Before I share the name I drew, I want to thank everyone who commented. I'll admit to being pleased with having more responses than usual; but more than anything, I appreciate the attempts to lighten my mood. If it was in my power (well, budget, really), I'd send every one of you something. Since I can't do that at the moment, please accept my heart-felt thanks! I like giving away things, so just entering - whether you shared a funny with me or not - helped me feel better. I'll be doing this again!

The winner of the Merry Kitschmas book and the two skeins of Regia sock yarn is (drumroll): gwensmom!

Please send me a PM or email with your mailing addy.
 
Happy Friday!

Details
Any person who comments on this blog (any post) through Friday afternoon will be entered in a drawing for the book pictured above and two skeins of sock yarn: (Drawing has been held & the winner announced.)

Should I have mentioned the yarn first?

Schachenmayr nomotta Regia Silk Color
Fingering / 4 ply (14 wpi)
Bonus: Make me smile (not easy today) with your comment and I'll add your name in twice.

Edit: if you're new here, LJ doesn't have any validation features, so any non-LJ comment is screened until I can verify that it's a real person. I will need to get in touch with you if you win, so a link back to your blog if you have one will be great. Otherwise, you'll need to watch for an announcement Friday afternoon.

Note: If you win and are not a knitter and don't have one to give this pretty stuff to, I will come up with another prize. So don't let that get in your way. I need some cheering up.

I regret that I can only mail within the US.

Not with Bloglines. Just with "stuff." There are several packages I've been meaning to send for the better part of a year. Both charity-related, but putting them off this long is not cool. Plus, the contents have been mocking me whenever I see them.

Today, I finally put together two boxes: One for the Ruth Ellis Center, containing five hand-knit washcloths, each wrapped around a bar of soap from Lush (Snowcake), popped into a clear treat bag and tied with a ribbon. lilfish   sent me three very well-made washcloths last May or June (told you it had been a long time). I had five bars of soap (went a little nuts w/ their after-Christmas gift box sale), so I made five little packages. I hope they come in handy.

Also many months ago, I put together little accessory kits for Interim House, to go along with the washcloth tags* I made for them. You can see the pieces here, although I neglected to photograph the assembled kits before I packaged them up, er, this morning. This has been nagging the back of my mind for ages, and it feels great to get it done. In this box: 11 or 12 accessory kits, containing a darning needle, scissors, tape measure and stitch marker, as well as 2 dozen washcloth tags. I have more for them, but this is a good start. On the subject of Interim House, they were recently featured in an online Knitting magazine, Black Purl.

I do plan on hosting another contest for them this summer, but need to come up with some good prizes. If you want to send stuff now, without knowing what the prizes are, you can still be included in the drawing (if you send me an email with pictures after you mail). Details from the last contest are here. The ladies are still very into felted bags. Postcards from your state plus a little note are very much appreciated.

Mini Contest
Finally, to celebrate my return to blogging, I'm risking another drawing. I'll send a padded envelope full of random crafty goodness to someone who replies to this post by Tuesday afternoon. In the comment, leave a color, name a craft (or 3) that you're into, and a couple of favorite TV shows. If there is one comment, well then that person automatically wins. My buddy Cate thanks you for the two drawings she won this way. Oh, and lilfish  ? That contest that you won way back when (for the felted bowl)? The bowl is felting right this minute. Bet you thought I forgot all about it! (For this week's contest, I promise to mail by mid-May.)  Note: the drawing is closed. You can still comment, but you won't win anything.


*Every new resident at IH who joins the knitting/crochet class makes a washcloth as her first project. Long ago, I put together a few little kits with a pattern leaflet, yarn and needles and attached a little tag. Last I heard, they had continued the practice, so I thought I'd make up some more tags. Of course, it's been so long that they might have changed how they're doing things now.

This started out as one brief topic, but turned into something else entirely. Nothing here is pointed at anyone that is in my life now, whether they read this blog or I read theirs. It's just a topic that took on a life of its own. I'll deal with the other topic later.

When I first heard about blogs, it was from a friend explaining that they'd found a mutual acquaintance's public "live journal" online and it was deeply personal, very dramatic, and kind of creepy. While I was pretty active online (forums, BBs, etc.), I'd never heard of such a thing. Why on earth, I wondered, would someone put their diary online? I know, to each his/her own. (Although...I really don't get the hate-filled stream-of-consciousness PUBLIC entries, people ripping on their friends (soon to be former friends, I'd imagine), insisting that it's their space and they can do whatever they want. Well, sure. You can smear crap all over your bedroom walls, too.) Obviously, I came around. But mostly to talk about cats, then faire, then knitting, etc.

I partially subscribe to the "this is my blog, and I'll say/do what I want" theory, but only to a small degree. It's a lot like Stephanie, The Yarn Harlot says: it's as if I threw a party/open house and invited anyone to drop by. Technically, I guess, if it were my home, I could do whatever I wanted to my guests, but decent hosts behave in a certain way. I wouldn't throw rotten fruit at guests in my home, so I don't fill my posts with the written equivalent of rotten fruit: No screaming, profanity-laden tirades against people who might actually read this, no nasty pictures or indelicate stories, etc. If I think something is sensitive and could upset people, I put it behind a cut or filter it for a narrower group of friends. I'm a Libertarian, non-church-going Christian, who likes zombie movies and has a really weird sense of humor. Since I have friends that are devout Christians, Catholics, lay-nuns, pagans, Wiccans, Republicans, Democrats, etc. I try to be considerate. Although, if you don't like the knitting, there's not a lot I can do for you. ;-)

On the flip side, there is something to be said about being a good guest. I used to crave a wider readership (read: popularity), but more and more, I'm becoming quite content with the small circle of you that come and check in. I've read some horror stories from the "popular" bloggers about nasty emails they get from readers, people who don't know how to behave in someone else's home. My favorites are the morons who email the Canadian, English, Australian, etc. bloggers and try to correct their spelling. ("It's color, not colour.") Yikes! I think I can safely say that if most of you lived near by, I'd have you over for coffee. (I have to say "most" because I don't know everyone.) I'm just thrilled to have gotten to know so many cool people via this forum that used to confuse me. So, while popularity eludes me, I know in my gut that this is probably a very good thing!!

I do have issues with people coming into my virtual home, though, and dictating to me. I really wouldn't put up with it my house - I might not ask the person to leave (right away), but they for sure would never be invited back - so I'm not inclined to deal that well with it here. It's only happened a couple of times, and not at all recently. That's the sliver of the "it's my blog, and if you don't like it..." that I agree with. Otherwise, I try to imagine that I'm talking to friends when I write. It's a for-real open house, so anyone can drop by, and I hope they find something of interest.

On really rare occasions, in my real-life home, I've had people display some pretty spectacularly bad behavior. Nothing like some of the stories John has told me about guests he had at his old place,* but still not good. When I was in college, my mother begged me to invite one of her students (my age) to spend the night. Long story, but the short version is that my mom asked me to pretend to be her friend and invite her to spend the night, then fill her in on some girl talk, because she seemed to not know anything at all about hygiene, especially related to her period, and Mom was forbidden to say anything. I, on the other hand, couldn't get into trouble. I knew it my gut that my mom meant well, but that it was a bad idea. That was confirmed when I caught my "guest" reading my diary.

I've never kept a written diary since. Instead, after years without any record, I started putting out a filtered version on the internet for the world to see. Yeah, I don't get it either. Except that it is a filtered version. Even more so by the fact that LJ allows these cool filters, so you can display entries to narrower audiences. (Why my personal journal will probably always be here -- I might start a craft blog elsewhere.)

So, what's the point? I don't know! I couldn't even think of a title. It was a tangent that got started by another thought. Basically, I'm glad I'm here, and I'm glad you're here, and I'm glad we all know how to behave. If this means it's a small circle, so be it, if it keeps out the kooks. :-)

Oh, and if you got to the end... please comment and tell me a story about a guest behaving badly. If there is more than one, I'll have a drawing for a felted bowl. Or, I'll have John pick the winner. We did that with the bad Valentine's Day contest a couple of years ago.

*This is one of those horriffic scenes that only happens to other people (in my case, it's true - I didn't even know John when this happened). John used to have standing movie night every week (something I want to start up in our new house, but without this kind of drama). A bunch of people were invited, and then attended on the nights they were free. As it happens, friends of friends ended up coming too. I don't think the person who pulled this stunt was an actual friend (I could be wrong, but he wasn't one for long if that was the case): This guy came in, and soon after the movie started, disappeared. Where was he? Taking a shower. Later, he exited the bathroom wrapped in a towel and plopped down to continue watching the movie, while informing John that he was having an outbreak** and John might want to use bleach when he washed the towel.

Either this same guy or another one (can't keep 'em straight) used to strip naked in any home, then insist that it was the other people's problem if they were too uptight to deal with his nudity.

**Herpes. John threw the towel away, and the guy was never welcome in his home again. If you think it was because of the herpes, then you missed a crucial lesson at some point about taking uninvited showers in someone else's home when you have a communicable disease.

I was supposed to draw the name on Monday, but it's been a strange week!

finniscs is the winner! You should be able to see my email address in my LJ profile, so you can send me your mailing addy. Congrats!!

E2a: finniscs wins a custom tote!

And thanks to the rest of you that commented. Six is a lot for me!

morgaine723 wins the Crafty Fun Friday contest. A ball of red & white twine will soon be on its way to her!

It was an easy win, because she was the only entrant (although I'm thrilled to pieces that a) someone entered, and b) that it was she who won). Can't win if you don't play!

Since you were the only one who chimed in and said you wanted a garland kit, there is no need to draw names: you win! Watch the mail...

Way back on August 8, I drew Stacie's name for the Interim House Contest I held in honor of my 41st birthday. Part of the prize package was a custom needle case, and I had some real issues getting that part of the package done (everything else was ready to go). Well, I finally got it out of here a few weeks ago, and Stacie got it and posted about it last week. If you click on her name, you can see pics of the goodies I sent.

Just after noon, I wrote all the names on index cards, including the 2 referral extras, folded them in half and mixed them up in a box. Coworker D drew the winner's name just a few minutes ago. The winner is (drumroll please)....

Stacie!

Because I can, I'm going to send a little consolation/thank you prize to the two women without whom Stacie couldn't have won. Cate referred Kaylee, who referred Stacie. That should be rewarded! Plus, everyone is getting the bath scrubbie pattern.

Stacie, please send me your mailing address. I think I have everyone else's. I'll send you a link to my fabric collection so you can pick out the material for your travel needle case. IH will send your sweatshirt directly to you. Give me a week or so to get all my stuff together, okay?

Thank you all for helping out Interim House, and for making my birthday extra special.

Click the image for more info.

Prize updates here

Below is a list of all the people I've received emails from. If you sent a package to IH and are not on the list, please contact me ASAP!

Jennifer
Cate* (x2 - 1 mail, 1 referral)
Kaylee (x2 - 1 mail, 1 referral)
Pam H
Connie
Stacie
Heather
Gael

*Go, Cate! Her referral, Kaylee, referred someone else! How nifty!!

August 8* is just a little over a week away. Just reminding you.

*IH Contest deadline (& my birthday)

Speaking of my birthday... I went to visit my brother & his family this AM. On the piano in their front room was the coolest tote bag I think I've ever seen. I commented on it, and my niece spilled the beans: it's for ME. My SIL made it and has been stuffing it with fun goodies for me.

And it's looking like my dad won't be in the hospital this time. Wow. (ETA: There is nothing like bad Chinese take-out in a hospital cafeteria to make a birthday special! That was 2 years ago. Last year, I think he was home, but figured since he'd given me $ the week before he didn't need to call ON my birthday.)

Part of me wants to throw a party, but there aren't that many local people who still speak to me. And, you know, I'm tired. But some kind of celebration will happen. Oh, yes. And margaritas will be consumed, at least by me.

If you're a non-knitter who is participating, and you win the drawing, you'll have the option of picking out the non-knitting items you want from the prize package, and I'll come up with some other non-knitting goodies for you (then have a second-place drawing for the knitting goodies that are left).

Add to the prize list: a (new) green Chibi (I have a green one and an orange one and adore them both), and an Interim House sweatshirt!

I'm thinking that I need to make 1 page that I update regularly instead of making a bunch of posts. I'll think about that. In the meantime, you can always check out the IH_contest tag!

This brings the "total" so far to: light-up knitting needles, ice tray, custom travel needle case, green chibi and sweatshirt. And there is still plenty of time!

Please continue to spread the word, and remember to put a postcard in your package with a note about you and your knitting!

I'm adding to the list. The big package will also include a custom-made travel needle case like the one pictured a couple of posts down (I'm too tired to post a link, sorry!). The winner will pick at least the exterior fabric out of my eclectic stash (I'll buy a coordinating piece if one doesn't exist in the collection) and I'll make the needle case just for her.

I'll probably also do at least 2d and 3d prizes, of at least a set of stitch markers. There is lots of time to think and work on that.

A. I heard back from Kathy at Interim House. She had this to say about the postcards:

"I love the idea of the postcard. Each person could tell us about what they like to knit, what is their specialty, what it is like where they live."

So definitely, please think about adding a local postcard to your package.

B. We already have a sponsor! While shopping with my SIL today, we came across a display of light up knitting needles! These things are SO cool!!! I immediately snatched a pair of size 8's for the contest. That meant I couldn't buy a pair for myself, but I figured I could always go back. SIL theorized that that was stupid - they wouldn't BE there later (I guess they're pretty fast-moving and hard to find?). Instead, she took the pair I had intended for the contest and said she'd buy them, IF I bought a pair for myself. So, great big thanks to my SIL, Tracey (usually referred to as just "T"), for her generous contribution.

C. I picked up a silly addition to the prize package during my first trip to IKEA. An ice tray - but the indentations are in the shape of bottles.

In honor of my upcoming birthday*, just a touch over a month from now, I'm launching a new "contest" to help out Interim House. Details about IH are included in the first contest post. Details about this contest follow.

It's simple! Between now and noon (ET) on August 8th, send a package to Interim House, then send me an email telling me that you sent a package, and a general idea of what you sent (and who referred you, if that's the case (you can't refer yourself)). My (spam-proofed) email ends with @gmail.com and starts with crazycatladymel (just switch the order and pop 'em together). We did this in the late winter, and the ladies at IH loved seeing mail come in from all over the country. To add some extra oomph! to your package, you could include a postcard from your state/area. ETA: Kathy from IH loves this idea! So please, definitely consider it. More in this post.

New this time: Please, please, please spread the word! Don't think of it as lowering your chances of winning. If you're meant to win, you will! And how's this? If someone enters and says you referred them (and you entered too), I'll put your name into the basket twice. Feel free to grab the button (you can even use my bandwidth) and link to this post**. I'll do up to 4 referral points per person, so you could have up to five chances to win. Of course, you need to enter yourself for this to work! Absolutely EVERYONE qualifies, no matter where you live or if you won last time.

Sometime on the 8th, I'll put all the names into a basket (including the referral dups) and draw at least one. I can't guarantee a repeat of last time (everyone got something), but there will be at least one cool prize that I'll be working on between now and then. Ask anyone - I "give great package" (that vaguely suggestive description courtesy of my upstanding SIL, T).

They're always happy to get partial balls of yarn, and feel free to include them; however, for this contest, if sending yarn please consider sending complete skeins***. An assortment of accessories and tools would also qualify. Essentially, everyone is on their honor.

A great idea that more than one person did last time was to put a kit together, with everything needed for a project: yarn, needles and pattern. Most of the women that come into the program start out as beginners, but some of them progress really quickly, so they can use virtually any kind of project (cotton washcloths, felted bags, lace shawls). If you're a thrifter, keep an eye out for yarn or needles. If you're a sale-watcher, watch for clearance items like tape measures or yarn. If you're a knitter/crocheter, then you KNOW what to get (anything!).

Send stuff to:
Kathy Duffy, Social Worker
Interim House Inc.
333 W. Upsal St.
Philadelphia PA 19119

ETA: You can keep track of updates via this link, or looking for "IH_Contest" in the tag list on my side bar. I'll post about developments, update about prizes, etc.

*August 8. #41. And it's okay to send me a b-day present too ;-)

**You can take this string of code and paste it in your LJ or blog (thanks to naiad_kitty for reminding me about basic HTML):
<p align="center"><a href="http://crazycatladymel.livejournal.com/269166.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://home.comcast.net/~crazycatladymel/IH_contest_button.gif"></a></p>

***Please do not send ratty or stinky old yarn. It's totally fine to send on a style of yarn that you have in your stash but don't care to knit with (e.g. fun fur or acrylic for yarn snobs), but not cool to send crap that no one should have to knit with. (This was NOT a problem last time. I'm just trying to cover all the potential bases.)

A few days back, I offered up a surprise goody for a commenter chosen from a particular post. All a person had to do was comment, explaining why they thought they should get mail. Apparantly, most people aren't looking to get stuff in the mail. But 2 readers did reply with reasons, and will BOTH get a surprise.

Lynne simply said that she deserved mail because she was nice (see how easy it was?). And I agree. Jen is in the process of moving, and is being tormented by both post offices - home town and new town. She needs some mail to test out the new set up. Lynne's the actual winner, but I would mail Jen something anyway, so she wins too.

Congrats, Lynne & Jen! I'll be putting together a guaranteed fun goody bag for each of you and mailing it next payday!