A wild college party.

Last weekend, we bade farewell to our beloved Emily & Marisa. Both girls are heading off to begin their sure-to-be-illustrious college careers. We sent them off in true Loops style - with a party of course! Ellen was the hostess with the mostest (yes Ellen, we all know you have the mostest!):

And everyone was having fun doing their best Esther Williams imitations:

Afterwards, their was knitting by the light of tiki torches, and a few tears. Marisa is headed to Florida Gulf Coast University to study in the hospitality field. Her mom, Gina Marie, is driving her down to Florida as I write this, and will take three weeks off in Florida for a very long goodbye! Then she and Gary are off to Italy for three more weeks of Empty Nester celebration, as Marisa is their last baby bird to leave the nest. We will all miss Marisa's inimitable sense of style, girly taste, sweet sense of humor and love of a good party. Here is one of my fave pics of Marisa, modeling a French Girl pattern in Rowan Ribbon Twist:

Marisa started as a "Stock Girl" at Loops but eventually began working on the floor. Customers loved her style and eventually, she even learned to knit - and enjoy it! Although she had to be careful it didn't cut into her dating time :)

Emily, on the other hand, has been a true yarn addict since the moment she picked up the needles just a year or so ago. She has already made a Koigu sweater and many other challenging garments. Right now she's doing the Mystery Stole out of our Lobster Pot cashmere lace. It looks like a Master Knitter's project! Here is Emily wearing a hat from the Twinkle book, in Soft Chunky. Her mom Gina Y. knit it for her in less than an hour:

Emily is going to TU so she won't be gone for good! She is so talented in both piano and violin, and received a prestigious music scholarship with a stipend (it's every parent's dream - everything is covered!). The only downside is she is not allowed to work while in school. So she is going to try to get a TU knitting group started. If you're interested, post a comment or e-mail me and I'll pass along your info to her. Here is another of my favorite Emily pictures. Like their mothers, the two Ginas, Emily & Marisa have been great friends for years, and they share the same love of all things pink:

Also headed to college is Ellen's only child, Ariel, who was accepted to an impressive drama school in NYC (see Esther Williams pic, far right). Ellen is going to have a blast visiting her at "Ariel's" apartment and scoping out NYC yarn stores. And Barbara's eldest, Eric is headed to George Washington University. Oh, the talent pool of the Loops Troops and their offspring! There may be a lot of empty-nest-itis around the store the next few months. Good news is...knitting cures the blues, girls! So CAST ON!
- Shelley
shop online at loopsknitting.com