Swap-happy

I really like swapping and trading. This is a general, "about me" kind of statement...I think it's a great way to share skills and goods around and spread the love. I trade and share kid's clothes with friends around the country, sending boxes to Kansas (rarely, I'm afraid...Zion is only just starting to produce wearable hand me downs again), Utah and California. In high school, when we all lived together, my girlfriends and I shared clothes, too...now I have to make do with my own closet all the time, which isn't as much fun, but at least it all fits. Sometimes I swap my handknits for stuff I can't (or don't) make on my own- esp cosmetic type stuff!

And then there is hobby/obsession swapping. Back when I was a perfume oil junkie I spent a couple of years trading, selling, and buying from people around the world. It was lots of fun, brought packages of delightful smells to my doorstep and allowed me to try and experiment with way more perfumes than I could have bought straight up for the same amount of money. I never kept careful track, but I'm pretty certain I tried over 500 different blends in those years (and yes, I still adore a good perfume oil...I just can't call myself a junkie anymore!). When the kids were smaller and I spent more time with them tied to my body I swapped/sold/bought baby carriers. Never kept much track of them, either, but I'd guess I've owned 20-30 different ones (I'm down to 3 now).

Nowadays, as you might've noticed, my obsession is yarn. Ravelry has made me very happy with the ISO/Destashing group...I've bought some delicious yarns at great prices and sold some of my less loved ones to happier homes. And a couple weeks ago I discovered a swap group that I really, really love. No selling here, just trading. The only un-fun part is trying to figure out what there is in my stash that I can part with AND that will likely be desired by someone else.

All of which is a long way of saying: Guess what I traded for yesterday?! A drop spindle! And hand-dyed wool roving! And natural black alpaca roving! Yep. I'm finally gonna learn how to spin yarn (at least, I hope I am. It looks tricky. But I've wanted to learn for about 6 years!). Gah. I get all warm and gooey just thinking about taking fiber and creating YARN from it. And then knitting that yarn into a wearable object! Holy hell, I'd be, like, the flyest of the fly.