As most of you know, I have a wee problem with twinless socks. To that end, I have found OTHER uses for them, because it’s apparent that they will never become a pair.

Wallet	Flower Pot
Bunny bed	Candle holder
Water bottle holder	Golf club cover
Needle case	Envelope
Shampoo dispenser	Remote holder

Pretty good use of twinless socks, wouldn’t you say? So I’m using them creatively. OR - I’m going to embark upon an adventure called “Summer of the Second Sock” - SOTSS - and finish up a match to these about every 2-3 weeks throughout the summer. Actually, at that rate, it will turn into FOTSS as well, but that’s ok. At least I have a plan. Maybe before winter hits, I’ll have 20 new PAIRS of socks …. and will have made more twinless ones in the meantime. So, did I miss any good uses of twinless socks? And did you miss the Sneak Up today?

Sheri whoreallyISdeterminedtomakematchestoallofthesesocks

It was very fun reading all of your “reasons we love sock knitting” for last week’s contest! (And over 200 entries - that was great!) I kept thinking that all of the non-sock knitters out there ought to read through the list. They’d be convinced in no time, wouldn’t they? So, using the random number generator, the winner of this month’s Loopy Loot contest is: Kelli. Kelli, email me your address and I’ll pop the Loopy Loot in the mail to you!

Since it is Spring Break for Knitting Daughter, I thought I’d share the things that we have on our list to do this week. Do YOU have any fun plans for Spring Break? Anything that I left off my list that I need to add to it? Because College Boy comes home on Friday for his Spring Break next week, so I’ll need a whole new list for that!

1. Shopping. We all know that I need to get out and exercise my poor credit card a bit more, and there are all kinds of fun spring things that need to be bought up, aren’t there? Like these cute flowers for my garden window in the kitchen. I kinda decided on a teal blue and red theme in there for the next couple of months. Fortunately, Knitting Daughter reaches her shopping patience rather quickly, so I can’t exercise the card TOO much.
2. Stocking inventory. Boxes, boxes, boxes are coming in and we’re unloading them as fast as we can. Today, more Scarlet Fleece, more Schaefer Anne and Lola, and a few things that we’re not quite ready to debut yet. (WOOT! Don’t you want to know? Soon.) On the way to The Loopy Ewe later this week, more Yarn Pirate, more Cider Moon, more J-Knits, and more other wonderful things. I need to buy some more shelves for The Loopy Room. That needs to go on my shopping list this week.

3. Walking. Knitting Daughter and I are going to get back to our walking routine, which I just love. (Do you know how much kids talk when they walk? It’s wonderful.)

4. Knitting. Did I mention that I had to upgrade from the 3-tier basket to this 5-tier basket? I just figured that I’d use the 3-tier in The Loopy Room for something. And, just for the record, I did do that. For a brief time. But now …. well, the 3-tier basket is full of yarn, too. I have my sock yarn stash in this 5-tier, and my lace and other yarn stash in the 3-tier. Anyone want to place bets on how soon I’ll “need” another 5-tier? OH, I hope I get lots of knitting time in this week.

5. Cooking and baking. My motivation is needing good treats for College Boy when he arrives this weekend. He’s fun to cook for. Do you feel like it shows love to your family when you make special dishes for them? I think I get that from my grandma. She was always trying to get us to eat more when we had meals over there. And now, my mom is making dinners for us on Monday nights because Mondays are always WAY busy here at The Loopy Room. She must get that from her mother (my grandma). We sure LOVE it. Isn’t she wonderful?

6. Movies. Knitting Daughter and I love to watch movies and knit. It’s kind of our thing. We have a stack of movies to watch, but also are in need of more good suggestions. Anyone have any ideas? Because truthfully, we’ve already seen most of these. We might need to get hooked on another good tv/dvd series as those seem to last a long time. So far, Gilmore Girls and 24 have been our favorite tv series on dvd.

7. Planting. ugh. I don’t like gardening. Not a bit. I love the look of flowers popping up in my yard, and I love having flowers cut in a vase, but I don’t like the work to get them going. However, I do need to at least get some good flowers going in the pots on the front porch. Last spring we were so busy building The Loopy Ewe, that we never did plant things in those planters.

8. Felting. Have you been over to Woolpets to find these wonderful felting kits from the very talented Laurie? Now, I have never needle-felted before, but I have been assured that it’s easy peasy. So I have four kits that KD and I will attempt to make this week. You’re probably thinking that a smart person would buy one and see if they liked needle felting and could actually make something recognizable before splurging on … ahem …. several. You’re probably right. I’ll keep you posted on our success.

9. Hanging out with the mum-in-law. We love having Wonder Husband’s mom come to visit and can’t wait for her to arrive later this week. She’s an incredibly easy “guest” to have around and we always want her to stay much longer than she does. Boy, did I luck out in the mother-in-law department.

10. Starbucks. That pretty much goes without saying. With KD home, she can bop down there and get coffee for us with her wonderful discount and that’s hard to turn down. I’m trying to avoid the Caramel Frappuchinos. Do you know how many calories are in there?? (And the “lite” version is just not good. The best part is the whipped cream with the caramel drizzle on top.) So, I try to limit those to once a month. But we will enjoy Peppermint Mochas and Vanilla Lattes and Cinnamon Dolces all week.

So - did you already have Spring Break? And for those of you without kids, don’t you think you still need to celebrate a Spring Break week? I think you deserve it. What things will you do?

Sheri stillworkingongettingmostofthesenewyarnsupforyoulaterintheweek

Remember when I took 150 people into our first ever Loopy Ewe Seasonal Sock Club? Several of you said (with affection and humor…. I think …..) that I was nuts? And I assured you that it was all well (albeit quickly) thought out and we’d be fine? Well. After putting up a few new yarn lines on Monday and then having a taste of getting soooo many orders out in a day, I think you’re right. I’m afraid that I might be a little nuts. (Never fear - I have a whole list of reasons why the Sock Club is going to be so much easier, not the least of which is that we will have plenty of time to assemble the kits. And oooooohhh - I have the first skeins of the summer colorway of yarn and I LOVE IT! But I digress.)

Today’s post will be a top ten list of proof that our whole family may be just a little nuts from the wool fumes:

1. The Head Loopy (that would be me) thinks that 150 people in a Sock Club for our first year is just a fine idea. Totally do-able.

2. Wonder Husband mentioned the other night at dinner that he likes “fingering weight” spaghetti noodles, while the rest of us like “sport weight” noodles.

3. Cute Little Zoe has resorted to sitting on the heat registers and burning her toes in a quest to get warm, because Head Loopy has not had time to order her a Cozy Cushion like her friend Lucy has. (Note - I ordered it this week when I saw her sitting there and licking one paw and then the other to cool them off as they heated up. jeez.)

4. College Boy aka Web Guy knows several Loopy customers by first name. (As in, “Did you see the fun stuff that Sharon bought today?” or “Ha - Wendy and L-B’s comments on the blog were funny!” or …. well, you get the gist.)

5. Everyone cheers when the UPS guy brings boxes of yarn to our house. (Even the dog, who always gets a dog biscuit from the UPS guy when he stops here.)

6. Casey The Dog has resorted to sitting longingly at the top of the steps and whining while we’re packing up orders in the Loopy Room. Maybe I ought to knit her a dog sweater.

7. Wonder Husband might finally be believing me when I say that knitting socks counts as WORK time, because I have to experience all of this wonderful yarn and show it on the blog. He no longer thinks that I’m just sitting there “relaxing” and watching a movie with Knitting Daughter. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

8. Knitting Daughter comes home from her shift as a Starbucks Barista and then puts in a shift of packing Loopy orders (which she claims is fun, so I’m going to believe her on that one.)

9. Everyone has strong opinions on which yarn line they like the best. Knitting Daughter likes Yarn Pirate, Wonder Husband likes anything with beautiful, muted colors that are easier to color correct on the computer photos, and College Boy … well, ok. He doesn’t have a favorite yarn. But I bet he will by the end of the summer when he has lived with it for several months!

10. We all have fun making The Loopy Ewe a place that you can come visit and enjoy often, and there’s nothing nuts about that!

Sheri makingValentinecookiestodaysothatIcansharetherecipewithyouonFriday!

Top Ten Reasons to Sign Up for The Loopy Ewe Seasonal Sock Club

1. You will be getting exclusive colors of yarn that are tied into the season. Everyone ought to have specific socks that “go” with the season. Sure, you could pick your own colors out, but what is the fun of that? Why pick what anyone else in the world could pick? Let us surprise you with the perfect colorway for the season!

2. You will get your kit in time to make the socks for the next season. We’re starting with the first shipment in May, so you will get your summer sock ingredients in May, just in time to knit them right up. (Which of course you will do.) You’ll get another shipment in August (fall socks) and then in November (winter socks) and then it will wrap up next February (spring socks).

3. You will be getting a sock pattern designed just for that seasonal colorway, by the talented Lisa at Wildhorse Farm Designs. Enough said about that. Because we all know how wonderful her sock patterns are.

4. You will be treated to exclusive colorways by All Things Heather, Yarn Pirate, Claudia Hand Painted, and one other dyer. Watch for some fun yarns in the mix.

5. Of course you will be getting some great, extra surprises in your box. Mostly because it’s me putting the packages together, and you know how I love to throw extra things in there. I have had fun rounding up some cool surprises for you.

6. Yes, these will all count towards your Frequent Shopper Benefits! (Don’t you love that?)

7. No, it doesn’t count as stash. It doesn’t even really need to come out of the yarn budget. I’d say take it out of the “entertainment” budget. Or “seasonal decorations”. Or “gift buying”.

8. You just need to sign up once and it guarantees you shipments for the whole year. (Well - you DO have to pay for them. Have I mentioned that? Just $33 - plus shipping - each quarter, billed a week before the shipment goes out.)

9. You’ll be a charter member of our Sock Club, since this is the first ever Loopy Ewe Seasonal Sock Club. Spots are limited, and it’s already about 3/4 full from our monthly newsletter email which went out tonight …. but there are still some spots left.

10. Because it’s The Loopy Ewe, and you know we’ll do it up right!

Want to be a part of it? Quick - send me an email (sheri [at] theloopyewe.com) and put “Loopy Sock Club” in the subject line. I’ll email you back and let you know either way. I’m hoping that YOU will join us!

(Morning Addition: OH MY. I “upped” the Sock Club numbers once, and then I “upped” them again, and I’m afraid that I am at the very top limit that we can possibly take. The Sock Club is now closed. Thank you SO much for the terrific response! I can’t wait to start sending you seasonal packages! And next year - because of course there will be another sock club for next year - I will announce the sign-up date a week ahead, just so you can plan on it. I promise.) 

Sheri lookingforwardtomakingeachseasonfunforyoursockknitting

You’ll be glad to know that some of your family members have already been shopping for you at The Loopy Ewe! Some of you will be very, very happy knitters. Others of you may have family members who have not gotten the hint, yet. I thought maybe a top ten list would get them thinking in the right direction. We knitters have to look out for one another. So here are some suggestions that you can make to your loved ones:

1. A housecleaner. Seriously. Think of the time you can save by getting a housecleaner to take care of your house. Personally, I want an Alice at my house. I’m wondering what Mrs. Brady did with her time? Alice took care of the cleaning, the laundry, the cooking, the grocery shopping, the meat ordering from Sam the Butcher, and much much more. I think Mrs. Brady spent her time knitting for all of those kids. A housecleaner would save you hours per week to dedicate to your knitting.

2. A Zelda bag. I’m completely hooked on my Zelda - and so are those of you who have ordered them. (In fact, some of you have been back to order more already!) I keep calling Offhand Designs to order more and the lovely gals over there are happy to send them. The latest batch included this Posey, which got me to thinking that I NEED seasonal Zeldas. This Posey would be great for summer around here. It’s on my list.

3. A full-time cook. Ok, if we can’t have Alice, how about that guy who ambushes people in the grocery store and then comes home and makes dinner for them? (What is his name?) I’d like one of those. I’ll be in my knitting spot, enjoying the wonderful smells coming from my kitchen.

4. Special knitting needles. Isn’t it fun to have really special knitting needles in the sizes you use most? These Colonial Rosewoods are beautiful and so wonderful to knit with. We have them in sizes 0 - 3 in the 5.5 ” length. We also have Ebony and Rosewood Lantern Moon needles arriving any day, for those of you who like the 7″ length. I seem to lose needles all the time - but I never lose the expensive ones. (Which leads one to deduce that I’m careless with the lesser-expensive ones, but I’m sure that’s not it.)

5. Starbucks gift cards. Is it just me, or is it especially great to be sitting and knitting with a Peppermint Mocha right next to you? My friend Cindy gave me these last night and it is my favorite gift of the season, so far. In fact, I went and ordered a VENTI Peppermint Mocha this morning instead of a Grande. Living big, here.

6. Sock Yarn Buffet. (You know how I dislike the term “stash” and much prefer Personal Sock Yarn Buffet.) You need lots of choices when it is time to pick yarn for the next sock project. Why not make a list of all the wonderful yarns we have at The Loopy Ewe that you have not yet tried? I decided the other night (as I was winding up yet more sock yarn for my own stash) that I’m just going to add to that stash buffet whenever I find something I like. a) I may never find it again, and b) it’s my hobby. And my hobby is a lot less expensive than the golfing, fishing, hunting, woodworking, boating hobbies that my husband spends money on. (Ok - that’s not true. Wonder Husband doesn’t do ALL of those things. But I bet some of your own wonder husbands do!) So ordering up a Sock Yarn Buffet for your holiday gift seems like a sensible thing to do.

7. Knitting books. Ohhh, so many great choices there. See my “Great Knitting Books” section on the right side of this blog.

8. The Zelda Traveler’s Clutch. Of course I think you need the bag AND the clutch. But if you’re looking for a nice gift for around $50 ($52, exactly) then this one is just great. I couldn’t even fill up all the pockets. There are pockets for short and long DPN’s, for your circulars, and for all of your accessories. Plus, it looks so classy, doesn’t it? We all ought to be carrying around and using classy knitting bags and accessories like these.

9. A knitting retreat. Doesn’t it sound fun to take a whole weekend away just to knit? If you can’t find an official knitting retreat, make your own. Call your best knitting friend and hightail it to a nice B&B for a weekend of movies, eating out, and knitting. (Well, yes. That does sound like it might get pricey. But really fun, right?)

10. A Loopy Ewe Gift Certificate. This fits all tastes and budgets and makes everyone happy, happy, happy. We have more fun stuff arriving in January - just in time to cash in your gift certificate.

Favorite snowman of the day. I found this at Gordmans last year and now I wish I had bought more. I leave it out all year long, because it’s always time for snowmen who knit.

Sheri wishingthatallofthepeople Iwasbuyingforthisseasonwereknitters asit’dbesomucheasier

We had a great weekend with College Boy in Indiana! It meant a lot of eating out (a perk when parents come up - you can get away from the DC - aka, the Dining Commons) and plenty of walking around in the wind. I did discover a few things while we were up there that I thought I ought to share with you. If you have college kids, maybe you have learned similar lessons? Do share with me…..

1. College kids are always up for silliness. This is College Boy (on the left) with his two great roommates. Ohio Boy is in the middle and Indiana Boy is on the right. Indiana Boy’s mom knitted (!) all three boys hats in the college colors, and then brought them fake teeth for this photo op. They were great sports, even when it was mentioned that this photo would go up on the blog for all to see. (Note that I have protected their identity by naming them after their states. If I really wanted to have fun, I’d post this photo on their Facebook sites…..)

2. College dorms frequently smell like a) burnt popcorn or b) pepperoni pizza. I guess it could be worse.

3. There is always someone yelling, somewhere in the dorm. The mothers present will always wonder if someone is hurt or just fell out of bed. The college students in the dorm ignore it. Makes one wonder what would happen if someone really did need help.

4. Cookies are always accepted, anywhere, any time, for any reason or no reason at all.

5. When you ask how classes/grades/tests/projects/papers are coming along, the answer is always, “Fine.” That’s it. Just one word. Always “fine”.

6. I am drawn to buying a sweatshirt every time I walk into a college bookstore. I’m wondering if this transfers to colleges that I don’t particularly care about? I have not walked into a college bookstore that I’m not somehow “related” to. I ought to test that out sometime. This time, it was a navy hooded pullover sweatshirt with TAYLOR in pink and white letters. How could I resist? I’m wearing it today, even though it is supposed to be 75 degrees this afternoon.

7. Sometimes when your college student picks wonderful rommates, they come with wonderful moms that you can become friends with. Besides knitting our boys wonderful hats, Jari (Indiana Boy’s mom) brought me a very fun care package! In there, I found this sheep that I am totally in love with. You’ve seen these sheep tape measures, right? But have you ever seen one with Loopy’s red socks on them? I’m throwing all my other tape measures away. None of them measure up (ha!) to this one. And then she made me this wonderful felted little bag! (It came with gum and a pack of Kleenex. Both of us get just a bit teary when telling our boys good-bye and she was planning ahead for me. It came in handy.) I found that this is perfect for hanging on the car door lock and keeping your tape measure, your scissors, and your needles in when knitting in the car. I have other uses in mind for it, too, but I really liked it in the car.

8. I always over-estimate what I will get done on car trips. I won’t tell you how many skeins of yarn I took with me, but I will say that I was nuts they didn’t all get knit up. I have been wanting to knit one of the Sock Blocker Keychains, and that was very fun to do. I used Claudia Hand Painted yarn in the Blue Fields colorway. One gal told me that she knits a mini sock with each pair of socks she gives for gifts. I thought it’d be fun to knit up a keychain like this to give with your hand-knitted socks. You could use it as the package tie-on! (These are great as keychains, or to hook onto your purse or knitting bag, or to attach to your scissors so that you don’t lose them so easily. Although we just got in more cute Zecca scissors fobs, which are fun as well.) Now that I have made one, I want to make more. I did get my Posh Cashemere/Wool sock done and have included the second sock that I’m in the middle of, lest you think I knitted one and moved on to something else as I seem to have a bad habit of doing. These are a Christmas gift, so I had to do the twin right away. I like how it went together and I also like knitting for someone who’s feet are not as long as mine. It makes a difference. (Posh mailed out our order - from the UK - last week, so I’m hoping it will arrive at The Loopy Ewe sometime this week.)

9. If there are knitting shops within shouting distance of the campus, it is your duty to check them out. We detoured slightly to go to Mass Avenue Knit Shop in downtown Indianapolis and I’m glad we did. Husband was glad that we arrived a half hour before closing time, as that limited the damage that I could do. It’s huge and packed with all kinds of yarn, patterns, accessories and books. (But not much sock yarn.) I bought a book, a magazine, and a couple of accessories. There just wasn’t enough time to buy yarn. I did tell them that I wished they were my LYS, as I was checking out. If you’re in the area, it’s worth making the detour to visit. They all seemed very friendly and helpful there.

10. No matter how often I see him (or not), I still really miss having College Boy at home. But I’m glad that he’s where he’s supposed to be, and that he’s happy.

Sheri gladtobeoutofcollegebutit’salwaysfuntovisit