Look – a PAIR! I knit this first String Theory sock on vacation in Colorado this summer. I loved the yarn so much that I immediately started in on the second sock. However, somewhere between that vacation and the Sock Summit hullabaloo, it got stalled out. Now that the weather is getting cold, I needed the second one done so that I can wear them! I used the Celebratory Socks pattern (free here on my blog under Free Patterns). This was a great combination of one of my favorite yarns plus one of my favorite patterns. A true pleasure to knit up. Several of you have asked when we will have more String Theory. They were busy busy busy with Stitches East and then a retreat, but are now busy dyeing up more orders for us.  Watch for it later in November or early December. (We’re also adding in two more of their lines, so that is something to look forward to as well.)

November Sock Club invoices went out today, so if you’re in our Sock Club, check your in-box. It always amazes me how quickly most of you find those emails and pay up so that we can get your boxes out to you! I’ve been busy working on the 2010 Sock Club and am excited about starting up the next one. We’re working with some great dyers and designers again for next year and we have added quite a few more spots for 2010, as well as a fun tweak or two. Details and signups for the 2010 Club will go up in mid-January (so watch the blog and the monthly customer email newsletter in early January).

I enjoyed reading about the things you always really really really wanted when growing up. Many of you felt the same way about Easy Bake Ovens and horses. I laughed when I read Jean’s comment: “I wanted the EasyBake oven and a horse too!  Never did get the oven – mom’s argument was that she’d let me use the big oven any time I wanted, Why did I need a tiny fake one?” That was exactly what my mom said. She was always happy to have me do any baking I might want to do in the real oven. Of course nothing really compared to baking a couple of tablespoons of cake batter by lightbulb. I was also glad to read that Helene finally got the dog she has always wanted (and named her Happy)! I love reading all of your blog comments.

Speaking of getting gifts – I’m realizing that the holidays will be here too SOON and I have much knitting to get done. I’m making a list and will share it with you next week. You know, just so you can tell me that  1) I’m nuts or  2) your list is a lot worse. Either response will probably make me feel better.

Sheri wishyoucouldseealloftheyarnboxesthathavearrived
inthepasttwodays.Holycow.Muchphotoinggoingon.

We had a great time at the wedding in Ohio this past weekend. The groom was one of Web Guy’s college roommates and the bride was his long-time girlfriend. (Nathan’s long-time girlfriend. Not Web Guy’s long-time girlfriend!  That didn’t come out right…) It’s so fun when you know both the bride and the groom and can celebrate the long road that has brought them to this place. Here’s a photo of the three roomies (handsome fellows) and the beautiful bride. Web Guy is the tall one on the right. One of the sad things about your kids graduating from college is that you don’t get to see their college friends nearly as often. I miss them (and their nice parents – Hi Jari!).

I worked on Sock Number One of my “if it’s going to be gloomy then the least I can do is WEAR sunshine” socks. This is out of Lorna’s Laces Sport in Butterscotch (I love the golden color), and I used the Monica Knit’s Swirl Socks pattern. Changes to the pattern: I knit them toe-up with a short-row heel and used 60 stitches instead of 70. I’ve already started the second sock. I think Swirling Sunshine Socks (say that three times) will be perfect for gloomy days, inside and out. I know that many of you said you were also going to knit some sunshine socks, so you’ll have to let us know what yarn and pattern you have chosen. It’s good to have mood-enhancing socks, don’t you think?

We did a big Sneak Up for you this afternoon. Actually, some of you may have noticed that I have started referring to them as “Monday Updates” instead. A few people get all wigged out over the idea of  ”sneaking up” and think that it’s a marketing scheme. (That always cracks me up. It was simply a survival scheme. As in “let’s just put things up quietly so that the website doesn’t crash from too many people on at once” strategy. We said, “We can’t announce the exact time any more, so we’ll just sneak it up for you and then you can stumble upon it when you check the site.” This started being referred to as a “Sneak Up”.) We went to a much larger server over a year ago and so far it has handled even Wollmeise updates without completely crashing. Most of you know that we put a big batch of new things up most Mondays, so I’m now going with “Monday Update” and hoping that it’s a term that everyone can handle.

In tonight’s Monday Update: 6 more colors of Fleece Artist’s specially priced Nyoni, Dream in Color Starry (some of the colors have arrived back in stock. We’ll add the rest as they trickle in via UPS). Also, Dream in Color Baby, Perchance to Knit 24/7 Sock, Lorna’s Laces Worsted (more colors arriving as they get dyed up. This is such beautiful yarn!). We also added Black Bunny Fibers Classic, a re-stock of Woolpets (along with two new kits – Chickadees and Sock Monkey), Offhand Designs (in 2 new styles – Suzannah and Daisy, which is reversible so that you can have all of those pockets on the inside or the outside of the bag), Della Q needle cases (I love having my needles all organized in Della’s organizers), more Marie Mayhew patterns, and a re-stock of Addi Clicks in the new smaller soft-touch pack which makes it easier for traveling. Whew. I think that’s it. Come on over and check it out.

Sheri ithasbeenareallybusyMondaybuttheSUNisSHININGtoday
soalliswell!

Three things that we did this weekend:
1. Explored another town nearby, checking out their antique stores and lunch places. It was a nice cool, cloudy day, perfect for walking into creepy antique stores like this one. Really, doesn’t this look like someone’s abandoned garage?
2. Stopped in to two local yarn shops. I bought buttons and books at the first place, and books and yarn at the second place. (Yes, you’re right. There is absolutely no excuse for me buying yarn when I have a whole shop full of my own yarn. sigh. But it was fun to look at someone else’s yarn shop for a couple of hours.)
3. Frogged a couple of projects that I no longer want to knit. It freed up some good needles and freed up some space in my brain.

Three kinda creepy things that we ran into while out and about:
1. The Tractor Dude from a local pumpkin farm. His grin is a little menacing, don’t you think?
2. The Beard Guy with the spider in his beard. (Photo taken in another antique store which was actually quite interesting.)
3. The horn chair/stool that we found in another place. I know that some of you will probably like it, but I found it creepy. And dangerous looking. Not something I want in my living room.

Three Nine things that we just put up on the website for you to check out:
1. Madelinetosh Sock
2. Dragonfly Fiber Djinni
3. The YoYo Cash Fingering
4. Fleece Artist Nyoni yarn at a super special price
5. New colors from Alchemy
6. Stitchmarkers and Spinning Keyrings from Dyelectable Yarns
7. Dream in Color Smooshy re-stock
8. New color from Dream in Color – Prairie Grass in Classy, Smooshy and Baby
9. Cute Christmas Ornament Kits from Kalamazoo Knits (or you can use your own ornaments and stash leftovers and just get the pattern here.)

Sheri didyougetthreethingsdonethisweekend?
Ordidyouseethreecreepythings?
Ordidyoujustgobuythreenewthingsinthisweek’sUpdate?

Paul and I went back in time yesterday. There is a little German festival in Marthasville, MO each fall, called Deutsch Country Days. It’s on the property of a private farm. This family has acquired 19 log buildings and a covered bridge, from places around the St. Louis area, and reconstructed them on this wooded property. They have done a great job of keeping most all of the trees around, and just putting up the different buildings on the hillside. During the Deutsch Days festival, most of the dwellings have people in period costumes, recreating the tasks from those days. We saw pies baking in a hearth fire, sausage being stuffed (I never like seeing that), wash being cranked out, and meats being smoked. The blurb on the website says they’d demonstrate natural dyeing, German fractur, and sad ironing as well. Isn’t all ironing sad? (I had to look that up. It means “heavy, dense” in Old English. You know, those metal irons that they heated by the fire?) We also saw rug hooking, rug braiding, quilting, and lace making. And I found this cute puppy for sale, but WH said we didn’t need a new puppy. I had a hard time tearing myself away from him. (The puppy. Not WH.) It was a beautiful, cool fall day, perfect for spending the afternoon enjoying a peek at the past (and being really happy that we don’t live there.) I’m sure the owners of this farm were really happy to have sunny weather, as it has been raining here for days on end.

We also saw this gal working on an afghan in the mock-general store:

A spinner demonstrating how to make yarn:

And plenty of music and song:

If you live somewhere in Missouri, you ought to check it out next year. I’m sure we’ll go back!

In knitting news, my second Multnomah is blocking and I’m almost done with those fingerless mitts that I mentioned on Friday. Photos on Wednesday. Now it’s time to start the Traveling Woman shawl.

In Monday Update news, we have a brand new indie dyer just up that I know you are going to love. Kimber (of Fiber Optic) is a chemist and after listening to her talk about dyeing for 15 minutes at the Sock Summit, I was sold on her incredible yarn. (Not that one look at her line didn’t already sell me on it.) The dyes almost take on a multi-layered look. Lovely. We also added in new Trekking XXL colors, re-stocked some Lorna’s Laces Sock and Sport, and added some new Kalamzaoo Knits patterns (baby socks that I want to make even though there is no baby in my life, and the holiday ornaments that we all loved last year, plus a new mitten ornament.)  Come check it all out.

Sheri sunisshiningforthethirddayinarow.Amazing!

…. this. The dad-gum road construction that has been going on along the road that runs right next to our building, since sometime this summer. Tired of the jackhammers and the cones and the workers and the person that felt it necessary to drop this scooper on chunks of pavement to break them up, resulting in more building shaking. This photo was taken from inside my office, so you can see how close we are to the mess fun.

…. talk of the H1N1 flu. And whether or not to get the vaccines, and whether or not they’re safe and have been tested enough, and whether or not they’re going to run out, and whether or not you’re gonna git it. (I’m getting the vaccines. Talked to my doc. Enough said.)

…. waiting for UPS/Fed Ex/USPS to deliver yarn orders. We have so much on order that is due in “any minute”. When are they going to arrive? NOW is a good time. Let’s deliver it now.

…. wearing reading glasses for everything. After a whole life of 20/20 vision, it stinks when your eyes get older and turn against you, making things blurry up close. On the flip side, I can see anything going on at the Montessori school across the parking lot in perfect detail. Let me know if you need to know anything about their playground or the cute kids. I have it covered.

…. more yarn than I have time to knit. But it’s a curse that I’m willing to live with (and add to) indefinitely. Come to think of it, I’m not really tired of that at all. Not one tiny bit.

Speaking of which, we just added some beauties to the website! You’ll find Dream in Color’s new Knitosophy line, as well as the special Ocean Currents Limited Edition Smooshy colorway that they sent to us, Fiberphile’s amazing colors, Hand Maiden Swiss Super Sea Sock, Tempted Glam Girl (the one with the silver, and new colors), and patterns from Monica Knits and ShibuiKnits. Good stuff. Hop over and see.  :-)

Happy Thanksgiving to our Canadian Friends!

Sheri anythingyou’retiredoftoday?

Here’s the Multnomah shawl that I finished this week, knit with Hand Maiden Mini Maiden. (I love that yarn. Soft and beautiful, a slight sheen from the silk, and everything turns out looking great.) I weighed the leftover yarn and estimate that I used about 2/3’s of the skein (about 360 yards). The original pattern was knit with 412 yds so I’m not sure how I had so much left over. I started another one this week and plan to make it a little wider across the shoulders. Someone on Ravelry mentioned that they increased the stitch count to 265 before bordering. I like it when other people figure those things out and pass them on. In fact, there are notes on increasing the size if you look up the pattern on Ravelry. Here’s the lesson I learned about blocking – pin everything, including the lines down the center. I’ll reblock this one before gifting.

Elf Susan brought in two recent projects that turned out so cute and I wanted to show them to you. The first is a baby hat out of Malabrigo Seleccion Privada. (We told her to bring the baby WITH the hat, but she did not.) Love how the Malabrigo striped up. She also made a one-skein scarf out of the new Araucania Panguipulli for her college nephew, with a simple seed stitch pattern. After seeing this, I went and pulled some Panguipulli for myself. The variety of colors in the multi-ply makes everything you knit look interesting. And while I’m showing you photos, here is a quick scarf that I knit up using the new Lana Grossa Cento. I used 2 skeins (just K,P down and back, 18 stitches), but I’d probably use 3 the next time to make it a little longer. I did it in the blue/purple colorway for College Girl, who likes purple a lot. Such a quick knit on size 10 needles – about 2 hours start to finish. The colors blend from lights to darks to lights. (Yes, I did wash the colors out with my flash.)

Paul and I went antiqueing on our way home from Indiana last weekend. (4 stops, plus one unfortunate stop at a Flea Market that we won’t discuss. Suffice it to say that we won’t need to stop there again….) In my quest for weird book titles, I found this one: “Around the World on Two Skeins of Wollmeise $60″. It was only $2, so I bought this one. Still thinking about “Instantaneous Personal Magnetism”, though. This book and a wooden clamp for WH were the two purchases of the day. We spent a whopping $8.

Monday is a holiday here in the U.S., so no mail and no Loopy Elves working that day. We’ll ship all weekend orders out on Tuesday. However, I will blog on Monday, and we’ll do the update late afternoon or evening, because we have things that you will want. (What, you ask? We have Tempted Glam Girl, our first order from indie dyer Georgia of Fiberphile, more Hand Maiden Swiss Super Sea Sock, an exclusive limited edition color in Dream in Color Smooshy (Ocean Currents), their new Knitosophy line, and 3 new fingerless mitt patterns from Monica Knits. Watch for it all on Monday!

Sheri lovingthecoolmorningsandeveningsthatFallbrings