Hi there! I had a whirlwind weekend in California at the TNNA Market. (Wait until you hear about all the fun things I have on order for us! But more on that in Wednesday’s post.) Right now, I know you are anxious to hear about the 2008 Sock Club so that you can start signing up.

We have gone to an every other month system (so now you’ll get 5 packages from us this year, instead of 4). Thanks to all of you who asked us to do our mailings more often. This year’s club will focus on some wonderful semi-solid variations because we have some dynamite pattern designers who are looking forward to coming up with interesting patterns for you! We will have patterns by: Wendy Johnson, Cookie A, Debbie O’Neil, Monica Jines, and Terry Ross. I won’t give you all of the yarn dyers, but they do include Wollmeise and sKNITches - so that’s a little tease for you! The cost is the same as last year - $33 per package, plus shipping. Your package will include the limited-edition yarn, the pattern done especially for us, and any other fun little thing we can find to include in there for you. (You know we have fun with those little extras!) We send you an invoice a couple of weeks before each shipment, so this is a “pay as you go”, but you are committing to the whole year of 5 shipments when you sign up. If you’re interested in signing up, we’re taking names today and tomorrow, and if we go over out limit, we’ll do a quick lottery drawing to fill in the spots. If you’re interested, please email: sockclub@theloopyewe.com. We’ll email you back on Wednesday or Thursday to let you know!

The other thing going on this week - a new Sneak Up! In this one you’ll find Wollmeise Sock yarn, Sheepaints, more Fiesta Boomerang, Alpaca With a Twist Fino (lace), Rio de la Plata (those are the socks in the photo I included - aren’t they awesome? Three ply sock yarn, different colors in each ply. Can you see it in the closeup?), Schaefer Heather, Tempted Roving, Prism Kid Slique (oh my it’s cool), Colinette Jitterbug, Dream in Color and Sakina Needles BFL Roving. More fun stuff for you - yay!

Ok - I’m off to try and address my email in-box (always the drawback of leaving town). I will check back in with you all on Wednesday with reports from TNNA! What did you all do while I was gone?

Sheri didn’tmanagetogetmuchknittingdonewhileIwasgone-toomuchelsegoingon

Yes, it’s true. I’m outta here! But I’ll be back on Monday. Right now I’m winging my way to California for the TNNA Market in Long Beach. I can’t let an opportunity go by for finding us some lovely new things to carry at The Loopy Ewe, right? I’ll keep you posted on what I find there. In the meantime, the Elves are holding down the fort and shipping orders out to you, so you don’t have to worry that there will be a delay. (Have I mentioned how awesome those Elves are?) I’ll be back to answering emails next week, so I’ll talk to you all then.

Another new recipe for you that we tried over the holidays. It was a hit with my family! I hope you like it, too. (I know the photo is kind of orange-y. It was an orange-y dish because of the French dressing, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t quite that orange. Food styling/photo-ing is just not my gift. Obviously.)

Dad’s Favorite Chicken Casserole (I have no idea who this particular “Dad” is, but that was the name of the recipe)

4 cups cooked, chopped chicken
2 cups celery slices
2 cups toasted bread crumbs
1 cup French dressing (or more, if you want it creamier)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tsp. salt
dash of pepper
1 (8 oz) package Swiss cheese, cut in strips
1/2 cup slivered almonds

Combine all ingredients except nuts. Spoon into greased 2 quart casserole. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Can be made ahead. (Refrigerate covered, bake with cover at 350 for 50 minutes, then remove cover and bake 10 more minutes.)

Serve over hot cooked rice.

Have a great weekend and get lots of knitting done while I’m gone.

Sheri hopingtohaveknittingtimeonthisweekendtoo,inbetweenproductscoping…

Well that was a fun Sneak Up! Look what happened. You all filled this truck so full with your Sneak Up boxes that it stalled and had to be towed. Holy cow! Well - I don’t know for sure that it was totally our fault. It IS true that the truck was overflowing with our boxes yesterday, and it IS true that it stalled and had to be towed - see the tow truck in front of it? - but I’m not sure we’re to blame. Surely not. On post Sneak Up days like this, the wonderful post office sends an early truck and a late truck for us. Isn’t that nice? This was the early truck yesterday. I’ve never seen a mail truck being towed before. You all continue to amaze and amuse the post office here. (Knitters - a force to be reckoned with.)

It’s time to welcome new Loopy Groupies again! You make “Loopy Groupie” status when you get your 6th order package from us. We love welcoming new Loopies to the bunch, and are happy to have all of these new members: Stephanie in MD, RaeDean in WA, Amy in D.C., Alison in UT, Christina in GA, Marion in Ontario, Keitha in CA, Heather in PA, Scott in WA, Raymond in CA, Linda in NV, Gina in OK, Olivia in GA, Jan in VA, Trina in AZ, Sarah in CO, Rosario in WA, Molly in CT, Catherine in the UK, Donna in NJ, Jennifer in NY, Michele in FL, Barbara in WA, Jenna in PA, Jennifer in PA, Carol in NJ, Susan in VA, Katie in TX, Amy in PA, Penny in TN, Sara in ME, Amy in PA, Mary in NH, Katie in TX, MaryAnn in NY, Lindy in Australia, Yuki in Japan, Joan in MN, Karen in MD, Joanne in PA, Courtney in PA, Sally in ME, Linda in IL, Joy in CA, Jennifer in TX, Heidi in CA, Ann in SC, Judy in MN, Chrissy in MA, Megan in VA, Terrie in IL, Michelle in IL, Janelle in TX, Rachel in TX, Joann in WI, Collette in TX, Tricia in NC, Adrienne in IL, Brenda in CT, Beth in IL, Christie in OH, Jill in CO, Megan in ME, Carla in NY, Kim in PA, Amy in AZ, Donna in SC, Kim in TN, Donna in WA, Toni in IN, Sarah in IL, Chris in NJ, Katherine in OK, Jo in TX, Sandra in GA, Lisa in TX, Stephania in OR, Bronwyn in MT, Cathy in MO, Angie in IL, Elaine in VA, Beverly in NV, Kristin in CT, Erica in WA, Karin in PA, Yvonne in MI, Chris in British Columbia, Ann in NY, Jill in UT, Erin in TN, Sarah in MO, Jaimi in ME, Cathy in OR, Terry in MI, Danielle in CO, Amy in MN, Robin in OH, Sonya in MI, Karin in PA, Jill in CA, Helena in NJ, Margaret in the UK, Cindy in VA, Karen in IA, Judy in FL, Melanie in PA, Alexis in OR, Jean in WI, Melanie in CT, Laura in CA, Mary in CA, Amanda in TN, Anica in CO, Kati in NY, Kristin in VA, Justine in FL, Patty in RI, Susan in WY, Elizabeth in VA, Karen in WA, Brenda in VA, Kim in CA, Vivian in MN, Jennifer in TN, Leslie in CA, Christine in FL, Micki in TX, Margo in WI, Lynn in VA, Emily in ME, Jun in Japan, Candace in Calgary, Fabienne in Germany, Mariana in GA, Laurel in OR, Loretta in OH, Kathy in PA, Michelle in IL, Pamela in MA, Meredith in MA, Crystal in NC, Roberta in CO, Trisha in Alberta, Dottie in NE, Kay in OH, Shelby in MD, Heather in SD, Sharon in CA, Kathy in MD, Mary Jane in IN, Sophia in NY, Joy in MO, Mary in OH, Elysbeth in MO, Cassandra in OH, Marsha in CO, Liz in MA, Sara in ME, Lindsay in MD, Karen in NJ, Kirsty in Ontario, Christine in MN, Lisa in MA, Susan in VA, Renee in MN, Blythe in IA, Brittany in CT, Adelle in NY, Vanessa in CA, Danielle in MI, Marisol in NY, Erin in AZ, Jean in D.C., Kimberly in NC, Fern in OH, Erica in TX, Angela in MD, Deb in GA, Antoinette in IA, Jennifer in NC, Kate in AZ, Andrea in OH, Charles in NC, Martha in WI, Kathlene in IA, Kathryn in TX, Andrea in OH, Kathy in NIL, Claire in Ontario, Tiffany in Ontario, Ruth in FL, Ann in AZ, Jaya in NY, Alexis in CA, Kelley in NY, Jo Ann in VA, Donna in Australia, Jody in MA, Pamela in MA, Jessica in GA, Jane in the UK, Jennifer in IL, Bonnie in MN, Sue in the UK, Jennifer in MO, Tara in KY, Deane in VA, Maja in NV, Hayley in the England, Annette in NE and Marna in OH. (And of course if we have messed up and missed you on this list since the last time I blogged it, please email me so that we can get you on the next one!)

So many of you have been emailing and calling about the 2008 Sock Club and we’re glad that you’re excited about it! Current members - you should have received an email today, offering you the chance to renew. New members - there are plenty of new spots. But not yet! Signups will be next Monday and Tuesday. There’s a special email address that we have set up to take those spot requests, which I’ll put on the website in Monday morning’s blog post. We’ll email you a confirmation email by Wednesday of next week. We’re really looking forward to this year’s Sock Club and I’ll give you all of the details next Monday (including some hints as to what you might see in the coming year.)

Sheri funstuffherefornextweek’sSneakUp,too.Maybewecanstallthepostaltruckagain.

Good news: Today is my (our) 24th wedding anniversary! Twenty four years of being married to my best friend, 24 years he has had to put up with me, 24 years that he has been making me laugh.

Bad news: I managed to put myself in the doghouse with WH this week, as he has spent untold hours color-correcting 450+ photos for this week’s Sneak Up. That’s what happens when we take a couple of weeks off from Sneaking new stuff up for you.

Good news: Lots of fun things going up sometime this week for your shopping pleasure.

Bad news: Lots of fun things going up sometime this week for your shopping pleasure. (And more next week.)

Good news: I did some knitting this weekend and have the second Noro sock almost done. I’ll post it when it’s done and washed.

Bad news: I tired out my knitting fingers with one of my other favorite Christmas presents. (My kids rolled their eyes when I asked for Guitar Heroes for Christmas.) Jari - are you practicing for our eventual re-match??

Good news: We were named “Pusher of the Year” in these awards. How fun is that?

Bad news: The list also contained a lot of fun blogs and resources that I have had to add to my “must read” and “must check out” list. For my spare time.

Good news: I found these cute cupcakes while shopping this weekend. Don’t they look good enough to eat? They’re in my kitchen window, along with some other fun things for the season.

Bad news: Looking at them every day makes me want to eat cupcakes.

Good news: I’ve managed to set aside my spinning momentarily, while I figure out how to make the tension right with a Woolee Winder.

Bad news: We have such fun roving in-house that it’s making me nuts not to be spinning.

Good news: Zoe-the-cat is a mouser! (Don’t ask me how I know.)

Bad news: Gracie-the-cat is not. (Don’t ask me how I know.)

Good news: That was a month ago and she hasn’t had the opportunity to practice her mousing skills again.

Bad news: Casey-the-dog also thinks she’s a mouser. (Well - that was bad news for the mouse in this instance…..)

Sheri itwasaVentisizedLattedaytoday-somuchtodoFPS.Howaboutyou?

I wanted to show you a few of my favorite gifts from the holidays! (Why? Because these are all artisans that I can see buying future gifts from. I’m always looking for something unique when figuring out gifts, and I thought you might like to have these resources, too.) The first two are from a gal here in St. Louis that works with my brother. (Mike gets lots of credit for these gifts - he did good, didn’t he?) I wish you could see them in person. The framed Loopy Ewe is hand done on glass and we hung it as you walk in to the kitchen at Loopy Central. I’m amazed at how well she did on the Loopy font! I wish you could see this lighted bottle in person. It has Loopy and Loopy faces and red socks all over it, and it just shines when you plug it in. It looks like stained glass. Very fun! I kept this one at home in my kitchen. Judi has a website where she can be contacted, if you’re ever interested in these fun bottle lights. She has some fun options already figured out (my mom has a cute snowman one in her kitchen) but she is also happy to do personalizations and logos like she did for us. Wouldn’t they be cute in kids’ rooms, too, with their name and favorite things on the bottle? (Or a knitting one for your knitting nook? The possibilities are endless!)

The next gift was an anniversary gift from my mother-in-law. This is all handcut (you can read about the art of Scherensnitte here) and is full of things that make up our life. Hobbies, jobs, schools, people, pets, dates, etc. The more you look, the more you find. (It does help that there is a list of “do you see what I see?” on the back that gives clues.) The artist who did this - Keith Bonnstetter - doesn’t have a website, but here is a link to one of the places he has exhibited. Instead of putting his phone number on the website, just email me if you’d like me to pass it on to you. WH’s mom told him all about our family, and he came up with his representation of it for us. It is a very special gift!

Then, I had to go investigate another jewelry designer, because we all know that I’m a sucker for great jewelry. On Wednesday in the comments section, Juliblue mentioned that she was helping her friend in a trade show. April has had her designs bought by Anthropologie, as well as having worked with several tv shows and other venues. Best of all, her work is downright fun and beautiful. I bought these pretty silver ones as a gift for myself. But don’t tell. I don’t think you’re supposed to buy gifts for yourself right after Christmas. (April said that I could borrow this photo of them to put on the blog for you. I know better than to lift website photos without permission!) Next time, I will have to go for a pair with colored stones/crystals. I like the ones on her homepage with the three dangles.

I do have a recipe to share with you today. These are soooo easy (so really, “recipe” is a stretch) and very timely with all of the “eating healthy” resolutions out there. We made these Yogurt Parfaits for Christmas morning brunch, and I also like to make them each week for breakfast. I think they are best about 2 days after you make them. That gives the granola time to soften up.

Yogurt Parfaits

Layer the following into cups:

1 large spoonful of your favorite granola cereal
a few fresh berries (I used blueberries and raspberries)
a few spoonfuls of yogurt
and repeat the layers again, ending with granola and berries.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to eat. (It’s fun to mix yogurt flavors in the cup, although I will admit to liking the vanilla yogurt myself. You can get vanilla and strawberry in large containers at our grocery store, which makes this all a bit easier and more economical.) Next week’s recipe won’t be quite so healthy.

Attention Spring Flingers - if you’re on Ravelry, make sure you join The Loopy Groupies AND Loopy’s Spring Fling group! There is a lot of fun chatter going on over there, as well as a “Spring Fling Swap” that you might want to be a part of. (Special thanks to Leslie for running the swap and Sarah for setting up the Spring Fling Ravelry Group!)

Great idea - Commenter Tracy suggested that I ask you what your favorite non-sock pattern (using sock yarn) would be. What do you think? Two of my favorite “knit with sock yarn but not socks” patterns are the Chevron Scarf and Monica’s Fingerless Lace Mitts. What would yours be?

Sheri thisweekitwas8degreesonWednesdayandwillbe60byMondayFPS

As promised, here are a couple of new sock photos. I have another one done, too, but it’s a new indie dyer that we haven’t announced yet. I’ll save that photo for later! I love these Noro socks. (Color S185)I was so anxious to see how they’d wash up, as they are definitely scratchier feeling to knit. (I survived it, just because the whole color thing was so fun to watch progress.) They softened up in the wash. I hand-washed them in Soak (let them soak in the water for about 15 minutes) and let them air dry, like I always do. (I always hand-wash all of my handknit socks. I’ve never felt like it took very long, and after putting all of that knitting time in, I’m all for making sure they last as long as possible! After I wash them, I roll them up in a towel to get rid of excess moisture, and then dry them on this, which is mounted on a wall in our bathroom. I love it. I know, I know - you’re supposed to “dry flat”. But once I have rolled them in a towel, there is not enough moisture and weight left in them to stretch them out of shape when hanging on this rack.) Back to the Noro socks, I was glad that it softened up some after washing. I knit these on size 0 needles and the stitch definition still looks great, post-washing. This sock is still not as soft as others, but honestly, when it’s on my foot, I can’t tell the difference. I’m working on the matching sock now, and will absolutely make more. There are several other colorways I want to try out. (Also great yarn for scarves, mittens, gloves, etc.) It’s one of those yarns that you’ll either like or not, but I love it!

The second sock is the Araucania yarn. To be honest, I saw this skein and thought it looked awfully splotchy. A very unique looking yarn, to be sure! However, I only had to knit a couple of inches on my sock to realize how absolutely gorgeous it was all knit up. All of those splotches add up to an amazing mix of colors and I will be knitting more of these socks as well! (Not sure of the colorway on this, but it’s one of the ones that was on backorder in our first order from them, so we’ll have it eventually!) Both of these experiences are a good reminder not to judge a sock yarn until you’re worked with it. Knitting it up tells you a lot about the dye and color. What seems to be “splotches and unevenness” in the skein (or “abrubt color changes” or any other description that comes to mind) will bring about different results in the knitted fabric. You might love it, or you might hate it, but it will be different when you work with it. (Of course you can also check our photo galleries to see how things look when they are knit up. You all have been so generous in sharing your finished sock photos for all of us to see and benefit from.) The same goes for washing the socks, and of course wearing and washing them more over time. What might look great all knit up, might not wear so well. (Or, it might wear very well!) I know that I baby my handknit socks with the handwashing. I also don’t normally scuff around in them without shoes or slippers on, and I most often wear clogs, so I don’t get a lot of wear-out on the heels. (That’s not why I wear clogs - I just like how easy they are to kick on and off.) So, lots to consider when picking out the sock yarns that YOU want to work with and wear. That’s why we try to keep so many different options for you! This was done in the Loopy Laces pattern by Wendy. (It’s Wendy’s birthday today - go tell her Happy Birthday!)

Speaking of options, are you wondering about next week’s Sneak Up? Here’s the list so far, although we reserve the right to add to it if we get more photos done:

- Hand Maiden Casbah Sock
- Schaefer Anne, Lola and Heather
- New Dream in Color Classy colors
- All of the Dream in Color Baby lace colors
- Fiesta Boomerang and Baby Boomerang
- Yarn Nerd
- Mountain Colors Bearfoot
- New Sakina Needles Roving
- New Yarn Ball Earrings from Romi
- New Loopy Ewe totes (in the larger size - same as our Loopy Groupie bags, but black handles and zipper. We’re saving the red handles/zipper for Loopy Groupies. You all have been asking to be able to buy this size, and we have them for you!)
- New Loopy Ewe canvas totes - the perfect size for sock projects (and they’re RED!)
- New Loopy Ewe coffee travel mugs (because, you know, we like coffee around here)

Coming up the week of January 14th: Wollmeise Sock Yarn, Plucky Knitter Lace, Sheepaints, and more.

Spring Flingers! Watch for an email next week, telling you how to go about paying for your deposit for the retreat. We won’t have you sign up for your classes until March, when the balance of the fee is due. We’re excited to have all of you attending, including some of our favorite Canadians, as well as Kellie all the way from New Zealand and Claudia (the Wollmeise herself!) from Germany! We can’t wait to have all of you here.

Our final Random Acts of Kindness winner is: Heather from IL. Congratulations, Heather! Thank you ALL for participating in this fun month-long contest. We’ll be sure to do it again next December! (Although I’m hoping that we’ll all keep RAKs on our minds throughout 2008. We’ll have to have a quarterly check-in and contest, just to keep things moving.)

Fourth Quarter Challenge photos are due in by January 10th! The Challenge for last quarter was to knit something with 2 or more colors/yarns. I’ll remind you after the 10th, to go vote for your favorites and then we’ll announce the winners. You can see the entries so far, here.

It’s a new Quarter, which means a new Loopy Q1-08 Challenge! This quarter, the challenge is to knit something that you have not knit before. I don’t mean “try a new pattern for your socks”. I mean, if you have never knit socks, knit socks. If you have never knit a shawl, try a shawl. Or mittens, or gloves, or fingerless mitts, or a neck warmer, or a Chevron Scarf, or a sweater, or a vest, or ….. well, the list is endless, isn’t it? (And hey - if you haven’t spun before, get some of the beautiful roving we have going up next week and make “spinning” your “Q1-08 Try Something New to You” challenge!) You have until April 10th to submit the photo to the Q1-08 Gallery and there will be two winners. 1, a winner by random drawing from all of the entries, and 2, a “Knitter’s Choice”, awarded to the project that gets the most votes from all of you. So figure out something that would be fun to learn and do, and jump right in. I’m going to attempt a shawl. Again. (I loved working on it - see blog post here - but that’s all I ever did on it. There were just too many socks needing to be done. I’m going to frog this and start over and am bound and determined to do the whole thing this time.) What do you think you’ll work on for the Challenge?

Sheri savingthenewgiftphotosIwantedtoshowyouforFriday’sblog,
alongwithanewrecipeforyou.Thispostisalreadytoolong!