Yankee Swap

A Yankee Swap (in its most common form, though there are variations) is a New England holiday party tradition wherein everyone brings a wrapped, inexpensive gift.  Sometimes the gifts are obnoxious (and make the rounds of the Swaps year after year); usually, though, they're decent. 

Everyone who brought a gift draws a number, and chooses and opens a gift in the order of the drawing.  If someone who went before you got a present you like better, well, when it's your turn you just go take their present and give them yours. 

It can get brutal.

Obviously it's advantageous to get a higher number in the drawing, but best to get #1, because when it's all over #1 gets to choose from among all the presents if he or she wants to trade. 

So last night was Himself's office holiday potluck and the obligatory Yankee Swap.  I drew #17 out of 19; pretty good positioning.

The most-swapped object was one of those ice-cream-making balls that you kick around.  (This, however, was not something I coveted; I'm perfectly okay with my Cuisinart ice cream maker, which has a delightful little device called an on/off switch and requires no physical exertion other than the flick of a finger.)

When our turn came Himself opened a very respectable 2011 calendar/planner but (having received strict instructions in advance) swapped for #4's present, which had already been swapped by #11. 

It is two balls, 120 yards each, of a delicious self-striping wool/acrylic blend in shades of blue and teal.  And bamboo circs size 9.

What, oh what does it want to be?