WOOHOOOOO!

Happy Halloween, everybody! And a happy Halloween it is!

We have exceeded yet another goal, and now we need LESS, yes, LESS than 100 items in November to get us to 2,900 items!!!

So here is my new goal...3000 by Christmas. What do you think? :D

I have gotten some strong volunteer signals from Robyn at blogspot and from newdaydawning at livejournal. Robyn would like to be manager of group growth for 2008 and she already has some exciting ideas! Newdaydawning will be in charge of either managing contests or managing non-crafted donations.

We need one more person! Is there a manager hiding somewhere up in here? Trends in corporate America say the odds are high ;)

I am really looking forward to this holiday season with you all. Regardless of what holidays you celebrate, the Winter months are important because it is Wintery in so many places, and so many people could be helped by something silly like a little hat or mittens or socks. We can do a lot of good during these next few months, probably even more after the holidays than before.

Keep it up, everyone!

Since 2008 is an election year...

Or election ear as I just typed...:)

I had this image of our group growing by leaps and bounds next year. But how is that possible?!?

Well, I was thinking we could have people definitively in charge of certain parts of this here thing runs. I was thinking it would be great to have people in charge of the following:

1) Contests: You would determine the contests, make the rules, make sure people are following the rules, deal with any arguments when you say someone didn't follow the rules, determine prizes, and help to attain said prizes. This is a lot of responsibility but it could also be a lot of fun. We have found this year that contests are a great way to spur people on and it increases interest in the group. A lot of charitable groups offer prize incentives, not that charitable crafters want to get paid for their work, but it sparks some good ole fashioned, good natured competition!

2) Group growth: This person would be in charge of spreading the word. We're somewhere around 250 members this year. I want to be at 500 by the end of 2008. Yep, it's aggressive and may not be fully possible, but it's worth a shot. Primarily, I think this group could grow using the channels we already have -- livejournal, myspace, facebook, and blogspot. It might also be beneficial to try to start working relationships with other charitable groups. Offer to link to them if they link to us, etc. Ya know, that whole online thang :)

3) Non-crafted items: As we've seen this year, one of the most fun and most team-oriented projects is something that can involve both crafted and non-crafted items (like our Bags o'Sunshine). Zoanna over at 25thingsforcharity.blogspot.com has been putting together "katrina kits" that are ready for natural disasters (like the fires raging in SoCal). This person would be responsible for distributing/gathering non-crafted items for projects like this. I wouldn't want or expect this person to buy everything him or herself, but they would be the collection point for the whole year. I think it gets confusing when we have a different person in charge of different things all of the time.

Does this seem reasonable? Does anyone have any ideas? Do you want to have elected officials or volunteers? Let me know. Feedback desired! :)

My Recent FOs

I thought I would just post to update on my recent finishes:

two hats and one scarf which have been sent to Warm Up Winchester

two scarves which will soon be on their way to the HMPCWD campgain head quaters - I am hoping to finish a few more items before parcelling up so may miss the November deadline.

and three squares for a blanket that will be donated to Blankets for the Gulf by members of the Fiber Freaks Buletin Board.

yayyyyyyyy :):):):):)

We're over the 2800 mark! Holy smokes!!! You all rock my socks. I mean, seriously. Who do you think you are? Super stars?

Well right you are!!!

Hey everybody

Sorry I've been modding in absentia. I've been busy!

Anyway, I just wanted to point out a little teeny thing.

We are at 2,777 items right now. I had set the goal of having 2,800 items at the end of October so that we would just need 100 items for November and December. We're sooooo close!!

Can we get 23 more items in a week or so? I think we can...I think we can...

I am trying to think of some neat things we can do at the beginning of 08 when all of the holidays will be over and Winter will have most of us trapped in our little crafty abodes. If anyone has any ideas along these lines, post 'em!

Thank you all again for all of your hard work. I know this is a real busy time for everyone with school and work and holidays coming up...everything you do is appreciated!

One More Mitten Charity

I've got one more mitten charity to let everyone know about. Lynne over at I was Knit Together in my Mother's Womb has announced that she is going to be collecting mittens again this year for her From Hearts to Hands project. The mittens will go to several groups in the Buffalo, NY area. I am hoping to send her a couple of pairs over the next few months.

Dealine Reminder

Hey Happy Crafters!!

A quick reminder that the deadline for the first shipment of HMPCWD is in one month:

November 15, 2007

I want to stress that this is only the first of what I hope will be a few shipments this winter. I have received so many wonderful items and look forward to tallying the number of people dressed!

Thanks for all your hard work :)

~ Jez

Soaring Eagles Project

I just wanted to let everyone know that Rachel, aka the Procrastiknitter, is starting to organize the Soaring Eagles project again this year. She is looking for mittens and socks or slippers, although she is still deciding about sizes. The mittens may go to the younger children and the socks to the older children, or we may make both for everyone. (If you read the blog, the last sentence will make more sense!) This was one of my favorite charities last year, so I am very excited that we are doing it again. I think I like it because it is a small scale project (there are only 300 students at her school) and so it feels very immediate to me. Also, if any of you are on Ravelry, there is now a Soaring Eagles group over there as well.

This project has also reminded me of a post I wrote just about a year ago that lists sizes for hats, mittens and scarves for toddlers through adults. I thought I would link to it here because some of you might find it useful. If I have time today, I would like to edit it to add sock sizes as well.

Hey hey hey!

Oh, sorry...sssssssh. The community is sleeping :D

So, just checking in to see how everyone is doing. I'm having very bad luck with the vest I am working on. In fact, I am on take #4. Oy. This is why I don't make clothing that is supposed to fit properly!

Please remember that even if you aren't working on charity stuff right now, it'd be great to hear from you and just know how you are doing...what you are working on...ya know, the usual :)

I also wanted to let you know about a neat idea that is developing over at 25thingsforcharity.blogspot.com. Zoanna has come up with an idea for "Katrina Kits." The idea actually bears a resemblance to our "Bags O'Sunshine," so you might want to check out her posts and see if you can help her out. I invited her to post here but i haven't heard back yet.

Anyway, let me hear from ya and let's get some chatter going! :) It's.....aliiiiiiiiiive!!!

(I'm getting ready for Halloween if you couldn't tell...:P)

60 Scarves in 60 Days

Dee, one of my friends (online and in the real world), is having a challenge on her blog called "60 Scarves in 60 Days". She is looking for people to join her in making scarves for charity. The scarves can be donated anywhere. And if you blog about your scarf, she will put you into a drawing for a wonderful prize. The contest runs until October 31st, and you can follow the link for more info. Since we are making scarves for the veterans and others, this just seemed like a natural fit with what we are doing.