So, even though we’ve completely upended our lives, and we’re in full house-hunting mode, some things don’t change. Thank goodness! The rug I (barely) started before I left home, I mean, Massachusetts, has been helping to keep my anxieties at bay. And I’ve made such good progress on it (despite the fact that I consider myself a s-l-o-w hooker), that I needed to source more materials.
All my wool, yarn, and t-shirt stashes are currently sitting in a truck rocketing through Texas by all calculations. I know this because we talked to the driver this morning after signing a lease at a storage facility. Knowing there was no way I’d access them for the few months we’d be looking for a new place to call home, I’d purchased a bunch of t-shirts before I traveled. I love working in t-shirts. The available color palette is pretty inclusive, and it’s much cooler in the summer – New England’s and New Mexico’s. Plus, the chance to up-cycle something and make it beautiful and useful makes me giddy.
Back east I tended to source shirts at Savers. I’d usually pay $1.99 to $3.99 per. And with America always getting bigger, scoring X-larges was pretty easy. I’d fretted about finding a similar market out here in Albuquerque. No need! Turns out that Savers is three miles down the road from our rental house. The kid and I headed there this afternoon. I got the goods, and she picked up a Stephen King novel. It was a good day for all.
What’s currently making your day? How do you deal with the loss of a vendor?
I feel like “sourcing” as you call it, is part of “nesting” in your new home/area. Our first move, after 10 years in our home state of PA was to Franklin. I was excited to be back in MA (I went to college in Boston) but I was in a bit of shock. One Saturday, Peter took me to Uxbridge and we went to the mill stores there so I could find wool for weaving and knitting. It was a very sweet gesture on his part and I remember we had a fun day of exploring. I don’t remember if you are a quilter, but there is a very good quilt store in town which has classes by some great teachers. Blue Corn is one of our favorite restaurants!!! The corn soup is very yummy, particularly on a cool day. I’ll hop in the car and we can have lunch there today… ;-D
Now i wish that I’d really made it to Uxbridge, Deb. Other than hiking in Purgatory Chasm, we didn’t go that way too often. But then, at heart, we were Rhode Islanders and usually headed south. Lots to do there too. 🙂 You must’ve made it to the Franklin Mill Store. Big quilting store in town. It was one of their teachers, in fact, who ran the town community ed class where I learned to hook. Even better, Puritan Frames are made there, though I’m not sure of the company tentacles. Calling for “tech” frame support to the store never got me anything. And they stopped selling much hooking stuff in the store. Though they have very nice yarns. -I agree, sourcing is part of nesting. Can’t wait to nest up in Taos!
Ha! I WORKED at the Franklin Mill Store! What a crazy place, but I enjoyed it. I worked at Filene’s Basement in Framingham part time while I attended the Worcester Craft School for a degree in fiber arts. Peter went to a good bike store in RI, but other than admiring the Christmas lights, we didn’t go there much. I went to college in Boston, so that’s where I wanted to be. I forgot that Puritan Frames says the mill store. I learned to hook at the crafts center from a wonderful McGown teacher.
You definitely got around. I went to college in Providence, so was more sued to that. Plus, Boston has all that traffic! The Mill Store’s become very hoity toity and gone heavily into interior design. I tended to source stuff elsewhere.
I “grew up” driving in Boston because that’s where I had my first car. I remember when Peter visited he would hang on for dear life and gasp when I drove him around. I didn’t realize how agressively I drove until I moved back to PA! Did you go to RISD? I found out about a great mill store in Providence when I went to Pro Chem a few years ago for a dyeing class. I don’t weave a lot now so I did not allow myself to check it out… The Mill Store hoity toity???? Hilarious!
Hey, Deb, I just found your last comment in my spam folder! Driving in Boston. Better you than me. 🙂 I hail from Providence College, though I have taken a drawing class at RISD, and in ’85, while still at PC, one of their calligraphy teachers came to our side of town to teach a class. I’d taught myself, so it was a wonderful way to get better. Not that I do calligraphy any more. Once I had my daughter, it got so much more difficult. Then I started to hook. No mess to clean up there. Ha!