Happy Halloween!

For those of you who weren't able to join us for our Halloween festivities last Saturday, well, you missed a great party. Here are some of the highlights.

 

 

 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM ALL OF US AT SHEEPISH!

One down, three to go

It's been an eventful week for our current batch of foster kittens. On Tuesday, they got spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped. And yesterday, the sweet little tuxedo boy went to his forever home.

Here he is with his new mom, Heidi. His name is Saboo now, and his new family includes Heidi, her husband, and their adult boy cat.  We couldn't be happier for all of them. Bon voyage, cutie pie!

Now we just need to find homes for Saboo's adorable littermates. We like to call them "cow kitties" because of their Holstein-ish markings.

This little beauty is Stella. As you can see, she realllly likes lounging in the kitty hammock. But don't let these laid-back photos fool you--this fun-loving girl plays HARD.

Rachel is such a sweet fuzzball. She enjoys wrestling with her siblings, but also loves snuggling with humans. She has such a loud purr!

Dekalb County Animal Services had named this handsome guy Josiah, but we call him Smudgy. He's playful, affectionate, and as Carrie says, "he just might have the sweetest face I've ever seen."

As we mentioned, these babies are fully vetted and ready to go. The adoption fee is $75 per kitty, or if you're over 55, you can bring one of these cuties home for only $40!  Contact us for the adoption application, or stop by DCAS at 845 Camp Rd., Decatur, to fill out the paperwork in person.

We look forward to seeing all of our foster kittens get adopted into loving forever homes, just like Saboo and Heidi.

Shop Hop winners

First of all, we need to say a great big THANK YOU to everyone who participated in Shop Hop this year. Our sales were up 22% over last year's Hop! That's huge. As always, it was so much fun for us to meet yarn lovers from other parts of the metro area who'd never been here before, not to mention our regulars who were also Shop Hopping. Thanks again to all of you. We really appreciate your support.

Now, let's talk about prizes. Each participating shop gives away three prizes. And Sheepish's winners are...[drumroll]

Kris Niedringhaus wins three skeins of  Mongolian Cashmere Handspun.

Laura Baltes is the winner of our accessory package, featuring assorted gadgets, Regina DeMita's felted wool soap, Stacybeads stitch markers, and more.

Karen Rees wins our scarf kit, which includes the Challah Infinity Scarf pattern and three skeins of Maxima yarn.

Last but not least, the Grand Prize winner of Shop Hop 2013, who will receive a $100 gift certificate to each of the nine participating shops is...Erendira Brumley!

Congratulations to all the winners!

Trendspotting: laceweight neckwear

Lately we've noticed many more people getting interested in knitting with laceweight yarn. For years, we had a few customers who would knit shawls in elaborate lacy patterns. Everybody else seemed too intimated to try such complicated projects, or just hated the idea of knitting with anything so fine.

But things are shifting now, thanks to some great patterns that have been popping up calling for laceweight yarns. These designs look sleek and modern, and because many of them are knit at a (relatively) bigger gauge, they knit up faster than you might expect.

If you fall in love with a skein of luscious laceweight while you're shopping (or if you have one in your stash), but don't know what to do with it, take a look at some of these projects for inspiration.

Gradiente by Jocelyn Tunney is a stunning scarf that uses a US 8 needle and three strands of laceweight held together. It subtly blends three different colors, 440 yards each. We have a sample of this in the shop, and everyone who sees it goes crazy for it!

Citron Grand by Hilary Smith Callis features a simple ruching technique to create textural interest. Knitting the laceweight yarn on a size US 8 makes a wonderful drapey fabric. You can knit this wrap in a variety of sizes, using anywhere from 435 to 1445 yards.

Arnhem Loop by Silke K. is a bit more of a time commitment because it's knit on a US 2 needle, but the result is so chic, it's worth it! This cowl is knit flat on the bias and then joined at the ends to create a long, luxurious loop. It calls for about 880 yards of the main color and 440 yards of the contrast.

Melanie Berg has designed a trio of fabulous striped wraps using laceweight yarn and a size US 4 needle. Left to right: Assante (650 yds MC, 325 yds CC); Aviendha (450 yds MC, 300 yds CC); and Miara (650 yds MC, 325 yds CC). The patterns are available individually or you can get all three as an eBook called It's All About Stripes. Really.

You can buy all the patterns mentioned in this post through Ravelry. Better yet, let us download the PDF for you at the shop, so you can receive credit toward your next Sheepish Reward coupon!

Sheepish exclusives

It's day 5 of Shop Hop! We know you savvy Shop Hoppers are always on the lookout for unique items that aren't available anywhere else. So here's a little tour of some goodies you can find only here at Sheepish.

Hand-dyed yarns from Decatur Dye Studio. These are dyed in very small batches, so if you see one you like, grab it while you can. It might never be back again!

 

Handmade jewelry by Stacybeads. Necklaces, bracelets, and earrings created by our very own Stacy. We also have Stacybeads stitch markers to add some bling to your knitting.

Felted soaps ($8) from local artisan Regina DeMita. We started carrying these in May and they are very popular! We have lots of new scents for fall.

More wonderful bath & body products ($6) from Regina.

She also makes lip balm ($3)...

...and potpourri ($12). This stuff smells soooo good!

And last but certainly not least, we're the only Shop Hop shop partnering with Dekalb County Animal Services to host foster kittens. While you're here to get your passport stamped, be sure to stop and say hello to these cutie pies. We will be more than happy to give you an adoption application so you can start the process of making one (or more) of these babies part of your family.

Happy Shop Hopping!

Dream Club: October 2013

The latest installment from Dream In Color's Dream Club is another gorgeous autumnal gem. With Everlasting Sock ($26) as the base yarn, the warm colors of falling leaves really pop out in this smoothly-twisted 100% superwash merino.

Everlasting Sock

Accompanying this beautiful yarn, the Dream Club pattern of the month is Sand People Always Ride Single File (S.P.A.R.S.F.) by Claire Ellen. Dream In Color calls these cabled socks, "A perfect match between our wonderfully hard-wearing Everlasting Sock and an entertaining intermediate level pattern."

S.P.A.R.S.F. socks

This pattern might look intimidating at first, but if you have basic knowledge of sock knitting and cable construction, you can make these.

Remember, as a Dream Club shop, we only receive ten skeins of each month's yarn from Dream In Color. It's first-come, first-served, so be sure to stop by and get a skein for yourself before they're all gone!