The Dollar Store

I love the dollar store. Where else can you walk in with a dollar (and 6 cents tax) and walk out with ANYTHING in the store? It makes you feel giddy with the possibilities.



Now you don't expect to find fine diamonds there -- and you should look closely if something claims to have fine diamonds -- but for pure cheap retail fun, you can't beat it.



Last night, after I dropped Kate off at her game, I dropped by our dollar store to get some birthday balloons for her. Three mylar birthday balloons for a dollar each! I also got 2 off-brand chapsticks for a dollar and a sparkly sequined hair tie. What a deal!



I may have looked a little odd perusing the aisles of off-brand merchandise in my full length mink coat (hey, we had just come from Jean Robert's Table), but I enjoyed my thrifty splurge.



On the knitting front, I started another pair of socks. These are a little more ambitious, a Cookie A. pattern called Pomatomus (I don't know where she gets these names, but she's an artist so we don't question it). I've had a little trouble getting started, so we'll see how it goes. The pattern calls for a yarn over at the beginning of a row. ??? I found this a little awkward. Oh well, for the time being I'll put my faith in Cookie.



I'm using the Wollmeise I snagged at Christmas time. I was dismayed with the resale prices on this yarn on eBay, so I went straight to the source and learned the system. Claudia -- the master yarn dyer -- posts her updated stock at random times on Fridays. If you're alert, you can log in and grab some before it disappears mere moments later. I was able to grab 4 skeins -- two for me and two for Lynne's Christmas present.



The skein I'm working with is black, white and pinky purple. Claudia is famous for her use of color and I must admit, it looks pretty good. So far, the yarn has been a little "splitty" but that's probably because I've been struggling with the pattern. We'll see how it goes.