Raffle for a Handbraided Woolen Rug
It seems I needed a hiatus from my writing these past few months when my creativity took on a different form than I had expected. I just completed the seventh braided rug since I revived one of the homespun arts I learned from my mother.
Now I can feel my writing muse returning. I have an idea for my next book. I'm very excited about it, and I will be starting it in the coming days.
I am offering this rug in a raffle. I plan to pull the name of the winner on February 4, which is the first anniversary of the publication of Bonnet Strings: An Amish Woman's Ties to Two Worlds. and the first anniversary of the PBS documentary The Amish: Shunned, that I was featured in that premiered on American Experience. As I was braiding this rug, I was recalling how a year ago I was anticipating these two events. I was also realizing that I've had to adjust my expectations of sales of Bonnet Strings. Though book sales have been modest, they have not been outstanding.
So I've come up with a plan that I hope will boost the sales of my books and show my appreciation for your loyal readership at the same time. My offer is this: For every book you buy directly from me either online through PayPal, or by ordering through the mail, I will enter your name into the raffle. So, if you buy five books, you get five chances at winning this rug. (You pay $4 for shipping, no matter how many books you buy). This offer is good for both Bonnet Strings and Why I Left the Amish. The deadline for entries is February 3, 2015.
This rug measures 23 inches wide and 42 inches long. I used between five and six yards of new wool, which cost an average of $12 a yard. It took me about 25 hours to complete the rug. If I were to sell it, I would expect to get at least $250.
So many of you have sent me your compliments after reading my books. I want to thank you for that. Knowing how you relate to my story is a reward all its own. Should you feel so moved, I would ask that you also share your feelings with other readers, by leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads. I love to find new reviews there, and I expect I always will. Many thanks!
Please help me spread the word about this raffle.
Many good wishes to all of you for 2015 and beyond!
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The rug is very beautiful.
Thank you, Michelle.
Great idea—and gorgeous rug!
Thanks, Julie!
What a generous offer! Your rugs are gorgeous.
I don’t have room in my apartment for the rug, but I have a braided rug question. I have a small braided rug in my kitchen by the sink. It is getting pretty dirty. It needs to be washed, but I’m not sure how to go about it. Have you any advice?
Hello Johanna,
I’m afraid woolen rugs don’t wash well. What I do: sometime during the winter, we always get a fine, powdery snow. That’s when I vacuum the rug thoroughly, then take it out and lay it on the fine snow. I walk all over it… stomp all over it. Then I turn it over onto clean snow and do the same thing. It’s amazing, after vacuuming the rug so carefully, how much dust and dirt gets left in the snow. It’s like it becomes a dirt magnet.
It HAS to be that fine, powdery snow. That way it peels DRY off the snow, even after stomping on it.
If there are spots on the rug after that, you could try to use cool water and a cloth or a brush. I don’t recommend soap… that will attract and hold the dirt from then on, because you cannot rinse it.
Good luck with your rug.
PS – I REALLY look forward to your next book!
Thank you, Johanna, that is very nice. I will be revealing my idea soon.
Take good care.