July Specials

July 1 - wow, the year is half over. So for my July specials I thought I would just do a giveaway here celebrating the 4th of July and my state books. Not onl do I still have my special deal for the state books going on, but I'm also running specials on several other things.

So let's kick off the holiday with a giveaway - Pop over to my other blog and tell me the color of my newest color for the afghans and you will be entered to win a red, white, blue crocheted kindle/nook or tablet sleeve. All you have to do is leave a comment here with the name of the newest addition to my collection of yarn colors and you are entered. That's it, simple, easy as pie, no purchase necessary.



I'm also doing a special for my red, white and blue afghan drawing, which will take place in December, with all the tickets being $1 each and with the purchase of 25, 50, 75, et cetera (in batches of 25), you will receive 5 extra tickets for the drawing (30/$25, 60/$50, 90/$75). Just paypal me at eeldering@gmail.com and place your order. This deal is only good for this week, so hurry and get your chances.

The last special is my Christmas in July special. During the month of July you can order an afghan/tablet or kindle/nook sleeve/bookworm combo for only $60 plus shipping and tax (total $70). Colors completed are the Bonbon print and Melonberry with the Primary being 5/6ths of the way finished (lacks 1 skein) and Aspen started (1 skein in) with Marrakesh and Woodsy with enough yarn to complete those and Monet and the newest color needing to get yarn and completed. For any of the afghans not completed or started, I do need a 3-week lead time to complete the afghan. This special is good for the whole month of July.

Happy 4th of July, happy specials and hope you all stay cool - Mrs. E :)

Pictures of afghan for drawing

(this is a small section of the afghan)


I know, Finally! lol. I had been asking my daughter to take pictures of the afghan for well over a month, since I completed it and she kept putting it off. So after asking her to take the pictures and getting no response and since I've been working on my "curl up with a good book" afghan samples and needed pictures of them as well, I took the bull by the horns and went out to the van and started taking pictures of the red, white, and blue granny square afghan as well as the mini sample afghans of the colors I'm working with. But this posting is only about pictures of the afghan for the drawing. Remember this is an ongoing, yearly event. You can purchase chances for the drawing on the JGDS website under the calendar of events tab. Each chance is only $1.50, with 5 chances for $6, 10 for $12 and 25 for $25 (best deal - you get chances for $1.00 each). Chances can be made through Thanksgiving, with the drawing occurring on December 1 and the afghan being mailed out on or around December 7 (payday unless it is a weekend, then the Friday before or Monday after). You also earn a chance for each book purchased including my YA paranormal mystery, Finally Home. Chances are not available for ebook purchases of my 99 cent stories.

(this is draped across the middle seats in the van and hangs over a little bit on each side, so you can see it is a very large afghan; this is folded in half longways)

(another small section view of the afghan)

It's very difficult to get the whole thing in when it is such a large piece. I've completed the afghan for the 2013 drawing and have an idea for the 2015 drawing, because I've started the 2014 afghan and will work on that once I've built a cache of afghans to sell at events. If you are interested in those afghans, they can be found on the JGDS website under the gifts tab. For the most part, they match the bookworms. I've added some that are solid color samples so they don't have matching bookworms since I've been doing varigated colored bookworms. These are still my best selling item at events. Stop over to the website and see what all has been added. See you all in the postings - Ma America :)

Finis!

For those of you who don't speak French - that means finished. The afghan is done - all bordered up and ready for pictures. Unfortunately, daughter is in classes today so I'll have to wait until she gets home or when I get home from a meeting tonight for pictures to be taken and posted.

If someone else had made this afghan and was selling chances, I'd so be buying what I could afford. It is gorgeous. You can purchase your chances here or here - both under the events page. Chances are only $1.50 each or 5 for $6, 10 for $12 and 25 for $25 - the more you buy, the better chance you have of winning. Chances are on sale at live, in-person events as well and will be sold through the end of November with the drawing on December 1 and afghan sent out around the 7th of December. Tell your friends. Tell everyone you know. Thanks for your support - Ma America & the JGDS - :)

Afghan update (should be last one)

For all intents and purposes, the red/white/blue afghan is completed save the border. I have four rows (two white and two blue) left to do but each row is taking me upwards of 2 hours to complete since I'm double crocheting in every stitch around the squares (on the open granny squares, two double crochets go into the spaces and then a double crochet everywhere else; the corners get one double crochet, a chain and a second double crochet (closing up the holes a bit)). I've got the tickets, receipt books and everything but pictures of the afghan ready to go. My next posting on the afghan will be the finished project's pictures. As large as it has turned out, I'm trying to figure out the best way to take pictures to get full view of the afghan's size and pattern (the alternating open/solid squares and the red/white/blue alternating colors), so once all that is figured out, then pictures will be posted.

I've decided that in addition to purchasing chances for the afghan that for every book purchase either through the website or in-person, the purchaser will receive one chance with additional chances available for purchase. You can find the link to purchase chances on both websites, the JGDS one and Ms. Elysabeth's other writing site under the events link.

Good luck to everyone who enters to win the afghan. See you all in the postings - Mrs. E & the JGDS :)

Afghan update

I've had all the squares for the rows sewn together for a whlie now and had two rows sewn together and another two row section started; well, this evening I got those two rows together. I have one more section of two rows to sew together and then to put the sections together. Add a border of red, white and blue all around and then it will be completed. I'm ready to post pictures of the completed afghan but am afraid it won't look good doing the whole thing - but I'll see what I can do to get some pictures posted here soon.

Don't forget this is a raffle - one chance = $1.50; ten chances = $12 and with any state book purchase you get a chance. If you need to find the pay buttons for the chances, you can find them on the events pages of either the JGDS website or on Ms. Elysabeth's website. Drawing to be held December 1 with afghan mailed out around December 7th.

Good luck to all who enter - Ma America :)

Afghan drawing is now a raffle

While sewing the rest of the third row of granny squares together, I decided that since I've had no sales so far on any of the state books and no sales really to speak of on any of the other titles I have available, I decided to do a raffle for the afghan this year. This is a pretty large afghan and I hope before the end of Wednesday to have all the rows together so I can post pictures of each row and then the completed afghan. As soon as I have the afghan completed with a border and all, I will put a raffle option button on both websites - the JGDS website and Elysabeth's other writing site. Raffle tickets will be $1.50 each or 10 for $12. Drawing will still be December 1 as I'll be selling raffle tickets at all my events for the drawing. Afghan will be sent out about the 7th of December. Good luck to you all. Ma America - E :)

Granny Square afghan update

Decision to only do one drawing a year has been made. Even if I have other afghans started and/or completed. I will store them for display for the year of the drawing.

I'm at the putting together stage on the granny square afghan. Two rows are completely sewn together with the third started and 1/3 complete. This afghan is going to be a lot larger than I anticipated but I hope it will attract some sales along the way.

I'm in search of a large ziplock storage bag. I know either Ziplock brand used to make them or one of the other brands did at one time, but I'm not finding them in the storage bag/container aisles at the grocery store. If anyone knows where I might find these large ziplock type bags (I remember seeing them advertised on TV years ago), please send me an email at eeldering (at) gmail (dot) com and let me know. I did, however, find Ziplock brand 2-1/2 gallon sized baggies, but after getting just two rows sewn together, I don't think the 2-1/2 gallon sized will be large enough to hold the afghan. I do think that it will be large enough to hold the round ripple as I don't expect to go much past 15 or whatever my yarn will last through rounds on that one. These 2-1/2 gallon bags may also be just right for the Alternating V Shell stitch I'll do for the 2014 drawing.

I'll post pictures of the completed rows and the complted afghan as soon as they are together - Ma America :)

54 squares

I've crocheted the last granny square for the afghan and now am in the process of putting them together. I have all my rows fixed so it's a matter of sewing them together. The first row is sewn together alreayd and 9 squares long is pretty big - I was amazed. When holding the row, it stretches exactly the length of my arms spread out straight to my sides; I know when measuring material my mother told me eons ago that usually a yard is from my outstretched arm to the tip of my nose with my head turned to the opposite side - 36 inches plus between 25 and 30 inches (I've not done the exact measurements) the dimension of the row (It's probably close to 55 inches long and will be about 40 or so inches on the short side.

I will try to take and post pictures of the individual rows as they are completed and then when the whole thing is finished. See you in the postings - Ma America

2012 Afghan drawing

I've got all but five squares completed for the granny square afghan and even started a second red, white, blue one in the "round ripple" pattern. Once I get the squares completely put together I'll finish the round ripple one. Daughter thinks I should have two drawings this year but I'm still not seeing sales so probably will save the round ripple for next year and I've got a third pattern (will need to collect yarn over this year) to do for 2014. If I decide to do two drawings this year, I will let you all know. Mostly this will depend on how sales go and from the looks of it, there will only be one drawing a year. If I have an overwhelming response at my in-person events, I will change my mind.

So here are the pics of the squares. I've started sewing some together so I won't be totally overwhelmed by that task (the most time consuming part of it). No pictures of the sewn together pieces yet but these are the squares.

Enjoy. There will be pictures of the finished afghan later. - Ma America :)

Giveaway 2012

I decided this weekend that my afghan was a pretty good deal so I'm at it again; this year's afghan will be a different design (not the mile-a-minute style, probably granny squares checkerboarded pattern). To be entered for the drawing, any purchase of any of the state books made at any event, in person, ordered directly from me via email or any purchase made online with receipt emailed to me as proof of purchase (eeldering (at) gmail (dot) com without the spaces and the correct symbols with Proof of Purchase in the subject line), will be put in the drawing. Last year from May through December, I had 20 entries. I'd like to see at least 50 or more entries this year. This will be open through the 1st of December with afghan mailed out around the 7th of December as last year. I will post pictures as soon as I have enough squares made up and done in a pattern that I'm satisfied with. Good luck to all who enter. Ma America :)

UPDATE 01/10/2012: I was sitting here trying to figure out how to make my granny squares look different than the normal open granny squares I'm used to doing. So I went on a search for granny square variations. I found an easy "solid" pattern that looks really cool and so I've made up one of the solid squares and have two of the open ones made up and now have my pattern. When I get at least one row done, which will have the sketched out pattern and figure out how to connect the squares (funny thing is the open square has 25 stitches from corner to corner and the solid only has 21 stitches - so that's 4 stitches on each connected side per square I have to figure out how to compensate for even though the squares have turned out to be the exact same size measurement wise). My pattern will be this: 1st row = R(o)W(s)B(o)R(s)W(o)B(s); 2nd row = W(s)B(o)R(s)W(o)B(s)R(o); 3rd row = B(o)R(s)W(o)B(s)R(o)W(s); 4th = colors same as 1st with alternating squares same as 2nd; 5th row = same as colors on 2nd row and alternating squares same as 1st; 6th row = colors same as 3rd with alternating squares same as 2nd (o = open square, s = solid square, r = red, w = white, b = blue). This is going to look pretty cool and I'll take some pictures of the squares as I accumulate them. Each square is 6 x 6, and I will have 9 squares on the long side and 6 squares down on the short side, so 54 x 36 (connections may add something but it may only be minimal). I really can't wait to get more squares done in each of the colors now and start putting them together - lol. Ma America

UPDATE: 01/13/2012 - One row of granny squares is completed (pictures to follow shortly); and racing thoughts about afghans. I decided last night to make this an annual giveaway but would like varying afghan patterns every year. I will also try to get a collection of the varigated red, white and blue yarn (see my bookworms under the gifts page on my website) and do some in varigated, some in the solid red, white and blue colors. As soon as I have this year's completed, I'll start on next year's. Don't forget any purchase of any state book available puts your name in the drawing for the afghan. Ma America - :)