Two Grails, One Shop

During peak pandemic I was heavily into making my own clothing, jewelry and accessories. And designers were also helping with the quarantine crafting. For example, the New York Times was publishing patterns by Rodarte (a tea towel purse) and former Givenchy designer Clare Waight Keller (a wrap made from a blanket).

I made both. The bag (pictured above) was a great success. The wrap (below) was not as good, but probably because I used a cheap fleece from Dollarama, which was the only store that was open at the time.

There was another project that I really wanted to attempt but never even started. In 2020, JW Anderson—a brand I admire for its wit and style— had made a patchwork sweater for Harry Styles. The cardigan went viral thanks to the World Wide Web of knitters and crocheters who tried to replicate the look. Instead of lashing out with cease and desist orders, JW Anderson reciprocated the love by giving fans a free PDF of the pattern.

I downloaded the PDF but never even got around to buying the yarn. But knitting this sweater has always stayed near the top of my DIY to do list.

Today I went to the Value Village for a meditation. Whilst perusing the sweater section, I spotted my white whale — the Harry! I tried it on. It fit perfectly! Other shoppers stopped to tell me that it looked good on me and I should buy it. I did.

But that’s not all! I’ve long wanted to get a pair of Manitobah Mukluks — a Canadian brand. And even though they’re not outrageously priced, they were still always just a little bit out of my financial range.

I didn’t even notice these barely worn Tamaracks on my first pass of the show section. In fact I was putting a pair of insane Mongolian lamb-trimmed UGGs back on the shelf when I spotted these boots. Another grail checked off my list!