… was made from 3604 cups of coffee (with differing amounts of milk added to each cup to create the different tones and shades.) It measured 20 feet high by 13 feet wide and was created for The Rocks Aroma Festival in Sydney, Australia – a coffee-lovers event.

And look – apparently you can paint with coffee, too. Who knew? (I think I’ll stick to drinking it while I knit.)

We received another batch of ChiaoGoo Lace needles in yesterday and put them up on the website – just in case you’ve been waiting for them.

Sheri nowsuddenlyneedingtobrewacup.Andknit.

We also have a new exclusive colorway from Studio June for you called Loopy’s Colorado Christmas. Jill did this on her 8-ply Eight Bells base – a heavy fingering weight with 400 yds. to the skein (shown here). I love how it turned out. This would be great for socks, a one-skein shawl, or a pretty hat and mitts.

We put the rest of our second batch of The Sanguine Gryphon’s anniversary yarn up (shown here – Colorado Hairstreak). This is our very last batch of Sanguine Gryphon, as the two partners are stopping that business at the end of this year and moving on to pursue their own things. We still have a few more colors of Bugga, Skinny Bugga, and Mithril Lace in stock, but when that’s gone, there won’t be any more.

We won’t’ have an official update next week (or for a couple of weeks) but we will be adding a few more re-stocks in the next week or so. I’ll post on Facebook when we add those things in and will also add it to the blog.

Sheri whosnuckthisblogpostinLATEtoday.Shhhh.

Today is Veterans Day – a day in which we celebrate the people who have served our country in war, for the freedoms that we enjoy. Here is a picture from Arlington National Cemetery.

From the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs comes this explanation, which I have paraphrased: World War I officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919. However, fighting actually ceased months earlier when an armistice (or temporary cessation of hostilities) went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918 is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars”. In 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11th as the first commemoration of Armistice Day, honoring the veterans of World War I. In 1954, President Eisenhower issued the first Veterans Day Proclamation, making the November 11th holiday a day to honor American veterans of all wars.

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” John F. Kennedy

“We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.” Cynthia Ozick

“Freedom is never free.”  Unknown

“In war, there are no unwounded soldiers.” Jose Jarosky

“It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you.”  Unknown

“Lord, bid war’s trumpet cease; fold the whole earth in peace.” Oliver Wendell Holmes

If you have served, have a family member who has served, or have someone currently serving – thank you.

Sheri

(This also means that there is no mail today. We’ll get orders out on Monday!)

9/11 taught me:

- to think about, pray more for, and honor those families who daily make sacrifices for our freedom.

- to appreciate the firefighters and policemen who work tirelessly to protect our lives.

- to treasure each day as it comes, because we don’t know what tomorrow will bring.

For me, it’s not about one day to remember. It’s about the lessons that terrible day taught me and the way that it has changed my outlook, every day of the year.

For ten years now.

I know that it has done the same for many of you. We remember.

Sheri

Here is the start of my sock out of Devon, that has completely derailed my Project Three work. (Pattern is Vog On). When the sock is done, I’ll be sure to take a photo that shows the striping going on in the plain knitting along the back of the sock. I love how it’s working out. (Remember, it’s hard to capture teal correctly. This makes it look a little more yellow than it is. The photo I showed on Monday’s blog is the correct color. And it’s also the reason that I pay someone else to take our official website photos and spend time color correcting them….) I haven’t knit a sock in forever. The last one I knit and blogged was back in February. I did make another one after that, however it’s still under cover and unbloggable. But it was right around the same time. No wonder I was in the mood to knit some socks.

There’s another reason that I have laid aside my Project Three. While I love the yarn and the way it’s working up, so does someone else. Every time I turn around, there’s Gracie, snoozing on it. I kept it in my project bag for awhile, but she would go to the bag and try to dig it out. She doesn’t do this with merino or cashmere. It’s always alpaca. She has a thing for alpaca. (Hmm – I wonder what she’d do if I introduced her to a real one?) The next time I want to make a blanket of any kind, I’ll turn away from the Blue Sky Worsted Hand Dyes, and will head for the Cascade 220. FPS. Given the fact that I’m having fun on the sock and I have a whole new stash of yarn to play with, Gracie can claim dibs on the afghan-in-the-making for a bit longer. I guess I could always make one for her, but that would make her even more spoiled, I think. If you have pets – have you ever knit for them?

Sheri Zoelikesblanketstoo,butshedoesn’tlimitherselftoalpaca

I also like the hand carders in that last photo. Those belonged to my husband’s grandmother, so they’re even more special. Here’s a good video, if you want to see how they are used.

Another thing I like – unusual old wooden hangers. These have found their way into displaying shawls and sweaters here at Loopy. I like the combination of old wood and bright new yarn.

For those of you who like old things, do you have any favorite items that you’re always watching for? (And more importantly, am I missing out on any old knitting items that I ought to be collecting??) I think old sock machines and old wooden winders are cool, but they take up more room and aren’t as easy to incorporate into displays.

Sheri noroomathomeforthesecollections.
GoodthingIhaveLoopy.

We are working on skeining up the 72 different colors of Colinette Jitterbug that arrived this morning. Watch for it in next Monday’s Update.

The 13 year cicadas are hatching and leaving all of these old bodies around on trees and shrubs and decks:

… and debuting their new look. Want to know what my neighborhood sounds like right now? This. Multiplied by about 1000. (And I think it would serve that photographer right if the cicada flew right into his face.) Only the male cicadas make that noise. These bugs are harmless – they don’t bite or sting and they don’t damage most trees. But still. Ick.

I’m drinking a new brand of coffee. Knitting Daughter worked on a marketing project for this company (through one of her spring semester classes) and it turns out that it’s now one of her favorite coffees, so she brought me some. She has developed quite the coffee palate since her early years of working as a Starbucks barista, so I always pay attention when a certain coffee catches her eye and her taste buds. I agree with her on this one – very delicious.

Anything new in your neck of the woods?

Sheri wholikesthecicadasoundsbutnotthelooksofthem.

I hope your weekend includes time with special friends and family. Have a happy one.

Sheri and The Loopy Ewe Crew

and the next day the flowers are blooming:

and the Rhubarb and Hosta leaves are in a battle for control of the soil.

Then we go back to a day like this (cold rain):

Craziness. I keep thinking it’s time to pack up the wool socks and then we get a day where I really want to be wearing them. Is it officially Spring (and warm) where you are? Have you packed up your wool for the season yet? (I know some of you are heading INTO the colder seasons now, too.)

Sheri Shawls.It’salwaystherightweatherforshawls,right?

And every so often, when the day turns extra busy and overwhelming, I would hit that button and someone would bring me this:

Wouldn’t that be handy? What kind of tab would you like on your computer?

Sheri whocanthinkofseveralmoreusefulcomputertabs,actually.