Congratulations, John Niegowski of Flint, MI - YOU are the winner of the polished Aluminum yarn bowl!  Yes, it's true - thanks to your generosity and a little bit of luck (and the help of random.org to select the number) YOU, my friend, are the winner of the highly sought after polished aluminum yarn bowl!!! 

I appreciate everyone's donations more than I can say - in total I received 21 donations totaling $174.92 as a result of this contest!!!  - that money goes right to AIDS Project Los Angeles and they'll use it to provide essential care and services to those affected by HIV/AIDS!

Tomorrow, I'll be running 7 miles (a recovery run from last week's 14) and I can't wait to tell my fellow runners how generous all my friends in the knitting community were with this contest!  THANK YOU to everyone who participated and took time out of their holiday schedule to play along.  I plan to hold future contests to continue raising money for APLA and in hopes of reaching my fundraising goal of $5,000.00!

Happy Holidays, everyone!

I have the second set of gorgeous yarn bowls available for sale - I will be posting them tonight on my ETSY shop - there are a limited number of dark gold or violet yarn bowls available!  Here are the two colors available:

If you're interested or know of anyone who might be, please send them a link to my blog or etsy shop and have them buy right away - these are sure to sell out this week!

Because these bowls are made of cast aluminum (they won't break!) I had lots of requests for a polished aluminum bowl just like the first prototype.  You asked, I responded:

The only way get this ONE polished aluminum yarn bowl is to enter my raffle!  Remember, I'm training with the National AIDS Marathon Training Program?  Well, I'm still looking for tax deductible donations.  This bowl is your online raffle prize!  Here's how to win:

1. Visit my donation page - http://apla.convio.net/goto/kylewilliam

2. Make a tax deductible donation in any amount ending in $___.26 - with a minimum donation of $5.26 (Five Dollars, Twenty-Six Cents) - The donation site requires a minimum of $5, and I am adding $.26 in honor of the 26.2 miles I'll be running and also so I can easily find the entries.  YOU ARE WELCOME TO ENTER MORE THAN ONCE - SEPARATE ENTRIES THAT MEET THIS RULE ARE EQUALLY COUNTED!!!

3. PLEASE Share a link to the site on your blog or facebook or by email to friends, your knitting group; anyone you think might be interested.  Posting a comment on this blog entry helps get folks excited as well!

I will pick a WINNER on December 26, 2009 with the random number generator and make a post announcing who it is once they are contacted.  I will pack and ship this bowl at my expense to you - and you will be the only person to have a bowl like this.  The only limitation I can only ship the bowl to a U.S.A. street address.

Email me with any questions - and remember that your donations are tax deductible - the money you give benefits AIDS Project Los Angeles and helps me reach my fundraising goal while I train for the Los Angeles Marathon!!!

Thank You!

 

Holy cow.  It's December.  Cold outside.  Near the end of the semester in school... frighteningly close to the holidays and I am not ready!

Don't get me wrong... I love the holidays - but this year, with finances being tight and the somber mood of our country, for some reason, I'm just not "into" it... we might or might not put up a tree... we will probably light the candles for Hanukkuh... but much more than that will be a feat -

Last weekend was the Winter Arts Festival at Pierce College.  It was the first time I showed my knitting... the first time that I sold any.  And I was amazed that I sold quite a few scarves... a shawl, even a felted bag!  I was asked to sell my knitting in a local shop, and to do another charity show in April.  I didn't commit to anything - as you probably know, my life is busy with wonderful things.

Including the training for the Los Angeles Marathon.  This past Sunday, I ran 12 miles! - I am amazed that I am doing this... that I have the ability to somehow wake myself up and crawl into my car - to drive to the training site and run every Sunday morning!  It's not easy.

Of course, I am still raising money for AIDS Project Los Angeles.  I appreciate every dollar that is donated.  Currently, I have been able to raise $2581.00 with a goal of $5,000.00 - if you're interested in donating (even $5 would be a big help!) please click this LINK - and give.  It's tax deductible and feels amazing.

I'm finishing up a number of ceramic pieces soon and will post about those once they're ready.  I am also about to release the second wave of cast metal yarn bowls - the first set sold QUICKLY and I am thankful for every purchase made.  If you know someone interested, please remind them to keep an eye on my etsy shop.

That's it for now - sorry, no photos, no amazing news - just some notes and a hug to each of you!