What at first appears to be a routine estate purchase turns into a load of treasures! Watch as we begin a mini series emptying this house! What will we find?!? Antiques? Hidden cash? A ghostly encounter?!? Watch and see!
First a world renowned potter, then a fashionista piano teacher, and NOW the well read weaver! All of their homes and lives...full of hidden treasure! How fun!!
As a historian, I knew they were really into history when I saw their decorative objects. For instance, the chess pieces you found in the beginning are replicas of a very famous chess set in the British Museum called the Lewis Chessmen, which were made in the 12th century. I wasn't surprised when you found the immense library of history books. My kind of place!
Alex you hit a gold mine with the weaving and spinning items. The Ashford Joy 2 spinning wheel in the case upstairs is around $890. If she bought more bobbins then it is more. She would use the spinning wheel to spin wool fiber into yarn. Look in her stash to find the fiber. I would trash the wool or freeze it so that you don't spread moths in case they got into the fiber. It's a fiber artist's worse nightmare, moths. (all prices are USD) The case alone for her Ashford Joy 2 spinning wheel costs $160. The Floor loom upstairs without knowing the brand I guess new she spent between $6k to $15K, yes thousands. Those looms are in the thousands. The table loom by the book case is between $6 hundred to a few thousand new. Spinning, weaving and knitting supplies do not loose their value. I bought a spinning wheel new and sold it 5 years later for more than I bought it for. The Loom in the basement not knowing the brand I would guess she spent between $9k to $17K, more than some cars cost. All that white yarn or string in boxes is probably to warp the looms. Warping is that thread you see on the floor looms which is the base for the real weaving process. It took her weeks to warp that big loom. It's a tedious job that you thread each yarn-thread through a series of holes in the heddles which keep the threads straight when you weave. She hadn't even begun weaving. All that thread on the loom is only the warp. That box shaped wood frame with pegs on it is a warpping mill worth hundreds of dollars. With a loom so large you have to have a warpping mill to keep threads in order. In the basement when you walk in on the table is a Drum Carder. That is to blend the wool fiber. Cost new around $660-$800. The wood thing that looks like spokes on a wheel is called a yarn Swift. It's for winding yarn into a cake. Price $130 or more. On the table on the left are a few ball winders. The wood winder is around $200 and the plastic one is $50. The room where you found the Ukulele there was a spinning wheel. I don't think it is worth as much as the wheel upstairs. Maybe $400. Look in that basket that is on the bookcase. I saw some drop spindles in there. A good place to check prices is a website called The Woolery dot com and Paradise Fibers dot com. Also check on a website called Ravelry. They have groups and forums that buy and sell. You will find a huge group of weavers, spinners and knitters on Ravelry dot com. It's a good resource for prices and customers that know what you have and will help identify everything. Good luck. You got my heart racing to see this Candy Store of fiber arts supplies. I'm a spinner, weaver and knitter. Everything from weaving, spinning and knitting tools are super expensive. Think hundreds of $$$ to thousands. Happy hunting!
I think someone on here spilled the beans about who the person was. He was a well known weaver and was a member of the local guild. If this is the person i believe it is, he built those looms himself. I imagine they would be in high demand by members of the guild.
My heart was / is still racing at the sight of those! I weave (and dye) for a living and was actually watching this video while I was in my own studio! I made a comment earlier that Alex should contact the local weavers and spinners group for help. Especially with the yarn. I’m in Ontario or else I would offer to help sort that out myself. The looms don’t look homemade to me though. The one in the basement might be a 12 shaft Leclerc Colonial. The bigger of the two upstairs looks like it’s at least a 12 shaft, but it almost looks more like a 16 shaft, I don’t know the maker. All of the looms appear to be in great condition. I would be like a kid in a candy store!
I was hoping a fiber person would chime in. My eyes lit up when I saw the wheel, then the sheep, and I kept wondering where is the stash? There must be stash. Oh boy! I'm excited for The Weaver's House Adventure.
I nearly cried over the wheels and looms. Let alone all the fiber...well over ten grand in looms and wheels alone. Ive wanted a loom like that since I was ten.
Ditto! I was gasping when I saw the tools, and bless his heart he is entranced with the airplane models. I'm watching over here wishing he would get back to the stash, the Goeblin frame that they kept walking by.
that was my thought, as well. Creative people, book lovers, who seem to have had a very full life at one time. It seems fortuitous that Alex would bring their passions back to life, while fulfilling his. Karma is good!
These people seemed really interesting. I’d love to sit down & have some espresso with them & talk to them about their life. Thank you to u & your wife for being respectful & mindful of keeping the couples dignity. I appreciate your integrity. So many resellers exploiting shock value for views and sacrificing a family’s honor. Kind of went on a tangent there but was worth the mention. I would love to marry someone to do this with 🙂
Weavers just love to meet up with other weavers to discuss the craft so your weaver may have been a member of the Guild of Canadian weavers and have local friends who know exactly what all those looms are all about. If you go to the Guild of Canadian Weavers website you can look up Edmonton Weavers Guild and there is a contact person for that guild listed. Also, dyes for wool are hazardous and do not let people open up jars and play with them. Protect eyes and breathing if any have been spilled. I can't wait to see more of this house.
Me too till I get started, then I can’t carry on it’s too much hard work for my old arthritic body, just tearing up some boxes and a king a couple and I got dizzy and nauseous, I had to stop, it happens every time I’ve tried.
The item in the bag is a spinning wheel, and brand-new these can cost upwards of $500-$600 (US) (especially with accessories). What a find! And the equipment in the basement! Not only the floor loom (that size usually starts around $1,000 US), but there's an umbrella swift (for winding yarn), a clock reel (for winding yarn), a warping board ... this person was seriously into the textile arts!
@@magic8ball1982 To be fair the Musician's house might as well have been called the "Fashionista's house" so we've sort of already had something in that field :)
that tolkien box set!! all those books!! it feels so strange because i can relate so much with this stranger's library. i think we could have been friends if our paths had crossed...
This house really makes me want to know about the former resident. They were artistic, they read a lot about all subjects, their favorite color was red. They just seem like a cool person to talk to.
There is a very active Weavers Guild in Edmonton. They would be a good resource to contact about the Spinning and Weaving items. That geometric colour block print was Mondrian. He was the father of that kind of abstract art. It was even used in fashion of the time.
Awww..someone's precious humble home and items just left after the person had to leave for whatever reasons. Very sad and bittersweet their cherished home is now being emptied out.
it seems like teh person was elderly and is either at a retirement home, or has died. it is really sad, and makes you think about the transience of life, and what we value in it. the objects the person accumulated over a lifetime, with care and love, are no longer needed to them
The Weaver living in that house was probably a member of the Edmonton Guild. You may get a great back story as well as advice and information on the wool, the dyes all of it.
The chess pieces are 12th century Lewis Chessmen replicas. You might recognise them as they were used as the pieces in "wizards chess" in Harry Potter and they were also used in The Walking Dead. They're most likely bought from the British Museum.
I believe just that large loom may have returned your money to you.....Good for you---happy to see someone being rewarded for digging in and doing the hard work that so many people can't/won't.....good honest hard work really does pay off---and your channel is proof! Hello Miss Melissa! Love seeing the two of you on adventures together! and I loved that tree wall hanging in the basement! I suppose we will be seeing yet a few more K-Auctions!!!
You need to carry a portable charger like a Halo. There are other brands. You can carry it your hand and almost any one can use it. You can also plug in a lamp or a phone to charge etc ❤❤❤
My dad hides his money inside the kitchen tissue roll. He has to swap it to the new roll each time the kitchen roll tissue runs out. Most people would never think to look inside tissue boxes and kitchen roll tubes. I loved the globe in this video. The owner/owners seemed like they would have been super fun to talk to. Cool buy guys.
not to sound to paranoid or overly hopeful but check the dimensions of the basement. I always want to hear about someone finding a hidden room behind a book case.
Not sure if anyone mentioned it already, but the blue and white creamer I think is showing a scene of the town of Avon in England. I don't think it was made by the cosmetics company lol. Cheers!
What a brilliant idea, sift out the rare and valuable and off to auction. Josh can remake the shelves for the coffee shop. I love books, I would have a whole room as a library/reading room if I had the space. No one seems to want books anymore, they are almost worthless such a terrible shame.
My left brain keeps twitching when he says "sitting for a year"...calender showed October 2020 and it's April 2021. I literally keep counting months in my head wondering what I'm missing🤯
Keep it up, Alex! FYI: Linn is a Scottish brand, makers of very musical Hi-Fi. The Tukan was Mid-priced, so pair them up with a similar, neutral-sounding setup and they sound surprisingly good.
My father was a weaver. And he had a stash! Not quite as large, but 3 looms, a couple spinning wheels, tons of books, and LOTS of threads/ yarns. I got in contact with the local weaving guild and sold a large part of it to its members! You may want to try .... someone could at least help you with values. Also, that triangular thing that Mel unzipped upstairs is a spinning wheel. I think they’re called “walking wheels” because you could transport them. Dad also collected sheep and would have been mighty envious of the collection you have there!! Thanks for those memories! (He even wove the fabric for my wedding dress and jackets for himself.)
Not a walking wheel it is a portable folding wheel to easily take to spin ins and guild meetings, a walking wheel is large and you stand next to it and move the wheel to put twist on the fiber and it has a quill at the end.
@@karenmoore5278 Hey Karen, you have my maiden name. Had to do a double take. Any chance your middle initial is L? I think there are a lot of Karen Moore's around. I've known 3 personally over the years.
I knew immediately that the bag on the chair in the corner was a portable spinning wheel. Would LOVE to have it!!! It as all the spindles and I think it's a single peddle, double drive wheel. TOO BEAUTIFUL!!! 🤗🙌🏼
*Finds shelves full of books My reaction is pretty much Belle when she receives a whole library from the Beast. I would definitely have a blast going through everything in that house especially the crafts and the books!
Every time I watch a video like this, I clean out my house and closets. By the time I pass, I want to travel light. I retired last Aug and ever since then I have been cleaning, donating and organizing.
Good for you, Audrey! I am also in the process of "lightening up" and donating/organizing years of accumulated "stuff". The printed sign on my fridge says it all: "Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful."
Likewise! My mom's home was relatively easy to empty when the time came. She also wanted to "travel light." But I have many friends who are in the middle of disposing of 50 years of stuff. It's overwhelming. It can take years. Expensive and stressful. I'm following yours and my mom's example ... Travel light!
There's a few youtube videos on 'Swedish death cleaning'. Very interesting concept, it's all about cleaning up so you won't burden those who survive you. It sounds grim but it's very loving in essence.
@@TiaMat99 I guess I'm at the age where this is a very relevant problem. What does a person do with 5 cases of Lladro? Or 1500 books? Or 30 model airplanes? (Real examples btw) Yet I've seen friends weeping over those exact questions. Another reason I am grateful to my mom. One of her mantras was "too much stuff!" Excellent example for her kids. She saved us a lot of effort and guilt.
My friend hides money in the bottom of Kleenex tissue boxes by putting the money under the tissues. Her house was broke into while on vacation and the thieves left the tissue boxes with the money. I was reminded of this when I saw the tissue box sitting above some money you found.
I am lucky because my three kids love old things just as much as I do. Good thing because everything I own is really old right down to the vintage cookware from the 1920s and 1930s
I've been Swedish Death Cleaning for a while now, little by little. ..."In Sweden there is a kind of decluttering called döstädning, dö meaning “death” and städning meaning “cleaning.” This surprising and invigorating process of clearing out unnecessary belongings can be undertaken at any age or life stage but should be done sooner than later, before others have to do it for you"...
In the Yukon, Yukon Parkas are still worn and the vintage parkas are almost a status symbol. Depending on the state that parka is in, you could easily make $300-500 on it up North. Bigger sizes are popular, as they are more rare.
This makes me so sad. A person’s whole life just left like this. It just makes me realise that everything I’m coveting will one day be chucked out or gone through by strangers. I just hope the strangers who sort through my stuff are respectful like these lovely people.
Nope. As I mentioned to Alex, there aren't many weavers and they probably already own a large loom. Not many people have the space to keep a large loom. The small looms are only worth $100 or $200 each. Again, the weaving community is small. Demand and supply.
@@TH0ltz Western Canada has a massive fibrearts community, I know because I was part of it. The looms and spinning wheel as well as books have great resale value, you just need to approach the right people. Olds College runs Master spinning and weaving courses and guilds are everywhere. Alex should sell through them x
It was so exciting to see what you were going to find...then as you were going from room to room my excitement was fading....before long it had turned into sadness 🥺 I realized that a family's entire house has ended up left behind for strangers to riffle thru looking personal items wondering the value . Back to reality I understand it's a business for you..I'm not upset...not one bit towards you!!! I know it's better for someone like yourself to see value in items and get it back out in circulation instead of throwing out in the landfill!!! Not everyone has family that would take responsibility to see everything was cleaned up and out. Thanks for sharing the video...Thanks for being respectful and kind..Good luck and may you have much success...🙂
Not a hoarder, A Book Worm of my sort. I had books almost like you are looking at mostly paper backs. It's such fun to hear the true surprise in your voice. You have a major library on your hands
omg! Alex! those looms... you for sure made back your money on those alone... and don't throw out those slats that you tripped over, they're for the looms
I've moved so many times so just walking through the house and knowing all the sorting and packing you have to do = nightmare for me. I'm glad there are personalities like yours that sees this as a fun (and profitable) challenge. I will make a note to my executor that maybe selling the contents of my house (which is not nearly so packed as this one) as a single lot would be so much easier than trying to sort through it himself for yard sale.
i can understand the family selling the contents of a home of a loved one AFTER going thru it myself to gather all the meaningful personal items, photos, maybe a favorite chair my nan sat in & read me stories as a child, etc..before i sell it all to a stranger & rely on them to turn over my requested items. thats just odd.
Just a guess.. but given the date on the calender oct 2020...the last person living there likley passed away last year which means the Canadian border was somewhat closed , or at least had a 2 weeek quarantine in place, so anyone coming in would have to quarantine here 2 weeks, and likely 2 more on their return home..this may have played a very large role in making a decision to sell the contents to someone without going thru the contents, and another quess is that the woman in the family had perhaps already passed, and the male was there alone for a bit, on that case more than likely any children would have already gone through the house for specific keep sakes they knew they wanted and jewelry ...just a guess...
@@bigsteve8408 Yes, but you can hire someone to go through and retrieve valuables for you and have an auction on the things of lesser value as opposed to just selling it all like that. It's very odd.
@28:53 - lol'd at the Mondrian, Alex said it's a Calder, flipped it over, and waved his finger back and forth over the name Piet Mondrian, looking for the name Calder :-D
I immediately spotted the mid-century dining set which is wonderful. Looks like you might have some good stuff and a pretty nice vehicle. Thanks for purchasing this adventure!
I am a retired visual arts teacher from Massachusetts in the USA. Weaving was not my forte but I know that those huge looms that look like the size of a queen sized bed are super expensive. They are almost equivalent to the cost of a car. I bet the books are about weaving. You will have no problem getting your investment back and more.
Looms are expensive to buy originally but sadly often not worth the money 2nd hand. I hope someone knows the value and Alex makes the money on it but I'm not holding my breath having seen many given away and thrown out over the last few years as the interest in weaving isn't there anymore
The yarn itself is valuable too as I'm sure most of it is discontinued stock. There is a really big market online for yarn that is unique or unavailable anymore in the knitting/crocheting community (which is HUGE and even bigger now after the pandemic). Hope he realises that's a gold mine
@@outoftheburrough looms definitely DO drop in value however there has been a huge resurgence in weaving in the last few years. I myself make a living at weaving babywraps. My wraps are highly sought after and sold all over the world. This interest in handwoven babywraps has made a lot of young mothers interested in weaving, PLUS the pandemic has people taking it up as a hobby, like never before. This is the PERFECT time to sell second hand looms.
The chess pieces on the bookshelf are reproduction Isle of Lewis Chess Pieces. A good loom can be worth about a 2000 dollars Early IBM computer boxes are worth money. Please don't throw them away. There was a nice early Tolkien Lord of the Rings trilogy on the top of the bookshelf. Edit: I had to look up the Linn Tukan speakers and are worth new about 800 USD for the set.
Such a great video! It must be so much fun to purchase something like this place, and then to see the work ahead of you, yet the rewards you can make from it in the end. Best to you both!
Your son is very lucky. I think he just found his car, until he will be able to buy his dream car. Good job Alex. Looking forward for the next upload. Keep up.
Did you see the drum carder, swifts and wooden ball winder? She has everything. I can't wait for when they go through that craft room. I wonder if she has any beautiful supported or drop spindles. I saw some in a basket on top of a bookcase.
You two are so cute!! Wow!! All the books!! The car and the change are fun finds!! Would love to go through all the craft type books! Thank you for sharing!
My 27 year old granddaughter would absolutely love to be the one that found the fiber and spinning wheels and looms. That is her favorite thing. She just started a you tube channel on this subject about a month ago. She could probably tell you everything about all those things you found. What a find!!!!
you have to be carefull with the yarn and inspect it very thoroughly ! If there is only one moth, it will eat up everything fibery in your house. Old yarns can be a blessing or a pest!
Fridge hack: put an open sandwich bag or brown lunch bag with coffee grounds in the freezer and fridge parts of a refrigerator and it will not get smelly or moldy and you can close it up. When I moved states my house was not ready, my fridge was I. Storage for about 2 months.. when I opened the fridge it just smelled like coffee 👍
Am I the only one that this house makes really sad? It's like they left the house one day and never came back. Time stood still. I can emotionally better handle the hoarder houses. All the looms, yarn, and books omg. 💜💜💜💜
@@centrifugedestroyer2579 Yeah, I felt almost incomfortable watching Alex and Melissa going through the stuff in the house until they went to the basement.
Loving this video! The looms are really interesting.....please let us know what they are used to weave! You did score way above what you paid and it looks like a huge educational opportunity. I’m excited to go along with you to explore more and see the end results! It’s really cool you have the boxes for everything. Kinda amazing too! I’m along for the ride. Blessings and good health to you and those you love coming from San Diego, Cali.
@@S_H9260 Yep. I understand. My grandmother always made her own curtains so she could hide cash in the hems. Also, cookie jars, fake baseboards, cash envelopes taped to the backs of furniture or on the underside of rugs...
If my husband walked into that room of books he would not come out for the rest of his life, he is a major history buff. So excited to watch another house clearing.
I giggled in my head... He said "look at all of the books!" In the living room, and then when he got downstairs, the upstairs amount of books was hardly a fraction compared to the basement 🤣
Oh my gosh, you and the squirrels. I kept envisioning the Christmas Vacation movie where the squirrel jumped on the guy's back. I was expecting you to turn around and have one attached to your coat. It was a good laugh. Congrats on all the good finds!
The chess pieces are copies of the Lewis Chessmen found on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland. Theyre viking in origin and the one that's second from the left is biting his shield and is a 'berserker'. Its where the modern term 'go berserk' comes from today.
I came here to say the same thing. Saw a lot of them on Lewis. Beautiful place. Very remote but gorgeous beaches and when we went in June it never gets fully dark!
I have a copy of that chess set which I bought from the Oxfam shop in Bath for £4.95. It was in a carrier bag and I don't think anybody had bothered to investigate what was inside!😊
@@juliegraham8133 I thought I had replied yday but can't find it now 🤷 Anyway I asked if you lived in Bath? If so, I'm only about six miles away. Small world 😁
The little figures on the book shelf are replicas of the famous Isle of Lewis (off the coast of Scotland) chess pieces. Originals are in the British Museum of London & Edinbourgh.
I have the same Celtic chess piece figures. I bought mine in Sterling, Scotland. They are exactly the same. They're called Uig or Lewis chessmen, from the Island of Lewis, replicas of a set discovered in 1831. They are a real find!!
I stopped the video when Alex was looking at the back of the "custom" speakers. It said, made in Scotland. Could be this homeowner was from Scotland originally.
@@itsjustournature8045 I thought so, too. Speakers from Scotland are certainly unusual. This house is so different from the others. The upstairs is kind of ordinary; it's like the soul is all hidden away downstairs.
@@itsjustournature8045 Maybe that could be true of of Scottish decent. As the people of the Highlands and Islands had a whole cottage industry that grew into making the best wool cloth in the World. Hence the little sheep on her shelves in one of the upstairs room they looked like Scottish sheep to me.
They also used those in the First Harry Potter Movie. When Harry and Ron were playing chess in the great hall around Christmas time. Got so excited when I saw them!
@@TheAdventurours Speaking of Belgium....& Weaving (Belgian tapestry).... I know a nice story, as In one of the rooms there was a poster with English sheep (wool), which reminded me of that in the 1300s English kings invited Belgian weavers to come and live in England to weave English wool. And with them, came the game they had invented 200 years earlier in the 1100s. Weavers had a high status in society and hence a lot of free time, during which they would herd sheep, during which they played a game they had invented: met de _cric_ _ket_sen (hitting with a stick [against a ball])...and so 200 years later this was Anglicized into....cricket!
The little bit of time I got to do this, while working for a couple secondhand stores... I never got to go through a house quite like that! Super cool!
