Cracking the Oyster

It's been almost two weeks since Team Cupcake Mafia cracked the Merrell Denver Oyster and I still smile when I think about how much fun we had. It was a gorgeous blue skies Colorado day and Mary, Tali and I were all ready to race.



I saw more new to me places in Denver in the 6 hours and 30 minutes it took us to complete the course than I've seen in the almost 3 years I lived here. What a great way to see the city! We covered more than 30 miles on foot and on our bikes.

Our day included an early morning kidnapping, searching for public art, making guacamole at Chipotle (sounds easy - try doing it zip tied to 2 other people!), visiting the Pepsi Center, riding an absolutely insane ride (note to self: look at the NAME of the ride before deciding to ride it...if the name includes Chaos, keep on walking) at Elitch Gardens, kicking some goals at DU, eating cupcakes, riding scooters and playing beer pong. And we climbed a lot of stairs. A LOT. Phew. But I would do it again in a heartbeat.





I love this next photo...it was taken by the race photographer right after we had overtaken another team in our division. The intense competitiveness really came out. The thing I love most about the photo is that we're all looking in the completely wrong direction of what we were supposed to be looking for. We did find it shortly after the photo was taken.



Our support team Phil, Joe and Monica were incredible. They made sure we had everything we needed throughout the race and they were key to helping us figure out where we needed to go. They also set up our awesome transition area.



We ended up in 4th place in our division, which makes me incredibly proud. We certainly weren't the fastest team out on the course, but we worked so well together and enjoyed every step of the way. Next year we'll be aiming for a podium finish!

And we also raised a lot of money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Team Cupcake Mafia's grand total was $2605. Wow. We were recognized as one of the top fundraising teams and I was also recognized as one of the top individual fundraisers. The total money raised will make the wishes of three very deserving kids come true. I hope those kids have as much fun with their wish as we did at the Oyster. Thanks to everyone who helped us make this happen!

I can't wait until next year!

You can also read Tali's recap of the race on her blog.

Do you want to be a part of the Cupcake Mafia? We have some extras of our team tank tops and one could be yours for $30 (includes shipping). The shirts are a bamboo blend so they are super soft and they are great for the gym.

The front of the shirt:


The back, which lists the names of some of our awesome donors. And the ball of yarn and needles represents all of the knitters who made donations!



We have 1 small, 1 medium, 3 Large and 1 XL. If you're interested in purchasing a shirt, send me an email at lynnazimmermanATmacDOTcom.

Purl and Ashford request a moment of your time

But first, a message from me. I left the house for a bike ride about two hours ago and came home to find that we've gone over $2,000 raised for the Make-A-Wish Foundation! Thank you to everyone who has donated!

And now I'll introduce the girls. For those of you who are new to my blog, Purl and Ashford are my three year old "kittens" who are my constant companions. Throughout this fundraising effort, they have been my support team, making sure my lap is warm while I spin the handspun prizes, inspecting the packages as the amazing prizes my friends have donated arrive at my house and celebrating with me as each donation comes in.

They wanted to say a few words. Ladies...

Hello Friends,

Three years ago, our wish came true when our mom adopted us in Oklahoma from the shelter. We have lots of warm places to sleep, more sparkle balls than you can imagine, yummy treats and an older sister who we absolutely adore. We know how awesome it is to have a wish come true.

We are so excited to have been a part of raising more than $2,000 that will help even more wishes come true. Thank you to everyone who has donated! If you haven't had a chance to give yet, please consider making a donation now. We're ready to celebrate your donation with kitty treats for everyone.

Purrs and headbutts,

Purl & Ashford

Thanks girls! To make a donation, click here, select Denver, Team Cupcake Mafia, and Lynn Zimmerman

Your Last Chance!

Help me help make the wishes of sick kids come true! I will be participating in the Denver Oyster Urban Adventure Race and my team is raising money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. To donate, click here, select Denver, Team Cupcake Mafia, and Lynn Zimmerman. (If you are outside the U.S., this site won't work for you. Send me an email at lynnazimmermanATmacDOTcom and we'll work something out so you can participate too!)

Today is the last day (by midnight MDT) to make a donation and be entered for a chance to win some incredible prizes! Click here to see the entire prize list.

And can you believe I have MORE new prizes to share?

First, a skein of handspun from a new fiber-loving friend named Mary. She just completed a Master Spinner program, so you know this is an amazing skein of yarn. It is 286 yards (121 grams) of handspun goodness. She was heading out of town and didn't have time to get a shot of the completed skein, but this is an in progress shot of this beautiful denim-colored yarn.

Sharon, who donated the beautiful batik project bag, just sent me an email wanting to donate another of her project bags! This one is a smaller tote. Perfect for a small project like a pair of socks. And it's just as cute as the other bag!

Again, to donate, click here, select Denver, Team Cupcake Mafia, and Lynn Zimmerman. (If you are outside the U.S., this site won't work for you. Send me an email at lynnazimmermanATmacDOTcom and we'll work something out so you can participate too!)

The Final Stretch!

Help me and Team Cupcake Mafia help make dreams of sick kids come true! To make your donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, click here, select Denver, Team Cupcake Mafia, Team Member Lynn Zimmerman.

We reached our goal of $1,500 today! But we're not stopping there. The more we raise the more we help make dreams come true. You still have until Saturday, July 31 to make a donation and be entered to win a fabulous prize!

Speaking of fabulous prizes, I have more to share.

Laura, of the Knitgirllls, dyed this gorgeous sock yarn.

So pretty!

And my Cupcake Mafia teammate and awesome little sister has donated two new prizes to the list of fabulous prizes!

First, this very cool Unoriginal Hat made out of navy blue Rowan Big Wool. I love this hat. She made another one in white that I've attempted to steal.

And this handmade project tote bag made out of some very cute bicycle fabric. I believe it's a cotton/linen fabric (Mary, correct me if I'm wrong)

There's only two days left to donate and be eligible for the prizes! I hope you'll consider supporting me. And if you've already donated, thank you and keep an eye on the blog for a list of winners by Aug. 15.

To make your donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, click here, select Denver, Team Cupcake Mafia, Team Member Lynn Zimmerman.

I Can't Believe I'm Giving This Away

I have finished spinning two of the skeins of yarn for my giveaway. I'm very excited that this is helping raise money so some very deserving kids get to have their wishes come true by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. But as I finished one of the skeins, I realized how much I'm committed to blowing away our $1,500 goal.

I love this skein.



Photos do not do it justice. It is black BFL dyed by Gale's Art in my favorite colors...blue, purple, green and teal. It just glows! This will make a gorgeous shawl or super soft socks. At least I know where I can get more fiber in this colorway.

I also finished another skein from the South African Fine dyed by Spunky Eclectic. I think this would make a cute baby sweater. So soft and snuggly.



I also wanted to share with you the photos of the project bag Sharon donated for the prize drawing.



I love the fabric!



You can see the rest of the prizes by clicking here.

To donate, click here, then select Denver, Team Cupcake Mafia, and Team Member Lynn Zimmerman. Remember, for every $5 you donate by midnight on July 31, you'll receive one entry in the drawing for the awesome prizes, except for the hand knit socks. For the socks, donate $25 for your first entry, and then you'll receive an additional entry for every $5 after that.

Team Cupcake Mafia thanks you!



We did a recon mission for the race on Sunday and came across this incredible "yarn bombing" in downtown Denver. It was the perfect colorful background for a photo of a team of knitters.

One More Fabulous Prize!

I got a surprise in the mail today from Sarah from Perfect Day Yarns! She sent me a skein of her awesome Sonnet Sport Yarn (245yards/4oz) in the Midnight Iris colorway to add to the fundraiser. Thank you, Sarah! Absolutely gorgeous!



You can look through the last few posts to see the other fabulous prizes.

To donate, click here, select Denver, Team Cupcake Mafia, and Team Member Lynn Zimmerman.

Another Awesome Prize

Seriously. I know the coolest people in the world!

Amanda from Frog Creek Fibers has donated two skeins of her Sonsie base (8-ply 100% Superwash Merino) in this gorgeous Computer Blue colorway. Each skein is 100 grams/330 yards.



Once again, to donate, click here, then select Denver, Team Cupcake Mafia, and Team Member Lynn Zimmerman.

I discovered today that the site is only set up for donations from the U.S. If you're not in the U.S. and would like to donate, please contact me at lynnazimmermanATmacDOTcom and we'll work out an alternative way for you to make your donation.

Thank you!

Are You Tired of Me Yet?

I recently rekindled this blog to promote my fundraiser, and have realized how much I really enjoy blogging. I do a lot of writing professionally, which I love, but the blog gives me the opportunity to be a little more free with my writing. No promises, but I plan on blogging more often from now on, even after the fundraising is over. So stick with me!

I have a special "infomercial" edition of The Knit Girllls to share with you. Laura gives a few more details about her donation (she'll be giving several skeins of LaLaKnits yarn is special edition colorways!) and Leslie shows off the options you'll have if you're the lucky winner of socks handknit by her. I love these girls.



Inspired to donate now? Click here, select Denver, then Team Cupcake Mafia and Team member Lynn Zimmerman.

If that doesn't tempt you, I received another awesome prize donation! Melissa (aka Meliabella on Ravelry and Plurk), the owner of Keegan Lane Yarns has offered a 420 yd. skein of her hand dyed Toasty Sock in a color way of the winner's choice with a matching stitch marker. Here are some examples of her gorgeous yarn...





YUM!

Remember, for every $5 you donate, you get one entry into the drawing for all of the prizes except for the handknit socks. For the handknit socks, make a $25 donation and you'll receive one entry for that drawing (but 5 for the other prizes!), and then additional entries for both the socks and the rest of the prizes every $5 you donate. You can see the other prizes here and here. This weekend, I'm going to put all of this information on one page so it will be easy to find.

Again, thank you so much to everyone who has supported my efforts to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. This is the first time I've every done a fundraiser like this and I have been amazed by the generosity. I think I'm having as much fun doing the fundraising as I will competing in the Denver Oyster. Every dollar we raise helps make the dreams of sick kids come true!