Little Miss Oni Blanket.

Many of you are aware of our long-standing obsession with a certain iconic Italian designer. You know, the one that's famous for chevron patterns, and was recently featured at Target, thereby crashing target.com in a matter of hours?  Yeah, that one. Well, never one to settle for a boring afghan, our own Mr. Gene has designed an homage to said Italian designer, in baby blanket form. And thus, we present to you...the Little Miss Oni Blanket.

What's more, Gene has generously agreed to share said pattern on our humble little blog. And here it is now!

Little Miss Oni Blanket

Materials: Size 10.5 32" circular needles

Berroco Comfort Chunky or Vintage Chunky, 1 skein black plus 1 skein each of 6 different colors

Directions: Cast on 125 sts with black yarn. Work 6 rows garter stitch (knit every row). Begin Chevron Pattern using the color sequence below.

Chevron Pattern

Row 1: knit 4, *kfb, k4, sl1 knitwise, k2tog, psso, k4, kfb* repeat from * to * to last 4 sts, k4

Row 2: knit 4, purl to last 4 sts, k4

Color sequence:

10 rows color A

10 rows color B

2 rows black

6 rows color C

6 rows color D

Repeat C/D section 2 more times (24 rows)

2 rows black

4 rows color E

4 rows color F

Repeat E/F section 4 more times (32 rows)

2 rows black

10 rows color A

10 rows color B

Finish with 6 rows garter stitch in black.  Weave in ends.  Single crochet a border up the sides of the blanket in black.  Weave in tails and you're done!

Now, don't be misled by the title...one of the many beauties of this blanket is that it is equally suitable for a Little Mister Oni. And it's so much fun to pick your colors! Don't stress about it...just choose what strikes you. The nice thing about this color sequence is that it makes almost any colors look like they were meant to be together. Here are a couple different combos, side by side:

And here is Jennifer, creator of the blue version:

Loops has an ever-expanding array of soft, washable, dryable Comfort Chunky and Vintage Chunky to choose from. Shop our online store or pop into either of our locations and we'll help you play with different combinations. We love doing that! And the best thing about this pattern? It's chunky yarn, so before you know it, you'll be Little Miss Finished!

- Shelley
shop online at loopsknitting.com

Just another day in paradise.

A lot of my time is spent away from the stores, working on marketing, budgeting and buying. So I get really excited when I can hang out in the store and just help people find that perfect project, like this new Olga's Vest in Malabrigo Finito.


It can be hard to wait for the door to open.


It's always fun to see what our co-workers will be wearing. Like this Azzu's Shawl that Gina just finished in Lontue, Firefly and Euroflax Sport.



And this Age of Brass and Steam kerchief that Cassidy made with 2 skeins of Berroco Linsey.


Finished projects make us so happy. It means we get to start a new one. What a treat!


Pat and Christie just finished Weekend Wraps in Habu Silk (a kit available at both stores). It earned its name because you can finish it in a weekend!



Other times, we get to peek in on interesting interpersonal exchanges.


Like when twin knitters, Dana and Debra, had a debate over which color is better, blue or red. It's cool to see that two people so similar can have such unique tastes from one another!


Love this Sexy Little Linen Shawl Euroflax Sport! Looks great in that red ;-)


As fun as it is, a full day of project-hunting with customers can be exhausting. Sometimes we just need to take a load off.


Lucy had fun being shop dog for the day. Look for her to make a return appearance soon!

- Shelley
shop online at loopsknitting.com

Who says knitters can't party?

Lately, I've noticed a positive trend, coupled with a disturbing one.

It seems every TV show, especially those on the channels my kids watch, features knitting in one way or another. Why, just on Spongebob alone, I've heard knitting mentioned in at least 3 episodes. (Did you know Mr. Krabs can knit? Yesiree!)

The disturbing part is, when knitting is mentioned or portrayed, it's usually sort of the opposite of fun and excitement. With Mr. Krabs, it's to show he's thrifty. And the truth is, too often the token knitter is the boring one, the type least likely to jump up and dance on a table.

So in this blog post, I'd like to present some evidence to the contrary: Knitters who know how to party.

Of course, it helps to have some buildup - a line forming outside the "club."


Add in a red carpet, a karaoke amp, and the songs "I'm Too Sexy..." and "I'm Sexy and I Know It." Then supply Loops Troops models with confidence boost in the form of mango margaritas:


And kick off the party with some serious yarn swagger.







Up the ante with 16 hot new projects, including 5 new Loops Original patterns, all displayed with fresh new photography.


And yes my friends, you've got a knitting party.






This legendary Hot Loops Party (our 14th!) sold out, as always. But naturally, we want everyone to join in the fun. This is why we've created a "mini Hot Loops Wall" at Loops South, and also why we are debuting one Hot Loops Project per day on loopsknitting.com. We've already debuted three.




Keep your eye on the Loops Facebook Page for more projects in the days to come. Then just mix up a mango margarita (or a nice big iced tea), and it's a spring knitting party in your very own house!

So there, Spongebob...and all the other naysayers. Knitters can party. I rest my case.

- Shelley
shop online at loopsknitting.com
P.S. Big thanks to Sherri T. and Judy L. for the photos!

The Loops Troops SKIP out.

At Loops, we know there exist many "fair weather knitters." In the winter, they love to curl up with their wool and needles by the fire. But come spring, they head outside into the beautiful green world and leave their needles to gather dust, sad and forgotten on a shelf or worse yet, lost in the cushion of the couch.

Quel dommage! (bear with me - sometimes these old phrases from high school French come bubbling up in my brain before the English)... What a shame! These poor fair weather folks are missing out on the many joys of spring and summer knitting. The linen. The silk. The cotton. The poolside knitting. And my favorite: The absence of sleeves.

So yesterday, I issued a challenge to the Troops called SKIP: Springtime Knitting in Public.

The mission: Sometime during the day, take a photo of yourself knitting in public. The reward: Prize for the best photo. Not all were able to rise to the challenge (it was a very short deadline, after all, and many were working at the shops). But many others came through with flying colors.

Cassidy was first, with this great shot of her knitting The Age of Brass and Steam in Berroco Linsey. She is at Café Olé, my fave Tulsa Mexican place. Yes, that's a margarita. And no, I won't tell you what time this picture was taken. But she sure looks to be enjoying her SKIP.


Gina Y was SKIPPING out at Starbuck's, in her favorite corner. She's making a pair of socks using her basic sock pattern she developed for Loops.


Here is Emily at a dress rehearsal break for the University of Tulsa's opera workshop performance, where she is one of the pianists they hired for the semester! She's working on a Flyleaf Shawl in Ella Rae Lace Merino for the class she's teaching soon at Loops.


It seems that the Loops Troops like to pamper themselves a bit on their day off. Here is Jane, multitasking while getting a pedicure. She's making a Foghorn Sweater from the Lighthouse Book in Classic Elite Seedling.


And here are Pat and Gina H, attempting a SKIP with a high degree of difficulty: Horizontal knitting while getting a massage from our friends at Ihloff Salon. My, look at all the attention they're getting! It looks like that iconic scene with Dorothy and the lion from Wizard of Oz.


But then, whenever you knit (or crochet) in public, you're sure to get lots of attention.


And that is the true point of this post: Get out... Enjoy the gorgeous weather... And don't forget your knitting! Because when you stitch in public, people notice. When they notice, they often decide to take it up themselves. And when that happens, you can send them right in to your favorite LYS (or online to your favorite web LYS).

And when that happens, all the Loops Troops say, "Thanks!!!"

So why not SKIP out today?

- Shelley
shop online at loopsknitting.com

Where (some of) the magic happens.

Lately, I've been making some nice progress on my projects. I finished up this "Big Effin Stripes Scarf," my version of Loretta's Effin Scarf using the very cool Ripple yarn that just arrived. (FYI you do 12 rows of each colors, following the pattern, and it takes 2 balls of blue, 1 ball of silver).


And then I finished this sweet wedding garter for my friend Leslie (and I really hope you're not reading this, Leslie, at least until the package makes it to your house). I used Berroco Seduce for this. Isn't it so sweetly sexy?


And I'm making great progress on my Hot Loops wall project (sorry no pix, it's a secret until the big reveal party on March 31st!). But even with all this progress, I've been suffering fairly severe knitter's guilt. You see, my home office (where some of the "Loops magic" - buying, marketing, planning - takes place), had become an unintentional repository for my stash. This is only a small portion of my stash, mind you. But nonetheless, having to look at piles of disorganized, unused yarn on my shelves was definitely messing with my knitting mojo.

So, I decided to do what I often prescribe for my customers: While you're not using your yarn, decorate with it.


I just grabbed a few bowls that I wasn't using...organized my wayward skeins by color group, and voila! No more (or at least far less) stash guilt!



Got needle guilt? All you need is a pretty vase, and poof! It's gone.


And while I'm giving you a peek behind my curtain, here is the photo that sits just behind my computer. I just love this shot of Sam and Sandy, taken during a Hot Loops shoot a season or two ago.


Next to my needle vase sits this odd little memento.


It doesn't look like much, but really it's one of my most prized possessions - for what it contains inside. After I played a big tennis match, my youngest daughter (then about age 7) presented me with this tennis ball filled with little love notes.


In case you can't read her Sharpie scrawl, here is what some of the notes say (I am leaving the spelling as-is):

"your favorite color is red and you tuck me into bed"
"you're always looking for you're brush and you get me to school in a rush"
"you are 1# in front of a tun"
"I love you mom you are prety, sam wants you to take him to new york city"
"win or lose we love you"

Now, I'm not saying my office is perfect. Far from it.


But, now that my stash is more organized and I've got my special tennis ball, it's perfect for me! :)

- Shelley
shop online at loopsknitting.com

Tiffany Engagement Cardigan.

Of all the sweaters in the my closet (and yes, there are a lot), my favorite is - gasp - machine made. I bought it on a girl's trip to New York City years ago, and over time, it's become sort of a "wubbie." It's so soft and cozy, I find that I put it on whenever I could use a hug. It makes me feel loved and chic, all at the same time.

But like a favorite blankie, the wubbie was starting to get a bit tired looking. It doesn't help that my 10-year-old has taken to "borrowing it." (And you moms with tweens know that by borrowing, I mean sneaking it out of my closet in her backpack). Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, the design of the sweater is so simple and stretchy that it fits her perfectly, too.

Last month, Ruth (one of the Loops Troops) saw me wearing the wubby and wanted to know where to get the pattern. I fessed up that it was machine made, but that I'd been meaning to design a pattern for years. She said, a bit pleadingly, that now would be a great time.

I started obsessing over which yarns would work best, and before I knew it, I was walking out of Loops with a bagful of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Baby and Plymouth 24K, the two softest yarns I could lay my hands on.

And so, just in time for wedding season, I present to you the Tiffany Engagement Cardigan.


The perfect little hug to wear on the honeymoon - whether it's your first honeymoon, your last, or your new "honeymoon" with yarn. This very simple design is a great first sweater, because it's essentially a big scarf with sleeves.


And the yarns are so luscious to work with, it will definitely keep you engaged from beginning to end!

Tiffany Engagement Cardigan

Materials:
7 balls Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Baby
2 hanks Plymouth 24K
(note: yarns available as a kit at loopsknitting.com)
Size 8 32" needles
Stitch marker
Darning needle

Gauge: 4.5 sts and 6 rows = 1"

Note: To minimize weave-ins at the end, "carry" the Cashmerino up the edge when doing the 24K sections.

Directions:
With Cashmerino and size 8 neeldes, cast on 83 sts.
Working in stockinette stitch throughout the piece (knit a row, purl a row), work 10 rows in Cashmerino.
*Work 8 rows 24K, work 20 rows Cashmerino* and repeat from * to * until work measures 23.5 inches from beginning, ending with a purl row.

Next row, make armhole as follows: K25, cast off 34 sts, K24
Next row: P24, cast on 34 sts over the armhole using thumb method, P25

Continue in stockinette, alternating sections of Cashmerino and 24K as established, for 14 inches more (this is the back section - and you can add or subtract inches as needed), ending with a purl row.

Next row, make the other armhole: K25, cast off 34 sts, K24
Next row: P24, cast on 34 sts over the armhole, P25

Continue working in pattern for 24 in for 23.5 inches more.

Now weave in ends and go block your piece. This is stockinette stitch and it's going to roll on the edges, and that's ok. I used a steam iron with a tea towel between the iron my sweater, because the 24K can easily scorch and melt if you are too aggressive. If you are not used to steam blocking, test a small area first or ask a friend to help.

Next, work your sleeves. Pick up 62 sts around the armhole, joining into round using Magic Loop method and placing marker. Note that the arms are fitted but stretchy. If you are worried, pick up maybe 68 stitches to give yourself an extra inch or so. But they fit over my big ole tennis serving arm just fine. See?


Now, continuing with the sleeve, knit 84 rounds, decreasing one stitch every 4th row 20 times. After 80 rows, you will have 42 sts. Knit the next 4 rounds until you have done 84 rounds, then P a round, K a round, P a round, K a round, P a round and bind off. This creates a garter-stitch border at the sleeve edges.

Repeat for second sleeve. Do the sleeve weave-ins with your darning needle. Go get your iron again and steam-block the sleeves (don't forget that tea towel).

And that's it! Put on your wubby and let the honeymoon commence!

Oh, here's a little trick we learned at market. You can give your cardi a completely different look by tying the front tips in a knot and flipping the knot over your head to rest behind your neck.


Voila, instant bolero!


Enjoy!

- Shelley

P.S. We made up three kits in three engagement-worthy colorways. The original is Tiffany Platinum:


There is also White Gold:


And Black Diamond:


To order your kit, go to loopsknitting.com