Homespun Helpers

Thank you everybody!

2010-02-10T21:23:00.001-05:00

I have really had a lot of fun and I hope that I can keep in touch with you all. I am going to keep on motoring with trying to spread the word about crafting for charity. Come join me here:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Making-Crafts-for-Charity/286326832292

A round of hugs on me, and feel free to continue posting here. Like I said, I'm not going to close any of our accounts!

In need of your input

2010-02-09T20:09:00.001-05:00

Dear All,

I have been contemplating for the last month or so whether or not I should dismantle Homespun Helpers. There are a lot of reasons for this, the uppermost being that I feel like I can't designate the time that this cause really needs. This has been an amazing experience, but all wonderful things must come to an end. I have seen the use of livejournal slip in my own life and overall, it's difficult for me to find the time to grow the organization on blogspot, and Ravelry seems to be more active in groups that are not about crafting but are about things crafters have in common.

Because this is a community, I wanted to let you all know I was thinking this way to get your input. I have created a page on Facebook called "Making crafts for charity" that I would like to use to spread the word that there are millions of charities that depend on us crafters, and I'll be focusing some efforts there regardless.

Let me know what you think when you have a chance. And thank you!!

How would you feel about a captains contest?

2010-02-06T08:59:00.001-05:00

Hi there everybody,

As I sit buried in my house under a pile of snow, I am thinking about our Regional Summer Contest. Coincidence? :)

Anyway, I was thinking it might be fun to have a contest before the contest. It would be kind of like the individual contest we did a couple of years ago, but this time, the top 4 winners would get to be captains for the Regional Summer Contest. This would give you the power to a) Choose your region b) Name your team and c) Recruit! The contest would run from March 1st to April 1st.

I know that some may feel that 2 contests in a row would be tough, so if you don't this this is a good idea, just let me know. Just wanted to toss it out there :)

Afghans for Afghans Needs Our Help!

2010-02-02T19:23:00.001-05:00

Hey everybody,

I got an email from Afghans for Afghans. Their donations are way low so far, and Jan/Feb is usually their best time. They are trying to collect vests, sweaters, mittens, and socks for kids. They don't get to make shipments very often anymore, so this is super duper important.

Items should be made of at least 80% wool. No light colors. You can visit afghansforafghans.org to learn more. This is a truly remarkable organization. Let's see if we can help them out when they really need it!

Our first winner of 2010!

2010-02-01T18:21:00.000-05:00

After some hat shaky shaky, it turns out that our first 2010 drawing winner is...

Becky_h!

Congratulations, Becky. Let me know what you would like as a prize, message me your addy, and it shall be done.

We are at a nice round 35 items already! Let's keep up the great work!!! :)

Thought you'd want to know :)

2010-01-26T22:29:00.002-05:00

For those of you keeping track, we are already at 33 items. That's a pretty good way to start the year!! Way to go everybody! :)

Lots Of Hats This Week!

2010-01-17T18:57:00.003-05:00

First, I wanted to say how honored I am that I was named the crafter of the month! I've been having so much fun with the One Hundred Hats project, I forget that others are watching sometimes!

Speaking of, here's the hats I've gotten posted up this week:

I'm also happy to report I've written another hat pattern, and this time all the proceeds will be going to helping out the Haitian relief efforts of Doctors Without Borders! You can read more about the pattern here, and here's a photo of the finished product:

Also, I love the idea of knitting up items to sell (on an Etsy account, perhaps?) to raise money for charity! I've got several hat patterns I've written recently I'd be glad to share toward that sort of undertaking, and would also LOVE LOVE LOVE to write a pattern or two that would be Homespun Helpers signature patterns for people to use. What do we think of that?

a 2-part post

2010-01-17T09:33:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone!

We're halfway through the first month of 2010 already. That's pretty crazy. But, in addition to it being crazy, it's also time for us to celebrate our first star of the month! And that star is: Craftyone, aka Robyn :)

Why is Robyn our star? Well, have you checked out the project she has been working on?

http://www.onehundredhats.org/

I think you'll find it pretty darned amazing. I sure do. Robyn is sharing the wealth by posting her hats to our community so that we can also tally her work.

Way to go, Robyn!

Part two: I am rolling around an idea in my head and I'd like feedback. I'm thinking of seeing if we can team up with some designers of knitting or crocheting patterns. They would make up one design for us so that we could sell items and raise money for charity. There are a lot of situations, like the current on in Haiti, where unfortunately, money is needed more than anything we can do with our needles and hooks, at least for now. I would really like Homespun Helpers to be able to reach out in those situations, still using our hands, but in a different way. The items we would sell would count towards our tally -- I'd start a special etsy shop, probably.

Interested in your thoughts! Let me know 'em :)

Sure Is Cold Here!

2010-01-12T18:38:00.001-05:00

How has everyone's week been going? It's super cold here in Nebraska, so we've mostly been hunkered down waiting for some sort of thaw. Today it got above freezing and we did a little happy dance!

The one good thing about all this cold is the knitting I've been able to get done! Last week I got two more hats knocked out for my One Hundred Hats project!

Hopefully this time next week I'll have THREE new hats to share, but for now these two have helped keep me a bit warmer - at least while I was taking the pictures!

What is everyone else working on this week? I hear it's pretty cold all across the US, so some knitting will help warm us all up for sure - plus, it highlights the need for warmth for all.

Item #1 for me

2010-01-03T15:54:00.000-05:00

This is going to Project Snuggles :)

Two New Hats for 2010!

2010-01-03T12:14:00.002-05:00

Happy 2010 everyone! One of my goals this year is to actually post everything I'm knitting for charity over here, share the love with you all. These two hats were knitted up just before the clock struck midnight, but because I'm sharing them now, they count for 2010, yes?

Both hats, modeled by my hot husband, are for the One Hundred Hats project. I'm just finishing up hat #30, but these are hats #28 and #29. I can't believe I'm already 1/3 of the way done with the project - although I'm a bit behind I think, and need to step it up!

With all the snow we've been having here in the Midwest, we've been spending tons of time inside, trying to keep warm, and that means tons of charity knitting projects for sure! Hopefully I'll have tons more to post to the blog soon!

Welcome to 2010!!!

2010-01-01T09:41:00.002-05:00

Hi there everybody,

I wanted to announce, as you can see in our tallies, that in 2009 we made 2,655 items!!! We are almost to 10,000 items as an organization over 3 years -- 9,289! :)

However, we can't just sit back and enjoy our accomplishments! The tally is back to 0, and boy do people need our help. So in between eating healthier, exercising more, being happier, and having the best year ever...get those hooks and needles cooking! :)

Love y'all!

Hi there everyone

2009-12-24T08:49:00.001-05:00

Well, considering all of the roller coaster rides, hardships, obstacles, and everything else crazy that 2009 presented to us, 2009 for Homespun Helpers was an incredible year. With that being said, it's hard to know what 2010 will hold for us. It's so difficult to keep an online group going. But I hope that you are still here on January 1st, 2010, ready to make your beautiful items and share your delightful personalities.

As we have discussed, 2010 will continue with some of our traditions -- we'll have our one for one monthly contest, our stars of the month, and the Regional Summer Contest. However, we will not have a cause for the month. Too many people felt like this kind of hampered them a bit. So, it'll be a free-for-all, but I'm hoping in the next couple of weeks to have a stand-alone list of charities that we tend to donate to along with links or information on how to send stuff to them. If anyone wants to help me with that well, that would be great :)

In the meantime, I hope you all have a delightful, peaceful, safeful (?) and wonderful holiday season!!

ribbed beanie (#16)

2009-12-01T11:00:00.005-05:00

ribbed beanie (#16)
Originally uploaded by craftyone77

here's hat #16 for the One Hundred Hats project. i keep forgetting to post them here, so i'm just going to go ahead and work backwards through them all, so i know they're all accounted for!

ribaroni (#17)

2009-12-01T11:00:00.003-05:00

ribaroni (#17)
Originally uploaded by craftyone77

here's hat #17 for the One Hundred Hats project. i keep forgetting to post them here, so i'm just going to go ahead and work backwards through them all, so i know they're all accounted for!

baby beanie (#18)

2009-12-01T11:00:00.001-05:00

baby beanie (#18)
Originally uploaded by craftyone77

here's hat #18 for the One Hundred Hats project. i keep forgetting to post them here, so i'm just going to go ahead and work backwards through them all, so i know they're all accounted for!

aviatrix (#19)

2009-12-01T10:59:00.005-05:00

aviatrix (#19)
Originally uploaded by craftyone77

here's hat #19 for the One Hundred Hats project. i keep forgetting to post them here, so i'm just going to go ahead and work backwards through them all, so i know they're all accounted for!

A Walk In The Park (#21)

2009-12-01T10:59:00.003-05:00

A Walk In The Park (#21)
Originally uploaded by craftyone77

here's hat #21 for the One Hundred Hats project. i keep forgetting to post them here, so i'm just going to go ahead and work backwards through them all, so i know they're all accounted for!

L.A. Winters (#20)

2009-12-01T10:59:00.001-05:00

L.A. Winters (#20)
Originally uploaded by craftyone77

here's hat #20 for the One Hundred Hats project. i keep forgetting to post them here, so i'm just going to go ahead and work backwards through them all, so i know they're all accounted for!

Felicity (#22)

2009-12-01T10:58:00.001-05:00

Felicity (#22)
Originally uploaded by craftyone77

here's hat #22 for the One Hundred Hats project. i keep forgetting to post them here, so i'm just going to go ahead and work backwards through them all, so i know they're all accounted for!

wurm (#23)

2009-12-01T10:43:00.001-05:00

wurm (#23)
Originally uploaded by craftyone77

here's hat #23 for the One Hundred Hats project. i keep forgetting to post them here, so i'm just going to go ahead and work backwards through them all, so i know they're all accounted for!

Well happy holidays!

2009-11-27T07:31:00.001-05:00

Regardless of your creed or where you are, the beginning of December signals a time for celebration. Even if it's just because the year is almost over, it seems like there is a general sense of excitement.

I am excited that we, if you can believe it, are nearing a very successful, obstacle-ridden third year of existence. Boy, that seems hard to believe!

You all are among the folks I felt thankful for yesterday, as I do every day, really. I just usually don't stuff my face after saying thanks :)

Hope you are all well. Round of hugs on me!

our star of the month!

2009-11-17T19:30:00.001-05:00

Hi Everyone,

It's time to announce our star for November, and the winner is...

sen_ichi_rei, aka the Yello Hobbit, aka Rachel :)

This lady is a great crafter who offered, of her own volition, to contribute the prizes for our November drawing. And what gorgeous give-aways she's offering!!

Thank you, Rachel. I appreciate it very much, and I know we all do too :)

Hey everyone!

2009-11-14T17:23:00.000-05:00

Well, here we are, the middle of November, and it feels like late August. I can't figure out this weather! Anyway, despite what the weather is making me think, we are heading towards the holiday season, and we are heading towards the end of 2009.

I know that 2009 is a year that many of us will not look back on with kindness, but I hope you all realize how special that makes the fact that we still were able to do so much as a group this year. You really are awesome.

Now, I do have a little goal that I'd like to toss out there just for fun. Right now our tally is at 2,429 items. Do you think we can hit 3,000 by the end of the year? It's a tall order, especially if you are doing a lot of crafting for the holidays, but let's see what we can do.

Have a great rest of the weekend! :)

Got Blankets?

2009-11-08T11:23:00.002-05:00

Hey folks,

A friend of a friend of mine is collecting blankets here in my hometown for refugees -- drive will last till 11/29.

If you're interested, let me know!

Thanks :)

Also, Sandy has volunteered to create a blog that would just be an information source. We'd like to emphasize charities that you (our membership) is involved in. For example, Sandy's Bridge Project, Robyn's 100 hats work, Ninja's Preemie drive, etc. We're thinking email addresses so that folks can contact you for your address. If you want to create an email specifically for your charity so that you aren't publishing your personal email address, that's fine.

The blog that Sandy would create would be linked to all of our communities. This also might inspire some of you to create your own blogs for your drives like our friend Amy over at Warm Up Winchester!

feedback, again, welcome and desired! :)

A change of plans

2009-11-07T12:03:00.001-05:00

Although there was not a lot of debate about having a "pet" charity for 2010, the arguments against it were extremely compelling. The best argument for having a single charity to concentrate on is Zort's point -- it gives you time to plan and work on things like outfits, etc.

The arguments against having a pet charity included the fact that a lot of people wouldn't feel able to concentrate so much just on one charity because there are so many great ones out there. Holding on to items to make one big donation might mean missing important deadlines.

I would like to try something new that I think might be the best of all of these opportunities. I'd like someone to create a single place where all of the information about charities we donate to could be found. They'll all be listed. They'll be linked to from all of our communities. I'm thinking maybe a separate blog, a single web page -- something easy but accessible. I thought that our Yahoo Groups page could help with this but I am not sure how many people go there -- and since you need to be a member it's not as accessible as I'd like.

I'm very open to suggestions as to what charities should go on this list and how this database could be made accessible to everyone. I'm also thinking that maybe some of the charities could incorporate their logos or links back to their website -- just thinking out loud here.

Please discuss! :)

Welcome, November!

2009-11-01T08:47:00.001-05:00

First things first. It's hat hat shaky shaky time!

And our winner of the October contest is....Cienna2000!

Let me know what you would like to have sent to you! Congratulations!

In other news, today is the first day you can submit entries for what you would like our pet project to be in 2010. Entries accepted till 11/15. Around that time, I'll post all of the entries as a reminder. Votes will be sent to me in lieu of public polling.

Reminder again -- just because we're going to have a single pet project does not mean you have to donate to that organization at all or a ton. In fact, if someone wants to be in charge of picking causes for each month, that is fine. The single organization will just get all of our donations at once, around the holiday time :)

Speaking of monthly causes, November is all about boys! JezebelSF told me last year that the shelter that she donates our stuff to really needs boy stuff - -apparently crafters make girl stuff a lot more often. So November is the time to get away from those pinks and purples! If you don't have Jezebel's address, please message me.

I think that's everything! Let me know if you have any questions, concerns, etc. :)

since we had no major objections

2009-10-27T18:02:00.002-05:00

I am pleased to announce that beginning November 1st, people can post the charity they would like us to focus on next year.

I know some folks noted that there are a ton of charities they like to give to -- that is perfectly awesome! I'm not going to count numbers differently or anything like that. It'll just be neat (I think) to tally at the end of the year how many items we as a group gave to a specific charity. I like gathering things :)

So! If you know of someone that runs a charity and you think they could benefit from being our pet next year have them post. Entries till November 15th (I'll cross-post so everyone sees everything). Email me your votes till Turkey Day, and the winner will be announced the first week of December!

Thanks, everybody :)

Proposed Plan for 2010

2009-10-25T20:21:00.001-05:00

Hi folks,

I'm cross-posting this everywhere so hopefully you see it and feel free to converse!

I have been thinking long and hard about Homespun Helpers and next year, and here is what I have come up with.

1) Instead of having a charity a month, I'd like to choose a single place to focus our work. Now, this does not mean you HAVE to make stuff for that charity, but Zort and other folks have pointed out, for example, that making outfits over just a month is really hard to do. If we're all working on a single goal as a group (in addition to whatever you want to do as individuals) we'll be able to really make a huge impact on that group and there will be more time to make really nifty things.

Let me reiterate - you will NOT have to make things at all or in any volume for the charity we choose. You can still do whatever you want. But for folks who want to participate, those items will all be donated at one time around the holidays next year.

If you suggest a place to donate, make sure you'll have a means to store up several months worth of stuff so it can all be given at the same time! :)

2) In order to choose the 2010 cause, I'd like to open up a contest beginning November 1st and ending November 15th. Submit your cause and explain why you'd like to be able to give that shelter, city, whatever a huge donation at this time next year. People will contact me privately to vote and I'll announce the winner.

3) Once we've announced the winner, I'll set a goal. I'd like to ask people who may not be involved in our organization to pledge to make a donation to the American Cancer Society if we hit our mark.

4) I'm thinking we'll still continue with our monthly drawing, one item, one entry.

5) We'll still have stars of the month.

6) We'll have our Summer contest that will begin around Memorial Day and end around Labor Day.

Any thoughts? Let me know!

And I'd still LOVE to have a volunteer to help me keep various sites updated -- it's just too much for me to do now! Most especially, I'd love help in keeping our Blogspot site updated and active because that is where traffic gets driven from places like Facebook and Twitter.

Lend me your thoughts, fellow countrymen (and non-countrymen!) :)

Hey eveyrbody!

2009-10-25T09:47:00.001-05:00

It sure has gotten quiet around here. Did the Summer contest kill everybody? :)

My life has certainly been tres busy. In my crafting life, I have been working on a scarf for my mom -- in lace weight alpaca. Never again. It's real soft and real pretty but just...no.

What are you working on?? Talk to me, pretty people :)

our star of the month!

2009-10-13T21:33:00.001-05:00

Well, it's just about that time again -- time to name our star of the month! And our star is.....

VIOLET!

Violet is one of the poor souls that our resident ninja recruited for gruesome crocheting shifts, and Violet has always responded well to Ninja's moral degradations :D In fact, Violet is now running her own charity drive and is making Ninja twitch! It's hard to stay involved in a community when you don't post a lot, but Violet has always been a major producer for us and has been a real stable force in our efforts to reach our goals.

So Violet, cheers to you and best of luck on your drive!

from Violet

2009-10-12T17:42:00.000-05:00

Hey folks,

Violet has been posting this as a comment over in Livejournal but I wanted to make sure everyone sees it:

!!! Attn:ALL Hookers & Knitters !!!
Knitting for Kurt Warner Foundation Drive
All help is needed and appreciated
(2ft. x 2ft. in size) baby blankets aswell as
New born size hats,mittens and botties.
All projects will be sent out to childrens hospitals
located through out Arizona.

Intrested? and need more info get in contact with
Longhorns777 or email me at rultrav@yahoo
Thank You & God Bless!
-Violet

hat hat shaky shaky!

2009-09-30T21:14:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone!

It's the last day of September, so they tell me (I can't believe it), which means it's hat hat shaky shaky time!

And our winner is...

NINJA!!!

Ninja is the lucky winner of Zort's homemade yarny goodness. So Zort, show this gal of ours what she won!

Oh yeah...and our charity for October is Pretty Bird Woman House -- a great charity that many folks here have made me aware of!

I'm putting out a challenge!

2009-09-28T20:04:00.001-05:00

Hey folks,

I'm going to be sans computer for a couple of weeks and won't have time to do stuff at work...I'm going to ask you a question.

Don't you really really really want me to have a lot to do when I get my computer back? I thought so.

So here is a challenge -- can we get to 2,500 items by October 15? We're at 2,377 now.

I think you can do it. Can ya? Punks? :D

Holy smokes! Our star of the month!! Plus other stuff.

2009-09-22T17:50:00.000-05:00

You know, I never did name our star of the month this month. I can't hardly believe it!!!

Well, our star of the month this month is...*trumpets* Soapfaerie!!!

What can we say about Soapfaerie? She has been with us for quite a long time now, even though she insisted at the beginning that "all she could do" was soap. Little did we know how amazing those soaps were!

Soapfaerie always has wonderful comments whenever someone posts something. She was a great competitor this Summer even though the Chowdaheads were the David of our David v. Goliath contest -- and she rejoiced in the other teams winning!

And of course, epitomizing the spirit of Homespun Helpers, she has now begun her own local charity as well. For all of these reasons, plus many more, you all must pay homage to this wicked cool gal for the rest of the month (and for a good chunk of October since I'm so late!) :)

In other news...something to think about for next year. I need help -- mentally, yes, but also in the growing world of Social Media, where I think our group can flourish. I'd like for someone to help me spiff up our Blogspot post -- I want to add to our "blogroll" to hopefully add to our numbers over there, I'll need help making sure we post when other people post items, and finding other content about crafting for charity would be good too. I'd also like someone to man or woman our Facebook page, our Twitter account, and our Ravelry page. I can't keep up with all of these in the way I want, and as a result, I think everything is starting to fall off a bit (note my late posting of our star!)

I'd also like some ideas on how to raise some money next year, even though we aren't a not-for-profit. All of the prizes for this year (except for the September prize which Zort is generously offering to cover) have come out of my pocket. I am happy to do it, but at the same time, a little monetary help would not make me cry :) The Penny Homespuns idea did not take off like I hoped. If you want to be in charge of prize giving and want to try to raise funds that way, that's cool. If you have an idea of something Homespun Helperish we could sell on Etsy or Cafe Press to make money, I'm all ears (I personally think Homespun Helpers t-shirts would be AWESOME). But yeah, I'd like to have more contests and more prizes to give, but my pocketbook may just rebel against me, and that would be tough to explain.

Thoughts? Reactions?

Happy Fall, everyone :)

Ripley hat

2009-09-13T16:03:00.001-05:00

Ripley back
Originally uploaded by craftyone77

another hat i've knit for Warm Woolies. blogged about on One Hundred Hats and finished a few weeks ago.

count towards the personal challenge!

Blogger as our central signpost

2009-09-11T19:46:00.000-05:00

hello Blogger folks,

I have decided to make this blog the hub for our activity. While other folks are going to continue to post to Livejournal or Ravelry like they've been doing, I'm going to mention those posts here, or link to them if I have permission.

Because this is our hub, I'd like to link to this blog's posts from our Twitter account & Facebook (perhaps Ravelry would make sense too). I need to know if anyone objects to me linking to your posts in that way -- the pictures of your items (and sometimes you) would be visible without you posting.

If that makes you uncomfortable, I totally understand. Just let me know and I will not link to your posts, I will just note that so and so posted x number of items. Speak now, or not ever :) (just kidding).

Tubey finished!

2009-09-10T21:45:00.001-05:00

Tubey finished!
Originally uploaded by craftyone77

i feel like i haven't posted a finished object in FOREVER! here's Tubey, a hat i created for the One Hundred Hats project i'm attempting. it's actually hat #4, but i'll post the other three soon!

count this one towards the personal challenge for me!

Wakey wakey!

2009-09-09T05:40:00.002-05:00

I realized I forgot to let everyone know what the charity for this month is, which is pretty silly since it's MY drive! D'oh!

So the idea for this month is making items that go together as a kind of outfit (hat/scarf/mittens, mobius/mittens/socks, etc). They will be donated to a local (to me) homeless women's shelter. And boy could they use help. Please try to have things here by October 1st (sorry for the late warning!).

As for our status, we are at 2,335 items!!!

I'll be posting soon about some ideas for next year, so be ready to put your thinking caps on :)

Have good rest of the weeks!

August winner!

2009-09-02T17:41:00.001-05:00

Lest we forget, August also had a winner for our monthly contest.

The hat shakes and...

Raquel is our winner!!!

Let me know what you would like, Raquel!

Along similar lines, CraftingforCats, Jen, DocLegs, and Leftygirl, please let me know what you would like for your prizes!

And so our Summer contest comes to a close

2009-09-01T18:31:00.000-05:00

A hearty congratulations to everyone in Homespun Helpers. I am actually close to sobbing as I tally these numbers. What an amazing group, and you all make it happen.

So, let's get down to it.

Our winners for 2009 are:

TEAM OHIO

!!!!!!!

With a stunning last push, Team Ohio finished with 549 items.

Captain Underpants, please let me know your top 4 performers as they all get $25 worth of prizes!

Some more stats you say?

From Memorial Day to (almost) Labor Day, we booked 1,429 items plus a few items that weren't tagged for the contest. Yeah.

Right now we're at 2,329 items!!!

Simply amazing. I am stunned. And you should be too!

Ticking down

2009-09-01T17:46:00.001-05:00

Okay folks...Ima go eat my dinner and when I'm back -- no more entries. And I eat pretty quick :)

September Monthly Contest - One for One

2009-09-01T15:20:00.000-05:00

For the month of September, I am going to be sponsoring the monthly contest as a repeat of last year's One for One contest.

Each person who posts a finished, handmade object for charity during the month of September will be entered into the drawing. You can only enter once (no matter how many things you make.) When you post your item which you want to be your entry, tag it with the one for one tag OR post it to the 'one for one' thread on Ravelry.

At the end of the month I will randomly select one winner from all entrants and the winner will receive a hand-dyed skein of yarn. It's 100 grams of superwash sport weight yarn and I have no idea what colours it will be yet. :-) I will post a photo when it's been dyed!

If you have any questions, please do ask!

About 24 hours left for entries

2009-08-31T16:50:00.001-05:00

And here are the standings!

Team Ohio: 433

Team Godzilla: 349

Team Arizona: 314

Team New England: 103

We're over 2000!!!!

2009-08-29T20:15:00.001-05:00

Wooot!!!

In what has been perhaps one of the most trying years of any of our lives, we are still well on track to reach 3,000 items. That is just amazing. I am so proud of you all!!!!!

2006 and counting! :)

With just a couple days left...!!

2009-08-29T08:05:00.003-05:00

Team Ohio: 336

Team Godzilla: 326

Team Arizona: 314

Team New England: 80

ETA: Entries will be counted for the last time at 7:00 PM EST on Tuesday night (September 1). My announcement of the winner will happen shortly thereafter!

It's update time!

2009-08-25T17:12:00.001-05:00

Team Ohio: 336

Team Godzilla: 326

Team Arizona: 235

Team New England: 80

We are at 1,884 items right now. Do you think we can make it to 2,000 by September 1st? Do we even want to try? :D

Love y'all.

hurricane hat - complete

2009-08-25T08:34:00.001-05:00

hurricane hat - complete
Originally uploaded by craftyone77

i made this to kick off my new big project - i'm knitting One Hundred Hats for Warm Woolies! this is the Hurricane Hat pattern (free, and wonderful!), and i've been blogging about it at onehundredhats.blogspot.com

at any rate, i'm sure there'll be lots more pictures like this to come in the future - one down, ninety-nine to go!

This and that

2009-08-24T06:17:00.001-05:00

So, even though folks said they'd be willing to participate in an individual contest, I agree with those who said following straight after a regional contest would be a bit much. I was trying to figure out a way to get it in before the holiday rush, but we'll just let that pass into next year.

One idea I did want to run by all of you, either for this year or next -- gift cards branded with Homespun Helpers, so that at the holidays or birthdays you could send a card to someone and say "An item was made by Homespun Helpers and donated in honor of you." Or something.

Any thoughts?

Have good weeks, everybody, and for those of you starting back up at school -- have a great year!

Six More Hats & A Trip to The Post Office

2009-08-22T10:50:00.003-05:00

I have six more preemie hats to add to the pile of itty-bitties. Along with 11 others (which have been accounted for), they'll be making the trip to AZ for one of HH's charity crafters.

I've been busy getting ready for my friend's wedding. I'm making 6-dozen cupcakes and a four-layer 8" choc/choc cake. The cupcakes alone aren't that much work, save for the fact that they each have to go into a small, window-having box, which needs ribbon. I've been pasting wedding ribbon onto these pasty, lifeless boxes for days, now. It's fun, though, and the bride is giving me creative freedom, so it's great, but I'm looking forward to tomorrow's delivery. For sure.

Then, it'll be back to the crafty-craft. Here's to one final push before the contest ends. Once it does, it'll be too late.

Contest update and a question

2009-08-18T17:40:00.000-05:00

Hi folks,

Here is your update. You'll be shocked at how amazing everyone has been this Summer!

Team Ohio 336

Team Godzilla 289

Team Arizona 201

Team New England 79

Now for my question.

Last year we did an individual contest as well as a regional contest. I was thinking we could do a one-month run of it this year, from the end of the regional contest to the first of October. The winner would be the person who made the most items (all items counted equally this year, so if you want to participate think small!) and they would win $25 worth of prizes and would pick our charity of focus in January.

Is this of interest to you?

help save dogs' lives

2009-08-13T19:09:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone,

Please check out this post from our livejournal community:

http://community.livejournal.com/homespunhelpers/427718.html

She needs our help urgently, so if you are an animal lover like I am, you will be inspired and will want to chip in. Let's make a difference!

A star, a new charity to think about, and an update!

2009-08-11T17:00:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone!

I don't know that I'll have this much time to sit in front of my own computer again this week, so I'm just going to dump on ya! :)

First...our star of the month. I'm a little bit early, but I just gotta.

Our star of the month is Kelli, aka Ugottafriend!

Kelli joined us around the time that HH was in the Livejournal spotlight a couple of years ago. At first, she was enthusiastic but wasn't sure how she could help us...she didn't crochet or knit. Then A Million Thanks came along, and when Kelli found out she could hand-make cards, she started exploding.

I continually thought higher and higher of all of the work Kelli was doing, and then I found out that she battles chronic illness while doing all of these amazing things. She steps beyond herself in every way imaginable, cheering us on, adding to our count, and brightening so many lives. Much like a star would.

As part of Kelli's star power, she has mentioned a charity that folks might be interested -- especially if you like to do things other than crocheting or knitting sometimes. Here is her post:...now I have taken on a few gift projects for a wonderful organization called Spirit Jump. SJ members send gifts to people who are seriously ill in an effort to lift their spirits. As someone who is chronically ill myself, I know what a blessing it is to receive a happy little something in the mail. It can be the simplest thing...a postcard...a bookmark...anything can make a difference in someone's day.
So I'm asking for your help! I am hand making cards, gift tags, and bookmarks for Spirit Jump recipients and would love to be able to include a little gift in their package. It can be a book, a piece of jewelry, a humorous plaque...the sky is the limit here guys. Please note that most of the recipients are terminally ill, some given weeks or months to live. Others are still in the midst of their battle. Women, men, and children. The gift does not have to be hand made (unless you want to...and it would be counted on HH whereas bought stuff wouldn't), and it doesn't have to cost much. The only rule is that it be something that will bring a smile in the midst of someone's suffering.
If you have something to contribute, please email me and I will give you my snail mail address.
ugottafriend4life@gmail.com
Thanks so much everyone!

And now for our contest update, which is getting steamy red hot!

Team Godzilla: 273
Team Ohio: 242
Team Arizona: 156
Team New England: 71

You all are fabulous. Have I mentioned that lately?

8 Little Hats

2009-08-10T18:27:00.002-05:00

Hello all! Here are 8 hats I crocheted over the last few days. Most are for preemie heads and some for small children. I'm sending them to a HH crafter who does work with kids.

I've been on a bit of a crafting break: I was in Ohio for a friends' wedding two weeks ago and prior to that I'd been on a reading kick.

Back to it, though, since I just placed an order with the Yarnbank.

Stay cool, all, depending on where you are. It's toasty down here in SoCal.

Yarn Bank Liquidation

2009-08-10T14:21:00.001-05:00

new to the yarn bank today
Originally uploaded by craftyone77

It’s with a very sad heart that I write this all. I’m closing the Yarn Bank as of October 1.

Over the last year or so, I’ve had such a great time collecting yarn from people’s stashes and turning it around to people to use for charity purposes. It’s been such a treat to hear about all the great charity projects that have been made, all the lives that have been touched by this venture.

And then, two months ago, I was contacted about helping someone unload several trailers full of yarn meant for charity knitters and crocheters. Thinking it would be an amazing opportunity, I signed on, not realizing the trouble I would be causing for myself.

In these two months I have talked to countless individuals who wanted nothing more than to knit and crochet for charity, and have been stymied repeatedly in getting yarn to them. I have stuck through it, knowing that eventually this yarn would end up in the hands of charity crafters who wanted to make items for those in need.

All the while, I continued to try to keep up with the yarn bank. The two were kept separate, although I was contacted about helping out with this large yarn liquidation due to the yarn bank’s modest success. I hadn’t thought any of this would be an issue whatsoever, until the last few days.

In the last few days, everything has fallen apart. I have been accused of stealing business from local yarn stores, stealing potential charity crafters from this larger yarn liquidation, discovered people have not received yarn who should have, and in general lost my stomach more than once at the demanding, selfish, and greedy nature of a large number of people.

And so I’m closing up the yarn bank. Any yarn that is sent to me between now and September 15th I’ll go ahead and list, but as of October 1 I’m shutting down shop for the foreseeable future. Any yarn left in the yarn bank will be sent to reputable charities for use by their members.

I have always been someone who believed in the good of humanity, and this two month experience has left me sad, disheartened, and closed off to the thought of doing something like this again. I will never say never, and hold onto the yarn bank account indefinitely, so that if I have a change of heart I can start things up again.

From now on, I will continue to focus on my personal charity knitting, on loving on and supporting the charity crafting community as much as possible from a distance, and participating in Homespun Helpers joyfully. If there’s anyone in the group who wants to take the reins with this project, please contact me via e-mail (rmcdevine@gmail.com) so we can discuss it.

There is still a lot of good yarn in the yarn bank, and there will be some needles, hooks and even some great vintage fabric listed between now and September 15th, so please take a look and grab what’s left – it won’t be there long!

Spirit Jump...help me brighten the day of those who are seriously ill...

2009-08-09T20:20:00.002-05:00

Hey folks, Kelli here. I usually post to HH on LiveJournal, but our fearless leader suggested that I post everywhere else as well. This is an opportunity for all, whether you know how to hand make stuff or not. :)

I personally cannot sew or knit, so I look for other ways to give. I am a starving artist and love to make cards for charities like Operation Gratitude and A Million Thanks. I've also recently made cards for Pink Heart Funds, and now I have taken on a few gift projects for a wonderful organization called Spirit Jump. SJ members send gifts to people who are seriously ill in an effort to lift their spirits. As someone who is chronically ill myself, I know what a blessing it is to receive a happy little something in the mail. It can be the simplest thing...a postcard...a bookmark...anything can make a difference in someone's day.

So I'm asking for your help! I am hand making cards, gift tags, and bookmarks for Spirit Jump recipients and would love to be able to include a little gift in their package. It can be a book, a piece of jewelry, a humorous plaque...the sky is the limit here guys. Please note that most of the recipients are terminally ill, some given weeks or months to live. Others are still in the midst of their battle. Women, men, and children. The gift does not have to be hand made (unless you want to...and it would be counted on HH whereas bought stuff wouldn't), and it doesn't have to cost much. The only rule is that it be something that will bring a smile in the midst of someone's suffering.

If you have something to contribute, please email me and I will give you my snail mail address.

ugottafriend4life@gmail.com

Thanks so much everyone!

Kelli
ugottafriend.com

1,496

2009-08-06T18:26:00.001-05:00

We're 4 items away from the big 1-5-0-0!!

Who wants to take us there?!? :)

Contest update and some new charities to think about

2009-08-04T17:42:00.002-05:00

So I'll keep you in suspense and talk about some new charities first. Cuz I'm evil like that :) A good friend of mine from waaaaay back is working as a missionary in Ghana and she passed these ideas on to me.

First: www.stringofpearlsonline.com

It seems like a similar concept to Afghans for Angels

Also, my friend has done some exploring of a children's home near where she lives. It's called The Anfaani Children's Home, and they apparently need anything and everything. Shipping would obviously be something we'd want to talk about -- maybe see if we could pool things together and ship in international flat rate boxes or something like that. But something to think about.

NOW, the contest update:

Team Godzilla: 213

Team Ohio: 192

Team Arizona: 98

Team New England: 67

Just a mere few weeks left. It could be anybody's ball game. Er...ball of yarn. Er...well. There it is.

august charity!

2009-08-02T06:46:00.002-05:00

Doclegs reminded me that I neglected to post our charity for August. Well, you can't win 'em all. Remember, if you are a member of the yahoo group, you can go to calendar and I have blurbs about each month's charity on the far right there :)

So, August.

Our charity focus for August (if you want) is the Red Scarf Project. I know it seems early to start working on something for Valentines Day, but they have been so inundated they wanted to set an earlier deadline so that they don't have to literally stop people from sending. A good problem to have!

Here is the site for more info:

http://orphan.org/index.php?id=9

ETA: SoapFairie said that the link I used takes you to the money donation page. Here is a better link she found:

http://orphan.org/index.php?id=40

A new month begins!

2009-08-01T16:15:00.001-05:00

And you thought I'd forget...heh heh heh

Okay, so it's hat shaky shaky time.

And the winner is...Snoopingmother?!? Again?!?

Clearly *someone* has put a spell on my hat, but snoopingmother, since you won so recently, I'm going to pick another name. I hope that's okay!

Shaky shaky shaky and...

Craftingforcats is the winner!

Let me know what you would like for your prize!

I am really really happy about this July contest, folks. We had the most names in the hat this time around!

Keep it up! Remember, just a little over a month left till our Summer contest ends...the monthly contest will keep going though :)

Contest update!

2009-07-28T18:11:00.001-05:00

Yep, it's that time again.

Team Godzilla: 213

Team Ohio: 192

Team Arizona: 93

Team New England: 30

It's just more and more amazing every week.

Unfortunately for you other teams, I'm cooking up something that will take Team New England to heights previously unexplored. But it's been a great run for ya! :)

Contest Updates!!

2009-07-21T18:40:00.001-05:00

Here are the standings for this week!

Team Godzilla: 204

Team Ohio: 189

Team Arizona: 93

Team New England: 20

It's tightening up even more with just a bit more than a month to go!!! :) Great job, everybody!

1 WUA, 5 Hats

2009-07-14T23:10:00.000-05:00

5 Hats and 1 WUA piece.

I've been busy working an additional job, which I love. I'm baking professionally, now, which means that I'm having fun making money, but it's an additional part-time job, so I'm working about 40-50 hours/week, which leaves little time for crafting.

I'll do my best to keep up and help Team Godzilla.

Happy Wednesday, all!

a few things to donate, finally!

2009-07-14T22:03:00.002-05:00

finally, a few things to donate! the squares go to Ghana Project, and the sweaters and hat go to my new friend Sara and an auction she's having at the end of April. So that's seventeen items for team New England!

Updates, and our star of the month!

2009-07-14T19:29:00.001-05:00

Hi there everyone,

Tomorrow is going to be busy busy so I thought I would update a day early!

First, the Summer Contest. Are you ready?

Team Godzilla is up by a hair: 180

Team Ohio (Underpants): 175

Team Arizona: 93

Team Chowdaheads: 3

Woo boy! We have about a month and a half left...it's going to be an exciting finish, I think!

And now on to our star of the month.

Our star is: SNOOPINGMOTHER!!

Snoopingmother (and her daughter Jen) joined us a little after we got into the spotlight a couple of years ago, and they both have plugged along, making some of the most beautiful items you could ever imagine. They are kind-hearted in every possible way, and if nothing else, you have to appreciate the fact that Snoopingmother got herself a Captain Underpants icon for the Summer contest :)

Congratulations Snoopingmother!!

Regional Contest Update

2009-07-07T17:18:00.001-05:00

I'm going to be doing a big move tomorrow so I thought I would post an update here in the calm before the storm. This regional contest is really quite amazing, and we're only a month into it! You should ALL be quite amazed at yourselves :) Here's where we are!

Team Godzilla: 160

Team Ohio: 142

Team Arizona: 93

Team New England: 3

Now, I don't want to alarm you other guys, but Team New England is going to get one heck of a boost over the next two weeks once my move is done. I am going to want to sit on my big round butt for a GOOD long time after all of this hubub. So be ready :)

More WUA Pieces

2009-07-05T21:04:00.002-05:00

Here are 13 more pieces for Warm Up America. Does anybody know what to do with them? I have the main office info, but it seems that they'd rather the pieces get together with other pieces to make a blanket in a community. Is anybody involved in a WUA blanket-making group? If not, I'll try to find somebody to take them. I don't think I have enough to make a full blanket.
I could make strips, like WUA suggests, and then send them off.
I'm open to suggestions since this is my first attempt at making these pieces.
Happy Sunday!

straw hat time!

2009-07-01T06:51:00.001-05:00

Okay, so, the straw hat is filled with the names of June entrants. And shakey shakey shakey...and.....the winner is: RebelFanJenny!!! RebelFanJenny has become an awesome addition over at our Ravelry group -- if you haven't checked out her work, do so now!

And now the contest update!

Team Godzilla is in the lead (for now!)

Team Godzilla: 121

Team Ohio: 100

Team Arizona: 93

Team New England: 1

Happy July, and in advance, I hope you US folks have a great Fourth!

2 for the total, 1 for team New England

2009-07-01T00:20:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone,

I feel bad that I haven't posted here in forever, since I haven't been making many items for charity, since I had/have a zillion projects on the needles. But I decided I'd crank out a hat tonight.

From Craftiness

It's probably sized for a toddler, but I'm not around kids much, so that's just a guess. It's made from handspun merino, left over from another project (though there's a lot of it left.)

Also, as an experiment, a while ago I made a pair of baby socks. It was an experiment because I double-knitted them, with one inside the other, both of them on the needles at the same time. (See here for an excellent tutorial.)

From Craftiness

I'm not sure whether or not I'd do this again. It was a fun knit, but I don't think it actually saves time. It's more something fun to knit if you want to show off your Extreme Knitting Skillz _TM. I probably should have taken pictures while it was in progress, but oh well.

The socks were done a while ago, so they can't count towards the summer contest. But the hat was done just this evening. Maybe now that I'm done with my master's and I'm unemployed, I'll be able to singlehandedly save team New England.

Not sure where to send them to; they're all made of wool, nothing is acrylic. Any suggestions?

Last day of June

2009-06-30T07:04:00.001-05:00

And a great month it's been.

Remember, today is the last day to get entered into the June drawing -- make and post one item and you're in!

The announcement of the winner will happen tomorrow along with an update on our sizzling hot Regional Summer contest!

For July, our charity focus will be Ninja's preemie drive. As some of you may know, Ninja joined our group in honor of her son, who had been a preemie, turning 10. She has been an invaluable member of our group ever since, so I can't think of anything more fun than drowning her and her favorite charity in cute hats, sweaters, booties, and mittens :)

Ninja, please email me your address so I can post it to the "files" section of the yahoo group and so people can e-mail you or me with the address -- or if you want to post it yourself, that's cool too :)

As always, you do not have to do work on this, but it's just our focus for July :)

See you tomorrow!

8 More for WUA

2009-06-27T21:37:00.001-05:00

Over the last few days, I made some more green WUA pieces.
Happy weekend to all.

In absentia

2009-06-26T14:58:00.000-05:00

Hey folksies,

I'm going to be away from the computer for most of the weekend. I'll tally when I get home but if I miss your post, please poke me to let me know :)

WUA Pieces and 1 Lonely Hat

2009-06-25T01:40:00.004-05:00

Over the past few days, I've been busy using the Spring Greens I bought from Robyn's (Rockin') Yarn Bank over on Etsy.

Here are the 14 WUA Pieces and 1 hat that I made. It might take a little more time before I tire of the 7" x 9" dimensions, so I plan to produce more. These are crocheted; maybe I'll try knitting.

Anyway, I wanted to get these counted for Team Godzilla, since it seems that there's a close race.
Go team!

Wednesday Update -- on Tuesday

2009-06-23T20:44:00.002-05:00

I know, why do I even try to set patterns? My middle of the month person can get announced anywhere from the 1st to the 30th. My Wednesday updates can come between Tuesday and Thursday. Oh well :)

So, first, as I mentioned before, we have hit the 1,000 mark. We are now at 1070 items, in fact! This is very very cool. Do you think we can get close to 2000 in the next week? That would be a lot of posting, but you all have made me pee myself in shock before (yes, it was gross).

Oh, yeah, the regional contest. So, here is where we are so far:

Team Godzilla: 97

Team Arizona: 93

Team Ohio: 56

Team New England: 0

I am so glad I announced that I would be crafting for Team New England. As you all can see, I didn't enter myself into the contest because I am so valuable for teams...*snort...chortle* No really, I will play. But I have had a need come up for two "big people" afghans -- one for friends who just got married and one for friends celebrating a special anniversary. I am desperate to get them done, not only because of the timing of these events but also because working on giant afghans in the Summer STINKS!

Just a reminder, please make sure to try to visit one of our sites that you don't often visit -- Ravelry, Livejournal, Facebook, Yahoo Groups...everyone is doing amazing work. Show your support!

And finally, don't forget to worship at our shrine for Robyn, our star of the month, who brought into our midst 2 trailers worth of yarn for charity work :)

Love and hugs to you all!!!

Blankets for Buddies

2009-06-19T20:37:00.003-05:00

I heard back from Jennifer at Blankets for Buddies. She says:

There are no size requirements for the blankets...although, I would recommend smaller blankets which would most likely be used for the cats and smaller dogs. The larger dogs might destroy them and larger blankets take up more room in the washer/dryer. The shelters and certainly the animals are not picky about materials, however, I would just suggest making the blankets as durable as possible...they are going to get dirty and will have to stand up to some major wear and tear.

I'm going to start making small blankets as per her request. I'm guessing that acrylic would be the best bet here due to durability and ease of use. Anybody have other suggestions as far as material goes?

Praise for Yarnbank

2009-06-19T20:24:00.003-05:00

I got my Spring Greens in the mail today. I'm pretty sure that Robyn's awesome because I made that purchase online a mere 72 hours ago. I'm so excited to make my WUA squares with the colors.
I'll likely also make some blankets for Blankets for Buddies with the washable, acrylic, user-friendly yarns.
Yay for yarns!
Yay for Yarnbank!

HELP ME UNLOAD SOME CHARITY YARN!!!

2009-06-18T18:55:00.000-05:00

so this is going to seem like a form letter, because it sort of is. i just didn't know the best way to get this info to as many people as possible, as fast as possible.

I’m in contact with a woman who has two semi-trailers full of yarn she wants to get to charity knitters.

Two. Trailers.

She wants to get it to the fine knitters of the world so they can make some great charity projects, and I’m hoping you all can help me.

Here’s the details:

For $20 (to cover shipping) she’ll send a FedEx box to anywhere in the United States, packed to the gills with acrylic yarn. It’ll be Red Heart, Lion Brand, etc, and is all discontinued colors. You can request worsted, sport, or baby weight, but I can’t take color requests.

If you’re outside of the US, contact me first so I can get a price estimate.

If you’re interested, send me the money to the following paypal address: rmcdevine@gmail.com

Include your shipping address, what yarn weight you’d like, and any additional information you feel we’d need to know.

Also, feel free to pass this on to any other knitters/crocheters you know who are making things for charity and could benefit from a super cheap pile of acrylic yarn. Remember, acrylic is great for hospital and nursing home donations, baby items, and Warm Up America squares!

We've broken 1,000!

2009-06-18T17:49:00.001-05:00

1,063 everybody!! Great job!!!!!!

Off to Flagstaff, kbai

2009-06-18T15:45:00.003-05:00

I'm shipping these seven hats and a few other things that I made and were tallied a few months back to The Dulaan Project.

Not much else to say. I've a few other things going and will post them when they're done.

Go Godzilla, Go!

It's Wednesday!

2009-06-17T07:04:00.001-05:00

Awwww yeah.

So regional contest first...Team Godzilla is at 83 items, and Team Ohio is at 56. If you are on Ravelry, please check out the work that GeekGirl and RebelFanJenny are posting over there for Team Godzilla. It's really amazing!

I'm sure Team New England is just thrilled that Ive become such a major contributor to the team. Don't worry...it's coming :)

And the Army of the Ninja is just threatening us with their presence. *threaten threaten*

Don't forget that our cause for this month is The Dulaan Project -- warm fuzzies of any material for anyone. I think they are collecting things July 9th? Something like that.

As for me, I am doing the unthinkable and am trying to work on 2 projects at once. I am working on an afghan, which is a wedding present. I haven't made an afghan for about 8 months...i've been making hats and mittens and socks and LITTLE things. All of a sudden, it's quite hard to get excited about an afghan. So, after doing 5 rows of the afghan, I work on something for charity, and right now, I'm trying to make a hat on a new set of circular needles.

Card from Lucy at Scott & White

2009-06-15T18:21:00.003-05:00

Today, I received a very sweet card from Lucy Matkin, the Program Coordinator at Scott & White in Temple, TX. She said the "patients undergoing treatment really appreciate the hats and...love getting homemade goodies." Yay!

Blankets for Buddies

2009-06-15T11:35:00.002-05:00

Happy Monday to us all.
Really.
So, yesterday, running errands, I came across a new (to me), local (San Dimas- 60 miles away) organization for which we can make stuff. It's called Blankets for Buddies (http://www.blankets4buddies.org/index.htm) and they distribute blankets (used or new) and towels to keep chilly shelter animals warm during the wet and chilly months. I think there's a national organization similar to this and maybe it's already on the radical resource lists that are already floating around among our crafters, but this is local and I can facilitate drop-offs/donations, if you are interested.
In addition to blankets, they also collect towels. A friend of mine collects old and worn-out towels from hospital facilities and donates the would-have-ended-up-in-the-landfill towels to shelters. It's not crafty, per-se, but it's part of the B4B program.
Is anybody interested in making blankets for these little fuzzies? I would be more than happy to facilitate drop-offs, if you want to mail things to me, here, in Cali.
I'm planning to participate. Are you?

Our star of the month!

2009-06-14T13:29:00.003-05:00

It's a day early, but I guess I kind of gave up on doing these announcements *exactly* on the 15th a long time ago :)

So, our star of the month is Robyn, aka craftyone. What can I say about Robyn? Well, sit back and get comfy. This could go on for awhile.

Robyn has always been a major force wherever Homespun Helpers has gone -- LJ, Blogger, Facebook, Ravelry -- she's always there.

Robyn continues to do wonderful things for our group even though she often encounters obstacles or frustrations -- she started the TypePad site for us, she started the Ravelry group (great idea!), and she took over and ran with the Yarn Bank idea (as evident in her last post).

Robyn and her mom have made and collected probably countless scarves at this point for women going through chemo.

And perhaps most impressive to me, Robyn kept working on charity stuff, including the Yarn Bank, while she was preparing for her wedding!

Robyn, you are an all star for sure. I worship at your feet :)

yarn bank on etsy

2009-06-14T13:24:00.000-05:00

so, i've been contemplating this for a few months, and i'm just going ahead and doing it. while some of you have been AMAZINGLY generous with donations for shipping, not everyone has. and i get that not everyone can always do it. but i need more regular help with shipping costs as i was spendng tons of my own money to send stuff to people.

so the Yarn Bank is now an etsy shop, with costs minimal to cover shipping only. i'm getting a bunch of batches of acrylic yarns listed today, that were generously donated by a friend of a friend. i'll get the bulk of the rest of the yarn bank up over the next week or so, but for now this is what we've got.

Tell me if you mind

2009-06-11T21:02:00.001-05:00

But since Team Chowdaheads only has 2 members right now, I thought I would join them to help out in the contest. If we win, of course, the other 2 folks would win the prizes :)

Let me know if anyone objects -- I can still objectively tally...I PROMISE.

Wednesday Update

2009-06-10T18:12:00.002-05:00

So far, everybody, it's Team Godzilla with 81 items and Team Ohio with 32!! This contest has a Loooooooong way to go, so anything can happen :)

The make an item to get entered into the monthly drawing...thing...is still going too, so get those hooks and needles a'crackin! :)

The scores

2009-06-03T19:54:00.001-05:00

Team Ohio: 20

Team Godzilla: 68

Team New England and Team Arizona yet to get on the board :)

June mission and other tidbits!

2009-06-03T09:14:00.001-05:00

So, it's June 3rd and we have made and donated 908 items for charity! We still have a bit of a way to go to reach 2,000 by July 1st, but I think we've totally got it nailed :)

Our charity of focus for this month is on the Dulaan Project, which apparently is still alive and well despite rumors it was going the way of the dodo bird. They accept pretty much any warm garment, and their deadline for this year is July 1. You can get all the info here:

http://www.fireprojects.org/dulaan.htm

I'll post the contest results tonight -- Team Godzilla is going to be a formidable force this year, it seems!

YO!

2009-06-01T13:17:00.001-05:00

no, I'm not just saying "yo."

I found a story today on MSNBC about a project in Elkhart that is teaching people how to knit as a way to help ease their massive tensions. I thought to myself, "Knitting...help...Homespun Helpers to the rescue!"

I have a couple of ideas in mind -- could Homespun Helpers use our yarn bank concept to help them out so the folks wouldn't have to worry about materials? Or, could we donate harder things to make, like hats, mittens, socks, to go with the scarves that a lot of the folks are working on?

I think this is a really neat opportunity for us to step up and help.

Would someone like to take a leadership role in contacting YO! about these ideas and any others you may have?

Here's the story:

http://elkhartproject.newsvine.com/_news/2009/05/31/2883069-a-novel-prescription-for-knitted-brows

and the winner is..............

2009-06-01T07:26:00.001-05:00

Okay, I shook the magical hat when I woke up this morning, and I pulled out a name...

And that name was...

SNOOPINGMOTHER!!!

Congratulations, Captain Underpants! Let me know what you would like your prize to be :)

Last day of May

2009-05-31T07:30:00.001-05:00

Hey folks, I will be pulling names out of a hat sometime tomorrow, so you have alllllll day today to post an item and get entered into our monthly contest! This is the most names we've had yet, so the competition will be stiff! :)

First week of the contest is almost over!

2009-05-28T18:35:00.002-05:00

Well, this contest is going to be one heck of a thing, I think!

Team Ohio (Captain Snoopingmother) is off to a quick start with 17 items already!

Team Godzilla (Captain Kindergoth/Ozangel) has 5 items on the board

And the other teams...well, they'll jump out, you just watch!

Also, we are at 826 items now! Woot! Great way to end the month (and it's not even *technically* over yet :)

Captains, don't forget to keep track of your team members everywhere they may be! :)

Let's Go!

2009-05-26T18:01:00.002-05:00

Let's get this party started! I moved again-- to just down the road, so I'm unpacking and organizing and all that. I'm hoping to start crocheting my hands off soon.
I hope you're all ready for the fun.
I know I am.

From Juniper!

2009-05-24T23:12:00.005-05:00

So these 9 items are from Juniper -- 2 hats & a scarf for a local school, 2 GORGEOUS afghans for Afghans for Afghans (these things are amazing, I've seen them), and 5 squares for the "Pay it forward" project over on Ravelry.

Tomorrow's the Day!!

2009-05-24T15:09:00.002-05:00

Alright folks, tomorrow is the big day -- from tomorrow until Labor Day, if you are participating in the Summer contest (you can even if you haven't signed up, just let your captain know when you post) make sure you tag your post with "regional summer contest" and your team name. Captains -- don't forget, it's your job to monitor your members and make sure they are tagging.

May the best team win, but most of all, may we all have fun!!

It's Wednesday. I post :)

2009-05-20T17:35:00.001-05:00

So, today is May 20th. We are a mere, MERE 5 days away from our Regional Summer Contest (take 2). Someone make me a good acronym for that :)

It's actually beautiful where I live for once. I think this is a good omen.

Whatcha doing?? :)

We're Shipping Out

2009-05-18T16:38:00.004-05:00

I'm shipping the box of items to The Scott & White Cancer Facility in TX tomorrow, I hope. I finished the last two hats yesterday.
While my efforts resulted in 20 items, I did not have the even ratio of 10 hats:10 scarves. It was more of a 17:3 ratio. The fact that I got there at all is an accomplishment.
And, only the two hats should count towards anything. I believe all the rest have been tallied.
I hope they help the facility to raise a heap of funds for the patients.

Doings

2009-05-18T09:03:00.003-05:00

I've been away. Away from the computer. Away from crafting. Away from HH. I've been reading for a few weeks; I was on a hiatus from the crafting world.
I don't have photos right now, but I finished two crocheted hats this weekend for the TX gift shop. Lady Bug...will you send me your address so that I can send the goodies for the TX people to you, please?
Working on inventorying my stash of yarn a bit, too, in preparation for the contest.

Our start of the month! And t-minus 7 days!

2009-05-17T20:23:00.001-05:00

Hey everybody,

I know I'm a couple days late, but it IS time to announce our star for May. And our bright and shining star is....

ZORT!!

Why is Zort our star of the month? Well, for one thing, he endures being a guy amidst a LOT of crazy chicks. For another thing, he endures being a quilter amongst a LOT of hookers and knitters! He is a strong presence in several different iterations of this community (livejournal, Yahoo, Ravelry), and he is always supportive!

And of course, he lets us see pictures of his famous model, Penguin.

So Zort! Accept your praises, my friend!

A week from tomorrow, on Memorial Day, our "regional Summer contest, take II" will get started. Remember, teams that start a real-life Homespun Helpers group (meeting and knitting/crocheting/quilting) will get 20 points, and for Team Godzilla, if you bring in ten legit members, you will get 20 points.

Captains, be ready! :)

The winning team's 4 top producers will EACH get $25 worth of prizes. Oh yes, it's on, babies. Er, well, it will be. In 8 days :)

A note about the Summer contest

2009-05-14T06:38:00.001-05:00

Hey folks,

Just a reminder that you are on your honor system when it comes to the upcoming contest -- you should only tag posts where you have made things within the dates of the contest. It's not fair to teams that have newer members to stockpile a whole bunch of almost finished stuff to boost your team, k? A lot of folks weren't part of our community back when we first started talking about this :)

On your honor!

Thanks, ever'body!