A Whovian treat

A few months ago, a friend introduced me to the indie dyer The Yarn Tree. Every month Mel produces a yarn box around a popular theme, like Sherlock, Star Wars, comic book heroes, etc. I was very excited when she announced that her yarn box for June was Doctor Who themed. I ummed and ahhed for ages about it as I don't really need any more sock yarn, but gave in at the last minute and waited patiently for my box to arrive.

I'm always fascinated by themed yarn boxes, as what one person pictures might not be what someone else pictures from the same key words. To me Doctor Who is shades of blue and silvery grey, and that scarf, so I was very excited when my box arrived to see what would be inside. I knew there would be two skeins of yarn, but was surprised by the eventual colourwyas. The purpley greeny one is called The Hath and is inspired by the monsters of the same name; I really like the colours in this skein, and am looking forward to seeing how they knit up, not that I've decided what that skein will become. There's also a matching set of stitch markers (made by Wychwood Dreams), which I do like.

The second skein of yarn is inspired by the inside of the Eleventh Doctor's (Matt Smith) TARDIS and is shades of orange, yellow, beige and turquoise. I am not a fan of orange, yellow, or beige, so I am surprised that I actually quite like it. I'll be turning it into a pair of Bowties are Cool socks - the perfect pattern for this yarn as both the yarn and pattern are inspired by the same Doctor. However, neither skein is what I would think of as obviously Doctor Who themed, and I think I would have preferred it if one of the skeins was in a more obvious colour scheme.

The extras aren't really anything to write home about: I have no need for a hot bead TARDIS keyring (made by Geeky Beads), not my thing at all; the ribbon on the bookmark is cute, but I wouldn't use a paperclip as a bookmark as they can be pretty scratchy on the paper, and I do not like damaging books; the badge is cool, I'm sure I can find a home for that; and Love Hearts just aren't my thing, even if I do like the special wrapper.

Overall I'm a little in two minds about this box. As I said, I'd have preferred at least one skein in a more conventional colour scheme, but the yarn itself is good quality and the dyeing is nice and even. The extras aren't things I would have purchased, so are a little disappointing, but that's always the risk with a surprise. I have ordered The Yarn Tree's August yarn box (My Little Pony themed. For reference, I expect really bright colours, preferably with some pink and turquoise. I still have all my My Little Ponies from when I was little!), but might hold off ordering anything else from her unless I've seen the colours first.