It's like Christmas in...January.

Sometimes it's nice to be reminded of how fortunate one really is. It's both humbling and gratifying at the same time to receive a gift like what I found when I came home today. My friend Karin had told me to be on the lookout for something coming soon. A couple of months ago she grilled me on yarn. How can you tell if it's good quality? How much is enough to make something small? Bigger than a hat, but smaller than a sweater. What's a reasonable price? It can be hard to explain these things to a novitiate of the Yarney Arts, moreso when the interviewer is a yarn muggle on a different continent! I was not at all ready to for the size of the box I found on my porch, nor was I expecting to open it to find this:

For scale: the box is approx. 10"x10"x14". That's a LOTTA yarn!!! It seems to be sport/fingering weight and I'm estimating each of the larger balls has no fewer than eleventy-pi yards. Karin included a note in the box that explained I had just received four balls of merino wool from the Milanese Farmer's Market and a skein of handspun yarn from alpacas that live in the Swiss Alps (she touched them!). Navy, Slate Blue, Chocolate, and Papaya! I'm reeling with project ideas and potential color combinations. Shawls? Lightweight sweaters? Scarves? Gloves? Oy! Thankfully I have plenty to keep me busy in the way of other projects while these ideas simmer.

But wait--there's more!!! Karin also included miscellaneous artsy craftsy finds:

A cute little heart magnet with what could be a name-tag, an order, or a statement:

Some gastronomical treats from Italy: Karin's favorite ring crackers, an Italian version of a smore's candy bar, and some Italian Espresso coffee.

I like this little guy. I'm not sure yet where he'll land, but I have a few ideas (and coordinating thread).

This sticker is the sum of the parts, really. It says so much while saying very, very little. :o)

In all, the few pictures in this post are really a testament to how excited I was to receive this care package-cum-gift. The light in my room is crap, and I didn't want to wait for another sunny day in PDX. Though I keep telling myself to build a lighting box in which to photograph stuff, I have yet to do it. Also, I have nothing that I'd say constitutes a suitable background. I was determined to make this post tonight, though, and I had a good time working with what I had available to set up the shots you see here.

Ciao!