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 would have to say the Internet has the biggest influence on my knitting – between Ravelry and the blogesphere – I am inspired daily to reach beyond my comfort level.
My kids influenced my knitting alot, I wanted them to have something they could keep that I made just for them. Then there’s Ravelry, always finding new stuff on there that I want.
The biggest influence on my knitting has been myself and Lynn at my lys, Wendy J. and her blog, and other sources too numerous to mention. I’m an addicted sock knitter and hope to have all of my loved ones have at least one pair of socks from me before I leave this mortal coil.
When I was a new-ish knitter (i.e. I hadn’t been knitting that long but had churned out my first sweater, socks, and a few other items and was pretty proficient, but not very adventurous yet) I got a job at a knitting store (Skeins on Main, Rochester, MI)! They were looking for a young college student demographic and I desperately needed a summer job. It was a great fit right from the start and I was fortunate to be surrounded by fabulous teachers and designers. In addition, in helping so many customers with their knitting problems, picking yarn, finding patterns, making modifications, I learned a TON! It was like 10 years of knitting experience rolled into a few summers. I started to see how different yarn choices changed patterns and how to rewrite/modify patterns for different guages. It was awesome. It really taught me how to think outside the box and to have real freedom in my knitting!
Just me and the internet!
My mom taught me to knit when I was 8yrs old, so she would be my primary influence…or, catalyst would be a better word. She says that I have taken it far beyond her abilities, but that’s only her way of encouraging me to keep it up…or her way of fishing for a Christmas gift. 🙂 After her, I would have to say that the little girls who are fascinated by my knitting and beg me to teach them fills my cup to overflowing and influences and inspires me to continue and try new things. I just so want to pass on my passion to them! I’ll try socks soon. It’s not like I don’t have enough sock yarn to float a sinking ship, after all! 😀
Initially, the LYS. Now, blogs, ravelry, on-line shops, and designers like Cat Bordhi, Jared Flood, Nancy Bush, and Wendy Johnson.
My biggest influence is my LYS owner. She encourged me to knit for her about 25 years ago, and I’ve never looked back.
I have 3 very dear friends (and one of these doubles as my sister!) who are extremely inspiring…. and one of them can often be heard encouraging me to “push the button!!!” when shopping for yarn!
Elizabeth Zimmermann who made me believe I was creative. I read her books (I never had the privilege of meeting her) and realized I could change things to get what I wanted. I didn’t HAVE to knit something exactly the way the pattern was written. Now when someone asks about something I knit, I usually say, “I used _____ pattern, but I changed ____ and ____.” It’s a wonderful feeling to be in control. Now if I could just say the same thing about my yarn stash.
My knitting niece Deb was coming for a visit from CA. She informed me of her schedule
and said not to worry about Friday because she would be going to the local bookstore to hear the Yarn Harlot speak. Deb said I might find her funny even though I don’t knit.
So I went along for the ride and the fun. The Yarn Harlot to me, a non-knitter, was still
pee in your pants funny. The next day, Deb whipped up a knitting starter kit and sat at the kitchen table teaching me to knit. I haven’t stopped knitting since. Deb is always available by email to deal with my knitting issues. She sends sock yarn from the sock summit and encourages me to try new techniques and patterns. It’s been just two years but it’s changed my way of life. Deb, with a little assistance from the Yarn Harlot,
was/is the biggest influence on my knitting.
“Who has had the biggest influence on your knitting?”
A young man named Preston.
Preston’s mother had a very difficult first pregnancy and lost Preston’s older brother at 19 weeks. For her pregnancy with Preston, also very difficult, she lived with our family to be close to better doctors. I was 15 and had learned to knit 7 years earlier, but pushed it aside.
One day, D (his mom) got a package from her great aunt with lots of partials of very old yarn. She picked out “baby” colors and decided to make this baby, who WAS coming home, a blanket. She gave the rest to me. I didn’t know how to do anything fancy, just garter stitch. I didn’t even know how to cast off. But I started to make a scarf with whatever remnants she had.
14 years later, during my very own second VERY difficult pregnancy (my first, I’d lost my twin daughters at 19 weeks~which brought D and I even closer together), I started up knitting again, as I was on bedrest.
That first scarf is now 39.5 feet long and I don’t have the heart to ever finish it. Preston is an absolutely amazing 17 year old who shares a very special bond with my daughter. (D’s Goddaughter.)
Every time I start a new project, I think of Preston.
My mother! She first suggested we take a fair isle sock class. I had no idea what fair isle was, and I barely knew how to knit & purl. She still finds classes for us to attend whenever I visit home & always brings me yarn whenever she comes to visit me!
My Grandmother, who crocheted and sewed, taught me that making things for people was an act of love. My Mother, who was not a needlewoman, taught me how to cast on, how to knit and how to purl and how to knit Christmas stockings. She also taught me that the people who love you will love the things you make for them.
So far, Cookie A has probably had the biggest influence.
Roxanna Bartlett, an instructer at Shuttles, Spindles and Skeins in Boulder, CO had the biggest infuence on my knitting. She is a wise and patient instructor. She taught me how to knit in the round which let me to my sock obsession. 🙂
I think cruising blogs are my greatest influence. I see something I like that someone has made, and I try to make it myself. My aunt taught me to knit over 50 years ago, and I tried it off and on. But one weekend that we were snow and ice bound in upper half of the lower half in the state of Michigan, (up north to we who live here!!) there was a yarn shop two blocks away from our hotel when we were in Ludington. The owner was very kind to show me again how to cast on, knit and bind off. I bought yarn, needles, markers (didn’t need them at all, but I thought they were cute) needle caps and I have been knitting ever since. I would like to go back up there again and thank her for showing me again this great craft.
I think Ravelry, Twist Collective, Vogue Knitting, and Interweave Knits are most influencial to me. My friends inspire me too, mostly with socks. However if I am doing a garment, and I see it in one of those above sources, I will be more likely to make it than if it’s in a book. I don’t know what I’d do without Ravelry.
My Mom is the biggest influence on my knitting – if she hadn’t started – I wouldn’t have started 🙂
I would have to say that the seconds bin at the Briggs and Little mill in New Brunswick was the biggest influence on my knitting for a long time. They had such wonderful colours that inspired me to do knit sorts of wonderful creations. And the yarn was so forgiving that it hid a lot of my newbie mistakes.
My first knitting instructor who also owned a lys and who opened my eyes to all things woolen. Thank you caroline!
The people in my knit group, Spinners with Altitude (yes, they spin, they weave, they knit, they crochet, they dye, they do everything fibery) are a great influence on my knitting. There’s a wealth of experience and assitance in that one group! I have yarnie memories too of my mother crocheting (though she didn’t start doing that until after I was married), of my neighbor in England knitting the most beautiful garments, and of the Girl Scout days of learning new skills. I think though that currently my good friend Anne is the biggest influence. We’ve known each other for almost 15 years, and only by accident did we each discover that the other knits. Anne convinces me that I can take on a new challenge, a more difficult pattern, or the latest “hot” techique. She weighs in on my mistakes, encouraging me to rip and reknit or to ignore because I’m the only one who sees it. I’ve learned so much from her. Some day soon we’re planning to spend an entire weekend knitting and watching old movies and ignoring work.
My mother has been the biggest influence in my knitting, as she was in many other things in my life. I do not remember when I started to knit, it looks like is been for ever. We lived in a very small town with family and friends close by, and every weekday after lunch (in winter) we would gather at my house to knit and chat, and exchange ideas and learnt new things. I have the most beautiful memories of those days as do my cousins and friends that were a part of that. The bond lasts up to this day regardless of where we are in the world. From there on knitting has always been part of my life, through thick and thin, in the good and the bad times. My mom died on June 3rd this year and knitting has been a great help to me when I feel that I can not cope with loosing her. I just hope that Heaven is full of yarn…
The most influential knitter has been Anne Hansen. Her designs and the way she writes her patterns and details her design process have expanded my skills beyond belief. But for pure unadulterated support it has been my three children. No matter what I create, they are enthusiastic cheerleaders and have always gratefully accepted (and begged) for my hand knit creations. I have been told by others how lucky I am to have such appreciative recipients of my knits and now the torch has been passed to my grandson who is starting to beg for his own supply of sweaters and socks. Lucky indeed!!
Its been a combination of people. Jan, at my LYS, and each and every woman in my Ravelry knitting group. Every single one of them has inspired and/or challenged me in some fashion or another.
I think right now the biggest influence on my knitting is the podcasters from Sticks & String and KnitPicks. Since I’m new to podcasts, I’ve taken a couple months to listen to each of these from the beginning and am just catching up to the current ones. In listening to them both, I’ve discovered a host of new things in the knitting world – books, techniques, designers, yarns, etc. They also make me laugh from time to time which is never a bad thing. I’ve been so inspired to try new things and think about things in different ways from listening to these wonderful podcasts.
The greatest influence as a child was my grandmother and then my great-aunt (sisters). They both taught me to sew, crochet, knit and crafting in general. I miss them dearly. Then I learned from books and moved to others interests off and on.
Came back about 6 years ago, so now, it would be EZ and Barbara Walker first, then our current list of designers who are writing books and articles for knit/crochet magazines, and blogging. It’s impossible not to learn something from them if you’re interested (and I am). Don’t go anywhere without my “sticks and string”.
My friend Billie has been my biggest influence. She convinced me I could knit socks and also has me knitting shawls. A VERY good influence. If I am lucky enough to win a prize I will share it with her. Hope Julia enjoys her Sophomore year in college.
I follow along with the SKA group on ravelry. Just as guidance. There are so many great patterns out there and I want to try them all!
No one in my family knit. I taught myself the basics from a book. Elizabeth Zimmerman had the biggest influence on me; basically that if I could think I could knit, and that it’s MY knitting and I’m the boss. A huge enabler for me. Plus I love garter stitch and rib warmers are my favorite garment ever.
My biggest knitting influence has been my friend Joan. We began knitting together a few years ago and have gradually progressed. We formed our own S&B group, and have recently taken on spindle spinning! The rewards have been many from what started out as a few simple scarf projects.
the biggest influence on my knitting has definitely been ravelry and the wollmeise and CPSAG groups. Great people, lots of fun, and encouraging and helpful to a less experienced knitter!
My sister – she has been knitting for years (like this master knitter who wins all the sheep to shawl competitions) and since we live in different states, she would drag me to all the knitting stores around when she came to visit. Also take me to all of hers when I went to her house. She even gave me a set of crochet needles for Christmas one year. Finally it all sank in (the yarn was SO PRETTY and SO SOFT) and I just gave in to all the goodness. I’m so glad I did, and I love her all the more for it!
my mother taught me to knit; I guess she also taught me to dream, keep trying and to explore. Lucy Neatby taught me to strand and steek-that was monumental. EZ is also a huge influence. Also nameless or named-but-unknown-to-me sheep have given me my fiber of choice!!
My mother taught me to knit about 50 years ago… I’ve always had knitting or needlework of some kind going ever since. What inspires me to push my limits is Ravelry and the folks on the TLE and Wollmeise boards. There are some incredibly talented and supportive people out there!
My knitting inspiration is really a three-fold answer. My knitting instructor, Ina Braun, has been a gift – she is a wonderful teacher who pushes me to test the limits of my abilities and learn more about the art. Her favorite expression is “Read your knitting” and over time I have learned. The second inspiration has been a wonderful group of knitting and crafting friends who always have something new that I must have on my needles. Finally the Loopy Ewe who makes fiber magic so darn easy on everything but my pocket book!
Knit on friends!
As so many others – my mother has been a great inspiration. Now when she’s getting old and can’t use her arms any more due to a bloth cloth and a lot of other things – it has turned around. She’s still knitting as much as she can but it’s very little so she “knits through me”. Now I’m the one teaching her and helping her when there are things she can’t remember any more so it’s almost full circle.
Other than that I find great inspiration through the internet – especially Ravelry of course but also by browsing all the gorgeous yarns on Loopy and beautiful rovings .. oh, the colors!! I can spend hours putting stuff on my wishlist lol
I have to say ravelry.com is my biggest knitting inspiration. All the various knitters and their amazing FO’s make me want to knit everything I see. 🙂
Can I have three influences? My grandmother taught me to knit, so without her I wouldn’t be on this blog at all. My mom is my knitting buddy and we love to shop for and talk about knitting. Finally, I have to say that Stephanie Pearl-McPhee got me going on knitting socks with her awesome book “Knitting Rules!” Now I can’t stop.
I would have to say friends that I have met at knitting groups. Not only do they inspire you to knit more and appreciate what you do, but the friendships that have been formed will last a lifetime.
I learned to knit by myself….and then I picked up Knitting Without Tears….had no idea who EZ was but was entranced by the book and her ideas. I, of course, eventually learned all about her and by that time I was totally hooked. So..EZ!
I would have to thank an aquaintance who showed me how to knit continental-style. I met her on a trip, and I can’t even remember her name now, but she must have been patient because it took a while for me to grasp how to do it. I was only an occasional knitter until then, but the style suited me and I’ve loved to knit ever since!
seeing what other people do, magazines, pattern books. they all influence me!
My grandmother was the teacher and influence of my life up until very recently. With four small children, I do adore making neat little things for them, however, it was my husband’s grandfather that has inspired me over the past few years.
He passed away, but up until his going to a much better place, for a few months he had to spend his days in a nursing home with around the clock care. My oldest daughter (now 13) and I would visit him every evening, and even though he didn’t remember us as time went on and his Alzeihmers got worse, we still went. What disturbed us was that there were so many elders that had no one visit them. We began to sit with everyone we could and talk to them, and one evening in the middle of summer, a woman that had been there for roughly a year was having her birthday, and visibly miserable that no one came to see her; she actually became child-like in repeating ‘do I get a gift?’. My daughter frowned and hugged the woman, who began to cry. It was a happy and yet so sad moment.
We immediately talked that night about how to make these people feel as special as our family member did, and by keeping it within our means. One income makes it difficult, as we all face, with the kiddos and bills just piling up. We decided to make small gifts for every senior in that home, for the holidays. Scarves, lap blankets, socks that have a skid-proof sole (that took some googling to find out what to put on the bottom-for reference what seems to work best is dots or squiggle lines of hot glue). We now dress all four children as little elves and make cookies, and head in singing and giving out gifts, which, just lights the world for these seniors, and makes us feel even better inside at the end of the day. I try to purchase yarn from Ebay in lots or yard sales and estate sales, and some people donate from time to time.
We don’t see this as work, and now my daughters both are beginning to learn and help me make the items, which is a year-long project due to the gifts we hand out, but sooooo rewarding at the end of the day. Before he passed on, our Great Papa told us how proud he was of us, and to keep up the good work….that, is our inspiration to put aside the TV and the video games, and to keep moving ahead with making someone’s life, even a strangers, just a little better in letting them know they are loved.
I think the biggest influence on my knitting has been the students and friends I’ve taught to knit and taught techniques to – we get in our habits and routines and whenever we have to slow down and show someone how to do something, we really need to pay attention and find as many different ways to explain it as we can, because sometimes the ‘usual way’ doesn’t break through! It’s certainly enriched my knitting life. Other influences are all the knitters who readily accept different ways to do things. When I first started knitting around other knitters, they all knit English style and I knit Continentally, and they’d look at me funny or make comments about how I wasn’t doing it ‘right’. Once knitting grew and expanded, along with the internet, it became far more robust and accepting of a community, which I love!
i’ve had several influences at different times in my life. my sister taught me to crochet when i was 5. and i knew i was going to be an artist, so by the time i graduated high school (from Art & Design iin NYC) i had a good foundation in many forms of art, and seeing the world around me as inspiration for painting and sculpture and having art of all kinds be a central part of my identity as a human being. then in college my 2 best friends, Monica Bischoff and Lily M. Chin were both avid knitters, so when i re-devoted myself to crocheting and then knitting several years later, when i needed something to do while recovering from some health issues, i already had the basics of fiber arts. Vogue knitting kept me going until i got my first computer, and then i found yahoo groups, jeanie townsend and Queen Kahuna and the group regulars cheered me on. then i discovered indie dyers, Meg from Twisted Fiber Arts and Roxanne from Zen yarn garden (and of course the Wollmeise) and the Vendors like loopy, and Woolgirl and Blue Moon (and the knitting clubs) and many others challenged me to improve my technique so as to be worthy of knitting their beautiful fibers. Wendy, and Chrissy, and Ann, and Moni, Steffi, and the German knitting group SKL (and many others) gave me new and challenging patterns, every time learning something new (especially now that i can knit in German!!). now ravelry is at the center of my knitting world, i visit every day, unless i am deathly ill) my magazines (vogue, interweave,cast on, and spin off, etc) and the amazing friends and designers i have gotten to know all have a hand in me identifying myself as Iris, the knitter and now Iris the spinner, and hopefully soon Iris the Designer and Dyer.
I would say that currently Ravelry is the biggest influence. I like to use “friend activity” to see what my friends have faved, queued, etc. But I am trying to use my stash as the biggest influence because I need to be knitting from my stash, rather than adding to it. 🙂
Ravelry in general, and then the F5 group there. Also the Loopy Ewe!!!! cause of all the gorgeous yarn!!!!!!
The biggest influence for me are all of the independent dyers and their lovely creations. The yarn just begs to be knitted!
My Mom taught me to knit, but the biggest influence has been the ability to take part in knitting groups and retreats… the advancement in skills and the push to finish projects is invaluable. Without my group, I’d have many more UFO’s