Well I must tell you that I’m feeling a need to enhance my sock yarn stash a bit. I thought having 25+ future socks (plus 5 on the needles that I neglected to tell you about, plus several yarns that are on order that I neglected to tell you about) was a lot. Clearly, there are many of you who have me beat and you just keep adding to your own stash. I like that about you. And I bow to you. I will think of you as I continue to shop….

I have been planning a Sock Photo Gallery for the blog and/or website since we opened. It’s on my “to do” list. After receiving marvelous “socks in the trees” photos from Loopy Customer Extraordinaire Sharon, I’m ready to do it. (These are her great photos!) You see, any website can have a “sock photo gallery”. But obviously The Loopy Ewe website needs to put a “loopy” spin on it.
So ours will be The Socks in Trees Photo

Gallery. So - take pictures of the socks you have made from purchases at The Loopy Ewe, put your socks on a bush or branch or tree, with or without sock blockers - and email your photos to us so that we can include them (and YOU!) in our gallery. Now isn’t that just a bit more fun than sticking them on your feet or laying them on the floor for a photo? Just sayin’. (And aren’t Sharon’s socks great? This is Sweet Georgia Kissed - more arriving any day here - and Claudia Hand-Painted Jungle Sport.)

It’s Field Trip Day. Today I have a knitting group of women coming over from Illinois to do a Loopy Field Trip. I also have another gal coming from mid-Missouri for the same thing. It will be a fun afternoon of sharing the Loopy Room. (You know, the “room” will soon be a misnomer. It is expanding out of its borders and will continue to grow because I have so many fun things on order for us. However, I’ll probably always call it The Loopy Room. It makes people wonder, when I say that I’ve been in The Loopy Room all day - and I like that….)

Did you see two new additions that I added last night? Well, some of you did because you have already ordered them! One customer told me she can “sense” when I put new things up on the website. Oh, she’s good. We have added Colonial Rosewood DPN’s (I love these) and the cutest sheep notecards from my new friend Kelly at Romney Ridge Farm. One day, she’s going to let me come and knit in the pasture with her adorable sheep. That seems like a pretty fitting “loopy” thing to do.

Sheri doesanyonehaveholidayshoppingdone?becauseIhaven’t&I’mstartingtoworry

Are my neighbors watching me behind the curtains? Because I’m wondering what they think when I line up a bunch of socks along the fence, or hang sock blockers and socks in the bushes. Not only that, but then I take photo evidence of that loopyness? Maybe I ought to go to the next neighborhood meeting and listen in…..

Remember this? It turned into these! Yes, I actually knit the second sock immediately after finishing the first sock. Why? Because I love knitting with this merino/tencel blend (which you can find in our Yarn Pirate line and our All Things Heather line), and because I love the colors in this colorway - blues and browns (with white thrown in for fun). I had plenty of yarn leftover from the skein - to add to all of my other leftover sock skeins. I’m thinking I might need to make a log cabin sock quilt. After I finish my other log cabin quilt. ahem.

Remember this? It turned into this. (Well no, it’s not really hanging in a bush. That’s just for the photo…) I had this Sock Blocker Keychain attached to my purse and it was just fine and dandy for several weeks (and brought up lots of good knitting conversations with people). Then one day last week, I went to reach for my purse in the backseat, and …. it came up like this. Empty. The cute sock is gone gone gone. On the one hand, I’m sad to have lost it. It was cute and I liked the colors. On the other hand, it was quick and easy to knit up, and maybe I ought to just knit it up again with the leftovers from Frost? On the third hand, I wish I could see the person who finds that miniature sock somewhere (who knows where). Don’t you bet they’ll just have a fun time trying to figure out who would be missing one teeny tiny sock? I’m going to hot glue the next sock on there.

College Boy has come and gone. We loved having him home. I said to Knitting Daughter, “What will I do when you BOTH leave after a weekend at home?” She said, “Don’t think about it.” So I said, “Yes, but you can imagine how lonely it will be here that Sunday afternoon?? I mean, your dad and I will just mope around. It’s going to be awful.” and she said, “MOM! Don’t THINK about it!!” So I’m not. I’m consoling myself with enhancing my sock yarn stash, instead. (When all else fails, buy more yarn.) Here is the current pile. There are 25 bags in there, representing 25 pairs of future socks, yet to be made. Some are yarns I’m testing for possible future additions to The Loopy Ewe, some are just yarns that I like, but all are waiting to be made into socks. And to be honest, there are at least 20 more “in stock” in the Loopy Room that I have pegged for my own stash. I’m just trying to leave as many as possible for you. Either that, or I just ran out of room in my stacking baskets…….

Sheri shareifyoudare-howmany”futuresocks”doyouhaveinyourstash?

Thanksgiving is over and I’m still full. Does that prevent me from eating today? Sadly, no. There are good leftovers in the fridge! We had Thanksgiving dinner here with my folks and brother. Besides reflecting on all that we have to be thankful for, there was great eating, knitting (see below) and movie-watching. My favorite dish for any holiday meal is my mom’s special mashed potatoes (I will share the recipe here eventually). For today, here is a recipe for a great dessert that I made, that was easy easy easy. I’m a big Trader Joe’s fan. Anyone else shop there? They have the best dried fruit, besides all the other groceries that I buy there. I heard about this recipe and found it on Trader’s Joes recipe website. St. Louis is known for its Gooey Butter Cake, but this puts a pumkin-y twist on it.

Trader Joe’s Gooey Pumpkin Butter Cake

Base:
1 box Trader Joe’s Pumpking Bread Mix
2 sticks of butter, very soft
2 eggs

Topping:
1 jar Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Butter
1 8oz brick cream cheese
2 eggs
2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat to 350F.

Butter or spray a 9×13 pan with pan spray. For the base: mix together the pumpkin bread mix, softened butter and eggs until combined. Spread into greased 9×13 pan. For the topping: mix together softened cream cheese, full jar of pumpkin butter and eggs until well combined and smooth. Then add in the confectioners sugar in batches. Pour topping over the base layer. Bake for 45 minutes until the filling is set and the center is barely giggly. Allow to cool for 1 hour. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top.
Enjoy!

(I love that they say to bake until the center is barely “giggly”. Surely they meant “jiggle-y”, right? But I like giggly better.

I finished up the first sock from my Yarn Pirate Frost. I love it so much that I’m actually casting on the second sock today. I know. Can you believe it? I’m sure it’s not going to be a trend (knitting pairs of socks at once). I will revert to my one twinless sock at a time status, soon, I’m sure. I seldom knit patterns on the foot part - usually just on the cuff. This one is the Ribbed Lace pattern from Charlene Schurch’s Sensational Knitted Socks book. It is a 24 row repeat and it went so fast. (I did the repeat twice). I like the way it turned out.

Look what came in the mail from my wonderful Sockret Pal! These cute Thanksgiving magnets (which were on my fridge in time for the holiday) and this great DPN case. What I love about this case is that there is a pocket for my reading/knitting glasses on the front. So handy. This case fits perfectly in my Zelda sock knitting bag (which I continue to think is the next best thing since sliced bread). For each knitting project, I typically keep a few extra DPN’s of the size I’m using, plus one size up and one size down, in my bag. This is the perfect little case for keeping all of those needles, plus my glasses. Thank you to my Sockret Pal for a great gift, which I will use over and over!

I hope you had a wonderful holiday with your families. Did you get any knitting done?

Sheri it’s63degreesheretodayanditsuredoesn’tfeellikeChristmasisjustamonthaway

Well, I have more PAIRS to share. I know that all of my twinless socks made some of you feel better. (And for those of you who always knit pairs together, or always do one right after the other? We’re not speaking to you right now. Not unless you wanted to knit up some of those socks and send them on to me as an “I feel sorry for you and all your twinless socks” gift. But I’m thinking you don’t feel that sorry for me, seeing how I got myself into this mess, and I keep making it worse by starting new socks.)

I like these from Regia. Regia has great sock yarn - long-wearing and the socks get softer each time you wash them. Plus, they have some fun stripey colors. Knitting up this other pair reminded me that I do like knitting stripes, too. I had gotten carried away with knitting all kinds of variegated yarns, but the stripes were fun. I think I need to pick out some more balls for my own stash.

Here is another completed pair from some Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock that I had in my stash. I made them really long and I love them. I think I was just having a good time doing the pattern repeats and temporarily forgot how many more socks are on my “to knit” list. What do I like about Lorna’s Laces? I love their beautiful colorways, and the yarn is so soft. I’m waiting on another big order from them, and I almost don’t want it to come in. I don’t need more yarn in my personal stash. Well, not much more, anyway….

One thing I’m really really liking is my Zelda sock knitting bag. I’m wondering how I got along without this! I knit right out of the bag, so no yarn goes hopping around to entice Zoe-the-yarn-snipping-cat. When I’m done knitting for the day, I just stick the sock in there and snap the bag shut. Nothing to put away, and no possible way for anyone (anycat) to get in there and play with the yarn. Plus, it’s so classy looking and easy to take to Starbucks for a few minutes of knitting while I have my Peppermint Mocha, or to a business meeting where I can sit in the back and look attentive (while knitting away). So far, everyone who has ordered them from The Loopy Ewe has emailed back to say “I love this bag!”, so that’s a good recommendation for you. Of course I still love all of my other knitting bags. But this one will forever be my sock-knitting bag, hands down. It’s just too perfect for it.

In case you were wondering about the knitting in that bag, yes, it’s true. I had to cast on another sock. I’m sorry, but that Yarn Pirate Frost was just calling my name so loudly that I could hardly ignore it. Frankly, the All Things Heather Raspberry Truffle was calling just as loudly. It just so happened that I was in a blue/brown mood. I will be in the pink/brown mood, shortly. I think if I finish one pair, I ought to be able to cast on a new sock, don’t you think? (I know, I know. That will just keep my twinless pairs growing.)

College Boy arrived home last night and I’m a happy mom! We packed lots of orders this morning (I love having his help), so I’m hoping that many of you have boxes of yarn arriving on Friday or Saturday. This long weekend is going to be perfect for knitting! And eating. Yum. Speaking of which, I’m sharing a Cranberry Pie recipe with you that was recommended and shared by Loopy Friend Diane. I haven’t made it yet, so no picture.

Melt in Your Mouth Cranberry Pie

2 cups raw cranberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup melted butter
1 tsp almond extract

1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
2 eggs

Spray a 9 or 10″ pie plate with Pam or equivalent baking spray

Spread washed cranberries in pie plate
Sprinkle with the 1/2 cup sugar and the chopped nuts

Beat eggs, add 1 cup sugar.
Gradually add flour and melted butter
Add almond extract
Pour this mixture over cranberries, covering well…this is what makes the crust…

Bake at 325 for 30 to 40 mins………..Serve warm with vanilla ice cream……..

This pie is great to make ahead and freeze….Enjoy!

Doesn’t it sound great? I need to make that soon. Thanks for sharing, Diane!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving here in the United States. In this time of “thankfulness”, I want you to know that you are a blessing to our family. We’re thankful for your Loopy orders, your kind comments, your wonderful emails, your sweet blog entries about us, and even your wonderful recipe sharing! We couldn’t do this business without you, and we wouldn’t want to. Hugs to you all and Happy Thanksgiving!

Sheri nowI’mthinkingImightneedapairofcranberrypiecoloredsockswhatdoyouthink?

Well, not really buried. But almost! My UPS guy was kept very busy last week, delivering big boxes of yarn replenishment. My postman, was kept almost as busy. One day last week I said to him, “Don’t you have any fun boxes for me today?” to which he replied, “NO! I know how this works. The more boxes I bring to you, the more boxes you have every day for me to pick up and take!” I was kind of hoping he wouldn’t figure that out, but he’s on to me.

Here is a sampling of what came in:

New Colors of All Things Heather (in both the Sock and the Merino Tencel blends). In addition to new colorways, Heather has dyed up some beautiful solids for us. I LOVE hand-dyed solids. Why? Because there are subtle variations in there that keep it from being boring! Solids are perfect for knitting up fancy patterns and having them really show. They’re also perfect for those of you who like to wear more “subtle” hand-knit socks under your suits and trousers at work. (Although I think a wild-colored sock under a sophisticated suit is much more fun.) There are two repeat colorways from last time, because they sold out so fast that some of you didn’t get a chance at them. So Ottobre and Copper Urn are back for one more time.

New Colors of Interlacements Tiny Toes. We added 8 new colors, and replenished all of the other colors that we were sold out of. Lots of brilliant colorways to choose from again.

New Colors of Schaefer Anne. We added 8 new colors and they’re all gorgeous. Remember that this line is dyed up in very small batches and never a “regular colorway” to the Schaefer line. What that means is that your yarn will be unique and if you see it and like it, you had better snap it up before its gone, never to return. Many of you are buying this yarn for your laceweight shawls, in addition to socks.

New Colors of Schaefer Lola. We added 4 new colors to this line. Again, these are unique colors, not to be repeated. I have loved knitting socks (and fingerless gloves, and scarves) out of this sport weight. Very soft, very “springy”, very fun to knit.

New Colors of Yarn Pirate (in the Merino Tencel blend.) Four brand new colorways from Georgia, plus four colorways from her regular line that I asked for in the new blend, because I thought they’d look really pretty in this yarn. (And of course I was right!)

And check out the new pattern line I added: Heartland Knits. I fell in love with the mitten patterns first, then discovered the socks, the gloves, and the shawl. This pattern comes as a little booklet, with a full color photograph on the front. I can’t wait to knit up the mittens.

I know I promised lots of knitting would go on this weekend. I did make progress! I will share in Wednesday’s blog. I did have to take time out to get all of this wonderful yarn up on the website (and then filled orders for all of you who discovered it over the weekend). I also had one or two Peppermint Mochas. And I received a fun package in the mail from my Sockret Pal, which I will have to show you on Wednesday. It was a great weekend. Did anyone else get any knitting done?

Sheri Imustshowyouapictureofmysockyarnstashforithasgrown

It has been awhile since I talked about my WOOPs. (see this post) Remember, many knitters talk about WIPs (Works In Progress) but I have WOOPs (Works Out Of Progress). You’d think that I would have made quite a bit of progress since the last posting of them. I did finish up three of the ten. But I, ummm, have added more to the list.

I’m still working on My Log Cabin Blanket is still in-progress. You may detect that I haven’t added a row since the last blog photo. You’d be correct. I still love it and it will be finished. I have just been too busy knitting socks. Has anyone else started and finished a Log Cabin blanket this fall? Because I’d like to hear about it and then be jealous.

Here are all the twinless socks that I have. I do have two more in progress (sigh) that are not in this photo. As I was putting on socks this morning, I decided that the twinless knitting just has to be a priority because there are so many times when I think “Oh, the chocolate socks would be great with this.” Of course the chocolates sockS means the chocolate SOCK (singular) because there is no plural to them right now. And this has to stop. (Note: since I was dragging all of these socks out for a photo, I decided to organize my stash. As I was organizing yarn, I decided to organize my projects in my different knitting totes. As I was organizing my totes, I decided to organize my patterns and knitting books. As I was organizing patterns, I got hungry for lunch. Is it any wonder that more actual knitting does not get done around here? Maybe I do knit fast. Maybe the problem is something else……..)

Now that I’m all re-organized, this weekend is going to be about knitting. (This weekend was supposed to be about knitting with my favorite friend who was coming to visit with her hubby. Unfortunately, her daughter came down with the flu and the weekend of fun has been postponed. But I’m still knitting.) Don’t expect pairs and pairs of socks in the blog on Monday, because I don’t knit fast enough. Although to read the Yarn Harlot’s blog, I ought to be knitting up a sock a day which means that I could have four new pairs by Monday evening, just knitting up the twins. I will leave you with another of our favorite family recipes. Let me know if you try it and like it!

Garlic Chicken Pizza

6 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
1 1/2 cups sliced green onions
8 cloves minced garlic
8 Tbl. rice or white vinegar
8 Tbl. soy sauce
2 Tbl. olive or cooking oil
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper
2 (12″) Boboli Crusts
4 Tbl. cornstarch
2-3 cups shredded mozzarella and Monterey Jack
8 Tbl. sliced almonds

Cut chicken into 1/2″ pieces. In large bowl, combine garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, 2 Tbl. oil, red pepper, and 1/2 of the green onion. Add chicken. Stir to coat. Let stand 30 minutes at room temperature.

Drain and reserve marinade. Heat the rest of the oil in a large pan and add chicken. Stir and cook until no longer pink (about 3-5 minutes). Heat marinade in separate pan. Whisk in cornstarch and stir until heated through. Add this mixture to the chicken mixture and stir until thick and bubbly.

Spoon onto Boboli crusts. Top with cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes. Add the remaining green onion and nuts on top, and bake an additional 2 minutes.

Save leftovers for lunch the next day, but you had better wrap it in foil and hide it in the way back of the fridge or someone else will steal it first.

Have a great weekend and make time for your knitting! (and actually - since those twinless socks look so good on the sock blockers - don’t they? - maybe I’ll just keep them there and start a new pair. I have a new skein of Loopy in the wonderful merino/tencel blend from Yarn Pirate, that is SHOUTING my name. Oh wait - you haven’t seen that yarn on the website yet? Hmm. Well stay tuned over the next couple of days for that, and more wonderful yarn just in…..)

Sheri IthinkI’llneedseveralPeppermintMocha’stoseemethroughtheweekend,don’tyathink?