The view from here

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I want you to know that whatever it is that challenges you today, or whatever ugliness you see or hear in the world around you, that whatever sadness threatens to overwhelm you and tries to convince you that the world is not a good place or that people are not at their centres just about mostly kind and decent…..  I want you to know that my inbox is so full of emails projecting decency, kindness, empathy,  affection, warmth, gentleness, concern,  selflessness, altruism, compassion, sympathy and understanding that it would just about break your heart. 

Gratuitous Wild Apples picture because it’s lovely too

With the help of Natalie (who’s such a good girl to help me) I’ve processed about 450 emails… and there are thousands more.  The total has already moved  upwards by about $50 000, and I’ll keep working on it- updating it through the weekend.  The Karmic Balancing gifts are coming too – and as soon as I’ve got enough of you added that it’s fair, I’ll start drawing for them.  A few quick answers to questions:

Yes.  If you put your donation in the comments the other day, I’ll add them to the tally, but from now on it’s easier if you make your donation to MSF/DWB and then let me know at  kwbATyarnharlotDOTca. (Change the AT and DOT to what’s obvious there.)

No. If you’ve already sent it to the comments or my regular mail PLEASE don’t re-send.  It’s too hard to keep it all straight.

No. It doesn’t work if you let me know on twitter.  Dudes, twitter moves way too fast for that.

No, if I haven’t acknowledged your email with a quick "thanks" back, then you’re not in the tally yet. You know you’re counted when me, Natalie or someone else helping writes you back.

Yes. It is a lot of work, but dudes, it’s the best sort and I love it a lot. It’s pretty good for the soul.

Yes, MSF still needs you. It’s going to be a long road, and even if there was enough money sent for Haiti (which isn’t possible, just yet) after this there will sadly be another need, and donating to the general emergency fund means that when another bad thing happens, they’ll be ready from the word go.  (Also – let’s not forget that there are about a thousand other places in need that just aren’t getting air time.  While we’re all worrying about Haiti, there are still floods, famines, wars  and malaria happening in other parts of the world, and MSF is serving those folks too.)

Yes. Doing this does cut into the knitting time, but not as much as being stuck in a natural disaster would, so I’m totally fine with it.

Yes. You’re all the best.  Knitters are seriously overachievers in this department. No doubt about it.

Yes. You can reattach a letter "M" to your MacBookPro keyboard using only  a 2.25mm knitting needle and a tutorial on youtube. (Nobody asked that, but I thought you would want to know – though after the experience I really recommend not taking off your letter "M" even if it is working funny because there is a piece of cookie under it.) That will be all.

164 thoughts on “The view from here”

  1. Thanks for the updates! I like how you did the universal geeky thing of adding “Dude” in front of the stuff you wanted to especially stand out. 🙂
    And on a more serious note, it amazes me how much we can accomplish when we need to; it also saddens me a bit that it often takes catastrophes to galvanize us.

  2. no comment — I’ve just never read a post with no comment before! Made a donation through MSF yesterday. I think. I think it worked.

  4. Thank you for not only reminding us that there is tons of love in the world, but for getting us off our duffs and involved in it too.

  5. It’s so good to hear about the generosity of knitters around the world. Thanks for doing this. The Bohus is gorgeous.

  7. EZ would be proud. My poor dpn’s tend to spend more time as cake testers than actual needles since I’ve discovered magic loop. I tried to donate last night, but didn’t realize I needed my card with me, I was at work without it. Thanks for the reminder, off to do it before I forget.

  8. You are such a wonderful person for tallying up all of the money knitters give, just so knitters and the rest of the world can see that YES! there IS something you can do to help!

  9. I’ll take some pictures of what prizes I will give as karmic balancing and email them to you – you can let me know where to send them out eventually.

  10. How do we send you stuff to give away? I’m sure I’ve got some I could share!

  12. The fact that thousands of knitters read this blog doesn’t blow me away. Well, OK, it does, kinda. I’m always amazed how many of us are out there.
    But the fact that thousands of us have responded through a single blog post – now *that* blows me away! Yes, we all know about the nightmare in Haiti from the internet, TV, radio, newspapers, etc. Yet I still find the fact that so much support is coming from this one group to be simply mind-boggling, in the very bestest sense of the word!
    Stephanie – thank you for giving us a rallying point. I had tears in my eyes from reading this post and all the donations listed after yesterday’s post.
    Go, Knitters!

  13. As a professional fundraiser for non-profits I can’t tell you how great it is to see this. Especially the part about donating to the “general fund” rather than to a specific program. The mailroom guy (or girl) in NYC who is processing all of the checks that are coming in, the secretary who is making plane reservations for doctors and nurses and the human resources person who is making sure that everyone is covered by health insurance need to have their salaries paid to make all of this run smoothly.
    The fact that you understand that and encouraged it makes my heart smile.

  15. I gave a donation yesterday. Thanks for the rec because I wasn’t really sure about where I should give. Also, I lost both (not at the same time, but eventually) SHIFT keys from my Mac Book Pro, and I so wish I had been smart enough to check out You Tube!

  16. I woke up to the news saying so many had donated to the Haiti cause that sites like Doctors without Borders had crashed. My first thought was that knitters had crashed another site.

  17. It does a heart good to know there are far more generous, kind souls out there than the destructive ones. I am proud to be counted in such a fine group as this.

  18. Thank you for doing this,
    If you had not posted about MSF needing help – I would just have sat here are wondered what I could do
    You gave me that prod to get off my butt and DO something

  19. I love your analogy about donations adding up like stitches in a sweater. I’ve added it to my Facebook page, and given you credit.

  20. Oh, I didn’t even realize there was a separate email for donations! Sorry ’bout that!
    If your 14mo yanks the “u” key off your husband’s laptop while you’re using it with her on your lap, it’s surprisingly easy to jam it back on again before he notices. Luckily.

  22. I’m on a DellM1530 and the bane of my existence is the ‘s’ key. Which sucks, as both my first and last names have an ‘s’ in them. I’ve gone through 2 keyboards. Toffee covered peanut crumbs do not go well w/ laptop keyboards.

  23. AWESOME!!!!! That applies to the overwhelmingly generous response to MSF/DWB for tha Haiti crisis and your Bohus.

  24. Wow. That total grows fast when we all work together . . .
    Thanks for keeping track for us.
    Sarah/Scienceprincess

  26. For doing all this work and spearheading this, the only word I can use is awesome. Knitters are, and you are. Thank you for helping us remember that, as Anne Frank said, people really are good at heart.

  27. The first thing I did when I logged on this morning was check your previous post, and I was so warmed to see so many generous posts. Again, knitters making a difference, and again, you’re faciliating that. Bless you.
    Utterly beautiful photo of the Bohus. It’s so fuzzy (in a good way) that I think I want to curl up and live in it.

  30. I’ve been checking once in a while yesterday and today how many comments were in yesterday’s comment section. 🙂 I knew it was growing, donations were adding up, and that we were helping. Thank you (and your assistants) for organizing all this!

  32. Hi Stephanie,
    I am the designer behind Sunflower Designs. there is a lot of excitement on the web right now about our new Lord of the Rings designs.
    All the terrific people in our KAL group on Ravelry wanted to help, so we are donating $1 for every Evenstar Mystery Shawl sign up to Knitters without Borders. So far we are up to $309. Please add that to your total. We are hoping to raise $500 by the end of next week – depends on getting the word out…
    Thank you so much for all you do for knitters and for Doctors without Borders!
    Blessings & Happy knitting always,
    Susan

  33. Thank you for all your (and your helpers’) work with the donations. It’s really heartening to know knitterly donations are pouring in. I didn’t actually find the general fund tab, but I’ll go donate again later this year. And the gratuitous wild apple photos are wonderful! Hope you have a little time to knit.

  34. my daughter’s cat bites keypads off macbooks; will have to send this one on to her! Just sent another contribution (this one to an organization my daughter likes–there are lots of good ones out there).

  35. If you keep posting gorgeous pictures of Wild Apples I’m going to have to reconsider Blue Shimmer as my favorite.

  36. I have so totally done the letter “M” thing, except it was the letter “R,” and yes, it’s not worth taking off even if there is cookie under the key. But knitting needles are wonderful things!

  37. I would just like to add that you can also reattach the shift key, but it attaches differently and you might LOSE YOUR MIND before you figure that out. Next time, keep your toddler away from the damn keyboard in the first place.

  38. I first learned about Doctors Without Borders from you and the newsletters I get from them just make me want to cry. Cry because there is so much hurt in the world. And cry because these people give and do so much. And cry because I can help just a tiny bit. But when I see what all of us together can do, it just amazes me and makes it even more real. One person can make a difference, but it really helps when their friends join in.

  39. Actually, your timing is perfect, whether anyone asked or not. I’m now off to search youtube tutorials and see if I can’t figure out how to reattach my F5 key…
    That aside, you are one amazing woman and I admire you a great deal.

  43. Donated $20 to MSF. Thank you so much for putting this out there and giving us a way to band together and help those in need. You are amazing!:-)

  44. Stephanie, Please give Natalie our sincere thanks for helping you out! You’re both the best of the best! It’s amazing the response you’ve gotten, so quickly! WE all know knitters are wonderful people – I mean, really, have you ever met a knitter you didn’t like?
    P.S. Wild Apples is also best of the best!

  45. Donating to MSF, will let you know through email, but site not behaving at the moment. Somehow I am happy the site is not responding, if it is from overuse.
    IBM T41 works with G key missing altogether because I gave up reattaching it. As it turns out the keys are needed to make it “easier” rather than “possible”. Though, I have to tell you, it makes it a bit of a challenge when there are a lot of G’s in your life!

  46. I’m encouraged by the cell phone donation….if you text HAITI to 90999 on your cellphone, then it charges your bill $10 to send to Haiti (red cross, I think). That is really really clever, and I heard that they’ve raised over $5 millionUS that way! Incredible! If you make it easy, a lot of people will help.

  47. Stephanie, you are the best.
    I know that MSF/KWB is the organization of choice here (and I have donated to it this week, thanks for the acknowledgement by the way!) but I would also like to just put in a plug for Partners in Health, which is a group that has been in Haiti for a long time providing free medical care, provided for the most part by local people based in the communities they serve. If anyone has more to give or is just interested, I highly recommend you check them out at pih.org

  49. QUESTION!
    What if I received two acknowledgment emails?? Not that I don’t appreciate the attention, but I don’t want to be unfairly counted twice!

  50. So, let me get this straight… 450 emails… ~50,000 dollars… thousands of emails to go….
    There are many designers on Ravelry and elsewhere that are donating a portion of their profits/sales to DWB… amazing generosity. I don’t have any particular links, but there are several threads on Ravelry and links to blogs with lists.
    Knitters Rock!

  52. I am so glad to know that you were successful with your MacBook Pro. Of course, I got a tiny bit (really) of brandy under there, not a cookie fragment. Still, I wasn’t brave enough to keep prying. It was all the cat’s fault–should have had her try a claw.

  55. I just want to let you know that you are such a kind person to do all of this. It makes me glad to know that there are decent people out there and it gives me hope!
    P.S. I donated to another agency but, my prayers are with you!

  58. Strangely enough it was also my m key that came off and it is EXTREMELY annoying. On New Year’s Day I managed to reattach it with a pair of tweezers and a fair amount of swearing, and then declared 2010 a good year!

  59. At least cookies can be removed and keyboard function restored. Coffee on Sun workstation keyboards? Not so much. And a really spectacular way to make a good impression on one’s first day at a new job.
    Thank you so much for helping us to help others.

  60. But do you think the letter N is safe?
    It’s at least nice to know that swimming through the flood of emails has a rewarding side to it. I personally think a thousand messages in my inbox sounds like a one way ticket on the last train to crazy-town. Good luck.

  62. I have been giving to DWB since you introduced me to them last year. And I’m proud of my fellow Ravelrians; my group on Ravelry has been having a Haitian Relief auction for the past few days, and it’s still going. Funds raised by bidding on donated yarns and other goodies go to a couple of agencies, including Doctors Without Borders. We’ve already raised over $4,000. Go, knitters! 🙂
    ://www.ravelry.com/discuss/completely-pointless-and-arbitrary-swap/961390/1-25

  63. Sent my donation to help Haiti – wish I could do more. Thanks for all you do. Best, Bonny

  64. I tried responding to the above address fixing the dot and @, but was told it was not a valid address.
    I do want you to know I sent it anyway and in case it doesn’t get to you, I donated $50 USD to DWB today. Thanks for doing this!

  65. Went through your blog to the Knitters w/o Borders site to MSF site and made a donation. Would be wonderful if the aid to those in need in Haiti and elsewhere could get there as quickly as a click on the “donate” button.

  66. Pressurized air is your friend in all matters involving stuff under your macbook pro keys. My S key prefers we do not speak of how I know this.

  67. Made my very first ever donation to Doctors Without Borders today. Because of you. Thanks for giving me the kick in the pants.

  68. There are professional fundraisers for good causes all over (I used to work for one) who will hear about your blog and its success at raising money for DWB/MSF and shake their heads in disbelief. Fund raising just doesn’t happen like this. The response is usually less than 5% I was told, and then not for this much money in such a short time. But then my boss wasn’t talking to knitters.

  69. I donated $35 just now, but I didn’t mention KWB.. should I have?? Keep up the great great work!

  73. Thanks for all the work you do on behalf of the people who cannot do it for themselves. I just donated.

  74. previous post stirred me to action. today’s post brought tears to my eyes. next week is shaping up to be a tough one. i’ll remember what you said about the world being full of good people as i face it. thanks for everything you’ve done these last few days. i’m proud to be part of it.

  75. Mine went yesterday!! And today I found I can “text” donations thru my cell phone . . . . Add $55 to the total until payday.

  76. My husband and I have been donating to DWB ever since I read about their wonderful work on your blog. Last spring I was fortunate enough to be in Cambodia and our guide mentioned DWB several times and the work they were doing to help those lovely people. It was so gratifying to see our donations in action. Thank you so much for giving us the nudge.
    We’ve also put them in our will though I’m hoping it will be a VERY long time before they collect.

  78. I made my donation the second day to MSF. What challenges me right now is my inability to see while waiting for eye surgery next week. Makes knitting just about impossible. I did promise myself I wouldn’t whine about it anymore so I wont. We are lucky to live where we live in spite of some of the issues with our medical system…ciao

  80. My husband in Haitian and I spent many years in Haiti, and I am also a knitter. Thankfully our family is O.K. but sadly that is not the case for many that we know. I just want to say thank you to all efforts, donations and positive thoughts for this beautiful country.

  81. Send $100 to DWB just now; I’m already in to them for $5/month thanks to your encouragement sometime in the past. Thanks for the tallying!

  82. I just cried a little when you said already upwards of $50,000. WOW! That’s awesome and makes me proud to be part of an awesome knitting community.
    on a side note: you can get a keyboard vacuum for the cookie detritus. And who doesn’t want a tiny vacuum for your keyboard?

  83. Like some others I started a regular donation to Medecins sans Frontiers because of discovering these pages a year ago; I am moved by the huge and immediate response from knitters! (and your jumper is lovely.)

  84. Decided to become at monthly donor. What’s 15 bucks to me? A lot to someone else…and I’m a teacher not making a fortune. Thanks for reminding me that doing the right thing really can be easy.

  85. Our homes are our place of comfort and safety to think that so many have had their’s taken away along with lives lost no hospitol no running water and the threat of disease and desperation
    doing what we can and quickly is so crucial.Thankyou Stephanie for rallying the knitters to action and for all you do.Hugs Darcy

  86. Another $50 for DWB/MSF. It’s not much, but if it will help someone that really needs it, it’s the least I can do.

  87. Yeah, Harlot! for sending up the signal. Sent in my bit. Thanks for getting us going as usual.

  89. I gave through my church instead of through here, which sort of counts. A lot of people are giving through a variety of means and the most important thing is to give. What’s most powerful are the stories of the people who are giving by being there, including the doctors and nurses who travel for MSF.
    I have no opinions about the letter M on computer keyboards. That’s beyond me.

  90. Love today’s post…so glad you opened my eyes about DWB/MSF and I was able to donate what I could. Sent my email this afternoon.
    Oh! And Presbytera (9:13pm), Yia sou! Eimai Ellinitha 🙂

  91. I also donated $35 and also forgot to indicate it was with Knitters without Borders. But, the monies go to the same place and ya’ll are doing fine on your own.
    I am quite proud to be a member of this blog.
    Again, well done Stephanie!

  92. Just wanted to check in. I also sent in what seems such a small amount in a huge need, but we do what we can. So odd to think that a little less yarn to me can mean something good in the world. Thanks for sending out the Knit Signal.

  93. We were in Cuba when the quake hit, a poor country but insanely wealthy compared to Haiti. And the first e-mail I read on returning home was from my eldest son whose mentally challenged friend was severely burnt when his kitchen caught fire. So severly that they induces a coma and flew him to the big city. He may lose a hand. I sit here typing this on a new laptop my remarkable husband gave me at Christmas having just spent a week on holiday. I cannot believe how blessed I am. A lot of people in Cuba were complaining about the weather – it was about 20 celcius most days and it was cloudy. Honestly, I almost told a couple of people to suck it up before these disasters. Now I just want to smack them. Please keep a group of plucky teenagers from Mt Sentinnel School in South Slocan in your prayers – they went to Haiti to do volunteer work and are trapped there.

  94. There is a ton of love to go around. I hope we can keep this in our minds once things drop off the news for us. It will probably be many years before Haiti is back to it’s regular level of sad poverty.

  97. Sorry I couldn’t get the email to accept the address to let you know I made a donation to MSF today 01-15-10 for $35.00 to the Emergency Relief Fund…Thanks for all you do. I love our knitting community and I feel proud to be part of it!

  98. Thanks for all you do for rallying the community! I donated $35 yesterday and am keeping Haiti in my thoughts and prayers.

  99. I pimped KWB on my writing journal. Everyone’s in awe.
    I still can’t get the stripes to match on my sock, but really? Everyone in awe of KWB is inspiring others to donate (even if for some strange reason which I’ll never understand) they don’t knit.
    Rock on.

  101. Thank you to you and Natalie! It’s gratifying to see what can be done and how quickly things add up when everyone does what they can. I want to order the Wild Apples kit, but I think Haiti needs the money more right now than I need a sweater kit for which I do not have the skills required for knitting. Maybe later.

  105. Stephanie —
    I wanted to let you know about Craft Hope, which is selling items that have been generously donated by the crafting community on Etsy.com, with all proceeds going to Doctors Without Borders in Haiti. If you, or The Blog are interested in shopping, the website is http://www.etsy.com/shop/crafthope OR for those interested in donating items to be sold, please go to http://crafthope.com/2010/01/craft-hope-for-haiti/.
    Thank you for all that you do.
    katie

  106. I’ve always thought that about people too. I think most of us want to think of ourselves as good, kind, and compassionate human beings. I know I sure want to!
    Wow! That’s going to be one beautiful sweater!!

  108. Gave $50. The email addy you gave above bounced back, so posting here. Thanks for making this happen.

  111. Steph,
    For future reference, turning the keyboard upside down and giving it a little shake removes the most amazing things (including a penny). Also, you should get a can of compressed air and blow the air, crumbs, skin cells and other accumulated gunk out of the keyboard every once in a while.
    Otoh, my husband has an old, IBM keyboard and he takes it all apart and puts it in the dishwasher every once in a while. No soap, tho. My youngest son reports that a #8 US bamboo knitting needle makes a dandy replacement for a lost space bar. (I didn’t ask).
    Every night on the news, while the reporters are saying “HORROR HORROR” I see plane after plane landing, full of people to help and food and water…and I know there are good people all over the world.

  112. I was unable to connect to the KWB site, but I wanted to tell you I sent a $100 to MSF yesterday. Thank you for providing the inspiration.

  114. Donation for $100 made, update your totals!! And thank you for the reminder to do this, I had good intentions, but negative follow-through until I read the post, THANK YOU!!!

  118. Donated $100 to DWB directly. Thanks for getting me forward moving. And, thanks for the Blog. I’m sure it isn’t always easy to write but I look for it each day to give me a lift. Thanks so much for all you give us out here….

  120. I just read that Sandra Bullock — who’s known as a knitter — just gave $1 million dollars to MSF! Hmm….I wonder if she reads this blog so knows that MSF is the charity of choice for so many of us thanks to your efforts, Stephanie?

  122. …or remove any other key (of course, maybe not eating cookies over the keyboard would solve the issue?)
    Love your Bohus colorway even better than the other. See that it will be a sea of grey stockinette stitch that you will be knitting through in February…
    And, yes, people (and especially crafters) respond well to an appeal to their better natures. It’s just a shame that we cannot eliminate the need to do so on behalf of man-made issues.

  123. My eye doctor, Dr Gary Fish, was in Haiti on a medical mission performing eye surgeries and was injured when their clinic collapsed during the earthquake. One of his co-workers passed away yesterday from her injuries while being flown out of the country for treatment. I think everyone else in the group has now made it home and I hope Dr Fish is home soon. He’s no longer in Haiti (he was on the flight with his co-worker), but not back in Dallas yet either.
    Thanks for spear-heading the funds drive. It sounds like Haiti is going to need help for a long time to come.

  126. I have a weaving question…I got a loom for christmas and have been playing around with cotton and acrylic yarns. In part because my sons (age 9 and 13)are weaving, too and it is good to practice with the cheap stuff. But, if you weave with crap you get crap. Do you know what type of yarn you used from Webs? Weaving yarn has numbers like 10/2. I like the scarf you made, what can I look up online at Webs to find something similar?

  127. I have been donating to DWB here and there, thinking of signing up as a field partner (donating monthly) for forever. I finally got my butt in gear today. So that will be $15 a month from me (until I can afford do increase it).
    Love and peace.

  128. I donated $20 to the Red Cross the other day, but emergency donations will only go so far. While I think it’s great that every one is opening their hearts (and their wallets) at this time, I fear what the sudden influx of foreign aid dollars will do in a country as corrupt as Haiti. I wonder if the waves of foreign personnel and blue helmets will help or hurt the country’s stability in the long run. And I’m concerned that the poorest country in the western hemisphere will be forgotten in six months.
    Every penny helps in this troubled time. (I firmly believe everyone who can should donate. The knit signal was definitely warranted and is being seen everywhere, even on Ravelry’s Pattern page where designers have come together to donate a portion of the proceeds from their design sales.) Perhaps my concerns are unfounded, but I can’t help but wonder if this outpouring of goodwill will truly benefit the Haitians in the long run, or if it will only go to line the pockets of corrupt officials, drug lords, and the like. I hope and pray the Haitian people are able to protect themselves from the vultures that will inevitably follow in the wake of their hardship. And if they aren’t, I hope the organizations who are holding out a helping hand now are there in the future to offer friendship and assistance (and whatever protection is warranted).

  129. my dog once knocked the keys off my macbook, was such a pain to get them back on!!! I have not gotten an email yet so I imagine loads of others have not either and the total is going to get really high!! YAY!!!

  130. We just made a donation. Thank you for suggesting Doctors Without Borders. The donation was made as a family donation from all of us in honor of my birthday.

  132. At this time of grave need in Haiti, I’ve found myself wishing I were a doctor or a nurse or had a rescue canine. Life never led me there. I CAN say with pride that I’m a knitter. What a community we belong to.

  133. My first MAC (an Apple 3C? or 2C?) actually *came with* a special tool for taking off the keycaps. (I’ve been around computers ever since DIN switches (don’t ask)). The keycaps just pressed back on.

  134. Does this mean that even my donation from back in May has yet to added to the tally (I never got a response for that email, I just figured you were busy)?
    I hope you’re not overdoing yourself too much at the moment, I know the knitter’s movement to do what they can for others is phenomenal.

  135. I’m a Canadian knitter who has lived in the UK for 20+years. I love your blog and went to London to see you a few years ago but have never posted a comment before. I had to now to support your MSF appeal and to let you know I’ve sent $150 (Canadian of course). We can all do a bit and as every knitter knows, a little bit at a time makes a whole.

  138. As I read thru the comments someone said that the donations had to be directed to Hati to get the government match (up here in Canada) this is contrary to what I was told by DWB rep on phone yesterday. I hope that is correct as I wanted to know I was having my contribution doubled and yes Virginia you can phone these people to donate on a toll free # in Canada 1-800-982-7903 or if you’re in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) 416-964-0619 (some of us are still phobic about using credit cards online)
    I didn’t say my donation was to DWB on my e-mail as I figured that was obvious.
    Re the lots of Susans comment on Twitter I took a head count back in the early 70″s and figured out that I knew something like 15 or 17 Susans considering I’ve only met a couple since then I came to the conclusion that a lot of them must have moved on to their second name as there were so many of them about. Must have been a wildly popular name in the 50’s and 60’s (wonder why?). Glad to know they’re out there knitting and donating.
    I will sport my KWB pin with pride, way to go Knitters

  139. I just sent in my email but I want to post my challenge here:
    I’m in NYC for a week for a singing competition and to visit friends – and I hope to see a Broadway show. I’ve pledged to match dollar-for-dollar the money I spend on myself this WEEK with a donation to KWB/TSF and another to Haitian relief efforts – and I’m challenging everyone to do the same on my Facebook page! I have no secure internet connection here so my total will be donated on my return, January 22. But it will be a whopper! Pick a day or the weekend or more and don’t hold back!
    Keep up the good work!
    XO – Ramona (aka -MezzoDiva the Operatic Knitaholic; formerly of Hibiscus for Hope & Campanula for the Cure)

  140. I’ve been swamped with work for the last six months and both my knitting and reading of blogs, even this my favorite one, have suffered.
    But, I knew with certainty that when I found a few minutes to get here I would find you raising money for Haiti through DWB. I’m off to donate $100 — we spent time with our children discussing what we could do without to help. And, my mother in law, in search of a charity she could rely on, has donated to DWB as well, pretty good for a non-knitter 🙂
    Thank you Stephanie.

  141. 166,000??? That’s amazing!!! To the person concerned about corruption: Possibly some money will go to corrupt individuals, but I think that concern can be somewhat allayed by donating to places like MSF. They are nongovernmental, they’ve been in the area, and they are pretty solidly known for good use of the money they get. It;s money going directly to medical care.
    This entire event will be destabilizing for the country. Possibly aid will be destabilizing, but the idea is to give to the internationally known charities that provide services as opposed to giving money to the Haitian government (sort of like giving money to specific national charities in New Orleans as opposed to giving it to the New Orleans government, which is incredibly corrupt). And without aid to those charities that provide services, 1000s more will die.

  143. I looked at the tally this morning and was moved to tears that you have raised over $166,000 in less than one week.
    Please add my donation of $100 to your tally.
    It will go do Doctors Without Borders in NY.
    My daughter says she will be matching my donation with money from babysitting, but she will email you herself.
    Sue

  145. I’m still checking my finances to see what I can donate. I will do so and soon (and to the general fund). I think I can give up drip coffee for a few days a week, and donate the cost along.

  147. Are you working backway or where you a bit behind? I send my annual kwb donation on the 28th of december and I believe I did not receive the “you are added to the tally email”. Not that it is that important, but if you are working onward, you are not even in the haway donations! You have some work to do still!
    (and maybe it would be great if some informatician would take a couple of hours to build you a counting machine for the kwb donations?!)
    Thank you for the time and energy. XOs from Switzerland.

  148. I donated the first day you had the link in your blog – just didn’t let you know. Thanks for making it so easy – can’t believe that Haiti has had so much misery for so long, so many reasons. I can only hope that out of this crisis, they can emerge stronger, with the world’s efforts focused on them.

  151. Just saw the new total – unbelievable. Also unbelievable that you are taking so much time to count them. Only wish I could do something help!

  154. Steph, is there a button function on your blog to alert subscribers when you have a new post? I ask because my little blog does have one, and it’s a helpful thing.
    Thank you for all Haiti efforts. What a job….
    Nancy

  155. Hi! Thank you for all your hard work, and your dedication to the cause. Also, a thanks to all your helpers. I read in the local newspaper that the Haitians need food, and shelter, and potable water, and rescue efforts have not ceased. Donating to KWB gives relief workers the ability to obtain food and water and shelter by eliminating the need for a massive coordination of services- cash can purchase as required, so that there is no need to call this entity, so that they can call another, so that a third can find a willing driver, if a truck or plane for transport can be found, although those efforts are equally worthwhile.
    So, while money is nice, if any knitters have an extra hand knit sweater, or an extra blanket, and they can coordinate with a driver and a truck after a collection effort, it will help, too… remember, if each person does a little, the cumulative is massive.

  157. Gave $25.00 to Docs w/o Borders. Tried to do the e-mail thing, but it wouldn’t (or I couldn’t) work. No need to respond, just add my measly cont. to the total for KWB. K

  160. Knowing when I sent my e-mail (and what that means about where you are in the tallying process)… I have a feeling that “total” number is going to be changing a lot.
    The amount of work ya’ll are doing to tally all of this is flabergasting to me.
    Go Knitters!

  161. I keep coming back just to check the total. What an amazing thing you are doing.
    As a complete aside, my younger daughter broke her elbow yesterday and we spent a great deal of time (hours) in the emergency room. We were treated in a hallway across from one of those curtained cubicles where a little boy was having some really horrible stomach complaint and screaming, screaming, screaming. His parents spoke only Spanish and the hospital had an interpreter coming in and a LOT of medical staff–poor little guy was really, seriously sick. I was thinking about how scared those poor parents must have been and how grateful I am to live in a country with accessible health-care. (It’s a broken system but it is, well, a SYSTEM.) I’m also very grateful that an organization like MSF is willing to take health-care and nurturing to the people who need it and who don’t have that kind of system, broken or not.

  162. Keep up the good work, fiberistas! I’ve pledged to donate an equal amount to what I spend on myself this week in NYC. I’m looking forward to making one doozy of a donation on Friday (when I get home to a secure connection).

  164. I know this isn’t the best place to ask, but I wanted to check up and I’m not sure where else to direct a question (don’t want to muck up the total by emailing twice. I donated to DWB and emailed you about it back on Dec 29 – so actually before the Haiti earthquake, but it make have gotten lost in the holidays.
    Just wanted to make sure it got counted!

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