Mikknit

Last month, as many of you already know, southeastern Minnesota and southwestern Wisconsin were hit by devastating floods. In addition to the general loss of life and property, many farms were hit quite badly, losing crops, equipment, and livestock.

The Sow the Seeds Fund is working in conjunction with co-ops, farmers markets, local food retailers, restaurants, and individuals to raise money for flood relief. You can make your donations at a number of food co-ops in Minnesota and Wisconsin, plus co-ops in Michigan, Iowa, and Texas, and also at Whole Foods stores in Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, and Nebraska. You can also donate online or by mail - the information to do that is available on the Sow the Seeds page linked above.

My good friend Knittymama is running a contest to help raise money for this effort. You go and make your donation before September 29 and then let her know about it (her email is posted on the contest page), make a link on your blog back to her contest page (provided you have a blog), and you’ll have your name entered in the drawing for some great yarn! She’s got some Fleece Artist and Spunky Eclectic sock yarns, as well as some prizes for non-knitters who enter the contest. I’m throwing in some stuff to pad the prize pool as well:

Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in Dusk

And…

Isn’t it pretty? What? You’d like a closeup? Sure thing…

Nice and sparkly, isn’t it?

The handspun is from a Crazy Diamond batt I got from PippiKneeSocks - it’s wool, nylon “tinkle” (the sparkly stuff), and recycled sari silk. The skein weighs 3oz and is approximately 180 yards. It’s very soft and I’m having a hard time giving it up, but it’s for a good cause.

So go and donate generously, then go let Knittymama know that you did so. If you want to tell her how much you gave, she’s keeping track of the donations a la Knitters Without Borders. She’s hoping for $500, let’s blow past that and surprise her!