Criminal Behavior

An exercise that employs the currency of thought rather than that of money.

As the holidays approach, it’s time for a little gift swap of our own. It is in fact, time for the “First Annual” Whoduknit? Gift Swap. You send your downstream pal a mystery that you have already read and is on your shelf, a postcard from your town/state-province/country with a holiday greeting, and a knitting doo-dad. Additionally, it is your choice to decide if you want this to be a secret swap or if you should remain a woman of mystery. (If you are not a member, please see the link to the right--hurry over and join.)

Here are some hows and whys:
A. Book you've already read: As much as we all like reading mysteries, once you've read one, you know who did it and you probably aren't going to read it again. By sending it off, you're making room for another book (such as the one you'll receive), and your downstream pal will learn a little bit about you by what you've read and chosen to send. Books do not have to be murder mysteries but they must feature Criminal Behavior in some way. (While prowling around you may want to ascertain which authors your pal has read so as to lessen the chances of sending a repeat read.)
B. Postcard: While some of us are probably pretty well traveled, it would be nice to see what it looks like where other people live, and we probably won't ever be able to all visit each other (as entrancing as an idea as this is to me!).
C. Knitting doo-dad: Well, this group does involve knitting and this includes it! A little detective work might be in order. For example, if I found out my downstream pal loved to make socks, I could find a couple of “cool” (stylistically speaking) sock patterns on the Internet, print them out and send them. I could also send a knitted ornament or a tape measure. Whatever this gift is, it needs to be free or cost less than $5US (or the equivalent). The holidays are a very expensive time for many people, and this swap is not to add to anyone's financial burden. The challenge here is to spend thought rather than money.

Yet more information…the dates of some major holidays are
• Hannukah starts December 15
• Christmas (Western) December 25
• Kwanzaa starts December 26
• Eid al-Adha starts December 30
• Christmas (Eastern) January 7

I don’t know what holidays all of us celebrate so I’ve arbitrarily (in an ecumenical-kind-of-way) decided that all packages must be received by Saturday December 30, 2006. (You might, however, want to send your package to coincide with the holiday celebrated by your downstream pal.)

BONUS: If you buy tracking from the post office, send me the tracking number, and I’ll put all the numbers in a lottery. The winning number will be pulled from those received on January 7, and the person who held it will win a prize. (If you are unable to purchase a tracking option; send me the customs-form number and I’ll use that instead.)

Let me know if “you are in or you are out,” by Sunday, November 5, 2006. Please e-mail me your name, e-mail and snail mail addresses (blog address, too—if you have one), and if you are willing or not to have an international pal. You will have the name of your downstream pal by November 12.

Knit on, happy which-ever holiday and have fun!