I have to say, we have had a crazy week here at Loopy Central. We’ve unpacked and checked in more boxes of yarn in these last five days than I ever remember us doing before in that short of a time period. (The UPS, Fed Ex, and USPS guys all think it’s really funny to bring 15 or 20 more boxes when there are still 10 or 15 sitting there from the day before. They have a warped sense of humor.) We’ve restocked, added new, made way and moved shelves. It’s all coming together, though, so I thought I’d give you just a few pictures in today’s post.

We filled up the Cascade wall. There were too many empty cubbies earlier. (Still  a few empties – the backordered colors. And of course you can’t see the three full bookcases of backstock on these colors. But the wall looks nice and fairly full again.)

We moved shelves around (and had to turn them sideways instead of one long row the other way. It used to look like this in that spot. Eventually we’ll probably have to do that in the other half of this long room, too).

We put up a new slatwall and filled it up with needles. (Well technically “we” didn’t put up the slatwall – WH did that. But I did do the needles.)

We filled up both of our shipping box closets – here’s one of them.

After a week like that, you just have to call it “GOOD” and fill up your stomach with something like these amazing cupcakes that our Loopy friend Lori brought us. (They were seriously good.)

And then, beacause I needed to add another Elf to our Loopy Central Elf Team, I hired Lori to work here three days a week. The other Elves think I ought to have written up a contract that said she had to bring wonderful things from this bakery once a week. She has been known to bring them quite often when she comes by to shop. Why didn’t I think of that? (I would’ve hired her even without the bakery wonders. I’ve always thought she would make a great Elf.)

Sheri nowthatthingsarefinishedfortheweek,
I’mreadyforaweekend.Howaboutyou?

Loopy has some new jewelry. If you’ve been to Loopy Central in person, you know that we have this stuffed Loopy who stands on top of one of the shelves to greet you when you come in. (In his former life, he was a loved-on sheep in a kindergarten classroom. We think he likes it better here.) He has been wearing last years Spring Fling nametag for awhile now, but when I saw these tags, I knew he needed his own. It arrived yesterday, and he looks very proud to be wearing it, doesn’t he?  But I have a dilemma. The fun thing about these tags is that you can have the back personalized, too. So the back of Loopy’s tag says “King of the Shop”. (And he is.) So the question is, which side should show – Loopy, or King of the Shop? (We won’t open up that whole “Wait, if it’s The Loopy Ewe, then shouldn’t Loopy be a SHE?” debate again. Been there, done that. Loopy is a he. Sometimes things just work differently in our yarn world.) So let me know what you think about the tag. And then go take a look at their blog, because the dog featured today has the perfect tagline on his tag.

Of course, who’s to say that these tags have to be for animals? Maybe your knitting bag needs a tag, declaring you the “World’s Fastest Knitter”. (Or at least the fastest knitter in YOUR world). Or “Loopy’s #1 Fan”. Or someone who “Insulates with Wool”, or … well, you get the idea. Cute tags, nice people running the business, quick shipping, and they made Loopy look even more handsome this week. I like that combination.

Sheri movingshelvesatLoopytoday
Advilmightneedtobemyfriendtonight.

Thank you to all of the votes you cast for our 4th Quarter Challenge. We had more votes on this one than ever before, and we ended up with a tie for the Reader’s Choice Award. We will be giving out two Loopy Ewe Gift Certificates for the tie – one goes to Janine for her beautiful Midnight Swallowtail Shawl. This was done with a 150 g. skein of Hand Maiden Sea Silk. The other one goes to Jeannie for her gorgeous Order to Chaos shawl. This was done with Dream in Color Smooshy in the Black Parade colorway. A big congratulations to both of these gals for their beautiful work. We also award one gift certificate that is randomly drawn from all entries, so that everyone who participated has a chance to win. That gift certificate goes to Lynn, who knit up a this wonderful Multnomah out of Dream in Color Starry. Thank you to everyone who participated in this KAL. It was so fun, that we’ll definitely do another shawl KAL in the future again. In the meantime, there are a whole bunch of you who are participating in our Sweater Challenge/KAL for this quarter. We’re going to say that the finish date for this is July 1st. Why? Because someone I might need that extra time. Of course our Second Quarter Challenge will still start in April, so watch for that, too.

We also had our monthly blog contest last week, where I asked you about your sweater knitting habits (or lack thereof) and favorites. I wish you could’ve seen me making lists of all of the sweater patterns that you suggested, as I was reading all of the comments. I looked up SO many of them on Ravelry. You know, just to make sure I wasn’t missing anything that I needed to have on my list. (This could be part of the problem with making ONE decision. Too many great choices.) We randomly drew two names from the comments. Congratulations to Vicki in CT and Sharilyn in NY who will each be getting a skein of lovely Wollmeise for entering and winning.

Just up on the website (and there were so many things that went up this week): Alpaca With a Twist Baby Twist (new colors for us), Skacel Zauberball (those other two new colors I promised you from last week), Austermann Step (the yarn that has aloe vera and jojoba oil – 12 new colors), Knit Kits in black, Jojoland Melody, Lorna’s Laces Pearl (3 more new colors for us), Madelinetosh Sock, Fiber Optic, Cascade 220, Cascade Heritage, Cascade Eco Alpaca, Cascade Fixation, HiyaHiya needles and accessories, Namaste Monroe bags and wallets, and The Sanguine Gryphon Bugga. Whew! (Note – we pre-sold out of some of the colors of Monroe bags, but we’ll have more shortly. Let us know if you’d like an email when your color comes in.)

It’s always a relief on Mondays to get all of those beautiful things photographed and up for you to see. But come Tuesday, we’re back at it again, unpacking more new things to photo and work on for the next week. (Well that, and of course packing all of your orders to ship!) It’s a revolving door around here, but we like it that way.

For those of you who asked about the Alien Rock Photo in Friday’s blog (did you click on it to make it bigger?) – I just thought it was a good depiction of how I was feeling with all of the sweater/vest patterns I had to choose from. WH took that photo at a park near here. (Although it might have involved a bit of Photoshopping. You think?)

Sheri whoneedstofinishherSunshineSocks.
Wehavehadgrayfordaysanddaysonend……..

I liked Lynne’s comment on Wednesday’s post. “So many patterns, and you still can’t find the right one when you’re ready! I’m glad to know that this happens to people other than me.” I know it’s pretty ridiculous. And it’s making me crazy. It’s not that there aren’t a bunch of wonderful sweater patterns out there. To be honest, I have made a list of sweaters that I want to make out of other yarn. I want to make Hey Teach out of a yarn that we have coming soon. I want to make the Myrtle Cardigan out of a special yarn I have set aside just for something like that one. But for the KAL, I have narrowed it down to three. None of them are a “pattern quick buy” on Rav, which is a bummer, and that initially kept them off of my list. However, I’m tired of looking at all of the options, so I ordered the pattern for this sweater and this vest and this vest. (Ravelry links.) Except on that first vest, I’d want cables instead of x’s and o’s. And I want to knit with a DK weight instead of an Aran. See? This is my problem. I keep wanting part of one pattern and another part of another. If I were a designer, I’d just doodle all of those together and be off with it. Every time another one of you orders yarn to KAL with us and you mention the pattern you’re using, I zip over to Rav to look it up, just in case I might want to do it, too. I am stopping now, and will commence knitting next week. Which of those three should I do?

Today’s recipe is something you’ll want to make for a special occasion (Valentine’s Day?), or when you’re past/done with/over your New Year’s Resolutions to lose weight. (On the other hand, if your resolution was to gain weight, then you’re in luck with this!)

Jim’s Caramel Pecan Pie

1/2 pound caramels (about 28, small ones)
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup margarine

Melt this together in the top of a double boiler and stir until melted and smooth.

In a separate bowl, combine:

2 slightly beaten eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Gradually add the caramel sauce to this, mixing well. Add in 2 cups of pecans. Pour into 2 separate 8 1/2″ unbaked pie shells. (Or one deep dish pie shell).

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce to 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  The pie will be soft while hot, but will become firm when cool. Unless you made it in a deep dish pie plate, in which case you’ll get the most wonderful, slightly ooey-gooey piece of pie ever. Guess which version I prefer?

Sheri doinganorganizingbingethisweekend
Whatareyoudoing?

I still haven’t decided on a pattern. I think WH is ready to throw me out the door, because I might be whining about it a little bit. I will say that I am making lists of all of the ones you all commented about in Monday’s blog post, and dutifully looking them up. There is just no reason for this to be that big of a decision. In fact, I did decide I’d make a vest. Maybe a hoodie vest. But I can’t find a vest pattern I want to do. (I thought I saw a red hoodie vest photo somewhere, but now I can’t find it again.) I still want to make Marly’s Sweetheart Tunic, but not with the String Theory DK color that I have set aside for this KAL. Decisions, decisions. I’ll keep you posted. And you know what else I decided? We might need to keep the KAL deadline open a little longer than May 1st. I just know myself.

In the meantime, check out this cute Colonnade Shawl that Elf Donna knit up out of Lorna’s Laces Worsted. I liked it ok in Knitty, but I love it in person. Donna was the one who first unpacked the Lorna’s Worsted when it came in, and she immediately nabbed some of it for this. Smart girl. Don’t forget to be voting on your favorite shawl from last quarter’s contest. We’re having fun tallying them up!

We’ve had boxes arrive by the truckload this week. Honestly, there wasn’t much room to walk in the front of the shop today, because it was so full.  I like days like that, and it definitely keeps the Elves out of trouble. By the time they get your orders out and unpack a few boxes, it’s time for them to go home. One of the things that came in was our Madelinetosh Sock order. I walked right by the racks of these colors and pulled these three for myself. (And you just have to know, I have more sock yarn in my own stash than I know what to do with. Seriously. Do.Not.Need.More.) But how gorgeous are these? Well, they’ll be way more gorgeous when we take the official photo and put them up on the Loopy site for you. This was my quick, non-color-corrected point and shoot version. But go ahead – click on the photo and make it bigger, just to enjoy the full impact. (Color names, L-R: Plum Tree, Peony, and Shoreline.) We also had Skinny Bugga and Fiber Optic arrive, as well as a bunch of other things. We’re photo-ing as fast as we can and we’ll make sure these all get up in next week’s update.

Did you see all of the designers who are donating all or some of the proceeds from their Ravelry pattern sales to efforts that help Haiti? (And did you know that Ravelry is also donating its pattern processing fee for these patterns, as well?) It’s a great opportunity to get some of the patterns that you’ve been wanting, along with helping a good cause. Just go to the pattern section on Ravelry and click on the Help for Haiti link at the top of that page, if you’re interested. Seems like a good time to get a new sweater or vest pattern. If one could find “the one”….

Sheri forgottodaywasWednesday.
NoMailMonday’salwaysmessmeup.

I can’t make up my mind. I have had this KAL Challenge planned out since last fall, and I still haven’t come to a decision on my pattern. I have scoured Ravelry. I have gone through pattern books. I have asked for favorites on The Loopy Ewe group on Facebook. And still … I’m undecided. Our First Quarter KAL Challenge is to knit a sweater. We haven’t had a sweater challenge since we did the Dream in Color Classy one about two years ago. It’s time, again! I have had my yarn picked out for a month. I’m using String Theory DK in Black Cherry.  I do love Lisa’s Central Park Hoodie and Melanie’s Chinese Lace Pullover. Both of those caught my eye way back then, and the photos still make me want to knit them. Of course I have queued quite a few more in the meantime. I think the thing with sweaters is that in my mind, they are a much bigger time commitment than a pair of socks. I never stress over sock patterns, because I’ll finish one and start in on another. For some reason, committing to a sweater pattern makes me feel like I can only pick one a year and it makes me indecisive. FPS. For the DC challenge, I knit up a Mr. Greenjeans and I love that sweater. It was very do-able for an inexperienced sweater knitter. So – pick a sweater pattern and come knit with us! Since this is a bit of a longer knit, we’ll leave this open until May 1st. (We will, however, have a new challenge go up in April to coincide with the beginning of the Second Quarter. They’ll just have to overlap a bit.)

We need you to vote on all of the entries from our Fourth Quarter ’09 Challenge, where I asked you to knit a shawl. There are over 100 photos in that gallery for you to look through – wow. You all did such beautiful work. Please take a look at the photos and email to tell us your vote for the “Reader’s Choice” award. We give a Loopy gift certificate to the winner of that, and we also do a random drawing among all entries for a second gift certificate. We’ll take your votes (support AT theloopyewe DOT com) through next Monday and then will announce the winners.

Back to the new challenge – in order to participate, pick any sweater pattern (or vest, or tunic) that you’d like to make. The yarn needs to be a line that we carry here at The Loopy Ewe (although if you actually bought that yarn elsewhere, that’s ok. I know many of you have stashes to work from.) If you do need to purchase yarn for this KAL, we are offering you a 20% discount on the yarn for one sweater project. Just leave us an order note that you’re participating in the KAL Challenge and tell us which yarn in that order you’ll be using for it, and we’ll adjust the price on your invoice. (Note – if you are going for the $75 free shipping level, make sure that this discount won’t put you below $75.) This offer is good on an order placed between 1/18 – 1/31, for those of you who want to participate in the KAL. Don’t forget to leave an order note for us.

Just in time for sweater knitting, we put up a full re-stock on Dream in Color Classy. We also have Malabrigo Worsted, Noro Silk Garden Worsted, Cascade 220, Fiesta Boomerang, Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Worsted, and Madelinetosh Worsted in stock. (We do have more Madelinetosh Worsted shipping out to us next week, but I’m not sure it will be here in time for the discount. No promises, but we’ll do our best. In the meantime, we also have a new Tosh Sock order enroute to us already, and the new Pashmina base coming after that. Fun things to look forward to.) And of course there are lots and lots of DK and fingering weight options for your sweaters as well. There are some really fun sweater patterns in those weights.

In addition to the DC Classy re-stock today, we also added in a re-stock of Dream in Color Smooshy, Lane Borgosesia Cashwool, new Trekking colors (#417-421), a luscious new merino/alpaca/nylon sock yarn from Berroco, new Berroco Sox colors, Lorna’s Laces Pearl, Alpaca With a Twist Fino, and more Atenti bags. (And might I point out, those Atenti bags are perfect for carting around sweater projects. Ask me how I know. Isn’t it helpful that I sprinkled a few photos of them in this blog post?) Also coming soon – our 2010 Valentine Kits – watch for them in a couple of weeks!

Knitting Daughter went back to college today, so the holiday season is officially over. (I like that it lasted a long time.) Zoe came to Loopy with me this afternoon, but she’s not very helpful. She likes to be in front of the computer screen while I’m trying to work. Or maybe she just misses these two kids like I do.

Our January Blog Contest question: Do you have a favorite sweater/vest/tunic pattern? Or are you not a sweater knitter? I’ll use the random number generator to draw a winner from your comments, and I have Wollmeise to give away for the prizes! We’ll announce the winners next Monday.

Sheri sorryforthelonglongblogposttoday.Toomuchtotell!