Filling the Official Box of Revenge of Dish Rag Tag.

The USPS’ Small Flat Rate Box (available for free at your local PO) ships anywhere in the US for $4.95. That price includes tracking if you use Click N Ship. It’ll cost you an extra $.75 if you ship from a store. Tracking isn’t optional.

The USPS’ Small Flat Rate Box (it has “Small Flat Rate Box” printed on it so you can be sure to pick up the right one) is about the size of an old-school VHS tape box. It can hold a finished dish cloth, a ball of cotton (you’ll have to smash it to get it in there), pattern, instructions and a small treat or two.

The USPS’ Small Flat Rate Box (like many things these days) is not made like it used to be. It’s pretty flimsy and might survive three consecutive team members, but probably not more than that. It would be a good idea to pick up a spare the next time you’re near the PO – your team’s box’s last stop might be to you. Accept no substitutes!

The USPS’ Small Flat Rate Box will keep shipping reasonable/predictable for the next team member. Priority Shipping is a requirement for the game so you may as well use a free box and everyone should have to work as hard as I did to get that yarn in there.

Dish Rag Tag for 2010 is full at 120 knitters!

If you’d like to be an alternate should any participant be unable to fulfill his or her Dish Rag Duty, please contact me by email (emily@yarnmiracle.com) to get on the list.

We’re going to try to get team assignments made by the end of the week! Watch your email and this space for additional status updates.

**Signups for 2010 are full at 120 knitters!**

It’s 6:00am central on Tuesday and Dish Rag Tag sign-ups have reached 96 participants.

We have decided to extend sign-ups to 120 participants. That means 10 teams of 12 knitters.

Now that your place in the race is secure, tell your friends there might still be room for them.

**Signups for 2010 are full at 120 knitters!**

Free! Take one!

The Short Version:
Teams of Knitters participate in a Dish Rag Knitting Relay Race that spans the 50 states.

The Longer Version:

• There will be a box (the baton) that circulates through the 10 Knitter Team.
• Each box will be packed with a finished dish rag, one ball of dish rag cotton (you know the kind I mean: the 2.5oz Sugar’n Cream, Peaches & Creme, or a similar cotton), instructions, the Official Dish Rag Tag Pattern and a small treat (stitch markers, a candy bar, one of those “what size is my needle” thingys).
• When a knitter receives the box, the knitter will report (using the DRT web application) that she or he is “it”, and empty the box – keeping the enclosed dishrag and treat.
• The knitter will then knit a new dishrag using the cotton in the box and the Official Pattern.

**Do not start knitting your dishrag until you receive the box. This is cheating and will make William Henry cry. Not to mention ruining the fun for your whole team.**

• When the dish rag is finished, it goes back in the box with a new ball of dish rag cotton, a small treat and all the instructions/patterns.
• The knitter will then send the box by Priority Mailed to an untagged team member (tracking is required!).
• The first box to make it through all a team’s members and return to the Miracle Household achieves Dish Rag Tag Glory! Prizes for the top three teams will be announced at a later date.

**The whole thing (even with priority shipping and tracking) should cost less than $10 per participant and take up a little more time than knitting a dishrag.**

The Dish Rag Tag Web Site
It’s not just where you sign up! There are forums for each team and it monitors box progress. Addresses are stored in the Relay Race Manager Application (the DRT web ap). To get the address for the next knitter, you will log in with your secure password and pick the team member you want to tag and receive the mailing address for that person and that person only. Your mailing address will be available to only me and the team member who is mailing the box to you.

Team Captains
I need Team Captains! Team Captains moderate their team’s private forum and guide their team to Dish Rag Tag Glory. Team Captains are responsible for communicating with me about their team’s status and will let me know if there are any obstacles that need hurdling. Team Captains also register their team’s name – names are fun. Team Captains will also be the first to receive their team’s box – keep that in mind when planning the race order.
There is a check box when you sign up if you want to be a Team Captain. (Assignments are made first come, first serve.)

Additional Details and Rules:

• Signups are open from now until Midnight Friday, August 20, 2010. Or until there are 100 knitters signed up. If this limit is reached (or almost reached) within 24 hours of the opening of sign-ups, I will extend the cut off to 120 knitters and we’ll have teams of 12.
• Once again, there is a $1 fee associated with registration to offset the ridiculous cost of postage. I’m sorry, but have you seen this economy? When you finish the sign-up process, there are instructions at the end. If you don’t have PayPal, don’t panic! Just email me and we will sort it out.
• Teams will be assigned a few days after sign-ups close.
• That means that there are about two weeks for teams to get organized, plan their strategy and get to know each other before the race begins. You MUST MUST MUST get in touch with your Team Captain during this time. If we don’t hear from you by Monday, August 30, 2010, you will be replaced with an Alternate. And I’ll totally keep your dollar.
• The race will begin on Friday, September 3, 2010, when I mail the boxes to team captains.
• Fed-Ex and Overnight Delivery are Prohibited. Participants must ship using the US Mail’s Priority Shipping and delivery confirmation (tracking). There is a place to enter the tracking number when you make a tag.
• Dish rags must be made using the ball of cotton in the box and the Official Pattern (also in the box).
• Teams will consist of 10 Team Members. If we end up with an uneven number, the last folks to register will be on the alternate list.
• Teams will be assigned by the Yarn Miracle Household (because geography has to be considered to keep the playing field even).
• Unless your team strategy says otherwise, you may not know that you are going to be tagged next – stay in touch with your team members in the forum to let them know if anything comes up (out of town for the weekend etc.) and you shouldn’t be tagged next. Have your ball of cotton and treat ready at all times!
• You may not start knitting your dishrag until you receive the box. This is cheating and will ruin things for your whole team.
• Included treats should remain small in both price and size. The official boxes this year are the new Small Flat Rate Box. There isn’t room for much. Try to keep this to a $10 swap (including shipping).

Prizes
There will be prizes. I can’t tell you what yet. I never can, so no one should be surprised by this. There will be prizes for the top three placing teams and additional individual prizes based on merit (even if your team is dead last, you have a chance at Personal Dish Rag Tag Glory). Fastest Turn Around and MVP are examples of Individual Merit Awards. And of course, everyone will receive a wonderful dish rag to enhance their kitchen or bathroom.

A Note to Those Outside the US
Son of Dish Rag Tag is only open to residents of the US. If you would like to run a Dish Rag Tag for your country, just let me know and Yarn Miracle will help with hosting and setting up the DRT Web Application.

Sign-ups for Revenge of Dish Rag Tag will open on Monday, August 16, 2010 at 9am central time. They will close when participant capacity is reached or at 9am on Sunday, August 22, 2010. Whichever comes sooner.

The race will begin on Friday, September 3, 2010 when I mail the starting boxes. That’s Labor Day weekend, so boxes should arrive at Team Captain doors the following Tuesday.

Specific information for this year’s race will be announced immediately prior to the opening of sign-ups. But I will address the most pressing questions now:
How many people can play this year?
It looks like the race will be limited to 100 participants (10 teams of 10) and there will be a sign-up fee of $1 to cover postage for prizes and starting boxes. If the 100 slots fill in 24 hours, I will consider expanding to 120 participants (10 teams of 12).
What size box?!
We’ll stick with the USPS Priority Mail Small Flat Rate as the Official DRT Box. Postage rates went up again this year so the Flat Rate boxes for $4.85 (online rate +free tracking) is the most affordable and predictable rate available. Affordable being the key – I want this to stay a $10 swap.

Further questions specific to Revenge of Dish Rag Tag? Ask and I’ll answer in the comments so the responses are there for everyone.

If you are new to this, you might want to review the rules and regulations posts from past races.
Dish Rag Tag and FAQ
Dish Rag Tag: the Sequel and DRTS: the FAQ
Son of Dish Rag Tag This is the most relevant.

I’ve got six weeks to invent a dishcloth pattern, knit 10 of them and think up a fundraiser.

Can it be done?