Ok - THAT was a fun Sneak Up! (Seriously - y’all broke all previous records!) In addition to the regular Loopy Elves (Susan, Vicki and Anna), we had to call in both of my folks, WH and KD for order packing on this one. (College Guy lent his support by calling last night to tell us he was glad to be in Indiana, watching from afar. Nice guy.) We’re still working on orders - we’ll try to get them all out by tomorrow, but some may spill over into Tuesday. We really ARE working ’round the clock to get everything out to you. Monday is a holiday here in the U.S., so no mail on Monday. When this week’s orders are done, I’m taking a couple of days off to knit. It’s so nice to have a holiday in there to justify that.

Just to keep you updated - Wendy’s patterns have come and gone, but more will arrive by mid-week next week. We did sell out of most of the Dream in Color shades, but I called Veronica and she’s sending us all that she had to spare on her shelves, today. So we’ll have a bit more to hold us over until the next big regularly-scheduled order arrives the third week in September. Someone asked about the size of our orders. We always order very very big huge orders. Huge pretty much describes it. But you all also have very very big huge appetites for DC. Huge pretty much describes that, too! We aim to keep you filled up as often as Dream in Color can send us yarn. Fortunately, they’re very good to us and delightful to work with. They’ll keep it coming to us, and we’ll keep it coming to you. Apparently you have huge appetites for ShibuiKnits, too. Either that, or you were just having too much fun adding things to your cart. Or maybe both.  They sent another order to us yesterday already. So by mid-week next week, we’ll have all of this back in stock for you again, and of course we plan to keep up with it as fast as these companies can keep us stocked after that. Thank you so much for making this Sneak Up so much fun, and for all your business. We so appreciate you!

The next Sneak Up will be fun, too. We have Fiesta Baby Boomerang, Zen String Bambewe, Chewy Spaghetti and Cider Moon Glacier all ready to pop up for you. In addition, I know that Yarn Pirate, Perchance to Knit, Yarn Love, Wollmeise, Misty Mountain Farms, and Nature’s Palette have either shipped or will ship within the next few days. And of course we have other fun new stuff coming any day, too - so it looks like September is shaping up to be a yarn-filled month for all of us. Yay! (When is the next Sneak Up? Um - as soon as the post office delivers more boxes to us. I think they really wonder about us….. I’ll keep you posted on the next one, of course.)

Look at this cute kitten. This is “Loopy Elf Junior” with her new kitten, Lily. LEJ is Susan-the-awesome-assistant’s daughter, and she was the Loopy Elf Junior this summer. She was a great order picker and we loved it when she came in to work with Susan. She got to know our Zoe and decided she really wanted a cat. Susan talked her hubby into allowing a cat into the family. (It was no easy task, believe me.) So Knitting Daughter and I met Susan and LEJ at the humane society a couple of Saturdays ago, and she picked out Lily for them to take home and love. They are having a wonderful time with her and Lily is a lucky little kitten to have found a home with them. Isn’t she a cutie? (Do you know how hard it is to be at the Humane Society and not bring another cat or dog home?)

I know I need to share more HEALTHY recipes with you, but here’s another delicious non-healthy one for today. Once you’ve tried these, you will be hooked.

Aunt Ardith’s Special K Bars (I have no idea who Aunt Ardith is, but she came up with some great bars.)

6 cups Special K cereal
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips

Cook sugar and syrup to boil. Take off heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Mix well. Pour over cereal and stir to coat. Pour into buttered 9 x 13 pan. Melt chips and spread over the top.

And in case you’re needing more knitting time in your life this holiday weekend, here is the blog post I wrote last year to help you find time over Labor Day Weekend for knitting. I think the ideas will still work for you. I’m planning on adding a few into my weekend as well.

Sheri readyforcoolweather,changingleaves,andwearinghandknitsocksagain

Even more yarn going up in this week’s Sneak Up, because our next mega-order of Dream in Color has arrived. WH loves those - no re-photoing necessary! And of course we have more coming mid-September-ish. I’ll pop the Sneak Up stuff up soon. I did get one sock done out of a skein of the new Sockina Cotton - do you like it? You’ll also be glad to know (because we ALL know about my SSS) that the second sock, knit toe-up, is done past the heel and I just have some cuff left. That will make a pair, for anyone keeping track. Woohoo! I do notice that I knit patterned socks much faster, as they keep me entertained. (Ok, I’m easily entertained.) I think these are going to be really comfortable socks. I’m hoping that as I wash them over and over, they’ll get that “favorite cotton t-shirt” feel to them. Then I’m going to need to make another pair.

Remember when I said we were running out of room in The Loopy Room? WH came up with more pegs on the wall and right now they’re holding some of the 300+ skeins of All Things Heather, waiting for the Sneak Up. Isn’t it pretty? I almost hate to sell it because I love all of that color on the wall! (But I will sell it. Minus the Bandana and Chocolate Kisses I had to take out for myself.) Here’s a photo of another wall in the Loopy Room, just so you can get a picture of where we’re packing all of your orders. It’s just the front end of the room, but you get the idea. I won’t take photos of all of the rest of the walls/shelves/angles here at Loopy, but there’s a little glimpse. The rest you will have to see when you come to the Loopy Retreat next spring and can visit it in person. (This photo is specifically for Wendy’s Friend Blogless L-B, who has asked for a photo of the Loopy Room before.)

I like being surrounded by yarn, but I do not think I’d like being surrounded by sheep. What do you think?

How are you coming on your Q3 Challenge? The challenge was to knit a pair of socks in a pattern that was challenging to you. I thought I’d do a Cookie A pattern, but they keep selling out before I have a chance to take a copy for myself. I DO have a skein of the lovely Wollmeise set aside to work with. (Speaking of lovely Wollmeise - more ships out to us tomorrow - yay!!) So what are you all working on for the Challenge? Maybe I ought to do a different pattern now. We have until the end of September to put the photos up in the Q3 Gallery, so get knitting!

Did anyone else get a Pumpkin Spice Latte on opening day of the season, yesterday? (”Opening day of the pumpkin-spice-lattes-are-back season.”) I celebrated by getting a Venti and I had Barista Donna pose with the first PSL of the season. It’s not necessarily going to edge out the PM’s (Peppermint Mocha’s) but PM’s are available year-round and PSL’s come and go. Certainly worth celebrating, don’t you think? I may need another this morning, too. Is it bad to get Starbucks two days in a row? I really try not to.

Sheri dogishidingundermychairbecauseKnittingDaughterhashercameraout
Doesanyoneelsehaveawimpydogscaredoflightening&cameraflashes?Forpete’ssake.

Well, College Guy is happily back in his dorm room, sharing space with the room-mates. This is the first year that the guys and dads did not have to completely assemble a 3-person loft on move-in day. New “modular”, “stackable” furniture this year was supposed to make it all easier. We had no idea that they’d spend even more time contemplating the best room arrangement for a triple bunk bed, 3 desks, 3 dressers, 3 closets, 3 shelves, couch, refrigerator and tv. None of these large, heavy pieces of furniture were moved any less than 3 times each, in an attempt to find the perfect solution. All three boys and all three dads were glad when the final arrangements had been settled upon and we could actually move them in, lock, stock and barrel. We all left around dinnertime and they finished the unpacking and settling in. (Yep. I’m sad today. But College Guy is happy and that does help. You know, if your kids are happy, you can deal with your own sadness.) I would venture to guess that he’s the only College Guy who went to college with his stuff packed in a big box that said ShibuiKnits on it, and another that said Regia Kaffe Fassett. But that’s just a guess. Now I’m back in the Loopy mode, and catching up on emails and orders from the weekend.

I did get some knitting done in the car, up and back. Look at these little Baby Monkey Socks I made. (They really are exactly the same size - one is back further on the branch than the other!) A friend of mine just had a little boy and I wanted to make something for her. It was fun to make these up as I went along (using Cookie A’s Monkey pattern on the top of the sock.) I emailed to ask her if I could share the pattern on our Free Patterns page, but she’s on vacation until September 7th. I’ll let you know. I really have no idea how that whole thing works. I know people take things from stitch dictionaries and construct their own socks around them and publish them, but this is different because Monkey is just Cookie’s, in my mind. So I’ll keep you posted. But I had a lot of fun knitting them up and I hope the mom and new baby like them! This was made from 1 ball of a new line that just arrived - Crystal Palace’s Merino 5. (Very squishy yarn base - I love it.)

Fun stuff going up in this week’s Sneak Up. Finally, all of that All Things Heather you all have been waiting for, plus Trekking, Sockina Cotton, Austermann Step, Crystal Palace Merino 5, Regia’s Kaffe Fassett, ShibuiKnits, and more Fleece Artist Somoko and Merino. Maybe more Seacoast Panda (the other half of our order) and Zen String Bambewe. We’ll see how far we get. Plus Wendy’s patterns, Addi Turbos, and a new DPI WIP tube that I know you’ll like.

Anyone do anything fun this weekend while I was gone? Any knitting accomplished?

Sheri didyouknowthatPumpkinSpiceLatteswillreturnfortheseasontomorrowatStarbucks?Yum!

Best day of the entire year: the last day of school. Then I know we get the kids home all summer long!
Worst day of the entire year: the day they go back to school.

Knitting Daughter has been back to high school for a week now, and College Guy (aka Web Guy) goes back up to school in Indiana this weekend. Bugger. Oh, HE’S just fine with it. He likes his school and his friends and his classes. I will admit that it’s easier for me to have him head off there, knowing he’s so happy up there. But it sure is lonely here without him. No College Guy to hang out with, no late night walks around the neighborhood, website issues don’t get resolved quite so fast, printer/computer problems remain a problem until WH gets home at night, etc. And his bedroom. It’s empty when he goes off to school. I hate that. Yep, it’s gonna be a bummer weekend.

Give him a wave goodbye as he goes off to his Junior year of college. (You know he’ll still be taking good care of the website from afar. He’s good about that. He knows we all depend on him!)

Sheri makingmorechocolatechipcookiesthisafternoontosendtoschoolwithhim
Imighthavetotastetestafew,youknow,toconsolemyself…

Over the past several weeks, we have added a few more indie dyers to the group here at the “Loop”. (That must mean they’re “The Loop Group” - hee! I crack myself up.) I get so many emails asking “Are you getting this line in?” or “Are you getting that dyer in?” or “When will you have more of this line?” and so once in awhile I like to keep you updated on what is coming, even though - especially with the indie dyers - the orders are awhile in coming because our orders are so big. So here are a few fun new lines coming up that you can look forward to between now and the fall months, plus an update on the other regulars. (And remember - our indie lines are always on order, due back in as soon as they can dye more up for us.)

1. Yarn Nerd - Adam is an electrical engineer by day, and a yarn dyer by night. The colorways are beautiful and the yarn is a base that you all love. I’m particularly happy to have our first GUY DYER! We will have this in by the end of September, if not before. I love this colorway that he sent - the colors just flow back and forth.

2. Sheepaints - Sabine and I have been emailing for awhile and I’m so looking forward to sharing her yarn with you - all the way from Germany. I love finding international indie dyers, as it’s interesting to see different color combinations that come from different parts of the world. We’ll have lots of her yarn here mid-October.

3. The Regia Kaffe Fassett line - So many of you have asked for this, so of course we’ll have it for you. Fassett is a long-time knitting and textile designer known for his use of color, and the colors in these new yarns are going to make you want to knit up some socks. We’re hoping to have this yarn within a couple of weeks.

4. MacKintosh Yarns - Liz is a Loopy customer and blog reader and it turns out that she has this fun line of yarns that she is willing to do up for us. (Many are Harry Potter inspired colorways, but not all.) Liz is a college student, so now we have our first COLLEGE DYER! Liz has worked for a yarn shop near her and has much experience in all things yarn. I am very impressed with her beautiful colorways. We will have this in 6 weeks or so.

And a reminder about the new ones that I have already mentioned in previous blogs but that we’ll have up in the next couple of weeks - or months - as well:

ShibuiKnits - shipped last week, due in any second, Fiesta Baby Boomerang - shipping today - yeehaa!, Austermann Step, Trekking, Sockina Cotton - all three are here and waiting to be photo-ed. Here are pictures of the Sockina Cotton colorway I’m knitting up, and the first Austermann Step that I am going to knit.) Schaefer Heather, Classic Elite Alpaca Sox, Oceanwind Knits . I know I’ve been promising All Things Heather, too, and it’s just a matter of photo-ing all of it. I think we have 30+ different colorways here. (Heather moved cross-country and we benefitted from her “I don’t want to move all this sock yarn so how much can I dye up for you?” mentality. We took it all! Here is a photo of the two skeins I had to take for my own stash, right off the top: Chocolate Kisses and Bandana.) We also have Addi Turbo needles (regular and lace) and we’ll have Wendy’s exclusive sock patterns here very soon! Have you been watching them transpire on her blog? She has come up with some really fun ones. And for those of you who keep asking about Dream in Color - we have plenty of that shipping to us, hopefully within the next week or two, as well. Plus more Fleece Artist Somoko, Fleece Artist Merino, and Zen String have arrived. (Edited - someone asked about Wollmeise. It’s due to ship out to me the last week in August and you know we’ll get it up asap!)

Thank you for your tremendous response to the J. Knits Anniversary Yarn! We’re all out of it now, but I may offer it in their Lace-A-Licious base in the future. (What do you think?) I know you all are big fans of J.Knits yarn. I love their colors and also how soft the yarn is to work with and wear. We’ve always planned to carry all of their colors in stock, but, um ….. you all buy it faster than Julie can dye it and we can stock it! So we’ll keep doing what we’ve been doing, which is rotating the colors we have and going through the whole line over several orders/months, and you can catch your favorite colors when they come up. How’s that?

Lastly, I continue to get emails every week about the Loopy Ewe Seasonal Sock Club, wondering how to get in or when the next sign-ups will be. We had 150 slots fill overnight when we first started it last winter, so needless to say, it’s full full full! It does seem like everyone has jumped on the sock club bandwagon, doesn’t it? We will continue to work hard to make ours fun and inspiring for you as we go along! Sign-ups for next year’s club will be in late January. I’ll announce it ahead of time in the blog and via our monthly customer email newsletter. We’ll be sending packages to you every other month next year: March, May, July, September, and November. I have some awesome designers and dyers all lined up already, anxious to participate! (Guess what? One is Wollmeise!)

There. I think you’re caught up on most things “Loopy” around here. Of course I always keep a FEW secrets that I’m working on, just to keep you guessing.

Sheri ooh-onemorething-I’mworkingonaknittingretreatforusnextSpring
soyoucancomevisitTheLoopyRoominperson!Wannacome??

Sometimes I make the grocery list and WH goes to the store. Last week, I had “Frozen Chicken Br**sts” on the list. (Ok - I don’t want to bring weirdos to the blog by typing out that word. But you know what I mean.) He read through the list and said, “Don’t we have chicken in the freezer?” and I said, “No, I don’t think so.” Since he was the instigator of the Freezer Intervention, he knows that one of my bad habits is to, um ….. buy food without making sure there is none already in the freezer. So last week, after questioning me, he said, “Are you sure there’s no chicken in there? Just check.” My response was to roll my eyes and yank open the freezer door. I was greeted by a large bag of frozen chicken br**sts. Dang. Busted.

I have other bad habits. Another one that is particularly prevalent this time of year is notebooks and journals. I don’t know why, but I can wander the aisles at an office supply store and Target, for a long time, finding notebooks and journals that I need. I don’t fill them all. I don’t keep a detailed journal day by day. I have way more than I could ever use. But still, I find cute ones that I feel a need to buy. Big ones, small ones, short ones, tall ones. I think it’s my desire to be organized. (”Oh, I can keep track of _________ in this one!” Seriously. I always have good ideas for them when I’m buying them.) Back-to- school time is the worst (have you SEEN some of the cute notebooks out there right now?) I find it just best not to even walk into the store.

My desk. It’s usually overrun with a few piles and stacks of papers. Things that need to be paid or filed or checked or sorted. This habit also spills over to the computer cabinet. Do you know how annoying it is to try to use the desk or computer, while dodging stacks of papers? (Well yes, I’ll bet some of you do.) I love it when my desk and computer area are clean. That’s what I spent time on this weekend and I’m keeping it this way. Every time I walk in here, it makes me smile. (Ask me in two weeks.)

Yarn. I love to buy yarn. I love having a big collection of skeins to choose from and to admire in the baskets. I have finally decided to stop feeling bad about that and to call myself a Yarn Collector. I figure that I don’t spend a lot of money on extra vices in life (ok, besides the chicken br**sts and a bunch of cute notebooks) and it’s ok to have a good collection of yarn. I’m going to stop calling it a “bad habit of buying more yarn than I could possibly knit up in a lifetime” and start referring to it as my “yarn collection that makes me happy”. As long as I have baskets of yarn, piles of notebooks, and chicken in the freezer, life is good.

Sheri ofcoursetherearemorebadhabitsbutIwillstopherefortoday
doanyofyouhaveabadhabityou’dliketosharetomakemefeelbetteraboutmine??