SECRET SANTA YARN KIT

This dratted pandemic is sure lasting longer than I expected. It's changed my life in so many ways. One of the ways is a small thing, but irritating. That is, I can no longer go to my local yarn store to buy yarn, choose a pattern, find the size knitting needles I need, or go to a knit-along with other knitters. And you crocheters are in the same boat.

Of course, I could pull something out of my stash to work on...one of the many UFOs in my craft room. But usually I had put them aside when I got bored with them, and they're unlikely to have improved in that respect while sitting in a corner.

Frustrated, I have been wracking my brain for something unique to do with yarn. Then it occurred to me: I remembered one year, perhaps ten or twelve years ago, when one of the yarn stores participating in the annual Sheep & Wool Festival had lovely knitting bags filled with a wide variety of yarn...different colors, different weights, different textures. They also included a pattern for a "Goddess Shawl," but you weren't obligated to make that pattern. 

It was wonderful to take a chance on a bag full of yarn that I might never have picked out for myself, but something about it called to me. I made a shawl using all the yarns in the bag...pinks, browns and oranges, fake fur yarn, multi-color ribbon yarn. It was a lot of fun, and it's the most unique shawl I own.

My two adult daughters and my sister were in the same boat now...knitters and crocheters, without being able to shop for supplies in person. And yes, there is always shopping by mail. But we fiber fanatics like to look at the yarn in person, touch it, maybe put it to our cheek, before we choose. Online yarn stores are a nice alternative if you can't get to a physical store to shop, but definitely second best.

Then I remembered those surprise yarn kits and thought, "Why can't we do this amongst the four of us?" I proposed it, and my two daughters and my sister were quite enthusiastic about the idea. One daughter suggested a "Secret Santa" event where each of us would buy for another person. For this, we needed my husband to match the four of us so no one would know who they'd been chosen by. Or as he put it, he was "Fulfilling my role as impartial-chooser-of-names-from-a-hat." I love it!

We've decided to give a few guidelines to each other. They include "Knitting or Crocheting or Surprise me?" "favorite colors," and "items you'd be interested in making." We also included a spending limit, and decided though it's only February right now, aiming at Christmas would give us plenty of time to come  up with a bagful of goodies. It's an exciting activity, and we are all looking forward to Christmas this year with extra-special joy.

So, do YOU have any special fiber-related activities? Do share!