Claire Farr was 40 weeks pregnant when her community yarn library got some large donations.
Claire and her husband, James Farr, are celebrating the generosity of their neighbors after the donations to the library – think of one of those standing community book libraries, but for yarn – following repeated thefts from their stock earlier this summer.
“I made the original post in the Dayton Facebook page when we first put it out there, and a lot of people liked it and came down,” said Claire. “But we have been having some, I think, kids stealing the yarn out of it.”
The couple lives near the intersection of Berry Street and Second Avenue in Dayton. After getting the (anonymous) donation, which came in the form of a large tub full of yarn delivered to their doorstep, Claire posted again on Facebook, thanking the donor.
“To the selfless person who just left me this yarn on my porch after my yarn library was once again poached by kids, I am truly touched by your random act of kindness,” Claire wrote. “I’m 40 weeks pregnant and due any day, and I will absolutely be crying about this all day.”
Claire actually went into labor shortly after she made the post and said the baby, which is about a week old now, is doing well.
Others from the community chimed in in the comments.
“This is inspiring me to crochet or knit!!!” wrote Stacy Sherman Whaley.
“A yarn library!? Near me? Incredible!” wrote Monica Phelps.
James had built the yarn library as a gift to his wife. He said it took about a week to complete, and Claire said the library first went up a couple of months ago.
“It’s just a little project that my wife got interested in, and I made it for her,” said James Farr. “So, we thought it’d be cool, thought it’d be cute.”
The donation was fortuitous, Claire said, because she “didn’t have enough yarn to keep filling it back up when they kept taking it all.”
What’s more, the market for yarn has taken a hit following the recent repeal of tax exemptions on low-value imports by the Trump administration. Now, parcels worth $800 or more are subject to an additional 10% to 50% levy, depending on the country of origin. Alternatively, companies can pay a flat fee, which ranges from $80 to $200. Multiple international shipping companies paused shipping to the United States after the revocation of the rule.
“Now at least a half-dozen European yarn brands – some with intensely devoted U.S. fan bases – have followed suit, leaving crafters with the near-certainty of higher prices, delivery delays and supply issues,” according to reporting from the Washington Post. “Knitting for Olive, a Danish brand with a cult following, suspended direct shipments to U.S.-based customers last week. Undercover Otter of the Netherlands, De Rerum Natura of France and John Arbon Textiles of England did the same.”
The Farrs don’t know who deposited the yarn on their doorstep, but that’s sort of the point.
“It’s supposed to be like a take one, leave one situation,” Claire said. “Like, take what you want and then deposit what you want… It’s all kind of just on an anonymous, do-gooder basis, except for when people steal it.”
As it relates to the thefts, Claire said, “kids will be kids, so I’m not too worried about it.” She said she’d likely put up a camera but wasn’t going to get the police involved.
