A Phat Fiber participant, that is. I’ve joined up for the August 2010 Phat Fiber Sampler box, which means that my stitch markers will soon be winging their way to dozens of households all over the country. I know, cool, right? Inside each sampler box are TONS of samples of indie yarns and fiber, stitch markers, patterns, special insider coupons, bookmarks, and God knows what other sort of goodies. Basically, receiving a box is akin to going into yarny coma.
A Yarny Coma, courtesy Phat Fiber
The idea came into being after one woman grew tired of spending oodles of money on indie goods only to receive something she wasn’t quite pleased with, or that looked like a totally different color than the picture, etc. She wanted more of a “try-before-you-buy” approach and dreamed up the Phat Fiber Box. Etsy and ArtFire sellers send her their goodies once a month and get a chance to get promoted. Potential buyers, likewise, get a chance to try out a ton of stuff. The Phat Fiber box is sold through Etsy, and it is rather a big hairy deal in some corners of the Interwebz. Every month there are hundreds of people all fighting to purchase a sampler box, or two, without being “cartjacked” by another. There are fandoms helping with checkout tutorials and emails sending out the secret time the boxes go live and I’m sure someone has a special handshake in there as well.
Just kidding. Kind of. Anyways, I’ve heard about it for the past year or so, but only recently decided to explore it a little further. After reading up about it on Ravelry, I checked out a few videos on YouTube, where the husband-and-wife team who run the Phat Fiber program give monthly “sneak peeks” of what will be in the next box. I have to say, I think it was the videos that sold me – they were engaging and humorous and made me want to be a part of the whole crazy mess too.
I’m very excited to have my name “up in lights” as it were on their website, and I’ve got great ideas brewing for their August theme, which is “Africa.” Seriously, for days after I found out what the theme was I went around the house humming or singing “I bless the rains down in Ah-af-ri-ca…” For the record, when the only lines of a song that you know is one, it gets a little tedious. Though I was more amused that, when I finally did look up the song on YouTube, I discovered that the only really memorable lines are those. Anyways, in August, after I’ve sent my goodies in, I’ll give everyone a little look-see at what I’m contributing to the box.
Exchanging Fire 