye-searing fuschia that is that sweater. I think I’m going to try and overdye it, felt it as-is, and make things out of it. I’m going to investigate the possibility, anyway. There was also a gorgeous heathered blue wool vest (also 100%) –

– which I have just decided I will keep as-is. It fits me nicely, although it is a little blocky at the waist. I may try to tailor it a smidge. Now all I need is a long-sleeved white dress shirt so I can go all-out preppy with it. Heehee. Gorgeous. I threw in some other oddments to fill up the bag:

I’m a sucker for cute little boxes. The Foxtrot book was a plus. But yeah: all that for five dollars. I calculated the total of their combined original asking price: $44.50. I also calculated their combined reduced price: $20.50. Muahahah! I just love a real bargain of a bargain. Now, here’s the plan: I’m going to stay out of the thrift shop until next month’s bag sale (um. I can probably do that…) and hopefully they will have moved more sweaters over to the clearance section under the impression that they are “out of season.” At this point I will go stark raving mad and come home with a mountian of delicious fiber, and stay contentedly busy with it until next winter. Your thoughts on this?

In other news, I’ve almost finished winding my cashmere. I swear.