You all have made it a very very (very very) busy month for us here at The Loopy Ewe. And we SO appreciate it! We’ve had fun packing up your orders. You might notice that we’ve sent out some of the sale orders sans tissue paper. It was either that, or take an extra 2 days to get all of the orders out. We figured you’d just as soon have the yarn quicker. Once these anniversary sales are over, we’ll get back to orders as usual around here. Although if you want to keep up this pace, I can always hire more Elves. We’re up for it!
Wow – 1800+ comments on last week’s contest blog. How fun is that? It was interesting to see where you heard about us. Yes, we DO love and appreciate Wendy an awful lot. And Lime & Violet. And the Yarn Harlot. And … well every single one of you who have ever passed our website on to your friends and knitting groups via podcasts, blogs, emails, Ravelry posts, and word of mouth. Our goal is to always live up to the positive things that you have said about us, and we promise to take good care of your friends, here, too. 🙂 We are sending out 8 prize packages, from randomly selected comments off of last week’s blog. The winner’s are: Janice in VA, Laura in UT, Maria in MN, Natasha in VA, Meredith in MI, Ann in OH, Melissa in UT, and Rachel in VA. (I think that Virginia and Utah were well represented this time.) I’ve sent emails to the 8 of you, so check your email in-box if you think it might be you. We’ll pick the last round of winners from this post, and we’ll announce them next week.
Today’s Anniversary Sale (our last one) includes 20% off all Fiesta Yarns, 20% off all Monica Knits Patterns, and 20% off all Loopy Ewe Accessories. (In stock items only.) We hope you have fun picking out some new things. We’ll be including a free sock pattern if you purchase 2 skeins of Baby Boom (the sock is shown here), and a free scarf pattern if you purchase a skein of Ballet. All free patterns are while supplies last.
In addition to the Sale, we’ve also added in a whole bunch of stuff for the regular weekly update. Just in, you’ll find:
Polar Knits Worsted Weight
Dream in Color Classy re-stocked (including our exclusive Don’t Be Blue colorway)
Dream in Color Smooshy re-stocked
Dream in Color Smooshy Sock Summit Exclusives
Lorna’s Laces Whidbey Island (exclusive Sock Summit Colorway)
Ella Rae Lace Merino
String Theory Caper Sock
Hand Maiden Casbah (so many great colors in stock)
Tempted Luxe Girl (new cashmere line)
Opal Rainforest Five
Addi Lace Turbo 16″ circulars
Addi Click Tips and Connectors
Fiesta Baby Boom in new colors
So hop over to shop! But before you go, answer this question in the comments for your chance to win a prize package in our last anniversary contest. (Of course we’ll be back with our September Blog Contest before you know it.) Question: Who has had the biggest influence on your knitting? It might be a pattern designer, or a blogger, or a friend, or a group on Ravelry, or a podcaster or … even yourself. Maybe you’re good at poking around and inspiring yourself to learn new things and branch out. Food for thought. And then for a blog comment. 🙂
We’re taking pre-orders on the new Namaste bag colors, which we expect in within the next week or two. If you’d like a RED Hermosa, or a BLACK Zuma, or a BLACK Laguna, simply send us an email (support AT theloopyewe DOT com) and we’ll reserve one for you. The Hermosa’s are $75 and the Zuma’s and Laguna’s are $69.
We’re heading up to Indiana to take Knitting Daughter back to college this week, so I won’t be blogging again until next Monday. Maybe I can get some of these half-finished socks done enroute so that I’ll have photos to share by then. Or maybe I’ll be too busy shedding tears. You know how that goes. I’m hopeless.
Sheri thinkingthatfallisintheair
eventhoughLaborDayisstill
twoweeksaway
I think Ravelry has had the biggest influence on my knitting in the last couple of years. Before that it was all the knitting magazines. I had subscriptions to several. I don’t belong to a knitting group (don’t have time between work, home, and all my exercise classes at the gym), but if I did, that would probably be a big influence! Thanks for the fun contests!
I have knitted on & off since I was a kid, but became fully obsessed back in 2002 when I taught myself to knit my first sock. I pretty much honed my knitting skills by scouring the web. And then, along came RAVELRY. It has given me inspiration and the daring to try things beyond my current skill levels. Looking at all the projects, patterns, yarns – all the eye candy on Ravelry is what has inspired me the most. Everything Ravelry has to offer – be it groups, individuals, projects, yarns – EVERYTHING. Every day I look through Ravelry and just want to stop what I am doing and knit, knit, knit. I have also been inspired by the knitting podcasts out there. It is just so wonderful to know that there are hundreds of thousands of us out there knitting & looking & listening, being inspired and inspiring others. I love so much being a part of this WORLDWIDE knitting community.
All the beautiful yarn available for my knitting pleasure. I learned to knit taking lessons in a department store as a child when there wasn’t really much variety available. But the last 10 or more years has seen a growing trend in beautiful, unusual yarns that inspire me. Of course, right now, I’m into knitting socks and the choice of colors and patterns are mind boggling.
While my paternal grandmother taught me to knitting, she is no longer my biggest influence. Especially comparing my stash, with hers, as she had a great love for Zellers acrylic yarn. My biggest influence now would have to be the ravelry swap group I belong to – Monthly Adventures. They push me to try new things (lace, beading dyeing, dorset buttons) and we all support each other as we struggle along.
The biggest influence on my knitting has been knitting podcasts and blogs. I don’t have any close friends or family that knit but these online “friends” have kept me inspired. Why would anyone start knitting socks without the influence of the Yarn Harlot, – not to mention the beautiful yarns!!
My grandmother was my inspiration for knitting.
Elizabeth Zimmerman! I love her attitude about figuring it out for yourself!
I read a lot of comments while thinking about this question and I would have to say that although now Ravelry is probably the greatest influence on what I knit — I have gotten so many ideas and so much help from other Ravelers — my father was the biggest influence because it was he who taught me how to knit. He did not knit but at thirteen, I was eager to learn so he bought me a book and taught both of us at the same time. Since he passed away only a year later, it was a tremendous gift to me because I have been knitting like crazy ever since and we are talking decades and decades, and my daughter now has been a knitter for almost twenty years, she started at age 4 !
I love this question….
I think the Yarn Harlot had a huge influence on me when I started knitting. Her blog posts about socks got me started on them. Now, Ravelry is of course huge.
I have no idea who influned my hand crafts– but the one person I can remember the most is a German Aunt that first taught me shuttle tatting when I was six years old; and I have been self taught in most fiber arts ever since. Just enjoy new designs that keep me on my toes and brain cell #3 firing off.
The fact that sock knitting is so much more mobile than lace knitting shawls and one can lace patterns into leg sections- makes them the ideal testing ground for just about any lace design.
Please keep up the wonderful site and having supplies in stock and so ready to ship- have enjoyed your speedy processing and shipping; makes one get spoiled rotten!
Elizabeth
My friend Barb inspired and encouraged me to knit (and still does). She is never intimidated by a pattern – she just goes for it and if she makes a mistake, she learns from it. I’m still apprehensive on a lot of patterns, especially with socks and lace, but she reminds me that knitting is supposed to be fun!!
I would have to say that the Yarn Harlot and Wendy’ Knits blogs really inspired me when I first started knitting. Stephanie showed me that its not scary to try something new and seeing Wendy’s socks on her blog really made me think that it can’t be that hard. So I knit some socks and then a sweater, and then some baby things. It wasn’t hard, but it was fun.
I think my biggest knitting influence is found on the internet at various sites. If I find a pattern that looks interesting I will try it. There are some that don’t work out but I like trying new techniques.
My biggest influence is myself. I taught myself to crochet from a book… and then I taught myself to knit from a book. I’ve never had that fear of “I can’t do that, it’s too hard” I’ve always just tackled it. The main problem I have is just settling on the project I want to do next…. because there are too many good ones to choose from.
I would have to say that the biggest influence on my knitting has been Ravelry and all of the wonderful people on there. I have made many new knitting friends there as well as my LYS. My mother doesn’t knit (though I tried to teach her, just didn’t stick) and I re-taught myself a couple of years ago since I had originally learned when I was 8 years old. Never looked back since. All of the wonderful new yarns and patterns out there have made me want to branch out and try new things on my own and it’s been so great learning new things to make my knitting better. Now I have more yarn than I know what to do with and more patterns in my Ravelry queue than I’ll be able to knit in a lifetime and I love every minute of it! Thanks Sheri and all of the Elves for making my journey even more colorful. 🙂
People. Just people generally. Whenever I see a knitted project, it tends to inspire me. I love ravelry, knitting blogs and knitting groups.
Hands down, the biggest influence to my knitting has been my knitting group. Without them, I would probably still be back knitting scarves with acrylic (not to say there’s anything wrong with that, but branching out has been much more fun!).
I have to say that my spinning instructor, Margaret Tyler, has had the biggest influence on my knitting, because when I became more proficient at spinning, she encouraged me to actually MAKE something with the yarn I spun, and I’ve been doing that for about six years now. I even won an award at the county fair with a shawl I knitted from handspun alpaca.
My knitting group has had the greatest influence on my knitting. We meet once a week and share our projects and new yarn with each other and any new info we’ve found online. We go on yarn crawls together and often participate in KALs (Knit Alongs). We’re a close group and knitting wouldn’t be nearly as much fun without them!
There are two big influences on my knitting. The first is my friend Chris. It was she who encouraged me to start knitting again after a loooooong absence. It was she who taught me to read patterns and do shaping and all that stuff I thought was too hard. She continues to support me by always wanting to see my projects and making lovely commments about them. The other is Cookie A. I was knitting a pair of Monkey socks and she had written something about just making the heel flap longer if you wanted and picking up more stitches in the gusset. Before that moment it had honestly never occured to me that I could alter a pattern like that! What a wave of confidence!! I am the boss of my knitting now!
My knitting friends, and a recently closed LYS (the owner retired).
I don’t think I would have kept going so long and so hard without them.
I think my biggest knitting influence is my desire to try something new and to be continually amazed what two sticks and a piece of yarn can do. I learned to knit in grad school to find a way to calm my mind and it has grown to be so much more. I approach any new technique as a challenge which has opened my needles to so many more things I didn’t think I would ever knit. Its always great to have a group of friends who encourage you to expand your experiences but I can’t seem to be able to point to one person or group that has influenced me the most.
I think I am going to have to say that I have not had a single biggest influence on my knitting, except either myself and my own curiosity, or the giant hive mind that is the internet – long before Ravelry, I was on knitting newsgroups and LJ groups and often what I found there was what led me further into the knitting rabbit hole.
I have to say my Monday Night Knitters group has been the most influential to my knitting. There are so many wonderful ladies, each at different stages of knitting and life (including my oldest daughter!), that encourage, teach, and humor me along my knitting journey. Thank you MNK!!!!
I have always wanted to learn how to knit and I self-taught myself years ago, but it wasn’t until I took a class at my LYS with Elise, the owner of Only Ewe and Cotton too, that it all clicked…and thus started my obsession for knitting, yarn, and more yarn. There are so many resources and blogs and wonderful people online as well ,so aside from Elise being my biggest influence, the online knitting community has played a big role in that as well ((and the Loopy Ewe is the biggest influence on the fact that my yarn stash is getting out of control 😉 ))
My father who taught me to knit years ago and my partner who inspired me to pick up knitting again after a 30 year hiatus.
Initially I’d say it was my mom getting me into it and instilling the passion I have. Beyond that, I would say its all my “friends” on ravelry. I take inspiration daily from watching my friend activity. Its amazing how I can flip thru an IK magazine and not like anything, and 6 months later I see a pattern favorited, or knit up, in my friend activity and suddenly I’m in love.
I’d say the biggest influence on my knitting has been Ravelry itself – not one group or anything, but the site’s amazing pattern search and such. It’s opened me up to a lot of things I never would have knitted otherwise!
I was a so-so basic knitter until I joined the local guild…I have learned so much since then…either from the guild, or by an increased personal interest sparked by the guild!
I took up knitting again after a long absence, and was fortunate to discover Sandi Wiseheart’s Knitting Daily blog. She talked about being a “fearless knitter” and that led me to tackle new things I never thought I could knit – including lace shawls. I’d have to say that Sandi has been my biggest influence. Thank you Sandi!
I saw a sweater in a knitting shop in Sweden which lured me back into knitting and since I must say it has been from a variety of sources – courses I’ve taken, books I’ve purchased and of course the internet and all the wonderful blogs and certainly last but not least is Ravelry.
Overactive tear ducts is something my family also suffers from at very high and hopefully very few, low points but as fast as time has been flying lately she’ll be back home very soon. Travel safely.
I draw a lot of inspiration from my friends that I have met through blogging: Kristi, Amby, Dana, Kara, Cynthia, Jessalu, etc. They are my sounding boards and very important to me. When it comes to designers, I would say that Miriam (MimKnits) and Anne (KnitSpot) are who I draw the most inspiration from. If we’re talking yarn suppliers that is, inevitably, the Loopy Ewe. I always come here first. 🙂
I would say I have been the biggest influence on myself. I am self taught and then didn’t know much about difficult (despite being a crocheter before knitting). I’ve pushed myself to try new things. I realize not everything turns out perfect and that you have to frog sometimes.
Other than myself I would say my older sister. She learned a few months before I did and she showed me a little about it. But we are different she’s a thrower and I’m a picker. No matter she has inspired me to try different things that I would not have though of. We also have a friendly competition.
Oh boy. That’s a good one 🙂
The Yarn Harlot, for sure; I read her books before I really started taking up the needles, so there was a huge amount of influence there (and it sort of ensured that I started off with a no-stress attitude!) My grandmother, although I never knew her when she was knitting much, so I really don’t know what she liked to make. My Ravelry communities, with so many amazing patterns!
And everyone that I knit *for*. Thinking about what they would want definitely encourages me to stretch my boundaries!
Who has had the biggest influence on my knitting? Elizabeth Zimmermann, definitely. I was very lucky that the first knitting book I owned was “Knitting Without Tears”!
Most recently Ravelry, and the entire community of fiber artists that participate there.
I would definitely have to say that, as a loom knitter, Isela Phelps has been the largest contributor and source of inspiration over the last few years that I’ve known her…both with her books and bloggie (purlingsprite.com).
Thanks for the great contests!
The mother of a friend of mine…she taught me to knit when I was in elementary school. It was during her son and my brother’s Mighty Might football practice. Since then my friend Vanessa has kept me going! It was because of her that I went to Sock Summit and bought my Atenti bag from Loopy Ewe!!!
My sister inspired me to knit when I saw her making adorable things for my nephew to be. Then my friend Julie introduced me to sock knitting (the first one took 6 months!). After that it was sites like knitty.com, Knitter’s Review, and more recently, Ravelry that kept/keep me going. And certainly TLE has played no small role in feeding my habit! Thank you!
I think I have to say Lime n Violet. They certainly had the biggest influence on stash enhancement, but there’s was one of the first podcasts I found and certainly one that makes me LOL on street corners, on the bus, on the train.
Ravelry has been a big influence on my knitting. I taught myself how to knit from books and the internet about 9 months ago, and boy am I hooked!
I love just looking at yarn and all of the amazing poatterns out there, they for sure influence me.
I think my biggest knitting influence has to be Ravelry!
My mom is definitely my inspiration. She taught me to knit by taking me to a knitting group, where I was inducted by trial by fire (or needles, so to speak). Since then, she’s talked me through a heel-turn on a miniature sock over the phone three-days before Christmas, helped me learn cabling, and is now attempting to teach herself Portguese-style knitting on her own. There’s nothing this lady can’t do, and it keeps me motivated to continue to challenge myself in my knitting as well.
Remarkably, the largest influence on my knitting recently has been the internet. When I first started to knit (back in the 80s) I was an island. I didn’t know from nobody who was a regular knitter, I was a lone wolf, ‘er sheep — after the woman who got me started changed jobs and moved away. Then in 1991, I ran across an internet beading group, then a knitting group (all text), then Mosiac on a Mac…..and well…. then, finally, most recently Knitty (knitty.com). And EVERYTHING changed…for the better!
The person who has most influenced my knitting is my dear teacher, Jan. When I started knitting, she was so kind and encouraging. She never criticized me for my mistakes. Instead, she would tell me my mistakes were excellent because it’s just as important to learn how to fix mistakes as it is to learn to master knitting techniques.
In this way, she helped me be fearless in trying new techniques.
Even more, her kindness and generosity has created several lovely groups of people who meet for social knitting. Through our teacher, we’ve developed friendships that have sustained us through difficult life circumstances–loss of jobs, family, beloved pets–and our friendships have grown far beyond the confines of our knitting groups.
My knitting teacher has not only influenced my knitting–she has also influenced my life.
I truly do not have one influence….. I really like Jenny Watson for sweater designs but I am eclectic when it comes to socks. I can say that I really haven’t found a designer that I truly like over all others. But haven’t been knitting socks for very long I am sure that it will change. But I have to say that your company and one other and Raverly is a constant inspiration and motivator in wanting to start and finish ( finishing is always the hardest ) projects.
I don’t think it’s any one person that influences what I knit so much as seeing and hearing about the vast array of knitting that is going on now. Between magazines, blogs, podcasts and Ravelry, there’s always something that seems to send my interest in a different direction and shows me new possibilities. I just need to find a way to get more time to knit!
I have had several influences, but not particular people. Mostly I see a pattern that I want to try or there is something that someone mentions they like and I decide that’s the next thing that I’ll try. There are specific techniques or projects that I’ve been influenced to try after seeing someone else’s results.
Ravelry has definitely become my main source of inspiration – so many beautiful projects, all in one place!
When I learned (summer ’03), I became immediately obsessed and wanted to learn all there was to learn. Somehow, I found knitty.com and I went to the first issue and read every bit all the way up to their latest issue.
I also went to the local knitting teacher (who was a good friend of mine!). I’d schedule an hour with her and I’d show up and say, “OK, I want to learn this, this and this – go!” and we’d spend an hour laughing and I’d learn a bunch of stuff.
I don’t know that I have an influence, I’m kind of all over the place. I like to design and I like to noodle around on Rav.
My biggest knitting influences have been my daughter (so many cute things to make her), the nice and super helpful ladies at my LYS and the internet. Without the internet, I wouldn’t have access to all the great patterns and blogs with photos. They’ve inspired me to try new things. Yay!
Jen in Sac