A Large Squishy Package

      I got the most fantastic Yarn Pal package yesterday.  Actually I got a notice that the Post Office had attempted to deliver a package last week but I never got to town to pick it up until yesterday.  And then, I had to ride around while we were doing our errands and shopping with this huge, squishy package at my feet.  When we finally got home...and got all those bags from Aldi's in the house...I finally got to open it.   (When I got the 'notice to deliver' I checked the sender's name with the membership list on Yarn Pals and found it and knew that my package was from New Zealand and who it was from.)
   It was definitely worth the wait.  There was so much yarn I was overwhelmed!  I didn't

know what to pick up and squeeze first!!  Jeff spied the red-white-blue balls and asked if that was sock yarn.  It was...and enough to make a pair for him!  It's 100% New Zealand Merino, superwash and still so soft!!  I know I said the next pair of socks I did was going to be for me, but that yarn...Paton's Kroy ordered from JoAnn's Fabrics...hasn't gotten here yet, so last night I started those merino ones

for Jeff.  Oh, I love
the way that yarn feels!  He's never going to want to take them off!

   There were several balls of navy merino, too, probably enough for socks for me AND a shawl. But the topper was all the Alpaca!  For awhile all I did was hold it and stroke it.  I have never used alpaca but I got on Ravelry.com and quickly found several shawls that would look speculator in it.  
   Most Yarn Pal packages include knitting accessories because knitters never have enough stitch holders or stitch markers.  I

never do because I usually can't find my stitch holders and I manage to flip stitch markers instead of slipping them. (And once a stitch marker is airborne and one of my dogs sees it,  it becomes a target and my dogs both feel its their sworn duty to catch that bugger and eat it.) There were also cable needles...I've seen them in catalogs but never would have bought them for myself.  And the point protectors were shaped like sheep instead of cones!  Oh, those long, 3-pronged things are stitch holders.  Again I've seen them in catalogs recently but.... So much here I just wouldn't have bought for myself....
   The calendar that was included besides having photos of beautiful New Zealand,

highlights holidays and seasonal days...like the 1st day of Autumn-March 1st, the 1st Day of Winter-June 1st and Picnic Day-August 3rd.  There are a lot of Anniversary Days highlighted without much explanation, so I think I'll have to do some research on Google on them.  Oh, and I never knew any other country had Daylight Savings Time, too.
   There was also a box of Lindt's Gourmet Truffles that I think may just have to be saved for the March birthday dinner.
   My Yarn Pal is Maria Bentley and she lives in Wellington N.Z.  I think this was just about the best soft squishy package I've every gotten.  Thank you, again, Maria.  I am going to enjoy every bit of this.