Knit Kit Swap

New swapper and love to knit.:)

I am very excited... I think I already have my kit built. Just have to get out and get the pattern.

I think this swap is an excellent idea. I just love it! I have one doubt, though. The kit we're sending has a minimun/maximun size? I ask this because I think it wouldn't be fair for someone who sends, for instance, a kit for a sweater to receive a kit for a hat. Don't you think we should established of minimum of yarn, for example?

Love it! This will be my second swap (haven't completed the first yet) I'm very excited!

Will we do any sort of questionnaire regarding what sort of stuff we like to/know how to knit? Or stuff we don't.

Can't wait.

I just signed up for the swap and can't wait! When will I get my swap person to know who to send to?

Alexis, no questionaire - that is what makes it fun. You don't know what you're going to get, and it might be something that could challenge you. It can definately be scary to try a new task or learn a new stitch, but its so worth it once you do.

Amy, you will receive your partner on the day after the swap closes. So, on November 8th, you'll receive an email from swap-bot telling you that you can now view your partner for this swap.

Hi,

I would appreciate further clarification. Are we to assume that the "at least US$5 per skein/hank" guideline applies to the standard retail price? And that it applies to 50g skeins, so for instance Cascade 220, which is US$7+/100g before any discounted or sale prices, wouldn't qualify unless we send at least 3 x 100g skeins? How about those kid mohair lace weight yarns whose standard retail prices are about US$10-14 for 25g? Would it be ok to send two of those, each of which is enough for a scarf but the total weight would only be 50g? Thanks

I have been checking the internet for knitting kits for ideas. The Knitting Zone is having what I consider a good sale on kits. Just two other considerations: first, if we decide on a pattern from a book or magazine we don't have to send the whole book or magazine, but the "entire pattern" we send has to be the original pattern cut or torn out from that book or magazine, not a photo-copy or there might be copyright issues. Second: we might want to establish some needle guidelines too, for instance, at least basic decent quality metal circulars like Susan Bates, Inox or Knitpicks, because not many people use straights, well maybe if it's for a scarf and made of ebony or rosewood, but definitely not home made wooden dowel needles. But it depends, for instance if the pattern calls for one pair of needles then we could splash out on Clover, Addis or Susanne's, but if the pattern requires two or three pairs of needles then obviously something more basic would be appropriate. And if we decide on a sock kit then could we ask the recipient if she prefers double points (wood or metal), 2 circulars or magic loop, and then send the indicated needles? I am going to try out several "kits" and see how they knit up before deciding on anything.

I think ghostknitter has a point about the yarn weight thing - the other swap I'm doing had a minimum budget instead - sorry if I'm adding more confusion! That way everyone is assured of getting a minimum value of gift, rather than weight, as some yarns simply weigh less, but are still very nice, such as mohair.

Not sure about all the questions about preferences though - the recipient doesn't get to choose what the kit will be for, so would be nice if everything in it's a surprise.

Are patterns downloaded from the internet acceptable?

Awesome! I can barely knit, but I'm v. excited.

This swap is meant to be fun and be a surprise that you can knit right out of the box. So, no requests or guidelines for anything in the actual kit, such as needles. Yes, this means you might get needles you don't care to use, but you can challenge yourself to use something new, or replace them with needles that you do.

I'm willing to amend the weight, but there needs to be some stipulation regarding size so no one gets shorted. Please feel free to offer suggestions on a minimum monetary value that you think is fair. I will be sending out a reminder of the guidelines just before the swap closes so that everyone is on the same page. There is plenty of time to get the minimum in order, so don't worry.

Any pattern is acceptable, so long as the entire pattern is included in the kit.

I got my kit completed today! This was so much fun, I can't wait to get my partners name so I can send it!

Well, if we assume you meant $5 per 50g, and at least 200g, why don't we just make a $20 minimum for yarn? That way if someone wanted to send 1 100g skein of sock yarn (plenty for a pair) that was nice handdyed sock yarn that cost $20 that would be fine.

Of course, it's fine if we still have the "nice yarn only" stipulation - $20 of Red Heart or Fun Fur wouldn't cut it.

Personally, as long as it's enough for a project, I'd rather have 100g of nice sock yarn than 200g of less expensive sock yarn to fill the 200g minimum. But that's just me. :)

I agree with stariel.

Thanks for putting this together - what a great idea! I agree with Stariel as well - call me a yarn snob, but I shudder at the thought of Red Heart, Fun Fur and their little friends, too. Quality vs. quantity!

Ok, after much thought and suggestions from lots of participants, I'm going to set the minimum dollar amount at $20.00 The high quality yarn is still a requirement, so please keep that in mind. Also keep in mind that you have to buy needles and notions as well, so my guess is most kits will be between $20 & $30, if not more. I hope this clears everything up for everyone :o)

Hi there, just signed up and really looking forward to this. Going off to get some ideas right now....

Just a thought - is there going to be a blog for this swap so we can all post piccies of our kits when we recieve them and then our progress on knitting them? I for one really want to see the results of the kit I put together.

Post pics to the gallery!

Gallery? Other swaps I've been in have had a blog to post to which makes it great fun in communicating with swappers to let them know what you got....

I'm very happy to participate to this swap and my kit is ready for someone who wants to be prepare for winter.

I'm so excited to be a part of the swap! It looks like a ton of fun!!

I'm exciting to be part of this!!! I have my box ready. I'm from Uruguay and here the yarn it's much cheap that the prices that you saids, but the shipping it's more expensive so I'm going to expend more money that 30 dollars. Any way I'm sending almost 350gr of 100% wool, so I hope my partner will be happy. The pattern I'll send it's mine. Send it this week!!! (sorry my poor english)

I know that we are not posting preferences, but can we at least post allergy info? I am seriously allergic to angora and I would hate for someone to spend that kind of money on a kit that would make me sick. Other than that I am really excited and looking forward to this swap! Thanks!

I just dropped off my partner's package at the post office. I hope she likes it --- I know I'd LOVE to receive it!

I agree with yarn4kalei about allergy and if your partner is reading the comments that she will listen to your comment.

A question, are we in a secret partner swap or do we have to contact our partner.

I have just sent my package> Hope she loves it!

I just sent my package today! It should be there in 2 days!

mine went out today. Enjoy the 2 projects I mailed out.

Mine is ready to go. I'll be mailing it later this week. I know I love it. I hope she does too. =)

Oh Yeah...I received my package today!! Check out pictures on my blog --- http://sharkypurl.blogspot.com

I love my new project! Thanks again, swap partner "Sissie" ;)

I just snt my pictures of the wonderful package I got from Ann in Vermont. Where do they go? Great swap partner, I am very lucky. Dianne

I just received my kit today. Lovely pattern and yarn.Thank you Namaste. I will send my picture too. I posted it on my blog. anninvermont.blogspot.com Ann in Vermont

will be posting my kit asap - unfortunately let down by my usual yarn supplier - I'm not lucky enough to have a LYS anywhere near me :( Hopefully the yarn will be arriving tomorrow and I can post out a kit this weekend!

SLR...I saw on your blog that you got the package I sent. I am glad you got it, I was getting a bit worried about it. Enjoy it!

Forbela,

I shipped your kit via registered mail today, it will take a while to get to Portugal but tracking number is RR665160294SG, and you can check its status on the Singapore post website. Hope you like it.

Just sent my partner her kit in a lovely bright blue! This is the pattern for it: http://www.kraemeryarns.com/patterns/pdfs/eleganteskimo.pdf

My package just went out today. I hope my pal likes it!!!

I received my lap afgan kit today. Thank you!

fernandina--Just shipped my kit...I hope it does not take too long to get to Portugal! I wanted to send you something that you would not be able to get outside of Colorado.

I received yummy silk/merino in blues and whites and two lovely skeins of loden colored yarn--thank you so!

How can we know that everyone has send his kit. Today it's the 21st and it seem that a lot of participants has not yet sent their kit... is that normal??? it's the first time that I join a swap so I am a little worry to know if everyone has done his share...

My package is on it's way too. I had a lot of fun getting it together.

Just heard from my partner. She's waiting for the yarn to arrive and then she'll get my kit out.

So, is the partner we send to the same person who's sending to us?

wondering the same thing as stariel, I also haven't recieved anything yet, and its been a week since the send date has been out, there are still several people who haven't marked that they have sent their packages.

In my case, the person-who-sends-you-stuff and the person-you-send-stuff-to are two different people. I received yarn from a lovely lady in Washington, and I sent yarn to someone in Portugal.

Like Stariel and AmyandPaul, I'm haven't received anything. Can we know, who's the person who was supposed to sent to us. I sent my package to my partner but it could take longer because I live in Canada and my package went to Fullerton!!!!

Update: I received my lap afghan from Julie S. in Jackson, MI. I can't wait to knit it up.

I received my package today from England! Thanks to my great swap partner, Mazzam!

Gina, Stariel and AmyandPaul -- :( ...that is just no fun. I don't want to make unfounded judgements about the gal (I assume nanda is a gal) that I sent my package to in Portugal, but from reading her feedback it looks as though she is either in the midst of a life circumstance that does not allow her to send packages (or email communications)---or she signed up for a bunch of swaps with the intent to just take advandtage of other people's goodwill. I feel bad that you three received nothing and a non-sender got what was a really nice box of goodies (& that I spent over $20 to send, because I didn't want her to have to wait a long time to receive it, to boot). Ah well. I won't stop being who I am because there are other people out there who choose to be different from me.

KnittingMama, any chance we can do a "follow-up" swap and send some stuff out to those who got left out to restore a little faith in humanity? :) I can't spend the same amount at the moment that I did initially for nanda's gift, but I have some great stash I'd be willing to share to make up some of the difference for you guys. I dye my own cashmere and luxury blend yarns, and have a couple skeins I could part with that would make gorgeous lace scarves or baby items (if knit with a double strand--or single strand and a lotta patience--well, booties might not take that long).

Let me know!

Tara, thank you for your goods words but you know, it's my first time in swap and I'm gonna do other with pleasure. I did my best to send great stuff to my partner and hope that she will receive it this week but since I'm from Canada it may take longer. I'm still thinking that the person who was suppose to send me stuff is living in another country like me and that I will receive something in the near future, if not i'm still going to send some great kit to my others partner in knit mitts kit and coffee and knitting. so take care and thank you again.

Yay, Gina...I love this swapping thing, too. And I especially love the way it makes me look at the world--what a marvelous planet we live on, and how many, many, many wonderful people and places there are. Hopefully our paths will cross on another swap! :)

Hi there, the DHL man has just picked up my parcel. Sorry it's taken so long to get it out to my pal but I was let down my normal yarn supplier. I have no LYS and have to rely on web stores and the post office. Anyway, hope my pal likes it when it arrives. Looking forward to receiving my own kit too!

Just been reading the posts about non-sends etc. It's really upsetting isn't it that people take advantage. However I firmly believe most people are good! This despite another swap I'm taking part in where, not only have I not received a package that should have been sent Oct/Nov and nobody can get a response from the sender BUT ALSO the person I sent a wonderful package to (which took me ages to think about and put together) has not even had the decency to say they got it let alone say thanks or post anything about it on their blog Luckily in this swap I seem to have brilliant pals up- and down-stream whom I have swapped emails with already.

I just saw the name of the person who was supposed to send to me and I saw her rating and I went to saw her blog and she looks nice and have a great rating so may be it's just that the post office is over loading with all packages going all around the world. I don't remember if she send my package for long or past the due date but I will wait until next week before rating her because I still think that I will receive something in the near future and that I could thanks her for the great package!!!!

Wendy, Gina-- I agree that the overwhelming number of people are good and have good intentions.

I don't actually think that non-senders are intrinsically "bad", either...I have done things in my life that I thought were good ideas and completely justified at the time, but in retrospect were things I would never do now--but I wouldn't know that about myself unless I had gone through the experience. I'm sure there are things I do now that I will view the same way in a week or a month or a decade. Conversely, some ways that others have behaved in the past that I considered hurtful or unpleasant at the time I also now view differently--

In any event, forgive my rambling. It's just my long-winded way of saying, "This was fun! Hope you had fun! I'll do it again!"

:)

Well, I just saw who my partner is and realized that she still has not sent anything yet. I am trying to be understanding and hope that she sends something soon, but this is my first swap, and to have a bad experience on your first swap is just not cool.

Hourra! My husband call me at work to tell me that I've got a package from South Carolina so I looking forward to open it tonight and like I said maybe the post office was to busy....

AmyandPaul, I'm very sorry for you and like you, it's my first time in swap and I will continue to join knitting and yarns swap and have fun, be fun with my swap partner. Did you contact your partner?

No, I haven't contacted my partner yet. I just got her name today. Does it seem rude to do that kind of thing? I am hoping that it will show up in a couple of days and maybey she just forgot to mark that she sent it. I will continue to do the yarn swaps, because it was fun, but I will probably not do a whole kit swap again. It is just too expensive to get a whole kit together and not get anything in return.

Got my kit today - thanks so much Dashenka! Wonderful wool from Manos de Uruguay, pattern for a scarf, needles plus a Canadian tape measure, little red Christmas stockings (they'll look fantastic on my tree) and candy canes! Thank you, thank you. Have posted a pic in the gallery but go check my blog for more

AmyandPaul, I don't think that you have to quit kit swap because of one bad swap. I did receive my kit yesterday and even if I don't know if I have enough yarn to finished the pattern because the pattern said 6 oz and I received 3.5 oz... I'm still very happy with it because my partner send me a lovely card and 3 kit of bamboo needles with green yarns and a pattern of a tassel hat. I'm very happy about my package. I join yesterday the mugs and yarn swap so go see it.. it should be fun and be sure that if you turn out to be my partner one day, I'm gonna send you a gift so that you can forgive this one.

Take care and have fun knitting.

AmyandPaul, My stash sharing offer still stands! Nolite bastardes te carborundum!

Let me know, Tara

AmyandPaul, me too I would like to share some yarn with you because I have a lot to share. Did you rate your partner?

Update: Part 1 of my kit has arrived. THANKS SHANNON!

Still haven't recieved anything, was waiting to rate hoping I would get something, but I am going to rate her a no send today :(. I did check out that mug of yarn swap, and joined it. Thanks to all of you for your kind words and offers. It is very sweet!

I also haven't received nothing yet. I'm in Portugal and I sent mine to the States by surface mail, it got there a long time ago. so I don't understand why I haven't received mine yet :(

ghostknitter:

Only now did I see your message here. I already erase the rating I had given you. Anyawy, I tried to track the package but the service isn't working :(

I still haven´t received anything. I tried to contact Ghostknitter but I didn't get an answer. I'm very sad about this, since this was my firsy knit swap and I spent a lot of money on a nice package for my partner and I didn't receive anything in return :( Oh well, there will be other swaps.

Dear Fflloorr,

I am very sorry you have not received anything, and also that I have not been checking up on my email or this site. I arrived in the UK on 8th December and am flying back to Singapore on the 2nd. Fflloorr, I sent your kit by registered mail from Singapore to Portugal (actually, I wanted to send it from the UK but the sent date was just before I flew), and even at the best of times in might take 2 months to arrive. I am VERY VERY sorry but you will have to wait until I return, I have the receipt at home so at least I can check it status. Just to let you all know, I have not received my kit, nor have I received swap-bot's coffee swap parcel, nor my softy, and various other stuff. I have NOT complained because I know this is a BAD time for the post office. I had to send something when I first arrived and the queue at a small local post office was incredible. Fflloor, I have a dated RECEIPT. Sorry but these things just seem to take an incredible amount of time to arrive. I know my rating has taken a beating because of it, BUT, I am also confident that these things will arrive and the ratings will be changed. I have not had any time to update my blog this month because of all the xmas knitting, I am still trying to finish a sweater for my father in law for tomorrow ... urgh. I checked today because I wnated to send the Knit Mitt Kit out today from the UK, before the post office closes for the New Year and I fly off straight after that.