Serendipity Update

Sometimes skeins don't turn out quite as planned. Maybe the color is a bit different than expected, or the skein doesn't quite weigh enough. Or maybe there are a few knots. Other times we are experimenting with new colorways. These odds and ends skeins end up in our Serendipity Collection with a deeply discounted price tag. We just updated the listing of Serendipity skeins which we keep on an Etsy shop, so if you are in the market for a good deal, check it out!

Shawl Sticks back in stock!

Shawl Sticks are back in stock! Come and get 'em while they're still here!

Christmas Knitting

Someone just pointed out to me that we only have four months left until Christmas. Broiling in the summer heat its hard to imagine that it will be here so soon, but its true. And, being knitters, this means that we have 4 months remaining to get our holiday gift knitting/crocheting/etc done. I can't tell you all of my plans because certain friends and family members read this blog, but my largest project is a lap-gan for my grandparents. I have the yarn, needles and pattern but haven't actually started yet. What do you have planned?

I also want to do a bunch of small handmade gifts for my knitting friends. Projects that won't take more than an evening or two to finish, just enough to say "I'm glad you are my friend." Do you have any suggestions of little gifts that you have given or been given in the past? Or things that you would enjoy receiving?

This might be a good time to remind you that sometimes the best gift is also the easiest-- a gift certificate! So if you have a knitter on your gift list but no idea what to get her or him, consider a Unique Sheep gift certificate. You really can't go wrong with that!

Come see us at Farm Fest

Every year I look forward to spending the day at Rising Meadow Farm for their annual Farm Fest. This year they have moved the date to October 4th so hopefully the weather will be a bit cooler. Its a fun day full of great fiber arts vendors, live music, local food stands and sheep. What could be better? Well this year it IS going to be even better because The Unique Sheep will have a booth! So if you are in or near central NC on Oct 4th, come on by and say hello!

Introducing...The Sip 'n Stitch Club

You know what I love about cold weather? How cozy it is to curl up with a mug of hot coffee and a wooly project on my needles. But when I pour myself a cup of coffee it can't be just any coffee. I am spoiled rotten by all the great local, indie coffee roasters within miles of where I live. And of course while I'm sipping on my morning brew I can't help but think about the colors that the flavors invoke in my mind, or the inspiring cultures and geographies of the regions the beans come from: Guatamala, Peru, Indonesia, Africa...

So this fall and winter we are going to share this experience with you through our Sip 'n Stitch club. Every other month you'll receive a half pound bag of freshly roasted coffee and a 100g skein of one of our sock yarns OR 4oz of roving dyeing in an exclusive colorway inspired by that month's coffee. You can get all the details on the website, of course. The first shipment will be in November and you have until the end of September to sign up!

Fun at Knit Picky!

Last night Kelly and I had so much fun at the pajama party hosted by Knit Picky Yarns in Winston-Salem, NC. We brought bags full of yarn to sell plus goody bags for everyone and Knit Picky provided salad, pizza and a masseuse. Some of my favorite ladies were in attendance and so of course it was a blast. I only got a few photos but I know that there were other cameras floating around, anyone want to share?

Luxe is Back!

After selling out of Luxe much more quickly than anticipated, we finally have it back in stock! If you have pre-ordered any, we will be dyeing it up and shipping it very soon. If you've been waiting to place an order, now is your chance!

Unique Sheep Trunk Show & Party at The Unique Sheep

This Friday from 4-6pm we will have a HUGE selection of yarn (especially Gradiance sets), samples and photos and stories from Sock Summit at Knit Picky Yarns in Winston-Salem, NC. That evening we will be having a pajama party with dinner, wine, massages…there are a limited number of spaces for the party but I think there are still a few left. You can contact Jo at info@knitpickyyarns.com about that. But even if you can’t come to the party, we’ll be having plenty of fun all afternoon. Maybe I’ll even bake cookies!

Missing Packages

Several weeks ago the air conditioning in my studio broke. Because we are renting, I had to contact the landlord to contact the a/c repair people to find a time to come fix it- so it took a few days. No big deal, the rest of the house was still cool (thank goodness for separate a/c systems!) so I just focused on work I could do outside of the studio for a few days. Unfortunately, the envelopes I use to ship packages were in my studio and it appears that the adhesive that keeps them from falling apart in the mail was adversely affected by the high temperatures. And of course we didn't realize this until after we shipped over 100 packages. So if you have received an email from us saying that your order has shipped, or if you are in our LotR inspired sock club, but have not received anything from us-- or have received an empty envelope-- please let us know by emailing laura@theuniquesheep.com!!

Best Knitting Quote Ever

We just had a non-knitter make this comment while listening to some of our club members talk about our Secret Garden KAL:

"this sounds so extremely cool. I've never seen knitting to be so... Exciting!"

Welcome to our New LYS's!

Guess what happened at Sock Summit? We made a few new friends who just happen to own yarn shops! We'd like to announce that you can now find Unique Sheep yarn at:

Middleford Yarn & Stitchery Shoppe located in Medford Oregon. They took home quite the stash of Gradiance yarns, plus some single skeins, patterns and other goodies. They are even planning some classes using Unique Sheep yarns, so if you are in the area you'll want to sign up for their newsletter and keep an eye on the website. It sounds like Middleford Yarn & Stitchery Shoppe has some really nice knit-nights and help sessions and is the type of yarn shop that builds a community around it!

Diva Yarn is located in Port Townsend, Washington. Unlike your average yarn shop, this shop has a large selection of trims, buttons, cords, sequins and other glitzy stuff to make your eyes glow in addition to the ordinary yarns, needles and patterns. An armload of Gradiance sock sets went home with Lois so if you are in the neighborhood please stop by and give them a look and a squeeze!

Sock Summit Review

I had grand plans to blog every day of the Sock Summit. That didn't happen, did it? Instead, every evening as soon as I sat down at the laptop I fell asleep. I spent most of the week in the booth, of course, so I didn't get to see much of what was happening outside of my small corner of the marketplace. This article has a nice overview including a photo gallery with a number of good photos from the Sock Museum.

We had a wonderful time. I really don't think there is much that I would change-- my only regret is that I didn't have time to take classes with any of the incredible instructors. That and I wish I'd eaten more vegetables-- my body isn't used to a diet of donuts, hamburgers and beer!

Its not hard to imagine how fun it is to be surrounded by knitters, dyers, designers, crocheters, instructors, etc (plus all the yarn, patterns, needles, accessories you can dream of) for a week. And it was just as wonderful as you'd imagine. Better, even. I always love meeting knitters and they never really feel like strangers, you know? But this was the first time we've gone to an event and every time we turned around we would see someone else who we have talked to online, sold yarn to, followed the blog of, taken a class from, read a book by, etc. People came to Sock Summit from all over the world, and yet it felt like such a small community of friends.

If I add too many photos to this blog post the formatting gets awkward, so I'm including a few of my favorites but you can see more on our Flickr account. You can also see a short interview with me, and a lot of other great shots of the Sock Summit marketplace and reviews with other vendors here and even more about Sock Summit (and a photo of my Thigh's the Limit stockings) on the Knitting Daily blog!

Thank you Laurel!

I cannot thank Laurel, and her family, enough for being such wonderful hosts to me this week. I was always coming home late, whining like a baby about having to wake up early and made more of a mess than her three young children combined. Everyone in the family- from babysitting Grandma (who I just realized I know only as "Grandma" though I'm sure she has another name...) to the visiting sister, Crystal, to Laurel's own children and husband- was SO kind. The Sock Summit itself was wonderful, but my experience was made so much richer by having a quiet, comfortable place to come home to at night and a bowl of handmade granola to start each morning off with. Thanks to Joel for sharing his wife, his house and his coffee. Thanks to the kids for reminding me how to play. And the biggest thank you of all to Laurel for letting me into her home during a time when she was already so busy as a teacher at Sock Summit, not to mention a very pregnant mother, wife, daughter and sister. I couldn't have asked for a better place to stay and I cannot thank you enough.

Set up Day at Sock Summit

After hanging out with Laurel's wonderful family all morning, we arrived at the convention center with a van full of boxes and only the vaguest of plans. Several hours later and its starting to look like something! We still have all of this morning to finish up the details and run errands and hopefully they we'll be ready when the marketplace opens to the public this afternoon!

After setting up yesterday I had a special treat- Chelsea (YarnGeek) had just arrived in town with a friend (her LYS owner) and so we went out for a lovely dinner. Afterwards we stuck our feet in the hot tub/pool at their hotel and chatted for hours. Its so fun to finally meet people in person who I've spent so much time talking to online!

See You at Sock Summit!

Thanks to Tamsie for the fun graphic!