Many of you have been asking about the First Quarter 2012 Challenge, and we’re ready to get going on it!

In 2011, we did these challenges:

1st Quarter:  Cables
2nd Quarter:  Knitting for charity
3rd Quarter: Camp Loopy (2 color shawls, adult socks/mitts/gloves, and an 800 yd.+ project)
4th Quarter: Knit with Madelinetosh, any base

For our First Quarter 2012 Challenge, the challenge is to knit something with yarn that contains silk in it. It doesn’t have to be 100% silk – it just needs to have some percentage of silk. Not only is silk warm, but it adds a bit of “extra” to any project. Perfect for scarves, shawls, socks, and sweaters, so your options are wide open. Here are the particulars of the challenge:

You can have a discount for this yarn: If you need to purchase yarn for this project, you can get a 20% discount on it for this next week. (Limited to one Challenge Project’s worth of yarn, ordered in one order – so calculate carefully and get enough yardage when you place the order.) The discount runs from today, 12/29, through next Friday at midnight, 1/6. To get the discount, you must leave us an order note indicating that you are participating in the challenge and letting us know which yarn to apply the discount to. When your order comes through to us, we’ll apply the discount. If you’re going for free shipping in the U.S., make sure that your discount would not take you below the $75 level, or the website will add the regular $5.95 shipping charge back in to your order.

You can get a bonus for finishing in time: If you purchase the yarn for your project from us between 12/29 and 1/6, and if you upload your finished project into the First Quarter ’12 Photo Gallery at The Loopy Ewe by 4/4, we will give you double Frequent Shopper points on your project’s yarn. (So if your yarn was $20, you will get $20 towards your FSB amounts when you purchase it, and we’ll add $20 more to your FSB totals if you get your project done and photo uploaded in time.) If you change your mind once you get the yarn and end up using something else for the project, it’s no longer eligible for the double FSB points, unless it’s yarn that was also purchased from us between 12/29 and 1/6.

You may also use yarn from your stash: You are welcome to use yarn from your stash, as long as it’s a line that we carry at The Loopy Ewe. If you finish in time and upload your photo to the First Quarter Challenge Gallery, you will be eligible for the Reader’s Choice Award and the randomly drawn Challenge Winner award. ($25 gift certificates to The Loopy Ewe.) Be sure to indicate what yarn it is in the photo notes, when you upload your photo. Projects with yarn from stash are not eligible for the double FSB points bonus.

Here are some of the options for yarn with silk in it at The Loopy Ewe:

Lorna’s Laces Pearl (shown above in Purple Club), Lorna’s Laces Honor, Lorna’s Laces Helen’s Lace, Shibui Heichi, Shibui Staccato, Shibui Silk Cloud (shown above in Artichoke), Cascade Heritage Silk, Cascade Heritage Silk Paints, Cascade Epiphany, Malabrigo Silky Merino, Spud and Chloe Fine, Sweet Georgia CashSilk Lace, Madelinetosh Pashmina, Schaefer Audrey, Schaefer Heather, Fiesta Gracie’s Lace, Hand Maiden Camelspin, Hand Maiden Sea Silk (shown above in Nova Scotia),  Hand Maiden Swiss Sea Sock, Hand Maiden Swiss Silk, Tempted Prissy Grrl Lace, Juliespins Silky 435, Enchanted Knoll Farm Enchantments, Blue Sky Alpaca Silk (shown above in Ruby), Studio June Starstruck, Artyarns Regal Silk, Artyarns Beaded Silk (shown here in #197) and Spirit Trail Fiber Sunna (shown below in Tuscany).

I hope you have fun finding the right pattern and the right yarn to jump in and participate with us. For those who wonder - we don’t have any silk-related yarn going up in this Monday’s Update, 1/2, so what we have on the website now is what is available for the discount week. Also, if you find other yarn on our site with silk in it, the discount and challenge applies to those as well. I just linked to some of the lines that had the most choices, above.

Monday is a holiday here in the U.S. so we’ll be out of the shop that day. But we’ll start getting your Challenge orders out today as they come in, and we’ll be back in the shop on Tuesday to work on the rest. Have a safe and happy New Year!

Sheri makingashawlwithLorna’sLacesPearlformyproject

My Fourth Quarter Challenge project is done! Done pretty quickly because I was enjoying the project and yarn so much, that I just kept working on it. That, plus I’m still on a knitting streak and I’m trying to get as much done as I can while this lasts. This is the “And So Are You” shawl by Rose Beck, knit with two skeins of Madelinetosh Sport. It’s the first time I’ve knit with Madtosh Sport and I like the weight and feel of it. I have two more skeins of another color of this in my stash, and am trying to decide if I want to knit one of these for myself (this one is for a friend), or if I want to make something else. Decisions, decisions. I really like the texture in this shawl (made with a P3tog/YO/P3tog in the same stitch), and the shape of the shawl is such that it curves around your shoulders and stays put.

One thing I’ve realized about my stash – I have a lot of single skeins. In fact, it’s mostly full of single skeins. There are projects that I want to make (like Sothia and another Whippoorwill) that are multi-color projects, but they require two skeins of one color, plus one of a coordinating color. I need to start getting 2 skeins of some of my more favorite colorways. I used to just get one skein, because I was making socks or one skein shawlettes. After seeing all of the fun 2-color shawls that you all did for Camp Loopy, my knitting preferences have changed a bit. I need to go Loopy shopping again.

Do you add mostly single skeins to your stash? Do you always have a plan for the yarn you’re buying? Because frequently, I add single skeins to my stash without knowing for sure what they will become. I need to start doubling up on the ones I think might become a larger shawl.  (Also? I need to start wearing shawls. I have such fun making them, but I don’t wear them all that often.)

Sheri enjoyingabeautifuldayhere.Seethemorningsuninmyphotos?

Ok – so you all made me laugh with your comments on Monday’s blog. Thanks for proving that you know how to comment on a Monday blog. I just wasn’t sure. (And not that I’m complaining. I do appreciate the fact that you read the blog and then click over and SHOP on Mondays!) Susan from Colorado has won a skein of Kauni and I’ve emailed her to see which color she’d like.

Today, however, we have more important things to discuss. Like the Fourth Quarter Challenge! I thought long and hard about what to do for this quarter. I know that so many of you just finished up with Camp Loopy, where we were pretty specific about what you should knit. (That was fun!) So with this challenge, it’s all about the yarn. You can knit anything you’d like, as long as it uses at least one full skein of Madelinetosh, in any of the Tosh yarn bases that we carry at The Loopy Ewe (Sock, Merino Light, Vintage, Sport, DK and Pashmina). You can knit up more than one skein in your project, but not any less than a full skein. Think sweaters, gloves, mittens, vests, shawls, socks, capelets, scarves, cowls and hats. This might be a great time to work on a holiday gift.

The rest of the specifics:

- Your project must be completed and photos uploaded to the Fourth Quarter Challenge Photo Gallery at The Loopy Ewe by Wednesday, January 4th.

- If you need to buy yarn for your project, you can get it at 20% off between today and next Wednesday, October 5th. (You must specify in your order notes, which yarn you are using for your project. We will then run the discount on our end, before shipping it out. Discount is limited to one project’s worth of yarn, ordered in one order. Make sure you count your yardage carefully and order enough. Remember, only Madelinetosh yarn is eligible for this challenge.)

- If you’re in the U.S. and going for free shipping (orders above $75), be careful that the discount won’t take you below the $75 or the system will add the regular $5.95 shipping back in to your order.

- All entries finished on time will be eligible for prizes (both randomly drawn and voted on).

- If you bought your project yarn between 9/28 and 10/5 (and if you complete your project and upload the photo by the deadline), we’ll double the FSB points for the yarn you used. Quite a few of you earned some extra $25 bonuses this summer by getting your FSB points doubled for the yarn you used for Camp Loopy!

- We do not have any more Madelinetosh yarn arriving before 10/5, but we do have a lot of Sock, Merino Light, Pashmina and Sport currently in stock for you. Less of the DK and Vintage.

- If you want to use yarn in your stash, just make sure that it’s one of the Madelinetosh bases listed above. You’ll still be eligible for the prizes at the end, but not the double FSB credits.

Now might be a great time to do a bigger project, due to the discount, the 3 month knitting time frame, and the opportunity to earn double FSB points on it if you finish in time.

Need some ideas?  Check out all three photo galleries from Camp Loopy. (One, Two, Three.) I can’t think of anything more motivating than your own photos from Camp this summer. You all did some awesome projects, and in one month’s time, no less! Three months will be a piece of cake.

So …. who’s in and what’re you going to make?

Sheri thinkingImightdoatwocolorshawlforthischallenge

We’re ready to tally up your votes for our first quarter challenge! Take a peek at the photo gallery, where you’ll find 65+ entries, and then send us your vote for your favorite. (support @ theloopyewe.com). We’ll be drawing for two Loopy gift certificates – one for the project that gets the most votes, and one for a random drawing from all participants. I hope you all had fun working on cables during First Quarter.

That means that we’re also ready for the Second Quarter Challenge, which runs from now until the end of June. I asked for input in the blog a week or two ago, and I appreciate those of you who left comments and sent emails. It’s clear that the plight of Japan continues to be in our hearts and on our minds, and I liked the charity knitting thoughts that several of you suggested. So our Second Quarter Challenge is all about charity knitting. But there are several different ways to participate. You pick the one that feels right to you. You can:

1. Knit a pattern where the pattern proceeds go to a charity relief effort (whether to Japan or other areas) – like one of these, or other patterns:

Wendy’s Japanese Garden Shawl
Kay’s Mitered Crosses Blanket
Janel’s Eiki Shawl

2. Or knit something to give to someone who is going through a tough time and needs a little extra love and support, like:

a shawl, or a pair of socks, or a sweater.

3. Or knit something and donate it to one of the many charities that need such items, like one of these, or other worthy causes:

preemie hats
blankets for animals in shelters
chemo caps

To participate in the challenge, please be sure that the yarn is one that is available for sale at The Loopy Ewe (or one that you have purchased from us in the past.) Stash yarn is great!  But if you do need to purchase a skein of something to use for the challenge, you are welcome to a 20% discount on the yarn for this project. You must leave us an order note on your order, letting us know which yarn you are using for the challenge and how it will be used for some type of charity knitting. The discount offer is good from Friday, April 8th through Friday, April 15th at midnight. If you are going for free shipping (over $75) in the U.S., make sure that your 20% discount does not take you under the $75 amount.

Projects need to be completed (and photos uploaded to our Second Quarter Challenge Gallery) by July 5th, in order to be eligible for the drawings. Please share what you’ve done – we’re all inspired by it!

So who is in? And what are you going to make?

Sheri wholikesachallengethatsharesthelove

When people say “the third time’s a charm!” in an irritatingly cheerful voice, don’t believe them. At least it didn’t work that way for me. I re-started my Hollygrove Scarf four times, and it looks like I have finally gotten it. But FPS. Really? I think this is the most times I’ve re-started something.

The first time - I mis-counted something in one of the early cable rows, and couldn’t tink or frog it back. (The Cascade Eco Alpaca is a little fuzzy, but it’s definitely tink-able if need be. Just not by me, that first time.)

The second time – I messed up the “cable without a needle” thing. I’m still not sure how. But what I did decide is that I like the version where you move the stitches first and then plow into the knitting/purling (versus the method I linked to last week that has you moving, then knitting, then moving again. I think that linked-to method is probably faster in the long run, but my way is easier, and still lets you whizz along without a cable needle.) I also took some colored pencils and colored in the different cable symbols on my chart last week. It made a huge difference in the speed of my knitting in those rows.

The third time – I had actually done two pattern repeats and couldn’t figure out why it didn’t look just right. (Note – this photo is the corrected version. Don’t get your glasses out, trying to figure out where I messed up on this one.) The first repeat didn’t look right, either, but in my state of eternal optimism, I figured that it “would all work out”. Then I figured it out.  The cable symbols said to “move 2 stitches to the front, knit two, then knit two from the cable needle” so that’s what I did. I’m literal like that. And I don’t knit charts often enough to be completely comfortable with the whole “this symbol means this if you’re knitting right to left, but it means the exact opposite if you’re knitting left to right, which you will be doing on every other row” thing. In this case, the pattern was happy to remind me that the knit and purl symbols were opposite, depending on which row you were on. But they forgot to tell me that the cables would also be done the opposite way on the back rows. So instead of knitting the stitches when they said to knit them, I needed to be purling the cable stitches, when working the left-to-right wrong side of the chart. And the repeat section only has the big cables on the wrong side of the chart, so I’m thinking a gentle reminder in the key would’ve been helpful. You can imagine how lovely (and glaringly obvious) that mistake was in the knitted fabric, as I went along. Still not sure why I thought it would all work out, but eventually I realized that it would not, and frogged it again.

The fourth time – things are going swimmingly. I think I’ve got it. I love working on it, now that it’s going the way it’s supposed to. Carrying on.

How is your Cable Challenge project coming along?

Sheri whoisstillabigcablingfan,despitethedo-overs

It’s time for a new Loopy Ewe Challenge! One of the things we try to do around here is to move you forward in your knitting, encouraging and inspiring you to try new things. Sometimes it’s a technique, sometimes it’s a new yarn, and sometimes it’s a new type of project. For our First Quarter 2011 Challenge, we’re focusing on Cables. Cables add texture to whatever project you are knitting up. They look impressive, but they are amazingly easy to do. Bottom line – it’s just a matter of knitting your stitches in a different order – that’s what forms the twist. The other nice thing? You usually only do the cable row every 4-8 rows, so it’s not something you do on every row. You’ll be amazed at how easy it is.

The challenge is to pick a project with cables, and jump in. It can be mitts or gloves, hats or scarves, sweaters or vests, etc. Whatever project works best with your timeframe and your interests. Now some of you have been cabling for a long time, so you need to make this challenge a bit more difficult for yourself. Don’t pick an easy-peasy project with a simple cable. You’ll want to do something that lives up to the name “challenge”, for you. (Have you been following Wendy’s cabled sweater in her blog? So gorgeous. If you’re an old hand at cables, try something with multiple cable variations going on, like Wendy is doing with her sweater.)

Here are a few patterns/links to get you thinking, but of course you can pick any pattern with cables.

Socks:
Nine to Five Socks
Firestarter Socks (10th pattern down)
Calendula Cable Socks
Highland Fling Socks

Hats:
Habitat Cabled Beanie
Knotty But Nice
Gretel
Claudia

Mitts/Gloves:
Fetching (this pattern was my first try at cabling)
Knotty Gloves
Linda K’s Yummy Mummy Wristwarmers
Fine Cabled Mitts

Scarves/Cowls:
Cabled Keyhole Scarf
Palindrome Reversible Scarf
Irish Hiking Scarf
Hollygrove Scarf
Irish Cabled Neckwarmer (pictured, finished last week for a gift!)

Sweaters:
Hooray Cardigan
Central Park Hoodie
Tangled Yoke Cardigan
Cassidy Cardigan

If you’ve done cabling before but never tried it without a cable needle, check out Grumperina’s great tutorial on cabling without a needle, found here. (If you have not cabled before, you might first try with a cable needle.)

Final details: Start date is today (or any time thereafter), and your project needs to be completed by 3/31. To be eligible for one of the Quarterly Prizes, photos must be submitted to our Photo Gallery by 4/4, and it needs to be a yarn that is available here at The Loopy Ewe. If you need to purchase yarn for this new challenge, we are offering a 20% off discount, valid until 1/7/11. Simply leave us an order note telling us which yarn you’re using for the challenge, and we’ll manually adjust it to 20% off when your order comes through. (Make sure that the discount doesn’t take you under the $75 level, if you’re going for free shipping in the U.S., otherwise we’ll have to add the shipping back in on that.)

So – who is up for the Cable Challenge? I’m making the Hollygrove Scarf out of Cascade Eco Alpaca and starting it today!

Sheri whowillbelearningtocablewithoutaneedleonthisproject