Charity Raffle - Lots of Nice Yarn and More!

Team Knitsburgh is raising money with an amazing raffle full of yarny goodness. Not to mention things like hand-turned wooden knitting needles and embroidered project bags! All the money raised goes to the Muscular Dystrophy Association to fund research. Research costs $87/minute, and as a team, we’d like to raise the money for 12 minutes. That's over $1000, so we really need your help! To learn more about Muscular Dystrophy, and how research is changing the lives of children and adults, visit the MDA’s website.

Here’s how the raffle works. For every three dollars you donate, you get one chance in the raffle. If you donate $15, you get 6 chances. So, if you donate $21, you get 8 chances. If you’re feeling generous, and you donate $30, you get 12 tickets. Get the idea? Once you’ve donated, PM me with your real name, how much you’ve donated, and which item or items you’d like a chance to win. If you don’t specify an item, I get to choose the item for you. If you have any questions, post them below or PM me and I'll answer them.

The raffle runs from today (4/3) through 4/17. To donate, click the 'Donate Now' button on our https://www.joinmda.org/pittsburghstridenride2010/TeamKnittsburgh". One last thing before you start looking -- none of us has a lot of extra cash (if we did, we'd be donating it to MDA!), so if you win, we'll be asking you to pay the postage. Items will be sent Priority Mail in the US, and whichever way is safest and still cost-effective for overseas.

Here are the items:


1 – Cascade Yarns Bollicine, 11 balls (957 yards) Color S20 Lot 839 Retail value $112.75 Only 4 balls pictured
Donated by Glory-Ous Knits


2 – Cascade Yarns Bollicine, 7 balls (609 yards) Color S90 Lot 839 and Inox Circular Needle, 29 inches, size 13 US Retail value of yarn $71.55
Yarn donated by Glory-Ous Knits
Needle donated by Puckerbrush Farm


3 – Crystal Palace Deco Ribbon, 6 balls (480 yards) and Threes Triangular Shawl Pattern
Yarn donated by Glory-Ous Knits


4 – Noro Lily Multi (354 yards) Retail value 36.75
Yarn donated by Glory-Ous Knits


5 – Autographed book, ‘Knitting Wool Diaper Covers From Start To Finish’ by Maggie Broderick, Retail value $25
Donated by Burgh Baby Gear


6 – Book, ‘Fiber and Fabric Mania, A Travel Guide’ by Michele Merin Retail value $15
Donated by Michele


7 – Hand-turned Purplewood Needles, Size 7, with pouch Retail value $20
Donated by Dunn Spun Yarns


8 – Handspun Angora Yarn dyed with coffee (68 yards) and Embroidered Bag Retail value $61
Yarn donated by McMahon Fiber and Rabbitry
Embroidered Bag donated by Susan’s Fiber Shop


9 – Kollage Fingerless Glove Kit with Milk Yarn Retail value $25
Glove Kit Donated by Carol's Needleworks


10 – Sock Pattern with [Araucania Ranco](/yarns/library/araucania-ranco-multy) sock yarn (376 yards) and [Lang Jawoll Aktion sock yarn](/yarns/library/lang-jawoll-color-aktion) Retail value $34
Sock Pattern donated by A B-Ewe-Tiful Design

Something Special Last Weekend

I was at the Spring Nationals in York, PA last weekend. The awards for the year were given at a dinner on Friday night, and wonderful things happened! First, my partner's boy Basilisk took the Panda/Mutt/Blaze Ferret of the Year award for the second year in a row. Also, her boy Jitterbug took the Point Ferret of the Year, which my boy Strider took last year.

But before that, there was the very special thing that happened.

I'm going to take a minute here to tell a story -- those of you who know the Mongo story can skip the next two paragraphs! {grin}

Mongo was a beautiful hob that I got from another breeder about 6 years ago. One of the conditions of getting him was that I would finish him -- that is, show him until he got his Gold level championship. When I got him, he had less than 1000 points to go. We took him to three shows that year, and by the time we needed to get ready for the Winter Nationals, he only needed 87 points to finish. He also needed his distemper vaccine. So in mid-November, 2004, I sent him off to the clinic with my partner. He'd never had a reaction, so I was expecting him home in a few hours. That time, he had a severe anaphylactic reaction, and even though he had oxygen and anything else he needed, and she fought to keep him alive for three hours, he died on the way home.

It has always bothered me that I didn't get to keep my promise to finish him.

Last weekend, for the first time, the AFA recognized ferrets that died with less than 100 points needed for a Gold championship by presenting Honorary Gold certificates. Two were given. One of them was Mongo's.

I cried halfway through the Ferret of the Year awards, and I'm crying again as I type this.

Thanks to everyone who had a hand in this -- I don't think you have any idea how much it means!