![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
not bad for less than $20
Oct. 1st, 2005 04:03 pmI'm hard on clothes. Now that I'm working with dyes, I'm even harder on them. I have a perpetual need for clothes that aren't noticably damaged. (And I can't get rid of stuff like the trousers I'm wearing now, that are mostly a sedate dark green, except for the magenta polka dots below the knees. I keep thinking "it's too new to be worn out!" and trying to wear it in situations where the spots won't matter.) Arlington is a great place for yard sales and thrift shops. There are significant numbers of people who buy expensive, well-made stuff (but generally not flashy stuff, this is Arlington, after all), but they're still of a class to think of yard sales and church rummage sales instead of Ebay when they don't want it anymore.
Thus:
A fuzzy black pullover, suitable for minor dressup, or wearing to work if I'm not planning to spend much time in the powder lab (and if I remember to vacuum myself before I leave in the afternoon.) This fits and looks quite nice, considering that it's plain black.
A dark red mock turtleneck, for wearing under stuff in cold weather. The sleeves are too short. I should probably learn to think of this as an advantage rather than a sign of a shirt not fitting. Even 1" too short helps keep sleeves out of dye, and these sleeves are at least 3" short, which makes me think it's a design issue.
A turtleneck in a sort of dark ivory or light tan color, more substantial and looser-fitting than the dark red one. I'll probably wear it under sweaters in cold weather, but it qualifies as a shirt not an undershirt.
A nightshirt that's either blue or purple, depending on the light.
A dark green casual summer dress with pockets. I'm faintly dubious about this being useful, but it's cotton, it fits me, it's made well, and it has pockets. So I could afford to waste $0.50 on the chance.
An aluminum saucepan with a cover, and a larger enamel saucepan that looks like the whole arrangement can be used as a double-boiler. Not only have I been living without a double-boiler for the last 3 years, but I have not had a saucepan to my name since my divorce in 1996. (I've sometimes shared kitchens with people who had saucepans. Sometimes even double-boilers.) It's remarkable what a person can do with a small dutch oven and a skillet. Even so, I'm delighted to have a saucepan of my own after all this time.
All this cost a total of $18.75. I could have bought the quart of Concord grapes at the fruit market, and the total would have come to $20.50, which is far from extravagent. I refrained, not because of cost, or because the grapes were looking the least bit tired, but because I was a little dubious about carrying all that plus a bag of fruit all the way home. The stuff I bought all fit in my backpack, which makes a big difference to my ease of carrying.
Thus:
A dark red mock turtleneck, for wearing under stuff in cold weather. The sleeves are too short. I should probably learn to think of this as an advantage rather than a sign of a shirt not fitting. Even 1" too short helps keep sleeves out of dye, and these sleeves are at least 3" short, which makes me think it's a design issue.
A turtleneck in a sort of dark ivory or light tan color, more substantial and looser-fitting than the dark red one. I'll probably wear it under sweaters in cold weather, but it qualifies as a shirt not an undershirt.
A nightshirt that's either blue or purple, depending on the light.
A dark green casual summer dress with pockets. I'm faintly dubious about this being useful, but it's cotton, it fits me, it's made well, and it has pockets. So I could afford to waste $0.50 on the chance.
An aluminum saucepan with a cover, and a larger enamel saucepan that looks like the whole arrangement can be used as a double-boiler. Not only have I been living without a double-boiler for the last 3 years, but I have not had a saucepan to my name since my divorce in 1996. (I've sometimes shared kitchens with people who had saucepans. Sometimes even double-boilers.) It's remarkable what a person can do with a small dutch oven and a skillet. Even so, I'm delighted to have a saucepan of my own after all this time.
All this cost a total of $18.75. I could have bought the quart of Concord grapes at the fruit market, and the total would have come to $20.50, which is far from extravagent. I refrained, not because of cost, or because the grapes were looking the least bit tired, but because I was a little dubious about carrying all that plus a bag of fruit all the way home. The stuff I bought all fit in my backpack, which makes a big difference to my ease of carrying.
