Material Girl Finds - October

Gourd: 59¢

Mini Jack O'Lanterns perhaps? Well, since they're gourds and tough to carve, maybe not. But these small, brightly-colored fruits can do double-duty as Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations. They're among hundreds of gourds, pumpkins and squashes sold at Holdridge.

Holdridge Farm Nursery

749 Route 117, Ledyard

860.464.8400

www.holdridgegarden.com

"Boyfriend" jeans: $69.50

Here's a huge ego boost. The Gap's "boyfriend jeans," which come "vintage destructed," meaning with holes and other naturally-looking worn aspects, run about two sizes two big. That means if you're a size 12 you'll be a size 8 in a pair of these. Anytime you can drop two pant sizes without giving up chocolate is a good thing.

The Gap Crystal Mall

850 Hartford Turnpike, Waterford

860.442.4534

www.thegap.com

Alpaca yarn: $10.25 per skein

Soft and cozy, these Alpaca fiber yarns (the material produced by Alpacas, as any farmer will point out, is not a wool, but rather a fiber) become luxurious knits. These skeins, by Reynolds Yarns, come in several muted colors, including this moss green.

Dagmar's Yarn Shop

80 Montauk Ave., New London

860.442.8364