The Yarn Fairy - a Tale of Community {Yarn Along}

About two weeks ago, after the last Yarn Along I participated in, I recieved an email. Simple and short, it merely asked - would I like some yarn? I'm not one to turn down free, well, anything, so of course I said yes, sure, absolutely!  She sent me the shipping confirmation a few days later and I largely put it all out of my mind.  To be honest, I think I was expecting a few skeins of yarn that may or may not be the type I'd use.  For a lot of people, when they say "wool yarn," they are referring to those 80% acrylic 20% wool yarns - and while I've tried those over the years, they aren't something that I reach for.  But I sent her my address thinking "Well, why not?  Let's just see."

I was completely unprepared for what happened next.

On Tuesday, the mail man knocked and I opened the door to two huge boxes on the front step.  I had no idea what they were about, thinking maybe they were from my sister or mother in law - never thinking it had anything to do with the yarn.  My son dragged them into the living room and pulled out his pocket knife to help me open them.  I couldn't believe my eyes.  Dinah shouted "It's like Christmas -- for MOM!"

My kids lifted skein after skein out of the boxes.  10 skeins of beautiful Acaurania bulky yarn in a lovely blue.  Noro Keyuron.  Blackberry Ridge.  12 skeins of navy blue knit picks swish.  A whole lot of Eco wool.  Bulky Cascade,  Malabrigo, Shepherd's Wool.  Some beautiful Retrobaby knits hand dyes.  A rainbow of Lamb's Pride, Mission Falls, Cascade Tweed. A few Dk and sock weight yarns. And on and on and on.  A stash's worth of yarn - good, beautiful yarn.

The most beautiful thing to come out of those boxes, however, was the letter sent by the lady I am now referring to as my Yarn Fairy.  It touched my heart and knocked the wind clear out of me.  Sitting in the living room, surrounded by piles of yarn, I read the letter out loud to my children.

In it, she told her story - how she collected the yarn over the years, visiting yarn shops here and there.  Why she no longer needs it - moving to a warmer climate where so much wool is unnecessary.  She talked about her children and grandchildren.  She shared her yarn and her life with me.  She cheerfully told me to get knitting and share pictures - so she could see what all the yarn became.

The rest is history.  Bit by bit, I've found places for the yarn and have spent time searching up patterns for it.  The letter is tucked in a drawer - a reminder of the type of person I want to be.  Someone who gives generously and lovingly.  Someone who allows God to work through them to bless others.  Someone who reaches out and touches the world around them, making it immeasurably better.

I am so grateful.  Grateful to this sweet woman who reached out to me.  Thankful to this little blog for connecting us.  Thankful that, for every dark and evil thing that lurks out there on the internet, there is someone who uses it to do good, and spread God's love much farther than possible without it.

That's the story of the Yarn Fairy.  Now,  if I could only decide what to knit first...(Any suggestions for a bulky weight kid's sweater?)

{Yarning right along with Ginny today!}


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