Camp Loopy Glamping!

Are you ready for Camp Loopy? This is our fourth year hosting you all for (virtual) Camp, and we anticipate a great summer of knitting and fun. This summer, we’re glamping, not camping! What is glamping? It’s “a form of camping involving accomodations and facilities more luxurious than those associated with traditional camping.” No tents and rocks under your sleeping bags. We’re putting you all up in those adorable vintage campers that people buy to re-do on the inside. Each one is different than the other. Isn’t that fun?

How does it work?  First of all, there is no travel involved. This is Virtual Camp! That means no bugs, no campfire smoke in your eyes, and (unfortunately) no real vintage glampers to sleep in. We’ll have to pretend. It does involve lots of knitting, meeting new friends, contests, challenges, and fun!

We will be knitting a different challenge project each month, for the next 3 months. You can choose to knit for one month, two months, or all three months. There are prizes for completing your projects on time and an extra bonus for doing all three. I know quite a few of you have mentioned that your Camp Loopy knitting will be used for holiday gifts, which is a great way to get a jump-start on those projects.

Here is our schedule:

Project One: needs to be knit or crocheted between 6/1 and 6/30 (with a photo of the completed project uploaded to our Project One Photo Gallery by 7/1).

The Challenge for Project One – Find a project that reminds you of one of your favorite books, TV Shows, or movies. It can be based on a character, or a scene, or colors, or names, or however you’d like to interpret your love of that book/show/movie. We look forward to hearing you share your stories about what you picked and why! This first project must have a minimum of 400 yards, used in one project. (Not sets of things, like matching hats or shawls. However, a pair of socks or a pair of mittens DOES count!)

Project Two: will need to be knit or crocheted between 7/1 and 7/31 (photo uploaded by 8/1).

Challenge Two details coming in June.

Project Three: will need to be knit or crocheted between 8/1 and 8/31 (photo uploaded by 9/1).

Challenge Three details coming in July.

The benefits:

1. If you need to purchase yarn for your project, we are offering a 20% Camp Loopy discount for the yarn during a designated “Camp Loopy Store Week” each month.The first discount, for Project One, is valid during Camp Store Week One (May 7-13).To get the discount, you will need to leave us an order note on the order, telling us which yarn will be used for your Camp Project. We’ll apply the discount when your order comes through to us. If you’re going for free shipping in the U.S., please make sure that your discount won’t take you below the $75 level, or the website will add the shipping charge back in after we do the discount.

2.  If you have your photo uploaded to the Camp Loopy 2014 Project One Photo Gallery by the deadline, you’ll be eligible to win one of our Loopy Gift Certificates for that month. We’ll be having the blog readers vote for the Reader’s Choice Award each month, and we’ll also be using the random generator to pick a couple more winners for Loopy Gift Certificates as well from each month’s gallery.

3.  If you choose to do all three projects with us (photos uploaded by the deadlines and yarn for each project purchased during Camp Store Week for that project) we will also be awarding you a special skein of fingering weight yarn, in an exclusive Camp Loopy Colorway. (We will have 3 different exclusive Camp colors for you to choose from, so that you can pick your favorite.) This luscious skein will be perfect for socks, shawls, scarves, cowls, or mitts. We love this yarn base, and I know you will love it, too.

So if you participate in all three months of Camp and follow the guidelines, you’ll get 3 projects done at a discount, you may earn one or more Frequent Shopper Bonuses and maybe some extra things through our Loopy Rewards Program, and you’ll get a special skein of exclusively dyed fingering weight yarn for yet another project. Cool!

Now – here are the answers to your Frequently Asked Questions about Camp Loopy:

Q. Can we participate with weaving instead of knitting or crochet? 
A. For Camp Loopy, we’re sticking with knitting or crochet.

Q. I didn’t get to order during Camp Store Week, but if I order my project yarn later in that same month and complete the project by the deadline, does that still count, even though I know I don’t get the Camp Loopy discount? 
A. Yes.  Make sure that you add a “Camp Loopy” note to your order, so that we know you’re participating. You’ll still be eligible for the project drawings and prizes for that month, and if you finish all three projects by the deadlines, you’ll still get the bonus – a free skein of that luscious yarn, exclusively dyed.

Q. I want to participate using yarn from my stash. Does that still count? 
A. You are welcome to participate and knit from stash and upload it to the gallery, as long as it’s yarn that we currently carry at The Loopy Ewe.  You will still be eligible for drawings and prizes for the month, but you won’t be eligible for the free yarn at the end.

Q. When you say to knit the project between 6/1 and 6/30, when EXACTLY does the timing start? 
A. You can start at 12:01 am your time on 6/1 if you’d like, although a good night’s sleep and a good breakfast might be a better idea. The project needs to be done by 11:59 pm on 6/30, your time. The photos need to be uploaded by 11:59 pm OUR time (Mountain Time) on 7/1.

Q. Should we be starting a new Camp Loopy Group on Ravelry? 
A. No. Since it’s an activity through The Loopy Ewe, we keep it as a part of our regular Loopy Groupies group. However, you’ll see Camp Loopy threads popping up on the Loopy Groupie board, based on different activities each month. The groups are totally for fun, and for those of you who want to chat in Camp Groups on the Loopy Groupie board. If that’s not your thing, you can stay out of the Camp groups and just knit. But … I’ll bet you will meet a new friend or two if you participate in the chats!

Q. When you specify yardage in a project, can I use up the yardage by knitting double stranded? So if you say we must use 400 yards, can I do a 200 yard project, holding the yarn double? That would use 400 yards. 
A. No. No doubling the yarn to get the yardage. If you’d like to knit something double stranded, you’ll need to use 800 yards so that you end up with a 400 yard project when it’s done.

Q. How do I know if I’m on track for the free yarn bonus, and when will I get it? 
A. If you purchased your project yarn during Camp Store Week (or later that same project month) and uploaded your photo by the deadline, then you are on track. Once Camp is over and the yarn is ready, we’ll send you a notice to let you choose your camp colorway. You will have the option of having your bonus yarn added in the box with your next order from us, or you can choose to have it sent to you right away on its own and we’ll just add a shipping charge to that.

Q. Why do we have to purchase the yarn during Camp Store Week each month, if we want the bonus? 
A. Two reasons. One – it costs us money to fund this (the contests, the extras, the free yarn at the end) and your purchases help us to be able to afford to do this. Two – it helps us to guarantee that everyone is knitting for the project during the designated time and not simply pulling a finished (or half finished) project out of their pile and saying they did it “for camp”. It keeps an even playing field for all of the people earning the bonuses.

In addition to getting projects done along with discounts and free yarn rewards, another part of the fun is talking to fellow campers on the Loopy Groupie Board on Ravelry. We will set up chat groups each month during Camp, based on a different criteria each time. For this first month, we’re dividing you into Glamping Groups, based on which Glamper number you will be staying in. Look for the starred Glamper on your order printout that will come with your Camp project order. If you’re knitting your camp project from stash, feel free to choose one of the groups on your own. Jump into the discussion and share which project you’re going to make and what yarn you’re using, then report on your progress during the month. You’ll make new friends each month, because we’ll have another way to group you for the next month! (Not on Ravelry? No worries. Participating in the groups is not required. We just add those in for extra fun.)

We’re so looking forward to camping glamping with you this summer, and we have lots of fun things planned. Grab your fancy shoes (glamping, remember? You won’t need hiking boots), and your project bag, and get ready to roll!

Want some fun Camp Loopy extras? We have t-shirts and water bottles, as well as “Camp Loopy’s a Hoot!” project bags for you. Once we run out, that’s all we have. Get them while you can! Or maybe you’d like one of the Calico Bush project bags (my favorite) to celebrate your trip to Camp this summer? They’re cotton and your Camp Loopy pin will pin right on the front! (Camp Loopy pins sent free with your Project One Camp Order, while supplies last.)

Now – share with us one of your favorite books, TV Shows, or movies. What will inspire your Challenge One project?

Sheri whowouldliketheinsideofhervintageGlampertobetealandred.
Howaboutyou?

P.S. The Fabric Version of Camp Loopy will be announced next week. You can do the yarn projects or the fabric projects, or both!