We had so much fun, having 140 of you in for our Fall Fling last weekend! As usual, I forgot to take many pictures, but here is a little look into a few that I did manage to take. (Click on the photos to enlarge them. Especially on the cute dragon photos!)
We always start the weekend with a dessert reception on Thursday evening. (No pictures of the dessert goodies. Why didn’t I think of that? Julia Knitting Daughter took one! Added below.) This year we also added in a talk that evening from Stephanie Pearl-McPhee called “This is Your Brain on Knitting”. It left us all feeling pretty good about choosing knitting as a hobby (or way of life).
Friday and Saturday brings knitting, classes and shopping trips to Loopy! This year, our class instructors included Susan B. Anderson, Marly Bird, Ann Budd and Stephanie Pearl-McPhee.
One of Susan’s classes was a Little Dragon Workshop. You’ll probably want to buy the pattern to make your own. They were all turning out so cute!
We love hosting the Flingers in the shop. They have fun seeing it in person and we have fun watching how much they enjoy wandering the aisles, finding new things that need to go home with them! After they check out, they hang out by the red couches and knit, while waiting for everyone to finish up and for the bus to come back to get them.
At each Fling, I find new patterns that I need to make. This year, I saw these Hitofude cardigans and put that pattern right on my “to make” list. (It was already in my favorites list on Ravelry, but seeing it in person moved it over to the active list. I especially liked seeing the longer version that Cindy was wearing.)
We did our group photo on Saturday afternoon. I’m not sure everyone remembers or makes it down to the lobby for the photo, but here is the shot of most of the group. After my husband took this photo, they all sang Happy Birthday to him, which was really nice. What a way to spend your birthday!
On Saturday night, we gave away door prizes (over 100 this year), which is always fun. We so appreciated the generosity of Dream in Color, Shibui, Cascade, Lorna’s Laces, Mrs. Crosby, Notions Marketing, Bryson, Shalimar, Fable Fibers, Baah! Yarns, Hunter Hammerstein, Spud and Chloe, Blue Sky Alpacas, Fairmont Fibers, Ann Budd, Universal Yarns, Westminster Fibers, Wollmeise, and George Sichterman Woodwork. There were a lot of lucky winners!
I wish I would have taken a picture of my great friends Sheryl (from here in Fort Collins) and Janice (from Iowa) who were there to help with all of the hotel details, while I traveled back and forth to the shop with the Fling shoppers. I couldn’t do the weekend without them! And of course the Loopy Elves, Knitting Daughter and Web Guy all put in extra time during the weekend as well. It takes a whole bunch of people to help it all run smoothly.
And one of my favorite friends, Claudia (the Wollmeise), was here from Germany again! I love having her visit for the Flings, and I know the Fling attendees really enjoy getting to meet the genius behind that gorgeous Wollmeise yarn. (No pictures, as Claudia is anti-photos. But she did let me take and post one a couple of years ago when she and Maria came to visit!) Claudia and Julie (from Juliespins – another creative dye genius Fling attendee) had a lot of fun talking “shop” during the Fling.
I saved three Fall Fling Goodie Bags to send out to three lucky contest winners. In the heavyweight canvas bag you’ll find a skein of Dream in Color’s Everlasting Sock, a skein of Shibui’s brand new Maai yarn, a skein of Cascade’s Luna, a Fling water bottle and nametag holder, a Lorna’s Laces post-it notepad and a Shalimar pen. (Yarn colors will vary.) Would you like to win one? Just leave a comment below and we will use the random number generator to choose the winners sometime next week! And would you like to participate in our next retreat? We will be putting our next one on in the spring of 2016. (We’ll flip flop between spring and fall retreats, every 18 months. We know some of you prefer one time of year over the other.) We’ll keep you posted on the details as it gets closer!
Sheri stillcatchinguponmissedsleep,butofcourseitwassoworthit!
Thanks for the giveaway!!!
This is a great giveaway! Thanks for offering it.
I would LOVE to go to a Fling. I’m going to have to start planning and saving. 🙂
It would be a super treat to attend a Fling. What a star studded cast you had.
Fling sounds like a lot of fun!
There’s some kind of alchemy that takes place whenever knitters assemble in close proximity. Must be due to some mystical static charge from all the wool, sparked by the clicking of needles….
Whatever it’s from, it’s exhilarating!
Ah I wish I could have been there! thanks for sharing!
Oh…to be a “Flinger” someday….! Love the opportunity to at least win a bag – it would be put to good use as I am a commuter bus knitter. Thank You!
Looks like such a fun weekend!
It looks like everyone had a great time!
I would love to attend a Spring Fling!
I would love to win a packet, Thanks.
Looks like you all had a blast. I’m going to start saving for Spring 2016. Thanks for the giveaway!
What a great giveaway.
One day I will make it to Fling! It looks like so much fun!
I so I could have gone to Fling this year. A goodie bag will make me so haapy! I hope I win!
I would love to win this!
Wow – looks like so much fun. Hopefully, someday I can come and have a weekend of knitting.
The Fling looks like tremendous fun. I’d love to be entered for a goodie bag.
Keep up the good work and the superb service.
Wish I could have been there, it looks like so much fun!!
Looks like lots of fun! I will have to see if I can come to one 😀
I’d love to win! Thanks for hosting this!
This looks like so much fun! Too bad it’s only a weekend….
Wish I could’ve been there! Thanks for the giveaway. Maybe next year!!
Connie – connknits @ ravelry
The Fling sounds like such fun! My sister lives in Denver so one of these times I am going to have to try to combine a visit to her with a Fling.
If only I could attend! Someday! It looks like you had a wonderful time and thank you for offering the chance for a goodie bag.
Oooooh! How generous! Pick me, random number generator!
So sorry I couldn’t come for The Fling. Maybe one year. But put me in for the giveaway, pleeze! Thanks!
WOW! It looks like everyone had such a wonderful time at Fling this year!!! Those Loopy red bags are super cool! I could see you selling those year round, Sheri!!! (hint Hint) 🙂
I love the Little Dragons!
Wish I lived closer!
Thank you for the chance at the goodie bag! A 2016 vacation up north would be spectacular. I will start on my sales pitch for the husband right away. Gotta lobby early you know!
I am so jealous I was not at the fling, but it was the same time as my college reunion. Maybe next year (fingers crossed).
PS. Thanks for the awesome giveaway!
Spring Fling 2016 here I come!
Thanks for saving a few gift bags for those of us who couldn’t get to the Fling. You rock.
Looks like everyone had an awesome time! I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the next one!
Some day a fling would be nice, hopefully before I turn 80!
It looks like a great Fling!
Me! Me! Me!
Looks like you all had lots of fun- is there any yarn left at the shop?
Ha – OH so much yarn left at the shop. The Flingers have fun buying stuff in person, but we have way too much yarn for them to ever buy us all out. 🙂
My sisters were shopping with me that day and, not being knitters, I thought I’d have to rush through so as not to bore them…to my amazement, they had as much fun as I did shopping for yarn and patterns (for me to make for them). I walked out of there with 6 new projects (3 for each of them). Best shopping trip ever! So happy to finally see the shop in person.
I’m so glad you all had fun! I remember them checking out – they did seem happy. 🙂
Love Loopy Ewe and all their yarn..
Would love to come to a Fling but with our daughter in college out-of-state for the next three years (at least) I’ll have to be an armchair flinger. Someday!
Oh, I would love to attend your Spring Fling! Or just visit Loopy! Too bad I didn’t know about you when we took our family cross country trip in 2009. Would definitely have made a detour if necessary!
I am a hardcore Loopy Groupie and would love this bag of goodies!
So sad to have missed it, looks like a grand time was had by all!!
Thanks for the chance to win! I hope to make it to a Colorado Fling sometime!
Looks like a fantastic time was had by everyone!
Great giveaway! One day I will be able to attend a Fling…
Lovely gifts thanks for the giveaway.
Love loopy. The best customer service and packages come very quickly. Thanks loopy.
Dot