10-Word Blog Quest: Entry #9.

Fino = lace knitter nirvana:


BlueSky = bulky nirvana.


Flurries = Nirvana nirvana:


- Shelley
shop online at loopsknitting.com

10-Word Blog Quest: Entry #8.

Employee party lessons:

1. One-margarita-limit when knitting.
2. Knitters can get loud.



- Shelley
shop online at loopsknitting.com

10-Word Blog Quest: Entry #7.

Mmmmmmmmmalabrigo. New colors in Worsted and Sock. Click to shop.




- Shelley
shop online at loopsknitting.com

10-Word Blog Quest: Entry #6.

Phara's Blooming Cotton Scarf in SilkyWool.



P.S. Seen our Ravelry contest?

- Shelley
shop online at loopsknitting.com

10-Word Blog Quest: Entry #5.

First day of school: Taller than the teacher! (sob!)


- Shelley
shop online at loopsknitting.com

10-Word Blog Quest: Entry #4.

Our #1 seller, in new Tweeds/Hand-dyes.




Free patterns here!

- Shelley
shop online at loopsknitting.com

10-Word Blog Quest: Entry #3.

Apparently it's illegal to let kids climb into this tub.


- Shelley
shop online at loopsknitting.com

The 10-Word Blog Quest: Entry #2.

Tower of Comfort:

Pure Merino madness:


Browse the free patterns.

- Shelley
shop online at loopsknitting.com

My "10 word blog" quest.

So here's the deal. The fall yarns and books and accessories are coming in so fast and furious, my blogs just can't keep up! I decided to give myself this personal challenge: Write 10 blog entries in 10 words or less. I get to use all the pictures I like - that's what you really love anyway, right? It'll be kinda like writing haikus about yarn. Only probably not that poetic.

So here's my first 10 Word Blog entry (the intro paragraph above doesn't count).

Superfast knitter Kristin's Obi2, Amy's shrug:

Amy's mat!

Bambino Cute-T!


- Shelley
shop online at loopsknitting.com (sign-off doesn't count!)

The back to school yarn.

Does anyone remember the Staples commercial with the music track "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year"? It got your attention because it aired not at Christmas but at back-to-school time. Ecstatic parents skipped down the aisles buying school supplies in anticipation of back to school, while their sullen youngsters looked on.

It's sorta like that in my house right now.

Then this wonderful yarn arrived and made me look forward to the fall even more. It's Cascade 128 Tweed, a chunky-weight tweed that's surprisingly soft and incredibly versatile.

I went looking for some great project ideas for this yarn, and it didn't take me long. First, a great, easy, free Ribbed Beanie pattern from Wooly Wormhead:

A really cute first felting project, Angela's Fabulous Felted Bag (also free). Yes, this yarn is the chunky cousin to Cascade 220, so it felts wonderfully:

The Shalom cardigan (free):

The ever-popular Juliet (this is a link to the pattern which you pay to download; Loops also has the printed pattern for sale):

This Owls sweater is a free ravelry download and oh my, too cute! Would be great if you have a Chi Omega to knit for:

This great cardi is from Stefanie Japel's book, Fitted Knits (gotta buy the book for this one - but it's worth it!):

And last but not least, the quintessential back-to-school project - the Brown Bag! The wool is naturally insulating, eco-friendly and sure to wow 'em in the lunchroom:


We got a small batch of the 128 Tweed to start, and now that I've found all these patterns, I think I will be re-ordering soon...meanwhile, shop early and shop often!

- Shelley
shop online at loopsknitting.com

Spud & Chloe "Sweater" has officially earned its stripes. And its fair isle.

I knew I would love this stuff from the day it was first announced. It's natural, it's from the people at Blue Sky Alpacas, the colors rock. Done and done.

But, as they say, the proof is in the pudding - or the finished object, whichever comes first.

I just finished the Camp Hoodie in "Sweater."


This yarn was a complete pleasure to work with - half cotton, half wool, the perfect storm. Stitch definition TDF. I didn't even mind the finishing too much - and with all of that embroidery, facing, i-cord...honey let me tell you, there was a lot of finishing. On the plus side, there is plenty of contrast-color yarn leftover to make the Flap Happy Hat.

Just as I was preparing to put my Hoodie in the washer (thanks Gina for lending me the woolwash!), I got this email from Annie S. #1 (we just hired Annie S. #2). #1 sent along this photo of her sweater in progress:

Dang! Is this not the cutest cardi??? Here is what Annie had to say about it:
"I am using the Easy Top-Down Raglan Cardigan from Laura Chau. Free pattern. I am making stripes out of [Spud & Chloe "Sweater"] in Cream, Popsicle, Grass, Pollen and Moonlight. I plan to stripe the yoke and once I hit the top of my bustline, I will switch to solid Moonlight.

"I found my inspiration in the Boden clothing catalog that arrived last week. I love how the designers there use the same classic shapes season after season but spice things up with color and details. I really get into their palette. They were showing lots of striped cardigans for this fall/winter.

"So, I decided to knit my own with my own twist--like most women, I loathe to have stripes streaking across my mid-section and hips so I decided to just stripe the yoke and sleeve bottoms. I had come across the pattern some time ago and everything came together like magic for this sweater!"

So there you go. Two very picky knitters. Two very awesome projects. Stripes officially earned.

- Shelley
shop online at loopsknitting.com

If Uncle Sam could knit...

...he would surely extend this weekend's Tax Free Holiday to yarn, needles, bags and all things fiber-y.

He doesn't. But we're going to. Think of it as our little Tax Protest Present to You.

This Friday through Sunday, August 7-9, we will "pay your tax" on everything at Loops (and loopsknitting.com, where tax is never charged anyway unless you live in Oklahoma). The only exclusion is clearance items.

On top of that, we're having a Sample Sale with some beautiful hand-knit items that need to move along so we can make space for fall yarns. And on top of that, we are offering a two-fer deal on our oh-so-popular t-shirts. When you buy any of our "I knit so I won't stab you" or "Get more fiber" T's...


...you will get one of our "Contraband t-shirts" for free. This is the original irreverent Loops T that was beloved by many, but distasteful to a few...to the point that we had to take them off the site and off the shelves. So, they've gotta go - and they are really nice T's originally priced at $29.99 so get 'em while you can! They may one day be an Offensive Fiber Collector's Item. When ordering online, specify your size and color preference for your free Contraband T (turquoise or black). We will try our best to accommodate but can't guarantee size or color.

If the Contraband T offends you, you can always wear it inside out - or donate it and take the tax write-off ;-)

Either way, enjoy the tax-free vacation this weekend and stock up for fall knitting!

- Shelley
shop online at loopsknitting.com

Sweet and Happy.

Sweeeeet! Gina's pattern for the "385" cropped cardi in Be Sweet Bambino made the home page of the Be Sweet website (see the green sweater in the corner?). They decapitated her photo, but as her hubby said when he saw the site, "Look, it's my wife's breasts!" And they are quite photogenic. Congrats, Gina!

In other happy news, we received a giant shipment of Plymouth Happy Feet.

We now have 16 colors of this awesome yarn in stock. It is 90% superwash merino, 10% nylon, 192 yards and 100% delicious. It has the look of Koigu at an really good price, making it ideal for larger projects like baby blankets or jackets - and of course, socks. To shop our full Happy Feet collection, click here.

- Shelley
shop online at loopsknitting.com