Hot Loops meets hot flash.

If I weren't just a wee bit too young, I would swear that the entire last week was one long hot flash for me.

Where the h@## is Brunie's fan when you need it???

The week leading up to the unveiling of a new Hot Loops wall is always a wild ride. I'm on the phone to vendors, begging for samples that haven't arrived, realizing we never got a whole order of yarn that was to be featured on the wall, formatting last-minute original patterns, and most of all, schlepping boxes like mad. I think I've gone through an entire stick of Secret invisible dry this week alone. Not to mention a tube of Abreva for the cute little fever blister that popped up mid-week. How special.

But when all is said and done (Gina, are you singing the song from "Mamma Mia"?), we have another beautiful Hot Loops wall, and really what has got to be the funnest dang yarn party anywhere in the U.S. of A.

Here's the crowd starting to form in the parking lot:

Everyone signed in as they arrived for a chance to win giveaways, including a Prism yarn grab bag valued at $200, a Berroco model in the new Inca Gold, a grab bag of sock yarn "orphans," and an Offhand Bag! Here's Becky, arriving and scoping out what's new:

Here's Amy, modeling the Offhand Bag she won at the end of the evening (and the bag happened to perfectly match her outfit!):

Here's Kathy, who loves the "pulse" of Hot Loops (and Loops in general), and always makes me feel so good about what we're doing here in our little corner of the yarn world:

Here's Ruth, who so generously offered to share her bag made from Debbie Bliss Como, the new chunky yarn for fall. Ruth finished her bag in record time and even modeled for the wall (see her photo behind her)?

Here are several guests, resting between pomegranate margaritas and madcap shopping:

Huge thanks to:
- All the Loops Troops who helped prepare the wall, and especially Gina, Barbara and Ellen for working during the party (Ellen having had an unpleasant test just 2 days prior, you know, the one that ends in "oscopy" promoted by Katie Couric).
- Cherry and Darry, the fabulous rhyming reps, who rush-shipped me models at the last minute
- Louisa Harding herself, who emailed patterns to me on Friday from the U.K. when it became apparent our pattern books would not arrive on time. How can such an amazing designer possibly be so helpful and unassuming? We heart Louisa!
- Loretta, for getting all the yarns up on loopsknitting.com with unending dedication
- Gina H. for designing and making the "It's an Emergency!" mittens at the last minute, and Gina Y. for offering to make the sleeves on the Sweet Pea sweater
- Billie Anne for, well, pretty much everything
- Brent, for yet another wall of beautiful photography, shot in our master bedroom on a Home Depot footstool, amidst barking dogs and a thousand other ad biz deadlines
- Our tremendous customers who always make it all worth it!

- Shelley