Shalimar Archives - The Loopy Ewe Blog

Lorna’s Laces, Namaste, Blue Q, Shalimar, and More!

by Sheri BergerMarch 25, 2013March 26, 20134 Comments

Happy Monday to you. We just put lots up for tonight’s Monday Update!

Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Worsted – a worsted weight yarn that is 100% Superwash Merino. When people walk down our Worsted aisle feeling the yarn, they always stop at the Shepherd Worsted and comment on how soft it is. I’ve used it for fingerless mitts and scarves, because I want it close! It’s also great for sweaters, vests, and baby items. Here are some pattern ideas: Abalone, Linen Weave Boomerang (love this – just added it to my favs), 5th Avenue Infinity Scarf, Katrina Ballerina Lace Layering Cardigan (maybe I should make this, since I can’t seem to finish a sweater), Deephaven, Abate, or Sunset Shaw. (Shown here in Sheridan.)

Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock -a fingering weight that is 80% Superwash Merino and 20% Nylon, with 430 yards in the skein. This makes it great for socks, as well as shawls, cowls and scarves. Need some ideas? Level Up Socks, Mojo (fun textures in there), Old Joe, Rivers of Mars, or Ananke.

Shalimar Breathless – a fingering weight yarn that is 75% Superwash Merino, 15% Cashmere, and 10% Silk. You can use it for socks (and they’d be luscious), but many people are using it for things like cowls, scarves, and shawls. It’s so soft. Equally wonderful to work with and wear. I think it would be beautiful in Imagine When, Tempest Shawlette, Bryce Canyon Shawl, Elowen Shawl (two colors – gorgeous), or January Scarf. (Shown here in Melba.)

ChiaoGoo Interchangeable Sets – More of the Large, Small, and Complete Twist sets. The Small set has needle sizes 2 (2.75) – 8 (5.0), the Large set has sizes 9 (5.5) – 15 (10.0), and the Complete set has everything.

Sajou Scissors – If you want something truly beautiful to add to your notions case, check out these scissors. They’re pricey because of the labor that goes into each one. It takes a dozen people to make each pair! We have them in several styles. (Shown here in Tortoiseshell.)

Clover Beading Hooks – I don’t know about you, but I always have a hard time figuring out hook sizes. To add to the confusion, some hooks seem to have different sizing than others. We have added in two sizes of hooks for the two sizes of beads that we carry. You’ll want the 1.0 mm for the 6/0 beads (that’s the size bead that fits well on fingering weight yarn) and you’ll want the .75 mm for the 8/0 beads (that’s the size bead that fits well on laceweight yarn.) I ordered every one of the hooks they had in stock and put more on backorder. So if we run out, just know that we hope to have more again soon.

Namaste – re-stocks in Boardwalk Bags, Hermosas, Harlows, Laguna, Mini Messengers, Monroes, Zumas, Buddy Cases, Circular Cases (some of those colors are on backorder), and Oh Snap bags in Eggplant.

Soak – Handmaid Creme (in the perfect size for purses and knitting bags) in Aquae, Celebration, Lacey, Yuzu and Scentless. Soak Wash in large and small sizes in Aquae, Celebration, Lacey, and Scentless, as well as Yuzu in the small size and Travel Kits that contain 8 mini Soaks.

Blue Q Bags – We continue to have a lot of fun with these bags! We’ve re-stocked and added more. You’ll find them in the Handy Totes (the perfect project sized bag, although I’ve heard some of you are using these as gift bags, too), Shoulder Totes (the perfect multi-project sized bag with a zipper on top), Messenger Bags (great for one-skein shawls and scarves), and Large and Small Pouches for your notions and DPN’s.

Have fun checking out the new stuff, and we’ll get your orders packed up and shipped out asap!

Sheri lookingatnewprojectbagsagain,asusual

Shalimar Breathless, Mountain Colors and Blue Q Bags

by Sheri BergerMarch 4, 2013March 20, 20136 Comments

Happy Monday, everyone. We have re-stocks of two of my favorite yarns up tonight, and I know you like them, too! First up is Mountain Colors. I knit my second-ever pair of socks out of Mountain Colors and they were at the top of my list to carry here at The Loopy Ewe. (We had to wait a year to get them, but it was totally worth it.) We have added in many beautiful colors of Crazyfoot tonight. Crazyfoot is 90% Superwash Merino and 10% Nylon. It has a great bouncy twist to it, which makes patterns pop (and makes socks, cowls, hats and mitts very comfortable to wear.) It would also be beautiful in shawls. I used Crazyfoot (in a Shells pattern) to make this:

And I used two colors of Crazyfoot and a Cascade Heritage Sock Solid to make this Thin Ice Shawl for Camp Loopy last summer.

The theory behind the way I knit this shawl is to pick a multi-color yarn for the middle section, and then two different matching semi-solids – one for the top and one for the bottom. Mountain Colors has some really pretty multi-colors to choose from. (I know a lot of you already know this because I’ve mentioned it before and we get lots of calls, but remember that you’re always welcome to call in for color consultations if you need us to help you pick a second or third color for something. Roberta walks around the shop with headphones on, just so she can talk to you on the phone but still have both hands free to pick up yarn and try different color combinations!)

The other line we re-stocked tonight is Shalimar Breathless. I just love knitting with this yarn. At 75% Superwash Merino, 15% Cashmere and 10% Silk, it’s a dream to work with and wear. I used Shalimar for one of the Color Affection shawls I made last summer:

As well as one of the Derecho Shawls I made.

Breathless is usually dyed up as a semi-solid, so it’s perfect for these multi-color shawls where you get to pick colors to go together, as well as great for one-color shawls.

We also have a new line of project and accessory bags up for you tonight. I came across Blue Q bags in January and have been using one of the Handy Tote bags as a project bag ever since. (Shown here in Happy Food Town.) The illustrations are fun and the laminated, recycled material they use is durable and easy to keep clean. This Handy Tote size is great for sock/hat/cowl/gloves/shawl projects. The Shoulder Totes are great for larger projects (sweaters, vests, blankets), and the small and large zippered pouches all work well for knitting accessories, needles, and other gadgets.

Enjoy the new things, and we’ll get your orders packed up and shipped out asap, as always!

Sheri workingonascarfwithbeads,havinglotsoffun!

Covered With Snow!

by Sheri BergerFebruary 22, 2013March 4, 201316 Comments

We had a great Snow Day yesterday! (Not a Snow Day in terms of being off from school or work, but a Snow Day in terms of it being beautiful and white and wintery all day long). I know the Midwest was hit by a big snowstorm yesterday, too. I love snow and am always happy to see those big flakes coming down. Knitting Daughter and I took last weekend off for a Girls Birthday Weekend higher up in the mountains (here’s a photo I took while we were there) and got a lot of knitting and movie watching done. OK, and a little bit of shopping. But mostly we wanted to just hang out and knit.

One of the projects I worked on last weekend was a pair of mittens. (It’s a free pattern: Super Bulky Mittens).You might remember that I made a pair of these before Christmas, too. I gave those to my sweet mother-in-law. But I knew at that time that I’d have to make myself a pair. They are just so thick and warm. I used Malabrigo Rasta, but I think these would be equally gorgeous in Fibre Company Tundra, Shalimar Missy, or Spud and Chloe Outer. If I had anyone else to make mittens for, I’d make another pair. They knit up so quickly and are fun to make. Like before, I changed the pattern slightly by adding 10 rows of ribbing on the cuffs and added a total of 4 stitches to each mitten to make it a little larger. The pattern calls for 66 yards, so I used a bit more than that with my additions. Given the snow yesterday, it’s a good thing I made them last weekend, just in time to keep my hands warm!

This weekend I’m finishing my Loopy Cakes Cowl – I’m on my last stripe, finishing another (shhh – secret) project, and then perhaps starting a new shawl with the yarn and beads I played with last week. Are you knitting this weekend? What are you going to work on?

Sheri snowalsogivesoneanexcusetosayinsideandknitbythefire.
Notthatoneneedsanexcusetodothat….

P.S. Spring Fling Blog Contest winner will be drawn and announced on Monday’s Blog. Be sure to enter if you’d like a chance to win!

Malabrigo, Shibui, Kauni, Beads, and More

by Sheri BergerFebruary 4, 2013March 4, 201312 Comments

It’s February! February means all diets are off, right? (Food diets, yarn diets, etc.) February is Celebration Month because it’s the shortest month of the year and moves us right on into March, which means Spring is just around the corner. See? Lots to celebrate. And we have plenty of new things up on the website tonight, to help you get your celebration off to the right start. Just up, you’ll find:

Malabrigo Rios – this worsted weight is 100% Superwash Merino, making it great for sweaters, blankets, baby items, and anything else you want to be able to toss in the washer. (Shown here in Primavera.)

Malabrigo Silkpaca – a lighter-than-clouds laceweight that is 70% Baby Alpaca and 30% Silk. 420 yards in the skein make it great for many simple one-skein shawl patterns. You might think of picking one that you can add beads to as well.

Kauni Multi Colors and Solids – a sportweight yarn that is 100% wool and is nice for sweaters and shawls. The multi-color balls are sold by weight (120 grams up to 180 grams). We weigh the balls when they arrive to insure that you’re getting the correct weight/yaradage. Try a multi-color shawl with a solid edging. Beautiful. (Shown here in E-EQ).

Shibui Baby Alpaca – this DK weight is 100% Baby Alpaca and so wonderful to knit with. I’m currently making the a wrap that is knit holding 1 skein of the Alpaca and 1 skein of the Silk. I love working on it.

Shibui Silk Cloud – a laceweight yarn made of 60% Kid Mohair and 40% Silk. I’m a little anti-mohair, just because sometimes I find it itchy. But I love this particular yarn and don’t find it itchy at all. And it’s fun to combine with other yarn options for a little extra warmth and texture. (Shown here in Apple).

Shibui Staccato – a fingering weight that is 70% Superwash Merino and 30% Silk. Great for socks (you’ll need 2 skeins for a pair) or shawls. The silk gives it a little extra strength and shine.

Shibui Cima – a new (to us) laceweight that is 70% BabyAlpaca and 30% Merino Wool. This yarn gives great stitch definition and is perfect for shawls, cowls, and scarves, as well as a great carry-along yarn for knitting double.

Shalimar Missy – more colors to add to the ones we put up a few weeks ago. Missy is 100% Superwash Merino in a Bulky weight and comes 120 yards to the skein. You’ll find hats, scarves, cowls and mitts knit up quickly with Missy. (Shown here in Thistle).

Stitch Savers – You have one of these in each of your project bags, right? For all those times when stitches just jump right off the end of the needles (through no fault of your own) and you need to wrangle them back into place. Or does that just happen to me?

Sajou Scissors – Oh, these are gorgeous. A bit pricey, but you might feel like splurging on yourself. (Remember – it’s Celebration Month.) They’d also make a great Valentine gift, in case you want to hint to someone who loves you. Why so expensive? These are made in France and the blades are hand matched for a perfect adjustment. Each pair takes a dozen qualified people to make them. Hide these in your project bag so no one borrows them. (Shown here in Veined (faux) Ivory.)

Miyuki Beads in 6/0 and 8/0 sizes – Beads, beads, beads! If you don’t yet knit with beads, you’ll want to after you see all of these fun colors. Size 6/0 is great for fingering weight yarns, and 8/0 is great for laceweight yarns. (The bigger the size number, the smaller the bead. That’s a bit confusing.) These come in tubes (thanks to your great feedback on our Facebook page, when we asked which you preferred). The 8/0 tubes contain approx. 10 grams/400 beads. The 6/0 tubes contain approx. 20 grams/220 beads. Beads are fun in shawls, edgings, mitts, cowls, and more. Jump in and give them a try.

Have fun checking out the new things, and we’ll get your orders out asap. We love seeing what you pick out!

Sheri whoislookingforwardtoaddingbeadstoherknitting