Every knitter I know has yarn bits n’ bobs. You know, little leftover balls from the numerous projects you have knit up over the years. I have gone into my B & B containers a few different times, looking for the leftovers of some yarn that I need for darning or mending purposes. I’m always glad to find it. I figured a long time ago that these colorful balls should be out on display. I like keeping them in glass containers. (I think this came from Home Goods, a couple of years ago.)

Big bowls – wooden, ceramic, metal – are another good storage idea, and it’s easy to have one or more of these sitting out on display. (Although then you have to dust them. Another reason to like glass containers with lids.)

I think many people have all of their B & B’s stuffed into bags and plastic containers as well.

And others of you don’t let them sit around at all because you’re using them up in your Sock Blankies, or you have bought this great pattern of Wendy’s and you’ve turned them into other useful things.

Here’s the contest question of the month (and we’ll randomly draw winners next week for Loopy Ewe Gift Certificates): What do you do with your leftover yarn bits? Leave your answer in the comments and we’ll let you know who won, next week!

Thinking about holiday gifts already? I’ll have some knitting ideas for you next week. But for the people in your life that don’t get the knitting (or when you want to give a “just because” gift in September, for instance), how about these amazing cookies in a cute bag? You can even download the gift tags from the post. This is my new favorite blog and it just so happens to be written by one of my very favorite friends, Monica. In some of her recent posts, I also learned that Hydrogen Peroxide is the perfect cleaner (tried it on my bathroooms over the weekend), learned that there was a much easier way to make iced tea (and the flavors – oh, my!), decided that I needed to make up a big batch of pesto, and … well, you can check it out yourself to see what you learn. It’s really a “yummy” website with great recipes and ideas.

Sheri who’dhavemoreyarnbitsifshe’dfinishmoreprojects
insteadofcontinuallystartingnewones,FPS

Today is my hubby’s birthday and it’s a big special one. That’s all I’m going to say. (Ok, he’s 29. Never mind that we have two kids in their 20′s.) This cute photo arrived on his birthday card from his mom, and I thought I’d just share that with you. I’m sure his momma wonders where the time has gone, just like I wonder that about our kids, every time their birthday rolls around! I’m also sure that she is happy that I put this on the blog, and WH is probably not happy about it.  It can be dangerous to have a wife (or mom, or good friend) who blogs, right? Anyway, Happy Birthday, Paul – and you’re still cute.

We have a great update for you tonight – I know you’ve been waiting! Just up:

- Big re-stocks of Cascade (220, Heritage Sock, Eco Alpaca)
- NEW colors in Cascade Heritage Sock
- Big re-stocks of Spud and Chloe (Fine and Sweater)
- NEW – the Spud and Chloe Outer line. This bulky weight yarn is so quick to knit, and feels wonderful. Check out all of the new patterns in Spud and Chloe, as well.
- Big re-stocks in Blue Sky Alpacas Silk and Skinny
- NEW colors in Madelinetosh Pashmina (that great wool/nylon/cashmere blend)
- Big re-stocks in Dream in Color Starry
- NEW, our exclusive “Joy in the Morning” colorway in DC Starry. This was our anniversary color this year. We won’t have it re-done on Smooshy with Cashmere (that was exclusive to the kit) but so many of you have asked us to dye it in some of the other DC blends, so we’ve started with Starry. We will probably also do this in Classy.
- Big re-stocks in Della-Q needle organizers in several different variations
- Schacht Matchless Double Treadles and Ladybug spinning wheels are also back in stock.
- NEW Tulip Etimo Crochet Hooks (because this is the brand our TNNA crochet instructor recommended, when we took the beginner class at market!)
- NEW Lavishea Bars in small and large sizes and 6 different scents. This stuff is addictive.

Sheri reallylovingthenewSwingCardiganpatternfromBlueSky

This summer we encouraged you to photo Loopy (or your Loopy tote, or anything with our Loopy logo on it) in your home, town, or somewhere on vacation. We had fun seeing the entries come in!  Loopy did a lot of things, including:

- Enjoyed time in the Adirondacks with Janice:

- Checked out the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame with Betty:

- Visited the Takayama Inari Shrine in Northern Japan with Sandi:

- And climbed Mt. Lindsey in Colorado with Virginia:

But his very favorite thing (and the winning photo), was to sit and listen to “Oh The Places You’ll Go” at Mary’s house. He thought Mary’s son did an excellent job of reading, and it inspired Loopy to think about new adventures in his future. We’ll be sending a fun prize package to Mary’s house next week!

(Check out more photos from this challenge, here.)

Our next Loopy Photo Challenge: Loopy Loves Animals! We know that many of you have cats, dogs and other special animals that you cherish. Let’s see how many of you can get a photo with Loopy and an animal in it.  We’ll collect the photos (you can upload them via your Loopy account, to our Loopy Loves Animals photo gallery) and we’ll pick a winner sometime later this fall. Here’s one with Loopy and our two cats, Gracie and Zoe, to get you started.

Sheri prettysurethecatswerewatchingthesquirrelon
thebirdfeeder,rightbeforeItookthisphoto

I know I mentioned that I had taken a crochet class at our TNNA Market this summer. It was fun and I came home wanting to make something with my newfound skill. I happened upon the Attic24 blog. (I have no idea how I found my way there, but you know how blog reading goes. You read one, click something from that blog, then read another and click one of their links, and soon you’re way down the Information Highway with no idea how you got there.) I made a few Granny Squares, thinking I’d do a pillow, but then decided that what I really needed to do was to just do rows and rows of plain and simple crochet. I thought that would be the best way to get the feel for it and to get the tension right, and all of the things that come with time and experience. This Granny Stripe pattern (free on her blog) turned out to be just the thing for me to practice on.

This was going to be a baby-sized blanket, but I miscalculated how many stitches (chains?) to start with. I still have to figure that part out. But it didn’t matter, because as soon as I started working with this yarn, I decided that I wanted to make it a throw blanket for my house and not give it away. I wish you could feel this yarn. I’m hoping they continue to crank out new colors, because I can’t wait to make something else with it. Now that it’s done? I want to start another one. (Smitten with crochet. Yes, I am.) But do I want to make the next one out of this or this or this? Oh – or this! I can’t decide. Although I think it’s good that I was able to narrow it down to those three four. If you were going to make one of these throws, what colors would you put together? Pulling colors is half the fun.

Sheri whoalsowantstomakeherselfasweateroutof
AmyButleryarn-yum!

(Note – we put the last of the available September Dream in Color Dream Club yarn up, and I also found four more skeins of the August colorway, if you’re interested!)

It has been a rather quiet day around these parts. No Mail Mondays mean that we get a long weekend, and that makes all of us very happy. So around my house:

Gracie was keeping an eye on the birdfeeders (and my camera):

Zoe was stretched out on the porch railing, catching some sun:

And I just may have started another project with a potential new indie dyer line:

Of course it wouldn’t be Monday if I didn’t have Monday Update news for you, would it? And it’s a BIGGIE tonight. So many things! Hop on over to The Loopy Ewe and click on See What’s New. Tonight you’ll find:

Madelinetosh Merino Light – This went SO quickly the last time we had it in, so we ordered more quantities and more colors – 60+ in this batch. This yarn makes beautiful shawls, scarves and sweaters. I have a few skeins set aside to try a lightweight cardi this winter.

3AM Sock – You’ve loved Keri’s bags for a long time, and I know you’ll feel the same way about her new yarn line. Perfect for socks, but also beautiful in a shawl, scarf, hat, or mitts.

Sweet Georgia Tough Love Sock – Re-stocks of your favorites (although each time they come in, they’re a little different – truly hand-dyed. We re-photo each time.) Also, some great new colors in this batch.

Lang Yak – Can you imagine getting fibers from the belly of a yak? I’m glad someone else has that job.  We just get to knit with it in beautiful colors. Blended with wool, this aran weight yarn is quick to knit up and would make great holiday gifts – try it for hats, scarves, sweaters and vests.

Opal Hundertwasser 3 – The latest rendition of Opal’s special line based on renowned Austrian painter, Friedenreich Hundertwasser. Check out the colorway names. Interesting.

The Loopy Ewe Solids Line – Our last two colors are finally here! With Olive and Charcoal, it brings our total to all 90 solid colors. Now we can work on those color cards for you….

Berroco Ultra Fine Alpaca and Trekking re-stocks.

Patterns: re-stocks and new patterns from Chic Knits, plus the two Sock Club Patterns from our March 2010 Club (A Little Jazz and March Mosaics).

Accessories: re-stocks on many of our regular knitting accessories and Addi Turbo and Turbo Lace needles.

We might need an extra day to get all of your weekend + Update orders out. We have a big crew in tomorrow to work on it, so we’ll do the best that we can to get them shipped and on their way.

Sheri canwetakeMondayoffeveryweekforaholiday?

From time to time, you ask how it is that the Elves can work here and not take everything they see, home with them. I have to admit, it is a particular problem of mine. (Taking things to MY home. Not the Elves taking things home.) I try to stay away from unpacking new yarn and moving lines from one place to another, because when I do, there can be trouble. I am often heard to say (to anyone who happens to be listening), “You know, this is really really beautiful yarn. I need to make something with this.” And …. yet another project comes home with me. I need to stop this.

Some of the Elves knit, some of the Elves crochet, and some of them don’t do either one. We’re still working on them. Here is a beautiful scarf that Head Elf Susan made out of beautiful Juliespins Merino. She used the stitch pattern from the Dream in Color Shrug and just turned it into a scarf. I love how it turned out. Out of the Elves who work here, Susan and Donna knit (and Donna also crochets and spins), Sue and new Elf Lori crochet, and Vicki, Anna, Karen, Mary, Sharon and Diana don’t. But we have high hopes for them one day. Maybe they’re afraid that it’s just a slippery slope.

This is a holiday weekend in the U.S. and there is no mail service on Monday. We won’t be here working on Monday, but we will definitely have an Update for you on Monday night. We have a new Yak yarn for you to try, the new Hundertwasser Collection from Opal, 3 AM’s new yarn line, Sweet Georgia’s Tough Love Sock re-stock (plus new colors), and a very big order (60+ colors) of Madelinetosh Merino Light going up. Plus new patterns and needle re-stocks. So it’ll be a biggie.

Are you doing anything fun this weekend?

Sheri itwasadelightful63degreesonmywalkthismorning.yay!