Magic Yarn Ball Swap

A magic yarn ball is a gift-filled treasure, made for another person. This sweet, simple project comes from the book The Children's Year (Hawthorn Press).

Basically, you wrap cool little treasures up in a ball of yarn, with a few beautiful gifties peeking out at the edges, and give it as a gift. As the recipient crafts with the yarn the treasures fall out one by one, and they discover the fun as they knit or crochet.

This is a swap of magic yarn balls. Each one should include at least 100 yards of yarn and 6 "treasures," from very special single buttons or beads to little sets of stitch markers, tapestry needles, or very special bits of vintage ribbon and fabric. Round toys such as superballs or homemade bottlecap pincushions make excellent centers for starting your ball.

Each recipient will be able to share with their swap partner what craft he or she likes to do best, so the partner has an idea of what to include in the yarn ball. Also, please share any fiber allergies you have.

Sign ups close at the end of May. Play begins in June, and packages must be sent by the last day in June. Each participant is strongly encouraged to post at least one picture on the flickr page for this swap.

A few pictures of a sample yarn ball can be seen at the whipup post here: http://whipup.net/2006/04/25/kids-yarn-project-the-magic-wool-ball/