eye candy friday -- a tale of skoof booty

Every now and again I like to buy a random box of stuff on eBay. Not so random that it could contain a human head or a stash of illegal contraband, but random under a category that interests me. Like, once I bought a box of old knitting stuff. I was so green at knitting that I hadn't used circular needles yet. Probably I didn't even own a Knit Chek. I'm sure my stash contained about 4 balls of yarn and could fit in a bowl on my desk. But something about a humongous supply of mysterious knitting related instruments and paraphernalia was irresistible to me. I managed the winning bid, waited a good amount of time, and, finally, the day of delivery came. The box contained: so. much. stuff. DPNs, circular needles, straight needles (plastic, aluminum, bamboo), needle gauges, darning needles, a giant u-shaped thing that I still have no idea what to do with, stitch markers, crochet hooks, stitch holders, on and on. Some of the things were more usable than others, but it was all kinds of fun dumping the box and putting things in piles and seeing what there was. It'd been impossible to see everything in the auction photo. I bought the lot from a seller named "skoof," who is still active, and took to referring to it as my skoof booty. Let me tell you, the skoof booty has come in handy in the two years I've had it. I'm forever finding some necessary doodad, perfect for the project at hand.

A couple months back I was on eBay, waiting to snipe some thing or other, when I realized I could likely find the sewing equivalent of my skoof booty. After a few minutes -- that's all it took because, as we all know, there is every little thing in the world on eBay -- there it was, listed as Vintage Lot Sewing Items Cotton Threads, Trims, Buttons. A ton of randomness, late in the game, going for a reasonable price, no bidders. Right up my alley. So of course I forgot to bid on it. I noticed, however, that no one had shown any interest in the stuff. I e-mailed the seller, buckx5, and asked if she/he would be relisting. In return I got an e-mail saying Make me an offer. I did. A nice cheapo one (I kinda ate it on shipping, the box weighed 20 pounds). buckx5 accepted, adding, I just want it all out of my house! Now it resides in my home, and I am giddy to know it.

The photos are of the lovely silk thread that came in the box. Having only taken a brusque look in the package when it arrived, I discovered the thread today while looking for seam binding to hem the skirt I'm working on. I found a passel of seam binding, bias tape, twill tape, and hem facing. Lots of useful things. I think this box has rightly earned the title "skoof booty II."