Thursday, December 14, 2006

The damnedest thing

First of all, I've got something from my perennial favourite website www.engrish.com - pet bottle yarn. Hey, people do knit with dog hair already.
So. I went to the market this morning for some fresh pecans to make the Poet's perfect caramel pecan pie for Christmas. I had quite forgotten that there's also a flea market in the weeks before Christmas. Apples and old books, I'm always enjoying that.


Strolling around the flea market, I saw a booth with lots of old toys, mostly wood, nice but not collectible. Still, I went over to look at a few things. Under the table, I spotted this:

Lookit! A box of mystery fiber right here in this non-spinning community. I stooped to investigate. There was only a fairly thin layer of fiber, because it covered this:

See it? How about this view?But it couldn't be! Could it?Oh yes, it is! A discontinued Louet S 40 hatbox.
I stayed under the table for a moment just to get a grip, then resurfaced all casual-like and asked whether the stuff under the table was for sale, too. Affirmative, the guy just didn't have enough room to unpack it all right away. "It's for kids," he said.

"It's cute," I replied, discreetly steadying myself on the edge of the table. "How much do you want for it?" Good thing I was wearing a scarf, because my heart was pounding so hard at this point that he could have judged the state of things by my pulsing carotid.

"Well, I'll take four skeins of Cascade 220 for it." (He really said the price, but I don't want to make anyboy weep outright). "But it's nice and you can have the box with the stuffing, too, if you want it."


Yes, I wanted the stuffing.


I had my wallet out even as I was trying to catch my breath. "That's fine," I said, faintly. Then I handed over the cash, dove under the table and clutched the box for all I was worth. The guy folded up my money with a sly grin and said, "Not much of a barterer, are you? Well, most women aren't."
That cute little comment earned him a beaming smile as I departed. Now I'm not even feeling bad about it anymore.

So, meet Molly, Emma's little sister.
(Germans: Yes, there is a reference to the Augsburger Puppenkiste in there.)
Isn't she cute? Isn't she perfect? Yes, she has all her extra bobbins, instructions and everything, and she is in perfect condition.

Christmas came early this year. And very unexpected.

Right now, Molly is standing by my desk, still in her hatbox. I'm happy with gazing at her in rapture. I can't quite imagine turning her into a common tool by, y' know, actually spinning on her. But I'm sure I'll get over it.

1 comment:

theresa said...

What luck to get that wheel for such a price. Good luck with her!
Theresa