Incredible Finds

I am still swooning today over this. Words cannot truly express how much I love it. I will try to explain to you how wonderful it is, however it is something you must see in person to truly understand. Kind of like the Grand Canyon, it's beauty cannot ever really be captured in a photograph. The entirety of it is so incredible you just cannot do it.

I went with my folks to an antique mall yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed peeking into corners and finding all sorts of goodies and things that were just neato. (Is that a word - or is it neat-o)? I don't care. It was great. I spotted alot of amazing crocheted goodies as well, and wanted to buy them all just so I could stash them away somewhere secret. Somewhere I could pull them out now and again just to smell them and touch them when I needed to smile.

But this one...OH THIS ONE - I had to have it. Immediately.



Guess how much it was?! This beautifully hand-crocheted work of art with 884 squares of yarny goodness? (Yes, I counted them) This thing is 90 inches wide by 140 inches long. It can fit a full sized bed - it fits my queen, albeit a bit short on the sides, it will do the job. Each square is 2 1/4 inches. EIGHT-HUNDRED-EIGHTY-FOUR of them. For reals. Grand total for probably hundreds of hours of work? $39 dollars.

Now, my first reaction was that of incomprehension. How could this be so cheap? Does the person selling it here have any idea of the work that was was put into this beauty? Did they price it wrong - maybe put the wrong tag on it? Then, closely inspecting it thinking it MUST be coming apart or have a huge stain or something - nothing. Wait a sec, yes, it does have a very small stain, hardly noticeable really, and it looks simple enough to clean.

My second thought - and believe me, it wasn't even really a thought, more of a gut reaction, was to get this baby in my arms as soon as possible. Like one of those look-around-and-grab-it-before-someone-else-sees-it kind of items. It was one of those rare purchases that I just had to have. I didn't know what I would do with it, but I would love this blanket the way it should be loved. I was meant to have it. And, if it were priced appropriately, I never could have afforded it.

But...I can't help but wonder about it. Who made it? Was it a gift for someone? It smells old, but how old is it? Did the person selling it make it, or did they find it at an estate sale somewhere? And how could they sell it for only $39?? The yarn is soft and wonderful and not brittle at all. Guess I'll never know! I'll cherish it nonetheless.

Check out the cute little picot edging:



Jealous??