I’ve been working on the treats for the Team Captain Boxes.

22 teams = 22 Team Captains.
4 coasters per team captain = 88 coasters.
1 top block per coaster + 1 back block per coaster = 176 squares.
4 tiny blocks per coaster = 352 tiny squares.
1 absorbent middle per coaster = 88 absorbent squares.
I cut out 616 squares.

88 coasters waiting for the final seam and flip.

That’s also 528 seams (6 per coaster) and a lot of ironing.

And some cat hair completely free of charge.

Sorry about that.

The tutorial for these coasters can be found here!

There is also $124 from pattern sales and a very generous donation (thank you, Lisa – I can’t find your email address anywhere) for prizes! Remember, all the proceeds from pattern sales until September 30 will be used for Dish Rag Tag!

Can you even believe it? I’ve got the Bake Sale patterns ready and waiting for purchase on Ravelry! The money raised from the sales of these two patterns between now and September 30, 2009 will be used to purchase prizes for the First, Second and Third Place teams*!

First up, the $1 pattern: Take the Toddlers Bowling

Finished Pins are 13″ tall. Buy it now on Ravelry.

What every toddler, workplace and living room needs: a functional softie bowling set! The pins stand alone with the help of jar lids in their bases. The bowling ball is stuffed with a mix of polyester stuffing and fabric scraps (I used a t-shirt) to give it the perfect weight. I used Caron’s Simply Soft Eco for an ecologically friendly and cheap toy (the yarn has recycled water bottles in it). Want a jumbo sized bowling set? Try a bulky yarn! And then send me pictures ’cause I’d LOVE to see that.

This pattern has not been test knit, but hey, it’s $1! If you find any errors, please let me know so that I can correct the pattern for future knitters.

The $5 pattern was kindly test knit by Alabama’s own Darlene! I owe her a whopping favor – look how beautifully the Ballband Socks came out:

It’s an homage to a Classic. Buy it now on Ravelry.

I used Ruby Sapphire’s Panda Sock (60% Superwash Merino, 30% Bamboo, 10% Cotton) for this pattern. It’s such a generous skein (430 yards) that a good, tall cuff is a real possibility for even a lengthy foot. Not to mention that it is just a really great yarn.

If you are a non-Raveler and want to purchase patterns, try these (I will email a PDF to you within 24 hours):

If you don’t want to use PayPal, or a credit card thought PayPal, or have issues printing PDFs, email me (yarnmiracle@gmail.com), and we’ll work something out using the traditional postal system.

Dish Rag Tag is fast approaching! Grab a pattern! Grab a button!

They’re free!

Go ahead and link to http://dishragtag.yarnmiracle.com – I have it on good authority that the “2008 full” message will change to “2009 pending” any day now. Maybe any minute. Michael has to do that, I’m doing good to get my Ravelry “buy now” buttons in the sidebar during nap time.

And I almost forgot! For Up to the Minute DRT information, follow DishRagTag on Twitter!

*In the event that a Ridiculous Amount of money is raised (if DRT has taught me anything, it is that I should be prepared for everything), the leftovers will be donated to my local Humane Society so that fostered animals can continue to find good homes.

This year (2009), there will be 22 Teams of Ten Knitters. This means that a total of 220 knitters will be able to participate. We will also need 22 Team Captains to lead these teams to Dish Rag Tag Glory.

Signups will open Saturday, August 1, 2009.
Signups will close Friday, August 7, 2009 or when 220 people have registered.
Teams will be assigned some time between August 9 and 12. Which means that there will be approximately two weeks to get organized before the race begins on August 28.

Major Changes for 2009 include:

• A $1 “Registration Fee” to offset the postage on 22 Priority Mail boxes and to weed out the folks who sign up and then are never heard from again.
• 220 Total participants divided into teams of 10.
• There will be an Official Dish Rag pattern again this year. The pattern will be available as a PDF to everyone after the race is complete.
• This year’s Official Box is the new Small Flat Rate box from the USPS. It’s about the size of a VCR tape (if any of you remember what those are), and will fit one ball of cotton, a dishrag and a small treat perfectly. It ships for $4.80 to anywhere in the US and is easily replaced should it suffer cruelly at the hands of our postal workers.

For more information (and a more detailed explanation of the race if you haven’t played before), please view the Rules and Regulations from last year’s race. Last year’s FAQ post is here. There will be an updated Rules and Regulations post closer to the opening of sign-ups for Son of Dish Rag Tag.