Have you gotten your Camp Loopy order in yet? Today is the last day for Store Week, so jump in!

For our first project, we’re all knitting a 400+ yd. project using a pattern by a designer from a country other than our own. Most of you have picked your patterns and colors (with the remaining few of you doing so today, right?). For the Ravelry threads this first month, we’re dividing you up by Canoe color. We’ll have:

Purple/Red Canoes
Blue Canoes
Green Canoes
Yellow/Orange Canoes
Brown/Black Canoes
Crazy Canoes

Your Canoe color comes from the predominant color in your Project One yarn. (Even those of you knitting the Color Affection – and there are a LOT of you! – will be using one color more than the other two. In that pattern, the color you start out with on that shawl will be used the most in your project.) If your project yarn doesn’t fit into one of the regular colors listed above, then we’ll just call you a Crazy Canoe-r.

We’ll get the Canoe Groups started shortly over on the Loopy Groupie board on Ravelry* and then you can start paddling in your Canoe group. Knitting on Project One starts May 27th!

Sheri gladit’sjustpretend.Canoeingmakesmyarmstired.

(*You do need a free Ravelry account for this optional Camp activity. Ravelry provides a great forum for knitting discussions, for those who’d like to participate.)

Whew – busy day here at Loopy Central today. We have lots of camper packages going out! Are you camping along with us this summer? Read all about Camp Loopy here.

We did take time out at the end of the day to work on tonight’s Update for you. This week? Bags and yarn. We just added in:

Cascade Superwash Sport - Available in 50 different colors, this line is great for sweaters, vests, blankets, kid/baby items, and anything that you’d like to be able to toss in the washer and dryer. We have 45 colors available now, with the last 5 on backorder. (We are also adding in Cascade 220 Superwash Worsted in a couple of weeks, for all of you who have been asking for it.)

Dream in Color Starry - We re-stocked the regular colors and added in several of the new colors that we’ve never ordered in Starry before. This is a gorgeous batch – one of our prettiest ever in this base. Starry is perfect for shawls, hats and scarves, but also fun for socks, mittens and gloves. Shown above in Emerald Darkness.

Atenti – new fabrics in the Overnighters. Just up: Monet Sun, Autumn, Tropic Sage, and Aqua Rust. They’ve also brought back the popular Camelia Sky fabric.

Atenti – new style – the Baguette. This cute bag currently comes in 5 fabrics and is the perfect size for socks and one-skein shawls. Dimensions are 15 x 5 x 4, with long over-the-shoulder straps. Shown here in Denim Bloom.

Chic-a Bags – all styles and colors re-stocked.

Have fun checking out all of the new things and we’ll be busy packing up your orders tomorrow and Wednesday.

Sheri whostillhasn’tdecidedonherfinalCampLoopyProjectOne

Buttery Cinnabun Cake (originally from Picky Palate)

Cake:
3 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup butter, melted

Topping: 1 cup butter (softened), 1 cup brown sugar, 2 Tbsp. flour, 1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Glaze: 2 cups powdered sugar, 5 Tbsp. milk, 1 tsp. vanilla

Mix all cake ingredients together except for the butter. Mix well and then slowly add the 1/2 cup melted butter as your mixer continues to mix. Pour batter into greased 9 x 13 pan.

Mix topping ingredients until well blended. Drop evenly over the top of the batter and swirl lightly with a knife.

Bake at 350 degrees for 28-32 minutes.

Top with glaze while warm.

My friend Jody says she can tell I have a sweet tooth by all of the dessert recipes I choose to pin on Pinterest. I ask you – is there anything wrong with that? No, there is not.

We’re having fun seeing all of the yarn and colors you’re picking out for your Camp Loopy projects! I have to say, it’s making me go back and forth about my final choice. I’m the one who goes through and applies the discount to your orders, so I’ve taken note of what each and every one of you are picking out. Such pretty colors and combinations. I need to just stop looking.

Have a great (sweet) weekend – with or without Cinnabun Cake!

Sheri whogetsherbestrecipesoffofPinterest

It’s that time again – time to be a camper at Camp Loopy this summer!

How does it work?  First of all, there is no travel involved. This is Virtual Camp! That also means no bugs, no hard ground to sleep on, no sand in your food, no campfire smoke in your eyes, and no swimming tests to prove that you know how to save yourself if your canoe tips. Just lots of knitting, meeting new friends, contests, challenges, and fun!

We will be knitting a different challenge project each month, for the next 3 months. You can choose to knit for one month, two months, or all three months. There are benefits and prizes for completing your projects on time and an extra bonus for doing all three. I know quite a few of you have mentioned that your Camp Loopy knitting will be used for holiday gifts, which is a great way to get a jump-start on those projects.

Here is our schedule:

Project One: needs to be knit or crocheted between 5/27 and 6/27 (with a photo of the completed project uploaded to our Project One Photo Gallery by 6/29).

The Challenge for Project One – We’re all celebrating the Olympics this summer, so in keeping with the theme of many countries coming together for one event, your challenge for Project One is to knit something using a pattern from a designer who was born in (or currently lives in) a country other than your own. The only other guideline is that the completed project needs to be least 400 yards (370 m). I’ve added some designer links to the bottom of this post, in case you need some ideas!

Project Two: needs to be knit or crocheted between 6/27 and 7/27 (photo uploaded by 7/29).

Challenge Two details coming in June!

Project Three: needs to be knit or crocheted between 7/27 and 8/27 (photo uploaded by 8/29). This coincides with the Olympics, in case you’re knitting for that, too. Although the Olympics end before our Camp deadline ends.

Challenge Three details coming in July!

International knitters/crocheters: Since we started the Camp Loopy Store Week earlier this year, we don’t anticipate that you’ll need extra time on the deadlines. Hopefully your packages will get to you in plenty of time to start on the Project One dates with everyone else. But don’t delay in ordering – get it in as soon as you can.

The benefits:

1. If you need to purchase yarn for your project, we are offering a 20% Camp Loopy discount for the yarn during a designated “Camp Loopy Store Week” each month. The first discount, for Project One, is valid on one camp project’s worth of yarn purchased during Camp Store Week One (May 9 – May 16th). To get the discount, you will need to leave us an order note on the order, telling us which yarn will be used for your Camp Project, and you’ll need to purchase what you need in one order, so calculate carefully. We’ll apply the discount when your order comes through to us. If you’re going for free shipping in the U.S., please make sure that your discount won’t take you below the $75 level, or the website will add the shipping charge back in after we do the discount.

2. In addition to the 20% discount on your yarn during Camp Store Week, we’ll also double your Frequent Shopper Benefits from that yarn purchase, if your project is done and a photo of it is uploaded to our Camp Loopy Photo Gallery by the deadline. (Yarn must be purchased during that month’s Camp Store Week for the double credits benefit.) So if your project yarn costs you $30, you’ll see $30 added to your Frequent Shopper totals after your order ships, and then we’ll add in another $30 to your totals when we approve your photo to the Gallery by the deadline.

3.  If you choose to do all three projects with us (photos uploaded by the deadline and yarn for each project purchased during Camp Store Week for that project) we will also be awarding you a special skein of fingering weight cashmere blend, in an exclusive Camp Loopy Colorway. (We will have 3 different exclusive Camp colors for you to choose from, so that you can pick your favorite.) This luscious skein will be perfect for socks, shawls, scarves, cowls, or mitts.

So if you participate in all three months of Camp and follow the guidelines, you’ll get 3 projects done at a discount, you’ll no doubt earn one or more Frequent Shopper Bonuses, and you’ll get a skein of a luxury cashmere blend for yet another project. Cool beans!

Now – here are the answers to your Frequently Asked Questions about Camp Loopy:

Q. Can we participate with weaving instead of knitting or crochet?
A. For Camp Loopy, we’re sticking with knitting or crochet. You can weave for our regular Quarterly Challenges. Just not Camp Loopy.

Q. I ordered two colors for my project and I don’t like how they go together. Can I substitute a color from my stash for one of the colors, or can I order a different color now?
A. Yes.

Q. If I substitute a color, will it still count towards Camp Loopy benefits?
A. If you use at least one color that you ordered from us during Camp Store Week for that project, your project will still be eligible, if you finish by the deadlines. When we approve your project photo in the gallery, we will then add a second FSB amount to your totals for the project yarn that was ordered during Camp Store Week and used in your project. So if you ordered two colors and used both in your final project (done by the deadlines), we will add the amount of both yarns as a bonus. If you ordered two but only used one of those for your final project, we will add the amount of the one yarn that was used.

Q. I didn’t get to order during Camp Store Week, but if I order my project yarn later in that same month and complete the project by the deadline, does that still count, even though I know I don’t get the Camp Loopy discount?
A. Yes! Mostly.  Make sure that you add a “Camp Loopy” note to your order, so that we know you’re participating. You’ll still be eligible for the project drawings and prizes for that month, and if you finish all three projects by the deadlines, you’ll still get the bonus – a free skein of that luscious cashmere blend. You won’t be eligible for double FSB credits for this project, since the yarn wasn’t ordered during Camp Store Week.

Q. I want to participate using yarn from my stash. Does that still count?
A. You are welcome to participate and knit from stash and upload it to the gallery, as long as it’s yarn that we carry at The Loopy Ewe. (We always require projects in our Photo Galleries to be from yarn that we carry at TLE.) You will still be eligible for drawings and prizes for the month, but you won’t be eligible for the FSB double credits or the free cashmere blend yarn at the end.

Q. When you say to knit the project between 5/27 and 6/27, when EXACTLY does the timing start?
A. You can start at 12:01 am your time on 5/27 if you’d like, although a good night’s sleep and a good breakfast might be a better idea. The project needs to be done by 11:59 pm on 6/27, your time. The photos need to be uploaded by 11:59 pm OUR time (Mountain Time) on 6/29.

Q. Should we be starting a new Camp Loopy Group on Ravelry?
A. No. Since it’s an activity through The Loopy Ewe, I’d like to keep it as a part of our regular Loopy Groupies group. However, you’ll see Camp Loopy threads popping up on the Loopy Groupie board, based on different activities each month.

Q. When you specify yardage in a project, can I use up the yardage by knitting double stranded? So you if say 400 yards, can I do a 200 yard project, holding the yarn double? That would use 400 yards.
A. No, no doubling the yarn to get the yardage. If you’d like to knit something double stranded, you’ll need to use 800 yards so that you end up with a 400 yard project when it’s done.

Q. How do I know if I’m on track for the free yarn bonus, and when will I get it?
A. If you have earned the extra Frequent Shopper points for each project (which you will see as a note added to your Camp Store Week order for that project, once your photo has been uploaded on time and approved), then you are on track. Once Camp is over and the yarn is ready, we’ll send you a notice to let you choose your camp colorway. You will have the option of having your bonus yarn added in the box with your next order from us, or you can choose to pay for shipping to have it sent to you right away on its own.

Q. Why do we have to purchase the yarn during Camp Store Week each month, if we want the bonuses?
A. Two reasons. One – it costs us money to fund this (the contests, the extras, the free yarn at the end) and your purchases help us to be able to afford to do this. Two – it helps us to guarantee that everyone is knitting for the project during the designated time and not simply pulling a finished (or half finished) project out of their pile and saying they did it “for camp”. It keeps an even playing field for all of the people earning the bonuses.

Q. Will we have the chance to buy t-shirts with the Camp Loopy logo, like we did last year?
A. Yes! They’re on order and we’ll put them up on the website as soon as they arrive. And maybe a couple of other fun things, too.

Here are some links for designers currently living in (or from) a few different countries. Don’t forget – you need to pick a designer from a country different than your own! There are so many wonderful designers out there. I wish Ravelry had a way to search designs by country. (Or do they, and I just don’t know about it?) This was a result of my not-so-efficient method of clicking around randomly and finding a few to share with you. Feel free to leave other suggestions in the comments below.

United States: Wendy Johnson, Anne Hanson, Kirstin Kapur

Sweden: Johanne Landin,  Asa Tricosa, Anna Dalvi

Canada: Felicia Lo, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, Ilga Leja

Finland:Veera Valimaki, Lankakomero

Germany: Birgit Freyer, Martina Behm, Susanna IC

Scotland/UK: Ysolda Teague, Gudrun Johnston, Jane Sowerby, Alice Yu, Helen Stewart

Netherlands: Stephen West

Japan: Olga Buraya-Kefelian

We’re so looking forward to camping with you again this summer, and we have lots of fun things planned. Grab your backpack project bag and your canoe, and hop in. It’s going to be a fun summer!

Sheri thinkingIneedawhistleifI’mgoingtobeaCampLoopyCounselor

Before we get to the Monday Update, we have some contest winners to announce! I had a 950+ yd. skein of Wollmeise Lace to give away on this blog post, and the winner of that beautiful cake of lace is: Michele in VA, who is now deciding what to make with it!

We’ve also tallied the votes for the Reader’s Choice Award for the First Quarter Project. The favorite, chosen by all of you regular blog reader’s, is: Stephanie from FL, with her beautiful Vernal Equinox Shawl out of Cascade Heritage Silk.  We also put all of the entries into the Random Number Generator to choose another winner, and that one goes to: Amy from NC who made a great hat out of Lorna’s Laces Honor. Both of you will be getting a $25 credit in your Loopy Ewe account. Maybe you’ll find something fun from tonight’s Update that you need (“need”)!

Now that the First Quarter Challenge is done and voted on, the Second Quarter Challenge Photo Gallery is up and we’ll start getting those photos approved and up for you!

We do have new things up on the website for you today. Just up, you’ll find:

- Fiberphile – Squooshy Sock 2 (shown here in Continuum). You’ll like this for socks. You might try one of these: Cadence, Maryanne, or Smaug Socks. I also like it for shawls. Look at the beautiful cabled edge on this Dubliner pattern.

- Frogtree Pediboo. Great for socks. Belle Vitini would be beautiful. Or Scales. We also have lots of people using this for shawls (and the Color Affection Shawl in particular.) It’s fun to play with the color combinations.

- Lorna’s Laces (Shepherd Sock, Solemate, Shepherd Sport, and new Sportmate) . Here’s a cute summer tank pattern that I happened across the other day: Laresca. It would be great done up in the Solemate. On the Sportmate (shown here in  - we have lots of colors on order, but (as usual) Lorna’s Laces sends the colors as they dye them. Here are 9 to start with, and we’ll have more as they work through the color rotation!

- Malabrigo (Lace, Arroyo and Worsted). Now is a great time to pick up sweater quantities of the Worsted. We have over 40 options for you. I also like this Barbara W Shawl for the Worsted weight. Lots of interesting stitch patterns going on in there. Or how about Lattice? That also has interesting texture and stitches.

- Trekking XXL (shown here in 165) – If I were making socks for someone who was going to toss them in the washer and dryer with no second thought, I’d make it out of Trekking XXL. This is a real workhorse yarn that holds up to pretty much anything you throw at it.

- Zauberball (Sock, Crazy, and Starke 6). The long color repeats make this one a fun one to knit up. Try the Loreley Scarf, the Wingspan, or a Ten Stitch Blanket.

- Go Knit Bags – all sizes and colors re-stocked. Especially handy if you’re picking out new projects today and will need new bags to keep them in. (Like I’m doing.)

- StitchSavers (shown here) for those pesky stitches that hop off your needles and try to ladder down, when you’re not looking.  Also, Puppy Snips were re-stocked. Cutest little scissor ever.

- Needles – all HiyaHiya’s, ChiaoGoo’s, and Addi’s re-stocked. (Della Q makes one of our favorite needle organizer bags, just in case you also need one of those. And I love the Circular Cases from Namaste for needle organization, too.)

Have fun shopping and we’ll get your orders all packed up and shipped off to you quickly. We know you’d like them yesterday!

Sheri weknowthisbecausethat’showweare,too

1.  The mama owl has three babies, not two. No doubt she’s still exhausted from caring for them. She did, however, pick an excellent tree to match their feathers. Great camouflage. I think they all flew the nest over the weekend, though. We’ll have to wait until next Spring again for more photos.

2.  The elk are in abundance nearby. And you don’t want to get too close to them.

3.  Mocha’s owners shaved him a month ago. Good news: at least he has owners. Bad news: they shaved him when it was still freezing cold out. (No, no skin conditions or anything. I asked. Just some mats that I think could have waited until the weather warmed up. Poor beautiful guy.)

4.  Jason, one of our regular Knit Nighters, is making knitted food for his daughter. He did pancakes with dripping syrup. Here he’s feeding his knitted ice cream cone to Loopy. Next up? Pepperoni pizza.

5.  Did you know old card catalogs make great containers for stash? Long narrow drawers for skeins, plus a place on the front of the drawer for labels. Cool. As someone who likes to repurpose old things, I thought this worked out great.

Have you repurposed anything fun lately?

Sheri probablyshouldhaveboughtbothcardcatalogs
Isawforsale,insteadofjustone.

…. that this week is W Week.

Of course we’ll have another regular Monday Update next week with more fun things. They’re stacking up in the inventory room and we’re having fun poking through all of the boxes. In the meantime, since it’s W week, I have a wound 950 yd. skein of Wollmeise Lace to give away. I used less than half of the 1700 yd. skein to knit (held double) a Honey Cowl for a friend.  Isn’t that a pretty blue purple color?  I can’t remember the name. There is one knot in the very middle of the skein. I had divided it into two equal balls to knit double, then re-wound the leftover balls into one large cake. This is perfect yardage for another Honey Cowl held double (or two Honey Cowls!), a pair of light socks, a large shawl, a scarf and mitts, or a number of other things.  Just leave a comment below and I’ll draw a name at the end of the week for the winner. I know you’ll make it into something beautiful!

Sheri isitjustme,oristhisdayflyingby??

Remember this blog post I did, where I commented on Elf Sarah’s cute Pogona Shawl?

This was a fairly quick knit and easy to work on. The pattern doesn’t require too much attention, which is good. Makes it a nice thing to work on when you’re watching a movie or listening to a book on tape that takes more concentration. The pattern is also designed to stay on your shoulders (like the Sothia shawl that I just finished), and I find that I like that a lot. See how it is knit to curve around to the front in the photo below?

Now I’m back to work on my Color Affection Shawl that I started about three weeks ago. That’s another case where someone wore one in to the shop and that sealed the deal for me. I picked out yarn that afternoon, although I waited to wind it up and cast on until I had finished another project first. I usually have about 3 or 4 active projects going at any one time. Right now it’s two shawls, a scarf and a sweater, although I’m getting ready to start another pair of Biscotte socks, too. The “3-4″ number doesn’t include the projects that I started more than a few months ago and have temporarily lost interest in, or the single socks waiting for a mate. 3 or 4 sounds much better than what that other number might be. No need to discuss it.

How many projects are in your active pile, where you’ve worked on them in the last 4-6 weeks?

Sheri thinkingPogonawouldmakeacutequickgiftproject,too.

It has been fun discovering new things about Fort Collins as the year progresses.

For awhile, the mama owl sat on the nest to hatch the eggs and then to keep the babies warm. As the two babies grew bigger, she had to perch on a branch beside the nest. There wasn’t room for all of them in there any more. Now they’ve ventured onto the branch beside her and I suspect it won’t be too much longer before the babies learn to fly and are off on their own. Kind of sad. I like seeing them peering out over the branches on my way to and from work. But my friend Sheryl (who has lived here a long time) promises that they’ll be back again next year. That will be fun!

WH took these photos with a long lens. (Click on the photos to make them bigger.) Aren’t those faces wonderful? The babies started out all white, and just in the past week are quickly getting more and more brown feathers, which allows them to blend into trees much more effectively. Another photographer at the site told my hubby that the father owl is usually perched in a nearby tree, keeping an eye on things. And speaking of eyes – it cracks me up that they always look like they’re frowning. Or very very serious. And yikes – those talons. I would not want to get in the way of those.

Did you know that female Great Horned Owls are typically 22 inches tall with a 49 inch wingspan? That’s a big bird. They eat rodents, rabbits, and … housecats. It makes me glad that this beautiful mama and her babies are quite a distance from our house. No doubt she has to do a lot of night hunting to feed that hungry gang. We keep our cats inside, but you know I have those visiting cats that I worry about enjoy, too.

Sheri whostillthinksowlsarecool.Aslongastheystayawayfrommycats.

We have more of your favorites up on the website tonight! We’ve just added in:

- Madelinetosh Sport - now available in more than 80 colors. This is a great weight yarn in beautiful colors. I made the “And So Are You” shawl out of Madtosh sport, and bought myself 3 other colors in double skeins for future projects. Double skeins because I’ve been on such a shawl kick. But this yarn would also make wonderful socks and sweaters, too. (Shown here in Dried Rose.)

- Malabrigo Finito - a once-a-year base in 100% Pure Superfine Merino. This is the finest luxury wool available commercially in Uruguay and comes to market just once a year. We’re already hoping that Malabrigo will have it back again next year. It is a luscious fingering weight, in 50 g. (200 yard) skeins. (Shown here in Aguas.)

- Shibui - re-stocks in Staccato, Baby Alpaca DK, patterns and books. I’m currently working on the Cabled Rib Wrap pattern, which uses a strand of the Baby Alpaca held with a strand of the Silk Cloud. It is beyond wonderful to work on.

- Universal Cotton Supreme – in new colors! Look for Lemon, Terra Cotta, Holiday Red, Salmon, Seafoam, Lime, Holiday Green, and Dutch Blue. I made a sweater out of this wonderful yarn and I can confirm that it is indeed completely machine washable and dryable. If, for example, your sweater turned out too big and you wanted to shrink it? Not going to happen. I know that’s good news for most of you wanting to use this yarn. For me? Not so much. I really needed that sweater to shrink. (Shown here in Dutch Blue.)

- Woolen Mill Street – Corriedale Roving in all kinds of tempting colorways. Time to spin! (Shown here in Grapes.)

Need a few pattern suggestions for these yarn choices? Try the CopyKat Shawl or the Spring Garden Tee with the Madtosh Sport. Finito would be lovely in the Lizzie Bennet Shawlette or Rockywold Fingerless Mitts. And how about the Miette Cardigan or a Zoe Cardi, (which I need to re-knit in the correct size) in the Universal Cotton Supreme? Also fun – a window full of Happy Flower Decorations with a Spring Robin on the side. What do you think?

Sheri theairconditioningwentonthisafternoon.
Mustbewarmoutside!