Cycle of a Swap

"So you really spend time making something for someone you've never met? And they have your address?!"

In this day and age when we worry about everything we do online, I get a lot of looks (usually with their heads cocked to the side and squinting to see if my brain leaked out my ears) when I say that I willingly chose to give out personal information for the sake of knitting and crafting.

And before you join that list of people who think I'm lonely and naïve, let me say that just like alcohol, nicotine and caffeine, crafting is an addiction. Only difference is getting someone out of it aside from a hangover and jittery legs.

Plus I love getting packages in the mail.

I too was someone who use dot think joining a swap with a complete stranger online would not be the smartest thing to do. What if they were crazy? What if they hated what I made them and started bullying me about it on the message boards? What if they decided to make me a chunky multicolored sweater made of yarn that looked like a rejected Muppet?

But the thing I've discovered about the online world of crafting, is that we're all together in our obsession. You don't post your contact information in a public board for anyone to see. There's a screening process before you can actually become a part of a swap. And the best/most obvious thing? Themes. If you love Harry Potter, or cats, or pirates or Jane Austen...you can find a group of people who share in it.

And if you're like me and tend to feel alone in what you obsess over, then seeing a list of people willing to spend their time to make something in that theme and send it someone else is refreshing.

It's like a fun version of secret Santa. You get something useful and pretty instead of something from the dollar bin at Target.

But it's not all knitting and giggles. Planning and crafting and messaging your partner to make sure they won't hate what you make. More planning, tearing work apart because it wasn't perfect, frequenting the post office website to make sure you're package will get there.

It's all quite stressful really. But in the end there's a feeling of accomplishment even if it's only known among a group of people online. I compare it to the camaraderie felt at comic book and sci-fi conventions and Renaissance Fairs. To the outsider, it seems odd, but once you get sucked in, it's an addiction you don't want to quit.

And with the rising popularity of sites such as craftsters.org and ravelry.com, it seems knitting, crocheting and all other forms of crafting are making a comeback. Not to mention free, handmade items that you can brag is one of a kind.