I decided to take the Handmade Pledge for my part of Dish Rag Tag: the Sequel long before I announced the start date. The prizes are a cavalcade of handmade!

To start, I contracted with my Mom (who should really have an etsy shop, I hope all this sewing will inspire her) to make prizes for the top three teams. Members of the team that places Third in the Dish Rag Tag Final Standings will receive:

A project bag! (It is Dish Rag Size! And sock size!)

Then, to dress it up a bit, I got in touch with Dragonlady Designs and had her create stitch markers for the top two teams. Members of the team that places Second in the Dish Rag Tag Final Standings will receive:

A project bag and a set of lemon drop stitch markers!

Then, because I can’t stand it when every one else has all the crafty fun (and if I ordered them, they wouldn’t match – you know how I like it when things match), I set about making a little something for the top team. Members of the team that places First in the Dish Rag Tag Final Standings will receive:

A project bag, a set of sour cherry stitch markers and a matching tape measure (each topped with a different button from Great Gran’s box)!

Note: If a team with a Manly Knitter on board (we have more than a few) should happen to score one of the top spots, I have a more masculine project bag as a substitute for the floral ones.

I made a whole new forum for the Dish Rag Tag Superlatives and started topics for each one. Superlative entries should be posted in the appropriate forum. At the end of the race, the team captains will help me pick the top 5 entries and we will have an open vote (which means that non-participating folks can vote) to pick the winner. Winners will receive a button for their blogs, a certificate to print and a permanent entry in the Dish Rag Tag Hall of Fame*.

I also added a forum for the Individual Merit Awards and created two topics there to make it even easier to submit Hard Luck Stories and nominate people for Mr/Miss/Mrs Congeniality. Email submissions are still happily accepted and all official rules, restrictions and dates still apply.

There is one more Individual Merit Award in the works because it was too good an idea to pass up and there is a prize for it! But that is a post all by itself I think. Oh the suspense!

*I am not sure what this is, I just thought of it this morning. Dish Rag Tag is nothing if not Ever Evolving.