What am I up to today? Oh, just playing with Madelinetosh Merino Light and Beads:

SteamAge (with 6-1024), Wilted Rose (with 6-158), and Fig (with 6-135S),

Georgia O’Keefe (with 6-147), Briar (with 6-134FR) and Stovepipe (with 6-135),

and Fragrant (with 6-208), Mineral (with 6-412R), and Volga (with 6-1827).

And contemplating beaded shawl and scarf patterns like: My Hope, Oaken Dreams, Stellanti, Aase’s Shawl, Triptych Shawl, Undulating Waves Scarf, Pacific Shawl, Into the Woods Scarf, Leafwise, and Bois.

What have you been doing today?

Sheri havingfunwithbeadscan’twaittousethem

Mondays are always a lot of fun around here. Our Inventory Manager Rebecca gets to unpack boxes of colors and wonderful things in the stock room during the week, and on Mondays we get to see everything that is going up in the night’s Update. Woohoo – so much cool stuff! Besides getting your weekend orders out, we also spend Mondays working on stocking the new things on the shelves, so that it’s all ready to pull and pack up to ship to YOU during the rest of the week. (That part is fun, too. We like seeing what you pick out.) Last night’s Monday Update included:

Madelinetosh Merino Light – this beautiful single ply fingering weight is awesome for shawls, cowls, sweaters, gloves – all kinds of wonderful things. We have it available in over 100 colors. Here is a picture of the Faberge shawl that one of our Thursday Knit Nighters – Cricket – knit up and let us borrow for display at Loopy. She made this with Merino Light in Glazed Pecan and Earl Grey. It’s a fun knit, and you get to incorporate beads into the border, too.

Madelinetosh Sock – a handful of pretty colors from a back order. 11 in all, added to what we already have in stock.

Manos del Uruguay Serena – a wonderful Sportweight yarn that we’ve just added in. Serena is kettle-dyed on a base that is 60% Baby Alpaca and 40% Pima Cotton. It is so soft! Each skein is signed by the artisan who dyed your yarn and the village she resides in. We have it in solids and multi-colors. Try this yarn for cowls, shawls, mitts, scarves and sweaters. (Shown here in Hummingbird.)

The Loopy Ewe Sock Blockers – re-stocked in all sizes of the red plastic blockers.

Conductive Thread Bobbins – hold this thread together with your regular yarn as you knit the thumb and index fingers of gloves. You’ll then be able to use your touchscreen devices (phone, iPad, etc) while keeping your fingers warm. You’ll find this in the Knitting Gadgets section on the website.

Wooden Yarn Caddies – George has been down from Wyoming to bring us more of his beautiful yarn caddies! We’ve re-stocked both the small and large sizes. (Shown here in Red Cedar.)

Knitter’s Pride – we’ve re-stocked all needles and sets.

ChiaoGoo – we’ve re-stocked all needles.

Kollage – sizes O, 1 and 2 are now being made and we have them in stock. Some people find that these square needles are easier on the hands when knitting.

Knitting Notions – we’ve re-stocked a variety of notions, including the magnetic Chart Holders in small and large sizes.

Have fun checking out the new things, and pop in on the Webcam. You might see us packaging up your Box of Fun! (And you did notice Valentine Loopy on the Webcam, right? Elf Roberta continues to keep him outfitted in the best costumes.)

Sheri goingovertogazeuponallofthatlovelyMerinoLightonemoretime

Are you on Pinterest? I think it’s funny that you can tell if a person has a sweet tooth by the kinds of recipes they pin. Me? I pin all kinds of ooey-gooey yummy-sounding desserts. Do I make many of them? No. But I’m always drawn to pinning them, just in case. I tend to make a lot of the main dish recipes I pin, and I’m always looking for good vegetable and salad recipes on there. But my recipe board definitely tips in favor of desserts. (Here’s my recipe board on Pinterest. See what I mean?)

Here’s one that I tried awhile back. Everyone in my family gave it a thumbs up, even the ones who aren’t usually so fond of cauliflower. (I think the original recipe came from Prevention.com, but I can’t find it on there now.)

Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower (cut into 1″ pieces)
2 Tbl. olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Toss cauliflower pieces in olive oil. Line a large baking pan with foil and arrange pieces in a single layer. Sprinkle Parmesan, and salt and pepper on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown.

I find that I rarely use cookbooks any more. When I want to try a new recipe, I scroll through the ones I’ve pinned. Do you pin recipes? And do you try many of them? Considering how many recipes I have in that category, I could go a long long while before pinning anything else food related.

Sheri whomightneedtofocusonfindingmorehealthyrecipestopin

We got into a discussion about what to make with our Loopy Cakes, over on the Loopy Groupie board on Ravelry. (Are you on Rav? Join us over there and hop into the various discussions that go on on the Loopy Groupies board!) I started this Linen Stitch Infinity Cowl last weekend, and am zipping right along on it. The nice thing about the Linen Stitch is that you only knit every other stitch (slipping the ones in between), so it really does knit up quickly. I’m using the Chocolate and Roses Loopy Cakes set. I think the back side of the cowl is just as interesting as the front side. And since I’m knitting in the round, it’s all knitting and slipping – no purling involved.

I cast on 323 stitches using a knitted cast on, and then joined in the round. (Forgot to mention size 5 (3.75 mm) 32″ needles!) The stitch pattern is easy:

Round 1: *K1, Sl. 1 with yarn in front* repeat around, ending with K1

Round 2: *Sl. 1 with yarn in front, K1* repeat around, ending with Sl. 1

I’m doing 8 rows per color and will have enough yarn to do a second set of stripes just like the first. I just haven’t decided yet if that will make the cowl too wide. It looks like that will make it 10″ wide and I plan to wear it looped twice around my neck. Do you think that will be too wide? While Linen Stitch doesn’t have a lot of give, the yarn does, so the knitted fabric feels soft and drapey so far. I’m also anxious to see if I should have cast on more stitches and made it longer. I’ll let you know when it’s all done. (In the meantime, knit at your own risk if you decide to try this pattern.)

Next, I’d like to use The Abbey set to make colorblock mitts, similar to these. (Although I want a thumb and perhaps half fingers as well, so it will be different). Other ideas shared by people on Rav for the Loopy Cakes include: Doctor Who Scarf, Missoni Inspired Scarf (oh, that scarf would be fun to knit), Barn Raising Quilt, Gradient, Petoncle, Leap, and Zig and Zag.

I’d like to have stacks of each set on dowels, sitting on a shelf in my knitting area. What fun inspiration that would be. We’ve always meant for the Loopy Cakes to be kind of a painter’s palette of color and fun for you to choose from, as you need solids for toes and heels on your socks, edging on your shawls, bits of colorwork in hats, scarves and gloves, etc. (You know, quilters get to have fun collecting Fat Quarters. We wanted to have the same kind of fun with yarn cakes.) Of course it’s also fun to get a pack and knit a whole item from the set, as I’m doing with the cowl. We have more Loopy Cake sets planned, but feel free to continue to share your ideas with us. We always love hearing from you!

Sheri whothinkssomeoneneedstoknitababysweaterorblanketwiththatbabyset

It’s February! February means all diets are off, right? (Food diets, yarn diets, etc.) February is Celebration Month because it’s the shortest month of the year and moves us right on into March, which means Spring is just around the corner. See? Lots to celebrate. And we have plenty of new things up on the website tonight, to help you get your celebration off to the right start. Just up, you’ll find:

Malabrigo Rios – this worsted weight is 100% Superwash Merino, making it great for sweaters, blankets, baby items, and anything else you want to be able to toss in the washer. (Shown here in Primavera.)

Malabrigo Silkpaca – a lighter-than-clouds laceweight that is 70% Baby Alpaca and 30% Silk. 420 yards in the skein make it great for many simple one-skein shawl patterns.  You might think of picking one that you can add beads to as well.

Kauni Multi Colors and Solids – a sportweight yarn that is 100% wool and is nice for sweaters and shawls. The multi-color balls are sold by weight (120 grams up to 180 grams). We weigh the balls when they arrive to insure that you’re getting the correct weight/yaradage. Try a multi-color shawl with a solid edging. Beautiful. (Shown here in E-EQ).

Shibui Baby Alpaca – this DK weight is 100% Baby Alpaca and so wonderful to knit with. I’m currently making the a wrap that is knit holding 1 skein of the Alpaca and 1 skein of the Silk. I love working on it.

Shibui Silk Cloud – a laceweight yarn made of 60% Kid Mohair and 40% Silk. I’m a little anti-mohair, just because sometimes I find it itchy. But I love this particular yarn and don’t find it itchy at all. And it’s fun to combine with other yarn options for a little extra warmth and texture. (Shown here in Apple).

Shibui Staccato – a fingering weight that is 70% Superwash Merino and 30% Silk. Great for socks (you’ll need 2 skeins for a pair) or shawls. The silk gives it a little extra strength and shine.

Shibui Cima – a new (to us) laceweight that is 70% BabyAlpaca and 30% Merino Wool. This yarn gives great stitch definition and is perfect for shawls, cowls, and scarves, as well as a great carry-along yarn for knitting double.

Shalimar Missy – more colors to add to the ones we put up a few weeks ago. Missy is 100% Superwash Merino in a Bulky weight and comes 120 yards to the skein. You’ll find hats, scarves, cowls and mitts knit up quickly with Missy. (Shown here in Thistle).

Stitch Savers – You have one of these in each of your project bags, right? For all those times when stitches just jump right off the end of the needles (through no fault of your own) and you need to wrangle them back into place. Or does that just happen to me?

Sajou Scissors – Oh, these are gorgeous. A bit pricey, but you might feel like splurging on yourself. (Remember – it’s Celebration Month.) They’d also make a great Valentine gift, in case you want to hint to someone who loves you. Why so expensive? These are made in France and the blades are hand matched for a perfect adjustment. Each pair takes a dozen qualified people to make them. Hide these in your project bag so no one borrows them. (Shown here in Veined (faux) Ivory.)

Miyuki Beads in 6/0 and 8/0 sizes – Beads, beads, beads! If you don’t yet knit with beads, you’ll want to after you see all of these fun colors. Size 6/0 is great for fingering weight yarns, and 8/0 is great for laceweight yarns. (The bigger the size number, the smaller the bead. That’s a bit confusing.) These come in tubes (thanks to your great feedback on our Facebook page, when we asked which you preferred). The 8/0 tubes contain approx. 10 grams/400 beads. The 6/0 tubes contain approx. 20 grams/220 beads. Beads are fun in shawls, edgings, mitts, cowls, and more. Jump in and give them a try.

Have fun checking out the new things, and we’ll get your orders out asap. We love seeing what you pick out!

Sheri whoislookingforwardtoaddingbeadstoherknitting 

You all know that my hubby is a photographer and takes some really cool photos, right? I mean, besides all of the cool yarn photos he takes for us and the website. You can check out some of his other photos by clicking the WH’s Photo category on the right side of my blog.  ——>

He visited an Alpaca Ranch a couple of weeks ago and sent me some of the photos, which I wanted to share with you. (My favorites, though, are still the ones from this post. I like them so much that we enlarged some of the photos to put up at Loopy.) But here are the new ones:

I call this one Alpaca Duuuuude:

Alpaca Big Eyes:

Alpaca Bad Hair Day:

Alpaca Perm:

Alpaca Needing a Floss:

Alpaca on a Diet:

Alpaca Grass Nose:

Alpaca Grass Nose – a closer look:

Alpaca Grass Nose, side view. (I would love a skein of his beautiful fiber.)

Alpacas have a lot of personality, don’t they? They’re so curious. They probably think the same about us.

Sheri whohasalwayslikedyarnwithabitofalpacainit