Tuesday 9 September 2008

Weekend bargains

Last weekend we went to the auction on Saturday, and the car boot sale on Sunday morning. At the auction I got a box containing:


A late Victorian (or possibly Edwardian) washboard. I originally thought it was made from Sycamore - a wood which tolerates water very well - but it is in fact beech, and hand-made. It will dress the Inglenook in the bottom kitchen.



A lovely big meat dish (now on the kitchen dresser) in a pattern I already have a few pieces of. I love anything cottagey and cottage-gardeny.




And this little oak container which would have held (cork) table mats in the past. Now I am thinking of a new use for it - possibly with a knitting needle through the centre to hold a ball of wool and let it rotate as I knit (balls of wool normally fall off my lap and onto the floor!) Again, something beautifully made, with attention to detail.


At the Car Boot Sale on Sunday, there weren't many stalls as the weather had put people off. However, apart from our usual free range eggs, I still found two beautiful matching (baby?) blankets in a stunning lacy design. These would take me a month of Sundays to knit - and I'm "carp" with lacy patterns so would never even attempt them! At £1 each, the skill of whoever made them spoke to me and they will go in my stash of hand-crafted treasures.

A scruffy old book to some, but it is a first edition (not that that cuts any ice with me!) and it has endless photos of carved stonework and the most amazing wooden sculptures and it is an excellent reference book. I do wonder if the author was the patriach who fathered the Crossley-Hollands. I was once taught by a Mrs Crossley-Holland at University (she specialized in Medieval Documents and the writing thereon). A very academic family anyway.

6 comments:

Goosey said...

What a lovely lot of treasure, I especially love the baby shawls...they are an absolute bargain

MrsL said...

The knitting is beautiful - what a bargain! I had MrL look out for a washboard for me at the Steam Fiar, but nothing forthcoming yet! Yours is a real beauty.

Bovey Belle said...

I couldn't leave those shawls behind - I thought they might be nice over a small table, but better not put one in T's room for fear of tempting fate!!!

Gigi said...

What great finds! I'd love to go thrifting in Wales -- a completely different experience from here I'm sure.
Thanks so much for visiting my little blog and leaving the kind comments. I love this about blogland -- virtually meeting such lovely people (as yourself) from all over the world.
Georganna in Texas

Kelli said...

What wonderful finds, Jennie! The big plate is beautiful and I love the blankets!
~Kelli

Arlene G said...

Jenie, you and I love the same things...that platter is just gorgeous.