We have another whopper one for you today because so many things arrived over this past week. One line that I’m thrilled to have back in the shop is Sweet Georgia. If you’ve been with us since the beginning, you know that Felicia’s line is one of the first few indie dyer lines that we added in here. After carrying it for quite awhile, Felicia decided a year-long dyeing break was in order and off she went to travel the world. She came back with more color ideas and a desire to dye, which was good news for all of us! We have our first shipment from her, which is her popular Tough Love Sock Yarn, in many beautiful colors.

Another new dyer that we just added in is Huckleberry Knits. I found Scarlet at Sock Summit this summer. Or, rather, her yarn found me. I was sitting in a talk by Barbara Walker and the person in front of me was knitting the brightest (happiest) colorway I had seen in a long time. Since the session had already started, I couldn’t ask her what it was. But I did walk the marketplace later that afternoon, determined to find it. Sure enough, there it was in Scarlet’s booth. Success! This is the sock that I knit up with it and I really love it. We have Scarlet’s worsted line here right now, with the fingering weight line coming sometime in January. (I wanted the Worsted line, too, because I think her colors would make some really great sweaters.)

We’ve also added in: More Dream in Color Starry, Baby and Classy, more colors of Lorna’s Laces Worsted, Shepherd Sock, Shepherd Sport and Helen’s Laces (also from Lorna’s, the Loopy Ewe colorway in Sock and Sport), 50 colors of Madelinetosh Worsted, a new batch of Sereknity Yarn and Fiber, Mind Your Knitting Beanie Baggies, 3 AM Enchantments bags and wrist tags in the Sheep-y fabric you all love, the new Red bags and accessories from Namaste, and a new pattern from Wendy Knits that gives you fun things to do with your sock yarn leftovers. Come on over and check everything out!

And that’s why we were so busy around here last week. This week is shaping up to be the same way. We like that.

Sheri startedmyTravelingWomanShawlovertheweekend
andIhopetohaveitdonesoon.Greatpattern.

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.

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?

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.

…. 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

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

Another fun thing that we do here is to send Loopy on vacation with all of you in the summertime. He first went on the road in 2007 and had an awesome time. So much so, that he wanted to go again in 2008. (This was the year that many of you took your stuffed Loopy’s, in addition to the postcards.) We sent him out again this past summer to see what trouble he could stir up, and you all rose to the challenge. For example, Loopy:

- went to China:

- and the Taj Mahal:

- tried to read the signs near the Dead Sea in Israel:

- topped a wedding cake:

- took a plane ride with some friends:

- got revenge on that crab from two years ago:

- went canoeing:

- and even hung out at the office:

Now it’s your turn to vote on Loopy’s summer!  Please take a look at all of the photos in his photo gallery - there are lots more – and send us an email (support @ theloopyewe . com), telling us:

Which photo was most creative?

What was the best “farthest place” that he traveled?

Which photo made you wish you were there?

We’ll award prizes next week!

Sheri whatwouldLoopybedoingTODAYifhewerehangingoutwithyou?
He’dbestartinganewshawlifhewerewithme. 

- Saw a balloon launch. (This was for College Girl’s Chemistry class. They had to design an experiement to be sent up with a weather balloon, 20 miles into Near Space. They launched two balloons. One went sailing far far away. The other got caught in a tree. I guess that was the end of that experiment….)

- Had lunch at our favorite breakfast/lunch/coffee place – Paynes. This is housed in a tiny nondescript building just off Highway 69 in Gas City, but they have the most wonderful food, drinks, and frozen custard. Family owned and operated. This is their “French Omelette”, which I keep meaning to try on my own at home. I had an Apricot Brie Panini, which was just as good as it sounds. And of course a latte, because how can you pass this up?

- Went to the football game and watched the mascot run around. (Oh, and we watched the game, too, although it didn’t turn out the way we wanted it to.)

- Traveled up to Fort Wayne for a little shopping and dinner at the FlatTop Grill. Unfortunately my photo of the grill didn’t turn out. But it was sure interesting to see them grilling up piles and piles of orders at once.

- Stopped by the petting zoo to feed the deer and the llamas and the goats and the chicks. They always seem starved. I hope they are fed regularly. (I guess all animals always act like they’re starved, don’t they?)

- And did I mention that Web Guy surprised us by flying up from FL for the weekend?? Turns out all of his favorite friends were coming back for the weekend, so he came, too. (But I’m sure the more important part was that WE were going to be there. That’s my story.) Either way, I got my hugs in and we got some time with him, so I came home with a full mom-heart. I love spending time with our two favorite kids.

In knitting news – we just did the Monday Update. Come see! You’ll find Malabrigo Worsted, Silky, Lace and Sock (more on order, but this is the first half), Fleece Artist Superwash BFL (new for us), 3 new lines of Lana Grossa (one is a worsted – Cento, one is a sock that reminds me of Noro Kureyon, but softer, and another sock line that is self-patterning), and a Namaste re-stock.

Later this week:

Check back on Wednesday to hear about the Fourth Quarter Challenge, and to vote on Loopy’s Summer Vacation photos.

Check back on Friday to see my Multnomah Shawl, which will be washed and blocked by then. I’m starting a second one immediately in Colinette Jitterbug, because I fell in love with the color Sahara.

Do you think you’re more enticed to knit something because of the yarn, the color, or the pattern? Do you find a yarn line and think, “I need to find a color and pattern and make something with this”?  Or do you find a color and think, “This is a great color. What pattern can I use with it?” Or do you see a pattern and think, “Must make that. What yarn?”  I know it’s probably a combination of all three for most of us, but you probably have one that pulls you a little more than the others. I think for me, I’m drawn by colors most of all. That might be part of the reason I have a stash problem collection.

Sheri buildingisshakingagaintoday,moreroadworkoutside

I know I said I wasn’t going to blog today (as we’re in the car, going to Indiana this morning). But I just had to let you know that we have more RED bags and accessories coming in November from Namaste.

Sheri whocan’twaittoseeCollegeDaughterinafewhours