Christmas CAL and contest!
I’ve run three crochet-alongs (CALs) this year: Spring, Summer and Fall. I’ve been a little disappointed with the outcome: approx 3-4 times as many people used the CAL discount code than actually submitted completed projects to the CAL roundup. Some people contacted me to apologise that they didn’t manage to complete their projects in time, and I can I understand that – life sometimes gets in the way, despite our best intentions – but these numbers are just too high for that to apply to everyone, and it makes me really sad that some people must have been abusing my generosity by using my 20% discount although they had no intention of participating in the CAL 🙁
I’d like to finish the year on a high note, and actually reward the people who do want to participate in the CALs without losing money to the opportunists who just want a cheap pattern, so we’re going to do it differently this time around, and have a crochetalong contest!
The PlanetJune Christmas CAL & Contest
Top row: Christmas Trees, Christmas Baubles
Middle row: Poinsettia, PocketAmi Christmas
Bottom row: Christmas Pudding, Candy Cane
Here’s how it works:
- Make one of my Christmas-themed patterns. There’s no CAL discount this time, but there are plenty of Donationware patterns in my Christmas line-up, so you can pay whatever you can afford for those, or even just use them for free if cashflow is a bit tight at this time of year.
- Show us what you’ve made! Post it to your blog, or to ravelry, flickr, facebook, or anywhere else you like to show your work.
- Enter the Christmas CAL contest. Read this part carefully: to enter the contest, send an email to CAL@planetjune.com with a link to where you’ve posted about your project. If you don’t have anywhere that you post to online, you can still enter: just email a photo of your completed project to me.
- Bonus entries. Make more than one of my patterns and you’ll get an entry for each one!
The prizes:
- First prize: a $10 gift certificate to spend on anything in the PlanetJune store
- Second prize: a free pattern of your choice from the PlanetJune store
- Runner-up prizes: I’ll send a discount code to all participants, to use against their next order from the PlanetJune store.
The rules:
- The PlanetJune Christmas CAL (& contest) will run from today until December 24th 2010.
- Enter by crocheting any of my Christmas-themed patterns, as shown above.
- Post your completed projects online and email the link to CAL@planetjune.com, or email a photo of the completed project to CAL@planetjune.com.
- If you complete several patterns, send me one email per project so you’ll get more entries!
- If you’ve already started your Christmas projects this year, you may enter them, but please keep to the spirit of the CAL and only submit projects you’ve made for this holiday season.
- First and second prize winners will be drawn randomly from all eligible entries; all participants will receive the runner-up prize.
- All photos will be posted here on Christmas Day in a grand CAL roundup!
Grab this button for your blog!
I hope this will be fun and encourage lots of participation! This is a new CAL model for me, so please let me know if anything is confusing. I’ll answer any questions in the comments or by updating this post.
Sounds good? Get crocheting!
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Ginger said
So many baubles, so little time, LOL! I am going to try to join in here. I have already finished a couple of baubles. I also just bought your German Shepherd Ami pattern! Really looking forward to that too. I needed small gifts to give at work and these baubles and candy canes are perfect! This will be my first ever CAL.
Kristie said
oooohhh I’m in…gorgeous patterns 🙂
Cora Shaw said
I posted on my blog about the CAL. I did you the picture you had so people could see what designs you have. i also linked to everything. I also have it on the side bar as posts can get lost. It also was Facebooked and Twitted…yes I have been busy.
Cora
June said
Thanks Cora, Jane, Judy (and anyone I’ve missed) for blogging about my CAL! I’m so excited to see how popular this one is already – can’t wait to see what you all make using my Christmas patterns…
Jukatca said
I’ve been hoping you’d have a Christmas Crochet-along. I’m tempted by the baubles- lots of room for creativity there. And my Haunted Cactus Garden needs to be transformed for the holidays. 😉
wendy said
Hello June,
This looks like really good fun, I’d like to join. However, I’ve only just learnt to crochet so I don’t want to attempt anything too onerous or difficult that will just make me cry! Can you advise which of your patterns is the easiest so I can buy that one and have a go, then maybe move on? I would like to try one of the ones that you can make a donation for in case it all goes horribly wrong but I’d be coming back to buy more if it works!
Thanks!
Wendy
June said
Hi Wendy! The good news is that I doubt any of these patterns will make you cry! Most of them just use single crochet and the occasional slip stitch, and for the ones that don’t (Christmas Trees and Christmas Baubles), I give step-by-step illustrated instructions for any other stitches, so you shouldn’t have any problem with them.
Of the Donationware patterns, the Candy Cane is simplest to crochet, then the Poinsettia (which, once you’ve made one petal/leaf is very straightforward, just a little time-consuming to make all those petals!) and then the Christmas Pudding (which is still very simple except for the leaves).
And I’m always available and happy to offer assistance by email if you do have questions about any of my patterns 🙂
becky said
Ouh this sounds like fun 😀 good thing I am participating in an ornament swap this year hehe…
Ouh i just bought your baubles pattern and can’t wait to try it as always i love your patterns and can’t wait to see what comes next.
best regards
Hattalahutta said
Just got your Christmas Trees pattern and I’m looking forward to this CAL! Just hope I can find the time.. Lots to do this time of year! Think I’ll go for the small tree, hihi 🙂
Still feel bad about not finishing the alpaca for your summer CAL 🙁 His head is done, and I hope to finish him as soon as I can!
Oh, and I did make a pumpkin for your Halloween CAL, but I don’t think it was included in your round-up post.. The picture is in your Flickr group (and Ravelry too), so you can find it there if you want to see 🙂
Jane Blogs said
I’ve been looking at that Christmas pudding for over a year, and drooling.
Thanks for the kick in the butt to get me started! 😀
Ellen said
I know you get 9 different designs of the baubles is it a single entry per bauble as long as they are of a different design or one entry for all the baubles made from that pattern which I bought yesterday.
June said
Hmm, good question! I’m going to say one entry per pattern, so one entry for all your baubles. I want to see one photo per entry, and the photo will look nicer if it’s of all your baubles arranged on the tree or in a garland anyway 🙂
I seriously can’t wait to see all these projects – this was the best idea I’ve ever had!
Sara T said
The multi-pattern groups – can I just make one bauble or one from the pocket ami group? Or would I have to make all 3 pocket amis to enter?
June said
Sara, you can make as many or as few as you want, but if you do make more than one item from within a pattern, take a pic of them all together so it’ll make a nicer photo! You get one entry per pattern you’ve used – and I need a separate email (and photo) for each entry because I’ll be using that folder of emails to draw the winners!
Cathy K said
This will be my first CAL…hope I can figure it out 😉 I’ve been meaning to crochet some hostess gifts for the holidays and these will be perfect! Just got the trees & poinsettia patterns…now to get some yarn! Thanks June.
June said
Yay, welcome! Any questions, just ask… I hope it’ll be pretty straightforward though 🙂
Megan said
How awesome! I just posted a link on my blog to let my readers know. I used your pictures, saying they were yours, hope that is okay. I can’t wait to get hooking!
June said
That’s absolutely fine, Megan. It really is the more the merrier with a CAL, so thanks for letting your readers know about it!
Cora Shaw said
I can honestly say that although I joined life got in the way. However I did purchase the patterns at full price as I had them beforehand.
Cora
June said
Oh, I know, Cora – and I know that’s also the case for a lot of other people, especially people I already know through their comments and previous orders. But some people just used the discount, never even left a message to say they were looking forward to joining in, and I’ve never heard anything from them before or since. The whole point of a crochetalong is the interaction, and they didn’t even attempt that 🙁
But I’m done with being upset about it! Hopefully this new type of CAL will let people have fun – no pressure – and if you manage to complete the project, you get a reward and maybe a prize too. Fairer to everyone this way 🙂
I’m so looking forward to seeing everyone’s crocheted Christmas stuff!
Amanda said
Sweet! I already have the Christmas Tree and PocketAmi pack, so I’m ready to rock! I’ve already been making snowmen. 🙂
Denise said
Getting the discount on the CAL pattern I got is what motivated me to make it. And I’m glad I did because the African violets are one of the coolest things I’ve made.
I think the new setup makes sense. No one should be too bummed that they don’t get the discount now. They’ll want to make more stuff after the first one.