My First Swap

I'm a member of the Ravelry online group. It's truly the next best thing to sliced bread. A few weeks ago I joined my first Ravelry swap group. It was called "The Beauty of Nature" swap. Each member was paired up with another from the group and each answered a series of questions so that your partner could get to know your likes, dislikes, and wants.

My swap partner was Laura. I cautiously stalked her online - reading posts she had made, viewing her finished projects page, asking her a few more questions, and seeing what patterns she marked as her favorites. I collected an assortment of gifts for her package and mailed it off to her last week. To be honest, I was much more concerned that she like the package I had prepared for her than vice versa. Yesterday our packages arrived at our respective homes and we opened our swap gifts.

Wow! Inside my box was the coolest Pink Floyd t-shirt bag filled with goodies!

This one definitely has special meaning to me, as Pink Floyd is my all-time favorite musical group. In fact, my Ravelry name comes from a line in their song The Wall “All in all, we’re just another brick in the wall.” How clever to make a bag for all my yarn and projects from a t-shirt!

I opened my bag and found fantastic gifts. First, the most gorgeous earth-tones yarn from Schulana. I’m thinking it would make a gorgeous cowl… And an organic cotton from a local shop that I can’t stop fondling. I think this would make a wonderful market bag to slip into my purse and carry shopping. Here’s a pic of the yarn I received:

The next thing I opened up was an original creation that really makes me smile. Laura made a felted replica of the Stone Head that is on the Pink Floyd Division Bell album cover. She designed it over a pez dispenser (I also collect pez dispensers) and it is one of the coolest things I’ve ever received! Here’s a pic, along with another shot of that cute t-shirt bag:

Wowsers, even more to come! Next I opened up a series of oh-so-fun presents. From the Moon Lantern company, a beautiful silk knitting needle holder and a little notepad holder - the cover was adorned with a yarn and knitting needle design. And to pamper myself, a mini spa set, complete with Sandlewood candle, bath fizz, a crystal, and a clay mask. Laura also made me two relaxing sound of nature cd’s…..ah, I can picture the waves rolling in on a warm night! Here’s a picture of these presents:

Am I spoiled, or what? Thanks to the best swap partner ever!! Here’s a final picture of all of my gifts:

This was so much fun I've signed up for two more knitting related swaps. I think this could become addicting........