It’s still storming each day. Praying for no more tornadoes. This has been a terrible tornado season so far. (The photo is raindrops on a table, but I can assure you that there is rain everywhere.)

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.

Easter Blessings to all of you from all of us at The Loopy Ewe!

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

Sheri and The Loopy Ewe Crew

It’s hard to know what to expect out of the weather around here. One day we have this:

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?

Sometimes I wish there was a tab like this on my computer:

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.

You know there is to much on your To-Do List when you start looking at colors of yarn and make up coffee and tea names to go with it. Not that I need an extra dose of caffeine to get through my list or anything. WH took some extra photos of a few skeins of our Loopy Ewe Solid Series and it makes me think of coffee, tea and chocolate (clockwise, starting in the upper left corner):

- strong espresso
- peach tea on ice
- salted caramel hot chocolate
- mocha latte
- iced chai tea
- peppermint hot chocolate

(Ok, in real life they are called Coffee, Sand, Rose Brown, Mocha, Tan, and Sienna. We tried to stay with one or two word names for our Loopy line. But I could’ve really gone to town on names, if I didn’t think that “simple is often better” when naming a basic solids line.)

I might need to add a Tea and Coffee scarf pattern to my To-Do List. It would definitely remind me of Life in the Spring of 2011, which has been crazy nuts.  Or I could whip up a scarf with a combination of some colors that are hot and some that are cold, because some days are in the 80′s and other days, it’s snowing. That seems to be the norm this spring, too. And I definitely need to make a scarf with a variety of blues. Not because I’m BLUE, mind you, but because I seem to be a bit addicted to a combination of Robin’s Egg Blue like the Loopy wall, and similar colors. What colors would you use if you were making a scarf to represent your own Life in the Spring of 2011?

Sheri workingonnewyarninfosignsforLoopyshelvestoday

We dashed up to Indiana two weekends ago to surprise College Daughter for her birthday. While we were driving down the main street of Upland (it goes on and on and on… for two blocks…), we saw this snowman having a bad hair day. I can so relate, some days.  Not that my hair ever stands straight up like that. But did I tell you about the time (in 4th grade) when Web Guy had to write a “Top Ten Things You Love About Your Mom” list for Mother’s Day? Number 4 was: “I think you’re really pretty except in the mornings when your hair looks like a pulled apart bush.” He pretty much nailed that description. Actually, that was my favorite thing on the list and the original note is now in the scrapbook, preserved for posterity. But I’m thinking that this snowman really has the pulled-apart-bush look mastered, don’t you think?

Your Cat and Dog comments cracked me up on Wednesday’s blog! Did you all read some of those? Like Diane’s cat who walked off the end of the dresser while bird watching? And Cathy’s doxie Gretel, who felt threatened by a rock on an evening walk? Or Sue’s cat Max, who was scared of dust bunnies? So many funny stories! It makes me feel better to hear that Gracie isn’t the only dim (much loved) bulb out there.

Lots going on this weekend – I’ll fill you in on Monday. I’ll also be working on my Ultra Pima sweater (almost done with the back) and I’m thinking of starting 28′s Cousin 53 in DC Smooshy with Cashmere. I picked a lovely color, and then the Elves pointed out that I rarely wear what I knit. (Socks, yes. Shawls and scarves? No.) I realized that it’s because I tend to knit colors that I love, but that don’t always “go” with things I wear. So this time, I picked Basalt, because I wear a lot of black and it will go perfectly. What about you? Do you tend to pick colors you want to knit or colors you’re most likely to wear?

Sheri partoftheproblemisthattherearetoomany
prettyyarnchoicesaroundhere