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All the Mysteries Solved

After some communication with StringsToo Stitches, my Etsy seller offering the mystery yarn bag, I learned my order might have been lost in transit. I understand things sent by USPS get lost; it's happened to me more than once. I decided to wait a bit, and at the end of last month the mystery bag from them finally arrived here.

I was truly surprised by the three skeins it contained. One is a lovely bulky weight yarn in a pretty lavender, and the other two appear to be hand-dyed worsteds. The Big Twist retails for $10.00, the pink and yellow "Summertime Lemonade" was hand-dyed by Little Loopy and retails for $30.00, and the brown/purple/gold worsted is 100% Merino wool called Autumn Drive from Arcane Fibre Works in Canada; this retails for $33.00.That's $73.00 worth of yarn for $21.40 which I paid for this bag.

Let me review how I did overall.

The Herrschners mystery bag arrived first with seven skeins of mill ends in two colors of bulky and worsted weight. Total cost: $25.61.

I like the colors, and that I got multiples of each shade. The mill ends they sell on their website go for about the same money, but from the amount I got I think it's a decent bargain (I would not call it an amazing value; just compare it to my Etsy seller's bag.) I do wish they would label the bags with the actual yardage versus physical weight, but being that they're mill ends that's likely not possible.

Hobbii's mystery acrylic bag came next, and had five skeins of Amigo Chunky yarn in two colors. Total cost: $26.85.

I really love the colors of the bulky yarn Hobbii sent me, so much so that I placed an order for DK weight yarn in the same shades. I was also impressed with the low cost of shipping. I think it's definitely worth the pice.

Lion Brand's mystery skein was the most surprising (and puzzling.) I ordered three skeins, they said they shipped four, and I received two skeins of yarn in worsted and bulky, and a bag of a dozen macrame cord mini skeins, which made my order total fourteen skeins. Total cost $28.34.

This is the only mystery bag I can't recommend. I like the two skeins I got, but I feel the addition of the macrame cord, while generous, was inappropriate. It's like someone at the warehouse panicked and threw it in at the last minute. I will try to find something to make with it, but I wanted yarn.

If I had to rank my purchases? Honestly, first place goes to the mystery bag from StringsToo Stitches that got lost for a bit, the yarns were gorgeous, surprising and an amazing bargain for the money. I also like to know my money is going to an indy seller. Second place would go to Hobbii; I was quite surprised by their yarn and the low cost of getting it from Denmark to the US. Third place goes to Herrschners. Their mill ends are in good colors and generous amounts for just a little money. Last place I regret to say goes to Lion Brand for substituting macrame cord for yarn, and being the priciest.

That successfuly ends my mystery bag adventure, which I will probably not repeat. I'm happy with nearly everything I got, but to be honest I can thrift yarn a lot cheaper. I can also hunt around to find the colors I need versus not having any control over what I receive. In the end, it's all about finding inexpensive yarns I can use for my projects, and having fun keeping them out of the landfill. :)

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