Has it really been 3 weeks?

Ok, no seriously. It's been 3 weeks.

People got sick, some people knew other people getting married and dying and having babies....it's a regular circle of life on both coasts of Mr Pink's headquarters.

But seriously, ladies and germs, we are still here. And Mr. Pink is out there somewhere...currently in Washington DC touring our lovely nation's capital, as far as we know.

AND! On November 3rd...well, I'll let the MezzoDiva explain:

Hi there!

I just want to confirm that Mr. Pink will be visiting the Toronto area in time to make his guest appearance with me at the Hospice Thornhill cabaret/popera fundraiser on November 3rd. Please notify me if his itinerary includes this event. I need to know because I am planning to work him into the act, probably performing a duet or two.

Also, if anybody has some appropriately sizes (doll?) clothes, I could use some assistance in providing Mr. Pink with appropriate attire for this event: it is a
black-tie optional affair, so a suit and tie will suffice, though a tuxedo would
be ideal. Does anybody on your end have something that might be about his
size?

Knitterly Regards,
MezzoDiva the Operatic Knitaholic

So if anyone out there has a tuxedo they can loan Mr. Pink for his stage debut, let us know at theCanOpenerKidnapper AT gmail DOT com.

And we'll be back to posting our updates as they hit our "newsroom". Cheers!

Alrighty All you Los Angeleans...

Or Los Anglicans or whatever you people call yourselves over there in the Los Angeles, California area....

BEWARE.

Mr. Pink is headed your way. Soon.

Since there are about 25 of you in the greater Los Angeles area, this will be one of several visits that Mr. Pink will make, as he is scheduled to wing his way to Washington DC in mid-late October, and I would hate to interrupt any revelry you may have planned.

In fact, I may have to go out and purchase a stand-in, because Mr. Pink seems to be double-booked with Rhinebeck and toga parties, and some sort of fraternity prank that I really don't understand, but will nod and smile when someone tries to explain.

SO!! The point of this post is: All of you lovely peoples down in LA, please leave a comment on this post, and we're going to try and arrange some sort of meet and greet with y'all so you can all meet each other and possibly make some new friends.

Because I don't know about you, but I could always use another friend that "gets" this whole can opener kidnapping thing. :)

Mr. Pink with FiberQat

Another update from the FiberQat...sounds like a busy couple of days!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Day 2
Those of us in the vicinity of Mr Pink have realized that he has been sorely neglected. His social skills are much to be put up with so we have put it upon ourselves to expose him to social situations that will help him learn to become a much more acceptable member of society.

Sunday was chorus rehearsal day. When he heard he was going to have to listen to a chorus, Mr Pink groaned, indicating that he didn't want anything to do with church or anything like that. We assured him that the chorus he would be listening to was not a church chorus but a community chorus that liked to have a lot of fun and laughs. It turns out that Mr Pink is a budding percussionist and got into the rhythm of many of the songs. He was excited to learn that he was going to be touring with them the next weekend. After an exhausting rehearsal, we settled down to an evening of watching Mike Rowe's Dirty Jobs.

Day 3
Mr Pink discovered that his captor works a desk job in a cubicle farm. "Much like a utensil drawer!" he commented. "Where are the whisks and the bottle opener?" Seeing that he could jump in and out of the cubicle, his captor put the sheep in charge of Mr Pink while she got down to the business at hand. While the boss is away, the mice certainly can't play.

Day 4
We discover that Mr Pink has been playing video poker on line in the night while we have been asleep. This did not please the captor, so Mr Pink went with her to the dentist. "See these tools? They can go through enamel like nothing! Think what they could do to you!" Mr Pink was sulky. "I was ahead forty three bucks," he whined. "I could have bought you some yarn." "There are better ways of earning yarn money," we said. "Powell's Books takes in used books for sale." At the sight of Powell's Mr Pink sighed. He wondered if there were volumes on the history of kitchen utensils with glossy pictures. "I've always loved the lines of a wall-mounted Swing-A-Way," he murmured.

Mr. Pink at OFFF

Apparently ladies and germs, we have a celebrity on our hands. People recognizing Mr. Pink in the wild? Seriously. With paparazzi and everything.

Check out the Sunday report from his current captor, FiberQat:

I have posted pics of the KCO in my album at http://s28.photobucket.com/albums/c205/duffysan/OFFF/
The other Knitbloggers have photos as well.

Today's jaunt through OFFF started with meeting up with the PDX Knitbloggers, a group based in Portland OR which is composed of blogging knitters. I had left to reap the bounty of OFFF but heard from my buds that the KCO had arrived. I headed back then to fetch the KCO who was cooking in the sun. It had had a tiring
morning so it took time to rest in some of the roving I had picked up.

After some time spent chatting, spinning, and resting up for the next jaunt, the KCO and I headed for the barns. One knitter spotted the KCO and exclaimed, "Is that the Kidnapped Can Opener?" Mr Pink is a celebrity. :) The KCO wondered why there was lamb being cooked up so close to the barn. Wouldn't that have disturbed the inhabitants?

Inside however the kebabs on the hoof were quietly resting when not being
shown. Mr Pink took in the Pygora goat judging and observed the different
animals from whom we harvest fiber. One fellow had brought a pair of
Bactrian camels (two humpers) which are endangered in their native land.
He was amused by the KCO. On the way back, we ran into Lynell and Linda of
Rowan Tree Woolery. I had swapped my Majacraft Suzie for a Louet S-15 and
had left them with the wheel. Mr Pink wanted a picture with them. Of
course I obliged.

We left in the late afternoon, tired and hungry. He got to ride in the Bright Red Bug and commune with Hula Girl on the dash. I took him to The Barley Mill, one of the many brewpubs owned by the McMenamin brothers. I ordered an IPA (their own brew) and we pronounced it perfect with the burger. He received a coaster as a
souvenir.

Tomorrow is choir practice in Salem with Confluence.

Flickr!

OK kids, since I am not smart enough to figger out how to upload all of your pictures, please feel free to join our brand spanking new flickr group here!

Upload all the pictures you have of Mr. Pink to the group, and spread the word!

We promise there will be updates soon. Certain Someone has been knitting her hands to the bone for OFF and the Head Kidnapper has been dating a new man (but we won't hold that against her) so she's a little pre-occupied.

We have not yet begun Mr. Pink's journey! This weekend will be his first foray into the hands of someone NOT living in Washington State...so stay tuned!

Burning Man, Rosh Hashanah and a Harlot

What a title, huh? :)

We've got Burning Man pix to post soon, but if you're itchin' to check out how much havoc Mr. Pink wreaked in Black Rock City, go check out Tivity's post about his antics here.

Meanwhile, Mr. Pink is travelling today to visit Karen somewhere in Western Washington for Rosh Hashanah dinner, and then Friday is scheduled to possibly see the Harlot.

And you can bet your bottom dollar that we'll try and get his pic taken with Stephanie. Fo' sho.

ALSO! If you are one of those lurkers, wanting to play but thinking there's no room, we have plenty of room! Come on down, send the Head Kidnap Queen an email, and play along at home!

We are still here. And Mr. Pink is still alive.

Hi kidnappers!

Things have been a little crazy in both headquarters of this bi-coastal operation, but things are still running smoothly.

Mr. Pink is back from Burning Man, and I think he might have taken another trip while he was away, but now he's on his way south to attend some festivities, and then the whole "leaving Washington State" thing goes on its way.

We still have room for more kidnappers, and we are trying to get through more emails today!

Happy friday everyone!

Welcome to the Ransom Note.

Hi all, and thanks for stopping by. Welcome to the home of the Kidnapped Can Opener.

Have a question that you don't see listed here? Email the Head Kidnapper here and let them know.

FAQ:

Q: What exactly is the Kidnapped Can Opener?
A: A Certain Someone had a very nasty breakup with her now-ex-boyfriend, Mr. Man. At one point, during their prolonged split, he accused her of taking his can opener, and was a little more than upset about it. To try and make this light-hearted and to show him that not everything is so bloody serious, we've started The Can Opener on a worldwide kidnapping tour.

Q: Why? Why would you do this?
A: Why not? Certain Someone needed a little cheering up and needed some support from her friends, so one of her blog readers (and a damn fine human bean, if you ask me) suggested either The Kidnapped Can Opener, or to have everyone she knows purchase a can opener and mail it to Mr. Man with a tag tied to it that said "Get Over It". TKCO seemed to be the less confrontational way of telling this dude to "CHILL OUT."

Q: How exactly does this work?
A: The Kidnapped Can Opener is going on a world tour. That's all we've got right now. Planned stops currently include L.A., San Francisco, the Vancouver (Canada) area, Washington DC, and of course, the Greater Seattle area. The KCO will be mailed to each "kidnapper", who will take whatever liberties they would like with the Can Opener during their time of possession. A few ideas include taking photos with today's newspaper (to prove the can opener is still alive), taking photos of the can opener at various landmarks in the current kidnapper's city, maybe sending the can opener on its way with a souvenir or a tattoo....the possibilities are limitless.

Q. Ooh! Ooh! Can I play?
A: Abso-friggin-lutely. Email the Kidnapping Coordinator here to get yourself on the list. Please include the following information:

1. Your first and last name (or pseudonym, if you prefer. As long as the mail will get to you.)
2. Your mailing address
3. Any preference on when to have the Can Opener visit you (if you'll be on vacation during a certain time, or will be vacationing and want to take the Can Opener with you...)

We're still open to suggestions to streamline the process or make this more fun for everyone involved. Please email us at thecanopenerkidnapper AT gmail and tell us if you have ideas!

Thanks so much for stopping by - we hope you'll kidnap our Can Opener!

Um...

We hope Mr. Pink didn't do this.

And we still haven't heard from 5elemntknitr and Jennifer, our contest winners! Please email the head kidnapper at "theCanOpenerKidnapper" at Gmail.

Happy Hump Day everybody!

Layover in West Seattle

From Tivity...Mr Pink's current captor....

The can opener has arrived safe and sound! Photographic evidence attached...

The kidnappers are in mad packing mode...Cthulu has taken possession in the meantime! ;)

Mappit

Check out the map....a lot of local travel, but branching out shortly :)


View Larger Map

Captor Report from Long Beach, WA

From his 2nd captor - PinkPurlGrrl:

It had a lovely time at Marsh's Free Museum in Long Beach; and was present for my first ever speeding ticket on my(@^$&*$%) birthday.

Going to Burning Man?

Reposted from the Ravelry group: (from Tivity)

Ok kiddies I've got it all set up!

There will be a Kidnapped Can Opener meet 'n greet at Burning Man!

Come, check out The Kidnapped Can Opener on its world tour, meet other fun people who love the idea of the KCO, get your picture
taken with the KCO, bring a a souvenir to include in the package...etc.

Where: Freedomcommunity-Ouroboros

Address: Intertidal and 7:30
In the Freedom Community Dome

When: Wednesday, August 29, 5-6pm

Uh-oh.

I think this one might be trouble.

The Can Opener is currently with PinkPurlGrrl...waiting to hear how everything is going.

Adventures of Mr. Pink, Chapter 1

Brought to you by the very first kidnapper (other than the original, of course) Sachi! And check out her awesome online store as well! (This has been reprinted from her blog, with permission of course. We just kidnap can openers. We don't really break the law ;)


The saga of the Kidnapped Can Opener (KCO) begins here. The Head Kidnapper stuffed our hero into a dark box in which he was tossed around and otherwise molested as only the finest at the USPS can do. Upon arriving in his destination in the wilds of suburban Washington, his new captor took pity upon him and treated him well.

KCO was taken along with the new captor everywhere she had to go. She took him along to a wedding. It was a lovely affair set in a beautiful park-like estate owned by the parents of the bride. The ceremony was wonderful and KCO enjoyed himself greatly.

However, upon feeling comfortable, KCO decided that it would be OK if he partook of the open bar at the reception and spent some time behind the garage with the under-aged hoodlums, sucking off the kegs. Things got horribly rowdy and the police were called. KCO, of course, claimed that there was no problem and he was just having a good time. The Deputy Sheriffs weren't buying it.

KCO was confrontational and began ripping apart a flower centerpiece as the bride was reduced to tears. With their hands on their holsters, the Deputy Sheriffs hollered to the now out of control kitchen utensil and, just as he began chucking party favors at the law, KCO was thrown to the ground and cuffed.



He struggled against his bindings and spewed disgusting hate speech at the officers. "Drunk and disorderly? Ha! I'll have your badge, you lily-white mamma's boy!" The Deputy Sheriffs were unaffected as they carted his ass off to throw him in the paddy wagon.



Given that the wedding was at the very outskirts of Hicksville, KCO had a bit of an opportunity to sober slightly as the paddy wagon drove him back into town. He started to regret his words and actions as the sobering reality of his situation sunk in. He was taken to the Sheriff's office, booked and thrown into the county lockup.



When the hangover wore off, KCO decided that he needed to straighten out his act if he was to ever get out of jail. It seems that he was charged with assaulting a police officer and he found out that, to his great misfortune, the bride in the wedding he'd crashed was the God Daughter of the county's prosecuting attorney who, by the way, was at the wedding.

KCO began his effort to play the part of "reformed citizen" and spent 3 days behaving, not back-talking and attempting to be helpful to the prison staff. For his cooperation, he was rewarded by being recommended for the county's work release program. As long as he continued his good behavior and returned to the jail nightly, he would be permitted to leave the grounds to work during the day.



KCO took the opportunity he was handed and he is currently listed as "Escaped from work release" in the prison records. There are several warrants out for his arrest.

Where is he now? Only he knows....

(Don't forget that you can subscribe to the Kidnapped Can Opener blog to follow KCO's travels.)

ANNOUNCEMENTS!

Hi fellow kidnappers,

I apologize for the radio silence...I've been sick and Libby has been working her tail off in her new position at work.

OKAY! So, later this afternoon, there will be the very first installment of "Stories of Mr. Pink's Adventures", but PRIZES NOW!!

For picking "Mr. Pink", the winning KCO name, we have "jennifer"! Jennifer, please email us, as the link we have to your ravelry page isn't working :( (She gets her choice of a KCO teeshirt, or handspun or hand-dyed from Libby!)

And not one, but TWO runners up, picked from the names that DIDN'T win.... (trumpets and drums please....)

Pacalaga! (wins stitch markers from Sachi!)

And

5elementknitr! (wins a special yet-to-be-named prize from Rabbitch!)

Ladies, please email us here with your mailing addresses, and we'll get those prizes mailed out to you!

Thanks everyone for playing along, and we'll have another post for you this afternoon!!

Technical Difficulties

Hey y'all,

Sorry that we haven't posted since Friday - our bi-coastal effort to send the can opener out was delayed this weekend when a meetup was sadly missed and we've been trying to rearrange the schedule ever since :(

Adrienne, Renaissance Faire Diva, could you please email us to let us know if you would still like Mr. Pink to visit you? We can mail him to you ASAP.

Also! Prizes are forthcoming for "jennifer" (who needs to email us as well!) and 2 lucky random people who submitted names!

Also, Mr. Pink's first adventure is through with Sachi....pictures are definitely forthcoming!

And the winner is.....

Mr. Pink (how very Tarantino!)
17 votes (35%)

With runners up:

Miguel
15 (31%)

Jeeves
7 (14%)

Khan
5 (10%)

Liz R. Stillon
4 (8%)


We'll post prizes and winners and such on Monday, as the majority of us are off on holiday, but congrats to the name-picking winner, jennifer!

OKAY! To make things clear...

We put all the names into a hat.

Because we are blogpoll disabled, apparently, we were unable to post more than 5 names. The poll is on the upper right hand corner of the blog, vote away! Voting closes at 2:15PM (west Coast Time) on Friday, so hurry hurry hurry!

BUT! To soothe the savage beasts, we will be putting everyone whose name choice(s) did NOT make it into the poll into a hat and we'll give the lucky so-and-so a prize. Maybe some fiber? If you're not a knitter/crocheter/spinner, we'll find you something :)

SO! Run run run as fast as you can, and vote vote vote! We'll give a prize to the person who suggested the winning name, and maybe one to a couple of runners-up!

Having Issues with Blogger Polls

We have 20+ entries for the Can Opener Name contest.

The Blogger Poll Add-On Thing (tm) apparently lets you only add 5 "answers", but lets you add as many as you want. Only 5 will show up.

Sweet! So be patient, there's a poll coming soon. :)

Find us on Ravelry!

Want something else to join? :)

If you're on Ravelry, check out our "Fans of the Kidnapped Can Opener" group!!

CONTEST UPDATE!!!

Okay kids, a couple of things:

1. We have to move up the deadline for the names, so we can get a name by Friday. It's a long story, but we're doing something SUPER EXCITING on Saturday, and the KCO needs a proper name at that time. SO! Get your names into the comments on this post by TOMORROW (Wednesday, August 8th) by NOON PACIFIC STANDARD TIME!
2. We have some new prizes, but we still are hashing out details. If you have an Etsy store, or just like to fiddle and make things (hey knitters! Offer a custom-made hat! Those are easy!), please consider offering a prize. We will love you and link you and hug you forever and always.
3. The way this is going to work is that we are going to make a POLL and post the names and y'all can pick :) That way, it's fair, and everyone gets a chance, and we'll give away some prizes, and everyone will be happy. Yes? Yes.

Hope you are all having a GREAT day!

Holy Kidnapping Ring, Batman!!

Um...after a long luxurious day off yesterday (unplanned...the Head Kidnapper's car wouldn't start), we check our emails and see 42 of you wanting to play along!

Be patient, my "felonious" friends, you will all get your turn.

Emails are forthcoming, in between kissing up to the angry boss and dodging raindrops. :)

Happy Tuesday!

The Very First KCO Contest!

Thanks to Sam in London for the idea...

We're throwing our very first Kidnapped Can Opener contest!

ETA: We have a couple of prizes! Email the Head Kidnapper if you are crafty or just want to offer a prize, and have something you would like to donate!

So! Ready? Here's the details:

1. We are looking for a name for the can opener. It is a regular old can opener, silver with black rubberized handles, and a bottle opener in the end of it. It actually is a pretty fancy schmancy can opener. We can see why Mr. X-Man liked it so much! :)
2. Please leave your suggestions for the name in the comments of this post by Sunday, August 12th at MIDNIGHT PST.
3. In case of duplicates, we'll put all the people who picked the winning name into a hat and draw one.
4. Any questions? As always, email Head Kidnapper here.
5. ETA: Sachi has generously donated a set of her stitch markers! (For those non-knitters, you could make them into earrings? Or you could give them to a very grateful knitter!) Also, the Head Kidnapper has offered an item from the Cafe Press store!

Let's name this Can Opener!

Happy Friday everyone! Unless something uber-exciting comes up over the weekend, you'll have radio silence from us until Monday.

And, so it begins. :)

The Can Opener has left the building.

Yesterday, the ransom note was mailed to the original owner (who called that Certain Someone on the telephone, laughing hysterically) and our "victim" began its epic "kidnapping" journey to wherever the winds may take it. (Or wherever the Head Kidnapper has it scheduled to go. She is ORGANIZED, y'all.)

From a post office in Mill Creek, WA to Sachi in Port Orchard, it flies flies away. Or drives in a mail truck.

It is not too late to join our giant kidnapping ring! (Wait until some random policeman Googles that. That would be bad.) Send an email to our Uber Organized Head Kidnapper and join in the fun!

Photos will be forthcoming. The HK, she is organized, but also has misplaced her memory card reader :D

Go. Laugh. It's OK. :)

We've made a Cafe Press store. Hopefully, eventually we'll figure out this computer thing and make cooler shirts.

Maybe ones with pictures from different locations :)

Anyhoo...we've just got "Ransom Note" items right now...stay tuned for more!

ETA: The zip-front hoodie fits small. Order one or two sizes larger than you normally would.

Also, all profits are going to offset postage costs for those who can't afford it, replenishing the KCO's supplies it travels with (the disposable camera, the stamps, etc) and all leftover profits are going to a Seattle-area domestic violence shelter.

Come out and play...

We know there are people out there who want to play along! Please email us here if you would like to "kidnap" the Can Opener...we would love to have you join us!

We will not be passing on your address information to anyone except the person mailing to you. If you are concerned with privacy issues or anything of that nature, please feel free to contact us with your questions and concerns.

As far as the Google Calendar is concerned, we're using only psuedonyms (or blog names) and do not put any distinguishing information (exact places, addresses, etc).

The Google Map includes the city, but not your exact address.

We're also thinking of building a gallery of "KCO Supporters"...taking pictures of your own non-kidnapped can openers showing their support. Maybe wearing ribbons? Let us know if you have any ideas :)

Happy Thursday!

One suggestion...

In case you have no domestic Can Openers of your own, they come in handy when opening up cans of Whoop Ass.

Just a thought. Happy Wednesday, everyone! Keep those emails coming!

(Again, thanks to Carry and her mad photoshopping skills for this pic!)

The Ransom Note

Thanks to Carry :) We'll be snail-mailing this to him today.

The Launch of the Kidnapped Can Opener's Journeys!

Good morning kidnappers!

We've been busy little bees sorting your emails and scheduling the KCO's journeys across this fine globe of ours. We even have our first international participant! So far, the KCO is (tentatively) scheduled to do the following:

• visit a wedding
• go to jail
• ride a Vespa
• visit Japan
• fly a kite at the International Kite Festival in Long Beach
• attend the Burning Man art festival
• move across a state
• visit a courthouse

The KCO leaves its current holding cell (aka Certain Someone's storage unit) and heads on its way to Sachi for its first "kidnapping" journey today!

Add The Kidnapped Can Opener blog to your Bloglines and follow along as the KCO embarks on a set of adventures.

It's not revenge. It's fun times with kitchen utensils! :)

Rules And Regulations

Hi fellow kidnappers!

You knew there would have to be some semblance of order here - can't just have the Kidnapped Can Opener (KCO) flying willy-nilly about the globe, now can we?

Don't you worry though - as long as you're not destroying or breaking the KCO, we don't care what you do with it. Just as long as you "obey" the following suggestions:

1. The KCO can only stay with you for a short amount of time, unless you request a longer stay (i.e. The KCO will be attending Burning Man this year, and will be there for approximately a week). We're thinking of limiting "visits" to 3-5 days, depending on the location.
2. You must take a photo of the KCO while it is in your possession. (Multiple photos are OK. Video would be funny too...YouTube anyone? :) Canoodling with your domestic kitchen utensils, bound and gagged, enjoying a wedding, or submerged in a pint (although, that's a waste of beer!), or learning to surf...whatever you can come up with. We'll make a Flickr group and make sure everyone can enjoy the KCO's adventures. (We'll post them here, too.) Maybe we'll even find a photo album and send that along with the KCO? That may be a good idea...
3. You must send a postcard/picture to Mr. Man (the ex) outlining where the KCO is now. His address and all the information you'll need will be in the package sent along with the KCO. We are trusting each and every one of you to BE NICE. He is not the enemy, we are trying to make him laugh. And cheer up that Certain Someone.
4. Have fun. Take it to the grocery store, the beach, the backyard, wherever you can think of. No location is too odd or mundane. If YOU are having fun, WE are having fun.
5. Please make sure you leave a little something-something in the box with the KCO. A little bottle of sand, a photo for the photo album, a can opener cozy, a mini plastic Statue of Liberty. Whatever you can come up with is AWESOME. We're going to toss in a couple of items to get you started (Seattle-type souvernirs, a disposable camera, stamps, etc). Please make sure that you only take what you need, and if you use the last of something, email us as soon as you can so we can send out replacements.

Thanks for joining us, and post us on your blog! Email us to your friends! Make this a really fun time for all involved.

We might even have prizes. :)

The Can Opener's Current Location

The Kidnapping Staff has created a map for those of you following along at home.

Go here to see the last known location of the Can Opener!