A Valentine Swap

    I haven't been involved in any swaps lately so when the online knitting chat group I'm a member of decided to hold a Valentine's Swap, I signed up.  The organizer was doing it on short notice...only a few weeks before Valentine's Day...and with a $20 cap on spending. There were only a couple of categories:  yes or no to yarn, a pattern, knitting accessories (stitch markers/point protectors), and an international or home country partner. Treats or goodies were optional.  I figured I could put something together for $20 without any trouble.

    When I got the name of my swap partner, I quaked a bit.  She was well known on the site, pretty much of an expert and highly thought of.  Oh, boy!  I started to search for information about her.  Couldn't find a Facebook page so I just scrolled thru a lot of old postings on our site.  Got some basic information and started to build a swap package I hoped she would like.

   First of all, my partner, said No to yarn.  She has enough!  So, then I went thru my notebook and decided on a hat pattern that I had used a couple of times for gifts. (It's called Lady Chadwick Cap and was designed by Quirky Bird Knits.  I found it on Ravelry. com, a site for knitters.) 

I liked the hat, but I always had trouble finishing it...the directions for the crown never made sense to me...and I always finished the crown as best as I could keeping the pattern together.  My friends liked the way the hat looked, sort of Downton Abby, so I guess I didn't do so bad, but my copy of the pattern was so scribbled on as I tried to record what I thought I should be doing that I knew I had to get a new copy.  Today I stopped at the library and had a color copy done. ($2)  I knew my partner will have little trouble with this hat.

  

 On the way home, I stopped at Walmart and got some page protectors (I needed them so I'm not counting their cost), a button for the hat (eventho the hat isn't going in the swap bag) and a bag of candy.  Jeff has eaten about 1/4 of that bag so far, so I'll have to stop at Hannaford and get a bag of Hershey Miniatures.  (Tomorrow I'll switch the candy...taking back what's in the swap bag and putting in 3/4 of the bag of Hershey's...after making sure all of it is nut-free! ($3.75).)  I also picked up a Valentine's Card at the Dollar Tree ($1) when I got cards to send to family and friends.

   And I got a couple of small bags of cat treats for her cat ($4), too.  (If the candy is for the humans, the cat has to have a Valentine treat, too!)

   As I was walking thru Walmart today, I saw some beads that I thought would make some cute stitch markers ($1.99) so I got them.  (I had some findings and fishline leftover from Christmas, so I was all set.) After supper I went cross-eyed stringing beads, but they made up pretty good! 

And I have enough beads and findings leftover to make several more.

    All in all, I think my swap package is looking pretty good...and definitely under the $20 cap!  Even with postage!!  I hope she likes it.

edited 2/7/2024, 6:55pm