Spread the word: If you arrived here from a link on another site, please request the site owner update the link that pointed you off in this direction. Thanks so much.

Please note: Going forward, the cstsedmonton.org domain will also redirect to our main Alberta Browncoats domain (albertabrowncoats.com). You’ll  find all the info you need about both the Alberta Browncoats and our annual Can’t Stop the Serenity event in Edmonton in one convenient location.

The @ABbrowncoats twitter account shared photos of the hats as they were being produced and we’ve uploaded them to our Facebook Fan page.

Got pictures of the knit-a-thon? Please share. Perhaps you saw Sheelagh madly knitting at the booth, wandering the vendor area (walking and knitting is a special talent), or knitting away during the guest of honour mega-panel? We’d love to receive copies of any photos you may have taken during the event. Forward to info@cstsedmonton.org and we’ll get them online for all to see.

Pledges are being collected and the final total is not yet in. However, when the dust settles and the pledges are in we expect the event to have raised over $400!  These funds will be used to purchase yarn for our volunteer knitting team. With another 100+ hats to complete by March 30, 2012, the funds to purchase more yarn for our volunteers was desperately needed! In April, we’ll be selling the hats at our booth the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo. The sale of Jayne hats at our convention booths pay all of the up-front costs for our annual Can’t Stop the Serenity event in Edmonton.

The enthusiasm of the Pure Spec guests and those who supported the event was contagious. We look forward to hosting a knit-a-thon again during Pure Spec 2012.

Prizes
Donors will recall that we promised prizes for online pledges of support. The available prize items include a James Hance “Firefrog” print, Browncoats: Redemption DVD, Tshirts and assorted AB Browncoats goodies.  Prize winners will be announced once all the donations are collected and winners will be contacted via email before we publish their names online.

For every dollar pledged in support of the Jayne Hat knit-a-thon, you’ll receive an entry into our prize drawing. Available prize items include a James Hance “Firefrog” print, Browncoats: Redemption DVD, Tshirts and assorted AB Browncoats goodies.

You may pledge a “per hat” donation or a pre-set amount. Once the knit-a-thon is over, you’ll be contacted at your email address with instructions for payment.

To help you decide how much to pledge, our volunteer knitter expects to complete between 3-5 Jayne Hats during convention hours.

** Individuals who pledged support before the contest announcement will automatically be entered in the draw.

We will be holding our next Jayne Hat knitting lesson on Saturday, November 12 at The Carrot (9351-118 Ave in Edmonton) from 12:30 – 3:30 pm.

Yarn and Jayne Hat patterns will be provided to knitters but you MUST sign-up for the lesson by Thursday, Nov 9 so we can ensure we have sufficient yarn on hand for our knitting volunteers. To sign up, simply send an email to info@cstsedmonton.org and let us know to expect you.

Those who don’t sign up for the lesson in advance are welcome to drop in, but may not be provided yarn if we do not have enough on hand.

Size 10 or 11 (US) knitting needles will be required. These can be usually be obtained from any crafting or knitting store, such as Urban Knitters, River City Yarns, Michaels, Zellers or WalMart.

Note: It is easier to learn to knit Jayne Hats on circular needles. Needles with a 16-20″ loop are ideal. If you are only able to find larger loops, our instructors can teach you to use the magic loop method for circular knitting.

Have friends or family members who knit? Experienced knitters are also welcome to join.

This is a great time to pledge hats to our knitting contest. Email info@cstsedmonton.org and indicate your name, preferred contact (email is fine), how many hats you thinks you can knit between September 2011 and March 2012 (your pledge). Indicate whether or not you’ll need us to provide yarn and the pattern and we’ll make arrangements to get the yarn to you. This will help us track hats & yarn budgets. Knitters who meet their pledges* will be entered into a draw for prizes such as signed artwork, DVDs, and ‘verse themed dice bags.

*All hats must be delivered by March 30th, 2012 for contest entry.

This year, we’ll be taking a page from their fundraising book and holding our own convention Jayne Hat knit-a-thons. The first will take place Nov 18-20 during the Pure Speculation Festival (aka Pure Spec) and will be used to raise the necessary funds to purchase yarn for our volunteer knitters. The Alberta Browncoat knitters are working their fingers to the bones making 225+ Jayne Hats to sell at conventions and the Can’t Stop the Serenity event this year. We provide yarn free to knitters who request it. At a cost of approximately $8 per hat, those yarn costs add up quickly!

Thanks to some generous donors, we’ve managed to obtain enough yarn to create the first 60 hats. We still need to purchase yarn for the remaining 160+ hats to be made.

The Plan
A volunteer knitter has stepped up to the plate.  At our booth at Pure Spec we’ll be collecting donations and pledges for our yarn fund. Donors may make a “per hat” pledge or throw some cashy money into the donation jar. Projected completed hats over the weekend is expected to be between 2 & 5 hats as our knitter is A) novice & B) currently the only one manning our booth all weekend so may need to stop knitting occasionally to sell stuffs…

How you can help
1. Drop some cashy monies in the donation jar at our booth.
2. Make a per hat pledge (e.g. “I’ll donate $$ for each hat completed”) using this form.
3. Click the “Donate” button on our Tickets & Goodies page and make a one-time donation.
4. Tell your friends. Share this link via email, facebook, blog about it. Sing. Dance. Tell the world!

Not attending Pure Spec?
Don’t fear, you can still donate to the cause by registering a pledge. Once the knit-a-thon is complete, we’ll contact you with your pledge total and you send us your cashy monies via PayPal.

“Jayne hats” or “cunning hats” are hats modeled after a hat Adam Baldwin (Jayne Cobb) wore in the (orginally unaired) episode of Firefly titled “The Message“. The hat was lovingly made by Ma Cobb and sent to Jayne via post. The hats are a major fundraiser for the Alberta Browncoats and go a long way to helping us reach our phenomenal charitable donation totals ($3773 in 2010, $7320 in 2011). The proceeds from our Jayne Hats help pay all upfront costs for the annual Edmonton Can’t Stop the Serenity (CSTS) event and remaining profits from sales are split between Equality Now and the Youth Emergency Shelter Society.

The call went out. The submissions were received. Now it’s time to have your say.

Voting has opened for the 2012 global design for Can’t Stop the Serenity promotional materials.  The winning design is made into Tshirts, posters, and all manner of publicity.

Interested in helping the Alberta Browncoats with their annual fundraising efforts?

We are looking for people to knit Jayne Hats for us to sell at conventions and Can’t Stop the Serenity (CSTS) events. Proceeds from the hat sales help fund our annual CSTS event in Edmonton each June. Fundraising efforts by the Alberta Browncoats benefit Equality Now, Kids Need to Read, and the Edmonton Youth Emergency Shelter Society.

We will be holding our first Jayne Hat knitting lesson on Thursday, August 25th at The Carrot (9351-118 Ave in Edmonton). Exact start time of lesson TBD, but will take place in the evening after 6:00pm.

A second knitting lesson will be held on Saturday, September 17, 2011 from 1 – 3pm. This lesson is also being held at The Carrot.

Yarn and Jayne Hat patterns will be provided to knitters but you MUST sign-up for the lesson 2 days before (by Tuesday, August 23rd and/or Thursday, September 15th) so we can ensure we have sufficient yarn on hand for our knitting volunteers. Those who don’t sign up for the lesson in advance are welcome to drop in, but may not be provided yarn if we do not have enough on hand.

Size 10 or 11 (US) knitting needles will be required. These can be usually be obtained from any crafting or knitting store, such as Urban Knitters, River City Yarns, Michaels, Zellers or WalMart.

Note: It is easier to learn to knit Jayne Hats on circular needles. Needles with a 16-20″ loop are ideal. If you are only able to find larger loops, our instructors can teach you to use the magic loop method for circular knitting.

To sign up, send an email to info@cstsedmonton.org indicating which lesson you plan to attend. Should you choose to attend both please let us know in your reply.

Have friends or family members who knit? Experienced knitters are also welcome to join.

This is a great time to pledge hats to our knitting contest. Email info@cstsedmonton.org and indicate your name, preferred contact (email is fine), how many hats you thinks you can knit between September 2011 and March 2012 (your pledge). Indicate whether or not you’ll need us to provide yarn and the pattern and we’ll make arrangements to get the yarn to you. This will help us track hats & yarn budgets. Knitters who meet their pledges* will be entered into a draw for prizes such as signed artwork, DVDs, and ‘verse themed dice bags.

*All hats must be delivered by March 30th, 2012 for contest entry.

Each Dragon Chow Dice Bag is handmade in Canada to be fully flat bottomed and reversible, so that they stand sturdily on the gaming table and will not tip your dice. Each standard dice bag is roughly five inches tall, and four inches across on each side. This allows each bag to hold a generous helping of dice while opening wide enough that they are easily accessed while you’re gaming.

Not a gamer but still want to support us? No worries. Dragon Chow dice bags are awesome and have a million and one uses. They are perfect for storing golf bits & bobs, knitting notions, coin purses, hobby & craft item storage, and, of course, dice!

UPDATE: Dragon Chow Dice Bags has added the Firefly Characters bag to the items supporting the Alberta Browncoats Society. As with the Serenity logo bags, 5$ from each sale will benefit our non-profit organization.

The final numbers for Edmonton’s CSTS are in.

Total Raised: $7320.71

Disbursements:

• Kids Need to Read: $860
• YESS: $1615.18
• Equality Now: $4845.53

This year we saw a 35 % increase in attendance and nearly doubled last year’s total of $3773! In two years we’ve raised $11093.

Thank you so much to our 2011 Sponsors:

• Happy Harbor Comics
• Christie Communications
• Yardstick Software
• Canadian Historical Arms Society
• Up Yer Kilt Scottish Gifts
• Silverlight Studios & Indulgent Interludes

Special thanks to Nathan Fillion, Summer Glau, cast of The Guild, James Hance, and Erin Gray for making our auction extra special this year.

To our auction donors, volunteers, knitters, and all attendees, we could not have done it with out you

And finally, thank you Alberta Browncoats for being a part of this shiny event. We are looking forward to CSTS 2012.

Please note: You do have to be on site to pick-up and pay for your auction items. We will have a portable debit machine on hand to accept payments via debit or credit and will also happily accept cashy monies.