2013 Calendar
Welcome to our Knotty Knitters for Autism Calendar site.
Our calendar project has been a long & fun journey inspired by two darling children on the autism spectrum who are very loved. The brain-child of Marsha Cunningham (grandma & Miss September) this calendar is a fundraising effort for children with autism.
Each month is represented with a model who is clothed in a unique knit creation. Our models span the generations in ages 18-78!
Some of our 2013 models…
Ordering Information:
We are currently accepting payment through PayPal. Please place your order by clicking on the “add to cart” button. See sidebar for additional ordering information.
Thank you in advance for your support.
Calendars are $20 + $5 shipping and handling. Please limit your order to 2 calendars. Thank You.
I think what you ladies do is wonderful. I talked to some of the ladies a couple years ago at Yorkshire Yarns, and just a few weeks ago I saw Debbie at Yellow House yarns. I would love too join you in doing next years calendar.
Happy Knitting,
Suzi
I think that it is great what ya”ll are doin, keep up the good work,and the inspiration from your heart.
Thanks, Doris. We really enjoyed doing the calendar. Hope you enjoy it.
Marsha
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to one and all.
May you enjoy the best year ever…filled with love, family, friends, and prosperity.
Your support and purchase of our Knotty Knitters Calendar has made a difference in the lives of Mollee and Josef Cunningham and that of other children on the spectrum. We have raised awareness of autism, earned considerable funds for continued therapy for two families on the spectrum, and have had a lot of fun doing it.
Along the way, we have made many new friends. I am looking forward to meeting Miss October (for the first time) in New York, in January. Can you believe the gift that this accomplished knitter, unknown to me and the other calendar girls and with no one on the autism spectrum in her immediate family, has given to children on the spectrum. She exemplifies the goodness of people.
Comment on this page or our facebook page if you think another calendar (similar with a twist) would be a good seller again next year.
Well, I came across your calendar advertisement on Ravelry, and I love it and ordered it. I have two little autistic kids myself (aged 5 and 4). Having services and support is so important. I hope that you do well with your fundraiser so that your little grandchildren get the help that they need!
Thank you, Heidi and I wish you well with your two children. Our granddaughter has done very well this year. Her twin brother remains non-verbal, however, we have high hopes for him too. His eye contact has improved greatly this year and he seems much happier.
Both children are in Occupational Therapy once to twice/per week and we have been very fortunate with the public school system in Tacoma, WA. The teachers we have encountered have been absolutely wonderful in the special classes for children on the autism spectrum.
Thank you so much for your support,
Marsha Cunningham
thanks for this fantastic topic & narrative of this question. You’ve set it out better than any talks I’ve seen. Also thank you for citing my journal on it. Your’s takes it better.
Marsha,
This is a great thing you’re doing to raise money for your grandkids’ treatment. I bought the calendar last month and can’t wait to see it (any idea when it might arrive?) I actually bought it as a gift for a knitting friend who is very charity-conscious and I think would appreciate knowing that the gift she received also helped someone.
Thank you.
Angie
Is that THE Barbara Weber who I lived across the street from as a little kid in Olympia (1963 time frame)? Congrats on your calender either way.
I don’t think so. This Barbara Weber grew up in the North End of Tacoma and lives on McKinley hill in the Summit Area of Tacoma.
Thank you for your good wishes,
Marsha
I am not sure, but I will ask Barb when I see her this Wednesday.
Marsha
Hi Brian,
I saw Barbara yesterday and she said that she did live across the street from the Fuller Family in Olympia.
Feel free to email her at whoever@harbornet.com
Marsha
I like the blog – good job! I almost always prefer to go with the holistic remedies. I am tired of hearing about latest “Wonder Drug”, only to search out out a 12 months or later that it causes some horrible disease. I like the tv commercials for prescribed drugs, I guess they must listing any identified side-effects (that is good) but it often makes the side-results of the treatment sound worse then the disease.
Thank you, Jessica.
I too, prefer the holistic approach to health.
Spread the word about our project,
Marsha
What a great idea. I also thought instantly of Calendar Girls. I also want to add that perhaps it would have been a good idea, if your patterns are of your own designs, to either list them as available for sale or for commission.
Hi Stacy,
Everything happened so quickly this project from the idea which came to me in late April to the shoot on May 6th. We were working on a short time frame too as the calendar selling time will be limited after the end of January.
Several people have asked us what we will do for next year. We are thinking about that and will consider your suggestion. However, I am not sure that many of the knitters have their own designs.
Spread the word,
Marsha
what a great idea! i´m looking forward to get my calendar and i will show it in our knitting café in leipzig/germany. it will get a special place.
http://www.leipziger-kreativ-und-strickcafe.de/
sincerely,
andrea
Thank you, Andrea.
This is just a hoot! I have two kids with Autism; spent five years at Fort Lewis; moved to MD and had two kids–single births; both with Autism. They’re teens now. Where do the proceeds go—local Tacoma/W.WA/regional/national?
Hi Kris,
The proceeds of this calendar go directly to continuing therapy for my grandchildren.
I am offering the calendar at reduced prices to any family with a child on the autism spectrum who would like to sell the calendars and fundraise for their own child. They keep the proceeds of their sales and use the money as they see fit for their child.
Autism organizations may also sell calendars to fundraise for their organization.
The calendars are well done and have been well received by the public.
It is amazing to me the number of people I have met who know someone on the spectrum, They buy the calendar for themselves and one for their friend.
Let me know if you would be interested in knowing more about the selling program. I can be emailed privately at marsha@marshasells.com.
Marsha
Do you offer discounts for volume(like 20-40)? We have a yarn, needlepoint, weaving etc. shop in San Miguel de Allende, MX and would like to carry the calenders. I worked with autistic and Aspberger kids for years. However the shipping and duty costs can get rather high. A discount might defray some of those expenses so we can charge a price close to what your list price is for the calendar.
Hello Anne,
Yes, we do have special pricing for larger orders.
25-99 calendars is $15.00 each plus shipping,
100+ is $10.00 each.
If you will be donating the proceeds of your sales to a family with a child on the spectrum, the rate is $10.00 each, plus shipping, for 25+
Let me know what you decide and thank you for your support.
Marsha
Miss September
Hi Anne,
There is also another option which may work for you.
You could purchase one calendar for your store as a sample and then take orders for those who want to purchase. You would just need to collect email addresses and I could handle mailing and payment for each person individually on my end.
Let me know what you think about this option.
Marsha
Hey! I heard that you guys will be in Proctor raising money for autism through the sales of your calendars. Would you be interested in an opportunity to make an appearance and sign at our Tacoma Borders Books store soon?? You’re welcome to accept charity from our customers towards your very worthy cause
Please email me at csolomon@bordersstores.com if you guys are interested?
We would love to.
I have sent you a separate email letting you know of our interest, as well.
Thank you very much for the opportunity.
Marsha
Hello, and we are a small support group in Arkansas really love the knottyknittersforautism! its amazing:-) Thank you very much
Hi Carrie,
Thank you for your comments. We have had a lot of fun working on this project and I received the calendars this evening. They are really very nice.
Spread the word.
Marsha
Marsha,
Would the Knotty Knitters be interested in coming to the Pierce County Fair to sell and sign Calendars? The Fair is August 12th -15th, you could come one day or all?
We would love to participate in your fair by selling and signing calendars.
I will check with the others to see if they have a preference for days and times and get back to you.
Thank you for the opportunity,
Marsha Cunningham
Hi Susan,
I have checked in with the Knotty Knitters and several are very interested and available those days.
Please provide info on times of the fair for signings, may we sell some of our other handknits as well, and where should we meet.
Thank you for the opportunity.
If you need to talk with me, feel free to call me at 253-752-6342.
Thanks,
Marsha
If we are available just one day, which day would you suggest that we be there?
Hi Susan,
Well the concensus is in from the Knotty Knitters. We will be there on Saturday only. Please advise of the time and place to be.
Also, what type of advertising are you planning to get the word out that we will be there? Let me know if there is anything I can do to help with this.
Marsha
Hi Susan,
Will you please let me know where we should meet on Saturday for the Knotty Knitters Calendar selling and signing?
Do we need to bring our own tables, chairs, tent covers, etc? We are planning on being there from 10-4or 5PM.
Please send an email to me at marsha@marshasells.com or call me at 253-752-6342.
I have a 4-year-old grandson who has autism and I am a knitter/crocheter. I love this idea. More people need to be informed about autism.
Hi Stephanie,
Thank you for the support. This project has certainly helped to raise awareness about autism.
Keep in mind that if your family would like to raise funds for your grandson, I have bulk pricing for you so that you can keep the profits from your sales to use directly for your grandchild in the way you see fit.
This is an area that I am starting to get response to and one of the primary reasons for developing this calendar.
Let me know and spread the word,
Marsha
Hello Marsha,
I, too, have a grandson with autism spectrum…Aspergers, specifically. Would you please tell me about your bulk pricing and how your program works? Are you still offering it?
Thanks! Judy
Hi Judy,
For families with loved ones on the autism spectrum, they can purchase the calendars for $10.00 each, sell for $20.00 each and keep the net proceeds of all of their sales.
If you are interested, let me know via a direct email.
Our purpose in producing this calendar was to help families earn money which would be used specifically to help their own children.
Thank you,
Marsha
Love it! Ola pointed this out to me and I have a spectrum child and wanted to say god bless you for steping up for your grand babies! These children are so special, they deserve every effort we can give to help them unlock their potential.
We ourselves did the Son-Rise program with our son. I wish you the best on your adventure.
Hi Heather,
Ola is a great friend and advocate for this project. She was with me all the way on planning and developing and now marketing.
I would be interested in hearing how the Son-Rise program worked for you child. Our grandson, Josef, aged 7 is still non-verbal, although he did make good progress at the Halo School in Austin, TX.
I have seen a little about the Son-Rise program on TV, but have never spoken with anyone who has did the program.
Thank you for your support,
Marsha
Inspirational. I admire your bravery and dedication to autism.
Nina
Thank you, Nina.
Life gives us twists and turns along the way. I have learned more about autism than I ever cared to know since my grandchildren were born 7 years ago. It is a diagnosis I would love to spare any other family from having to live through.
With that said, we have two of the sweetest little grandchildren, who are also funny and fun to spend time with. They are progressing well and our intent with this fundraiser is for them to continue to recover from autism with therapy, diet, supplements, etc. We are also offering this calendar to other families who have a child on the spectrum who can benefit directly from this project.
Spread the word about our project. We want to help as many families as possible.
I was so happy to read about the calendars and what you said about supplements and things to help these children. My son is autistic and we know more children like him. We have a baseball team called the Summerville Miracle League and the kids are all handicap. Alot of them have autisum and I will be telling them all about this site. I really appreciate everything you do. Could you please send me what supplements and vitamins you give your grandsons. I read somewhere that eating without gluten helps them too. Thanks.
Hi Darlene,
We noticed a huge difference in our grandchildren since they have been on the gluten free, caesin free diet (no wheat, and no dairy). As far as supplements go, my daughter-in-law handles that end of things. We took the children to a naturopath for what to give them.
There are also a lot of books out that deal with autism which may be of help to you.
Marsha
Love the calendar and best wishes making lots of sales. The Master Gardeners in our area did a ‘gardening au naturale’ calendar a few years ago. It was a huge success, except at the UW, where it was dubbed too risque for the college bookstore, even thought the pics were all modest and light hearted. Happily, the controversy increased interest and sales
I work for a company that trains and employs adults with autism….the “exposure” you bring to the disease is FANTASTIC!
Thank you for your email, Andrea. The response of individuals and organizations to “nudity” has been an interesting experience to say the least. One would think that a univeristy book store would be more open minded. However, they probably have some donors who wouldn’t approve and didn’t want to take the risk.
At any rate our calendar is also modest and lighthearted. We all had a great time working on it and continue to have lots of fun responding to our requests for calendar signings, speaking engagements, etc.
Which organization do you work for? Might they be interested in selling some of the calendars to raise funds to be used to help their employees on the autism spectrum?
Sales have been good and the calendar will become available on August 7th.
Help spread the word. I appreciate your support.
I am a contributing author for http://www.suite101.com and write articles about autism! I came across your site today and have to tell you…WELL DONE! What a fabulous concept and excellent outreach effort to help autism awareness!
Thank you for your commitment to the world of autism!
Jessica McCallister, MSW
Hello Jessica,
Thank you for your supportive comments.
In your future writings about autism, consider letting families know that this calendar is available at reduced rates to families with loved ones on the autism spectrum. The proceeds of their sales remain with the individual family to use as they see fit for their child.
I am glad you like the calendar. We had a lot of fun doing it.
Marsha Miss September
I LOVE IT… Good for you and I don’t care what anyone says about the calendars Keep on doing it.. Best of Luck with them in the future.
Thank you, Jessica. I feel the same as you about this calendar. It is a rather modest piece.
Our goal was to produce a fun, funny, and informative piece. You can tell from the cover photo that we were having lots of fun.
Some of the photos are kind of funny, and the information on autism and the patterns was meant to inform.
Sales have been brisk for the product.
It has been fun hearing from all the different people who have purchased them.
Please let families with children on the spectrum know that they can benefit directly from this project by purchasing calendars for a reduced rate and then reselling. The proceeds go directly into their pockets for services for their child. Minimum calendar order is 24.
Sincerely,
Marsha
Thank you, Jessica.
Sales are brisk. Spread the word.
Marsha
I love it. I bought 2. One for myself, and one for my sister. Best wishes to all of you lovely ladies!
Thank you for your order, Martha.
I think you will enjoy the calendar. If you are a knitter it has information on the various garmet patterns too.
The calendars will be ready for distribution on August 7th.
Miss September
Marsha Cunningham
Hi Marsha,
I loved the movie Calendar Girls and will love your calendar also. My son has Asbergers, (a form of Autism) and appreciate what you are doing. I’ll be at the wine bar to see all of you.
Hi Kris,
Good to hear from you. Thank you for your interest in the calendar. It is turning out really cute. Quite modest really!!
If you would like to order one, send an email to marsha@marshasells. Cost is $20.00 plus $5.00 flat rate shipping. You can also purchase at Proctor Arts Fest and save on shipping.
Let me know what you prefer to do and I will add you to the list to make certain I have enough available at Proctor.
I hope your son is doing well. Mollee and Josef are doing so much better. Josef is still nonverbal, however, he just attended a 4 day intensive in Austin, TX and is communicating using written words (choosing answers) and using an alphabet board. The therapist there said he is a normal 7 year old who is nonverbal.
One day at a time as I am sure you are well aware of.
Sincerely,
marsha
This is great! As a mom with a 17 year old son with Autism I can’t thank you enough.
Hi Kirsten,
I am glad that you are pleased with the calendar.
It has been a fun project.
If you would like to purchase calendars to sell yourself to raise money for your son’s therapies, etc., contact me on this site.
This is a great opportunity for families to benefit directly.
Sincerely,
Marsha Cunningham
How clever, resourceful and good fun. Thank you for your wonderful charitable efforts. I wish you tons of success!
Hello Carol,
It has been a very fun project. If you know someone with a loved one on the spectrum, they can purchase calendars to sell for a profit to assist with care, therapies etc for their own loved one. Have them contact me on this page.
This is a great opportunity for these families to benefit directly.
Sincerely,
Marsha Cunningham
Thank you so much for doing this. As a mother of a 4 year old son with Autism living in Puyallup I understand the tremendous need for families dealing with Autism in Washington state, not to mention the world. What an awesome idea! I will make sure and post info on my FB page to spread the word as well. Good luck ladies!
Thank you so much Jena. Your support is much appreciated.
No one knows what the journey is like to raise a child with autism until they have lived it. You will be in my thoughts.
Sincerely,
Marsha
Marsha- you are a riot- I think the calendar fund raiser is an awesome idea and what a great cause. i look forward to receiving my copy. Di
I’ll bet you howled when you saw us on the front page.
It has been a lot of fun to do and has diverted my attention from real estate which has been good in this slow market.
The knitting is fun but this has been absolutely wild the last few days.
We will be selling at Proctor Arts Fest on the 7th, so stop by our booth. We are across from the theater.
Good to hear from you,
Miss September
This is an ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL idea and such a great reason to do so! The best to you and your fundraising for autism!!!
Thank you, Angela.
I appreciate your support. Spread the word.
Marsha
Karon,
The calendar is already produced so any autism organization or family with a child on the spectrum can purchase the calendars for a reduced price if ordering 24 or more calendars, to raise money for their child or organization.
Let me know if you are interested.
Hi! I think this is a wonderful idea! Can you tell me, is this venture for statewide autism research? There are so many children affected by this condition. Would appreciate your response. Thank you, Karon Mizer