Kayleigh's Krew - Donation Incentives

Donation incentives are here!  I'm starting small and as more donations come through, I'll add more prizes.

Here's how it's going to work.  For every dollar donated, you will have one entry.  Basically, if you donate $10, you have 10 entries.

I'm starting with one prize as of right now.  More are waiting though for when more people donate!  Right now I'm offering up these two items I've made as one prize together.

First, this project bag.  The bag has a deep blue background with a teal print of paisley.  I love paisley :o).

The bag measures about 13 inches wide by 16 inches tall (13 1/2 inches from bottom to drawstring).  In the photos, the bag is holding my Sodera Socks 2 at a time on a 60 inch needle (that's 100 grams of Little Traveler yarn) plus instructions, pens, small notions holder, and a small hand lotion bottle.  There's still plenty of room left too!

The second half of this prize is these matching blue stitch markers.  This set contains 3 small markers and 1 large heart shaped marker.  These kinds of sets are great for working in the round- the one different marker shows the start of your round while the others are great for marking increase/decrease locations or side "seams".

These stitch markers will fit up to a size US 10 (6mm) comfortably and a US 10 1/2 (6.5mm) snuggly.

The Drawing
Kayleigh's Krew will be walking for March for Babies on Sunday, May 1.  Officially, the last day to donate is April 30th.  If donations are allowed to go through on May 1st I will still accept them.  I just don't want to say May 1st just in case donations close the day before the walk.  Don't wait until last minute!  Donate as soon as you can.  The more donations we receive, the more prizes I will add!

After the walk, I will be using the Random Number Generator from Random.org to pick a number.  If you'd like to see what numbers your donations are (and check out your competition!), check out the GoogleDoc.

If enough is raised to meet my goal, I will definitely be raising it!  My goal right now is $100 but I'm really hoping to raise more than that, with everyone's help of course!

To make your donation, please visit my personal fundraising page.  To read a little about Kayleigh, visit the Kayleigh's Krew homepage.  When you donate, make sure you do it though my fundraising page so you cna be entered into the donation incentive drawing.  If you donate through the team's page, it will not show up on my page and I will not be able to enter you into the drawing.  Make sure you leave an email address in your message so that I can contact you if you are a winner!  And don't forget:  all the money from the sales of the Kayleigh Preemie Hat will also be donated to March for Babies through our team!

Kayleigh's Krew - Donations? Prizes?

After posting about Kayleigh's Krew and my March of Dimes efforts, I was thinking of ways to increase donations.  I know times are tough (remember that part where I'm a sub and only work when needed?) and that people are not necessarily as able to just give for the joy of giving.  So I'm thinking of doing some donation incentives.

I was brainstorming yesterday while I was knitting and came up with some ideas.  Here's what I've got so far:

• project bags- I've been working on these so I can get my etsy shop opened asap
• stitch markers I've made
• needles I have doubles of
• yarn...who doesn't love this??
• maybe a knitting book from my stash

I'm also thinking of making some jewelry, and whoring myself out as a knitter/crocheter.  I want to include things not just for fiber arts so that any non-fiber-a-holics family and friends can join in the giveaways.

Where I'm stuck is how to determine the winners.  I can do a random number generator or each dollar is one entry (to encourage bigger donations).  Any ideas?  Especially from anyone who's done giveaways on their blogs before!  I want to have this hashed out by the end of the week so I can post, publicize and get some donations! 

If there's anything you'd like to donate as a prize, that works for me too :o)

Kayleigh's Krew

If you've been reading for a while, you may remember this post where I told everyone about Kayleigh, my friend's daughter who was born 14 weeks premature.  I'm very happy to say that Kayleigh and her mommy are doing very well these days.

A couple days ago Chelsea (mommy) invited me to join her March of Dimes team "Kayleigh's Krew."  Um, no brainer!  She's already almost halfway to her goal of $500 and I just set up my team page this morning.  I'm working to raise at least $100 for Kayleigh's Krew.  The money received from the Kayleigh Preemie Hat pattern sales will also be donated towards our goals.

I know times are tough for many, but any donation you are able to make would be much appreciated.  Little Kayleigh would likely not be here today had the money raised every year by March of Dimes not been there to help preemies.  Chelsea, Kayleigh, and all their family and friends are already so grateful for what others have donated to this organization.

Random Updates

For those who haven't heard, last night a tornado decided to come visit Park Slope.  I was not home at the time so sadly I missed its visit.  But plenty other people were to share:

Where was I at the time?  At Lion Brand Studio meeting Lily Chin :o)  Look for that post coming next week.

In other randomness, we've made some sales on the Kayleigh Preemie Hat!!  Thanks to everyone who has purchased a pattern so far.  Updates to the pattern are coming soon, including a newborn size and instructions for different yarn weights.  Also, anyone who wants to donate more than the $3 using the Paypal button on the left will also set a pattern emailed to them!  (So you don't have to do more than one transaction.)  No updates from Miss C today, though yesterday she did post a picture of Kayleigh without the vent!  Except I'm noticing Kayleigh has no hats on in these pictures...I need to get these hats finished, photo-ed and mailed out to her asap!

I have quite the busy weekend ahead of me so the Lily Chin update may take a couple days.  Anyone have anything fun planned for the weekend?

Baby Kayleigh

I haven't been giving too many knitting updates lately.  I know.

I've mostly been doing work knitting that I cannot share on here.  So my other projects have been resting.

There has been one project I've pumped out recently, though, and with a big helping hand from a Raveler.

About a month ago, I learned through Facebook that my former Assistant Teacher from the daycare was in the hospital.  Concerned, I made it a priority to check her updates.  The doctors didn't know what was wrong with her.  Then I saw the "congrats" posts further down her page.  So now I realized she's in the hospital and pregnant.

A week or so later, Miss C gives birth to precious little baby girl, Kayleigh.  And I really mean little.  Kayleigh was born 26 weeks early at only 1 pound.  Time to get my knitting butt in gear.

I had bought some yarn to make baby Autumn another blanket, but after the baby shower, Mama J said no to any more blankets.  So instead those balls of yarn go to Kayleigh.  Her blankie is made from Artyarns Cottonspring and is the Corner-to-Corner pattern from Knit Baby Blankets! (Lion Brand also has many similar patterns).

I had 4 skeins of yarn.  Perfect!  Two for increases, two for decreases.  I powered through this thing.  I mean, Kayleigh was already here.  I had to get it done!

After the second ball of yarn, I moved to the decreases.  Ah, the rows were finally getting shorter and faster.  But...wait...what the...but how?  Somehow, at about 45 stitches still on my needles, I had come to the end of my fourth and final ball of yarn.

Curse curse curse!  Panic!

I don't want to rip half a blanket's worth of knitting out.  Think think think.  Then I remembered - I had just heard one of the ladies on Here's to Ewe mention how she had run out of yarn and found someone on Ravelry who had the same yarn in their leftovers and sent it to her.  I though I'd take a chance and searched.  One other person had the colorway I needed.  She had .3 of a skein leftover from a project.  I quickly sent Borie a message offering to buy or trade for her leftovers.  She mentioned no payment but promised to send it to me. Miss C reported that Kayleigh wasn't doing so well so I really wanted to get this done for her.

Borie sent the yarn fast and it came on Friday.  Between Saturday and Sunday I got Kayleigh's blankie finished.  But I still had some yarn left from what Borie sent me.  So I crocheted her a preemie sized hat (see down below) and bib.  They may be too big for her now, but within a few weeks she may be big enough to make some use of them.

So here's a BIG thank you to Borie for being my yarn angel this past week.  It was a sweet thing she did sending me the yarn expecting nothing in return.  But I have her return address from the box so she will be getting a present in the mail soon :o)

And please keep Kayleigh in your thoughts and prayers.  Being part of a military family, her daddy cannot be with her right now or be there to give her mommy a shoulder when she needs it.

And if you'd like to help the family out, please purchase the pattern for Kayleigh's Preemie Hat or make a donation using the Paypal button.  All proceeds (what's left after the website processing fees) will be donated to the family to help pay the medical bills resulting from Kayleigh's premature birth.

Kayleigh's hat, with an Avocado model

And thank you in advance for your thoughtfulness!