the season of label-reading

i swear, shopping for clothes in winter is completely maddening. i've been out a couple of times over the weekend, and i can't tell you how many sweaters, scarves, jackets, and coats i've inspected. the majority of the time i can tell just by looking--and if that fails, by touching--but i was fooled (and/or cautiously optimistic) many, many times this weekend, and i was disappointed more times than not. there's wool all over the place, angora (which was sometimes just labeled as "rabbit hair"), alpaca, and cashmere aplenty. it drives me especially nutso when i see that the percentage is really quite low--it reminds me of the foods that "may contain less than 2% of _____." i mean, come on, if it's "may contain" and it's "less than 2%" are you really so sure you need to put it in there? sheesh.

but yeah, the number of times i picked something up just to find "10% rabbit hair" at the end of the list was more frequent than you might imagine. sigh. at least it helps me curb my spending! heh. then again, each time i found something that was vaygun i would practically do a little jig and feel like i should buy it. there are a ton of really cute scarves at the gap right now, for instance, and almost half of them are straight-up acrylic. are they thick and warm? no. are they gauzy and ruffly and pretty? you bet. i don't really need them, so they're all still there, but i would be lying if i told you i didn't stand there debating for 10 minutes the other night.

yesterday i went to a really cool art/craft show, and i was delighted to see an etsy seller that i'm familiar with selling her wares. i had no idea she was from anywhere near here, but i recognized her adorable wallets immediately. when i touched them, i wasn't 100% sure, so i asked if she used wool felt or acrylic felt. she told me they were a mixture of both. *single tear* oh wells.

Comments

[timbu]

I taught myself to knit. Perhaps that would be a neat solution. You would pick up a life long skill in the bargain.

[girl least likely to]

always with the practical solutions, you. ;)