Simply Socks Yarn Co. Blog

Rowan Fine Art Sock Yarn Now Available... and a contest

If you are like me, you have been waiting for years to get your hands on this. The wait is over.  I now have nearly a quarter ton of the new Rowan Fine Art sock yarn for you!  Well, I have a lot less now, because many of you took part in the preorder of the entire collection (which starts shipping tomorrow), but I still have a lot available to those of you who would like one or two skeins to start.

I also have a 72-page Rowan Fine Art Collection pattern book.  At $19.50 for the book, you get 14 sock and accessory patterns, so that's a great deal when you break it down to the per-pattern price, don't you think?

I'm quite excited about this and can't wait to cast on myself.  Don't know what pattern yet, but I really want to cast on tonight, so I'd better decide, eh?  This is the color I'm going with.  It's outside my normal crayon box of color, which would typically be green or blue.  What do you think you'd knit first out of this collection?  Tell me what color and if that's a typical color for you, or something that is making you stitch outside your box.  I'll randomly choose one person from the comments below to win your color of choice. Simply leave me one comment (here on the blog comments below, not on Facebook) before midnight on Monday, May 20 and you could win!

Happy Monday!

 Recovering from a super busy weekend, full of family and fiber, so just a few tidbits today.

On Saturday, Angela (she's the yarn fairie who does the dry side of the Poste Yarn) brought in her shawl in Manos in Pindo (a color that's currently unavailable til Manos gets supply/demand under control).

Shop manager Heather dyed her hair a feisty shade of aqua last week, and as soon as I saw it, I knew it was a dead on match for this.  Super awesome, eh?

If you have been waiting for a few colors of Poste Yarn to arrive again, take a look.  Many of you have been asking for Buckeye, and it's back again with a few others.

We have shop-open hours tomorrow, Tuesday, so if you didn't make it to the shop on Saturday to see all the Madelinetosh, Unique Sheep and other yummies, come on by!  I'm working hard to get all the Tosh colors ready for the SSYC website and I'll get those up asap.

The subject of light

On the shop's Facebook page this week, I post the above picture.  It's a vision that made me happy in the early morning- we have so much natural light in the store that we rarely turn on lights, unless it's a shop-open day, and I think that's simply b/c people intuitively expect lights to be turned on when a shop is open.  The eight light fixtures in the shop don't really do a whole lot- it's the natural light flooding through the 17 windows of the storefront (there are even more in the back dye shop) that illuminate the shop so well.

This week marks two years since our 1940's post office restoration started.  When the restoration commenced, the exterior of these windows were covered in a dark tint, and the inside windows were covered with office walls.  We had no idea what our finished product would look like, as these windows hadn't been uncovered in decades.

 

But, oh, when it was complete five weeks later (I know, crazy fast), it was everything you could want in a yarn store.  Huge windows, high up so that no direct light hits the yarn, but loads of indirect light to show every little bit of love that a dyer has put into a skein.

I didn't realize what a big difference it makes to create a project in the yarn store that is illuminated with natural light versus one that uses fluroscent light.  Every yarn store I'd shopped in, until opening this new space, wouldn't have had enough lighting to see the yarn with out using electircity and either incandescent or fluorescent light.  Most shops have one ore two windows at the front or back, but since my shop is a stand-alone building, there is light on every side.

If you take a look below, you can see the difference light can make when choosing for a projects.  The skein you see is Madelinetosh Merino Light in Spectrum.  A fitting choice for this example not only because of the name, but because there are so many colors in just a few inches of fiber.  This first image is taken in a room that is lighted only with fluorescent light, no flash.

This second image is the exact same skein with the same camera also with no flash, taken in the shop, with only natural light.  A truer representation of the skein, with the exception that the image looks a bit brighter than if you were looking at the skein and not an image on a monitor.

 

You can see what a difference natural light can make when choosing colors for a project.  When I photo the yarn for the website, I also use only natural light and no flash.  That way, you get the best idea of what the yarn will look like in your hands.

Poste Yarn: Highligher colors

There's just something about striping neon colors that makes me happy.  I can tell they make you happy too b/c they sell quickly when we dye 'em.  Tropicana and Gold Coast are the newest from the Highlighter Series of Poste Yarn, and if there are other neon colors you'd like dyed, just let me know.  These are fun!

What would you like to see us dye next in our little restored post office dye studio?  I've had a few request for monochromatic colors, like three different purples, three different greens, that type of thing. Would that be something that more of you would be interested in too?  How would you like to see us spend our summer in our dye shop? 

I'm looking foward to a fun and busy week or two here in the store.  I'm expecting uber-big deliveries from Cascade, Madelinetosh and Rowan, and a few others awesome new small dyers too.  If you were going to come to the shop in the near future, this would be a great Saturday for that.  A lot of awesome fiber to show off to you.  And you can bet that my week will be busy getting everything up on the store's website as fast as possible!

Another cool first this week?  Tomorrow we ship out the first Poste Yarn sock yarn club.  If you signed up for this special Paris Poste Card Club, then be sture to check your Inbox on Tuesday for shipment information and pattern ideas.  I'm really excited to get your feedback on SSYC's 10th sock yarn club (first one to feature all Poste Yarn), so when you get your shipment at the end of the week, please e-mail me and tell me what you think!

End o' the week

The kids were sick and the work never stopped. But spending time with my knitting friends and enjoying the beautiful weather with my boys made it salvageable. What was the highlight of your week?

A friend's handspun.  Gorgeous.

Knitters took over the Friendly Fox for some food and fiber.

James' and Henry's first wagon ride together.

Henry enjoying the sun and water.

Plans

There was a long list of things I wanted to accomplish this week.  But do you know what changes your best laid plans?  Sick kids.  It's been that type of week for me.  I had hopes of getting so much done, and then the kids get sick.  First, Henry with a nose running like a water faucet, and then James sent home from preschool.  Ugh.

James rarely gets sick, so I'm letting him have a lazy kind of afternoon, just sitting on the couch watching toons while trying to keep liquids in him.  I really, really hope the baby doesn't get this one....

I hope your week is going better than mine!  Help me out and tell me all about the awesome things you're knitting this week!

Rowan Fine Art Sock Yarn

It's not a joke.  Rowan.  Sock.  Yarn.

Photos courtesy of Rowan

I know there are so many of you who have been waiting for years, like I have, for Rowan to release something like this- a special Rowan sock yarn.  It sounds like the wait is so worth it.  Rowan not only milled a new base yarn that includes silk and mohair along with wool and nylon, but they are using time honored techniques in hand painting each skein while also empowering the individuals who create the yarn.  It seems like they have waited quite a long time to find the perfect conditions to further their mission in a wonderful way.  I'm so proud that Simply Socks Yarn Company will soon be a part of this, and offer the new Fine Art sock yarn line. 

The yarn will arrive here mid-May (maybe earlier) and if you are a lover of all things Rowan, or want to be, I have available a special offer for you.  You can preorder the collection-of-eight of the Rowan Fine Art collection (one skein each) now, and you will be among the first to have this in your hands and on your needles.  You'll also receive a special gift from me to commemorate this occasion- a $25 store credit applied to your account for each collection you purchase (this will be applied after your order ships and then you'll see it apply to your next order at SSYC).  And yes, you can purchase more than one collection (and receive more than one credit on your account) if you'd like to gift one or split it among friends.  I've only offered preorder collections a few times in the past eight years (like Opal Harry Potter or Van Gogh), and I don't believe I've ever offered a store credit with purchase before.  But there's something about the way Rowan chose to go about this new collection, with the empowerment of women, that strikes me as celebration-worthy.  From Rowan, and you can read more here:

The ladies we have working with us come from some of the poorest and still marginalised communities in the area.  One of our goals from the very beginning was to introduce and develop the ideas of personal responsibility and integrity and to create an opportunity for genuine improvement in the living standards and experience of the people who work with us.

Like the wonderful yarns from Malabrigo, Manos and more, I expect Rowan's Fine Art sock yarn's demand to be much greater than supply.  If you read the details Rowan provides here, you can see how the yarn is created and have a better understanding of how special it is.

The skeins will retail for $29.95, which is a fair price considering the fiber content and artistry.  Manos Alegria retails for $24.25, and is a wool/nylon blend- no silk or mohair- and I can't even keep it in stock it sells so fast.

If you'd like to read Clara Parke's review of Fine Art sock yarn, just take a look at Knitter's Review.  Definitely a good read.

If you would like to purchase single skeins, those will be available for purchase as soon as the yarn arrives, just not for preorder.  If you know this is something you'd like to collect, I highly recommend preordering the whole collection.  While I ordered an obscene amount of this yarn, I also thought I ordered a lot of Manos, and it's been months since I've been able to get some of those colors.

We will also have a really nice Rowan pattern booklet featuring this sock yarn, and it's a great value for the money.  More details on that as they come, but the pictures above are from this pattern booklet.

Squee!  I'm so freaking happy about this yarn!

SSYC's Mother's Day Kit now available

Thank you for the many nice comments here on the blog, Facebook and via e-mail about the preview I showed of the Mother's Day kit I've put together for you.  The wait is over!  It's available here, and please do note that if the link stops working, that means it has sold out.

To read the details and inspiration for the kit, please go here.  This was a special kit to design and assemble- from the color and message of the bag, to the limoges-dishes-inspired yarn colorway, and the name of the pattern, it was all with my grandmother Eloise in mind.  We all have those people who have affected our lives in ways that we not only see daily, but can actually measure, and she was one of those people for me.

I expect we will be very busy over the weekend and early week getting these kits and all your other chosen goodies on their way to you.  Please allow us an extra day or so to give each package the attention it deserves.  We'll work our fastest!  Good thing we are surrounded by coffee shops to keep our caffiene intake at the optimum level!

Purple Limoges

My grandmother is the one who taught me to knit nearly 30 years ago.  I'm sure that when she taught me how to turn a thin srand into a three dimensional wearable object, that she didn't realize that the craft she showed me would one day help support my family and many others.  To her, it was something that we could enjoy tinkering away at together at her lake cottage in Coldwater, Michigan during the summer weeks.  Something to keep me busy so she could cook a meal in quiet peace.  She taught me many things, but the simple knit stitch could be the most impactful.

The last time I put together a special Mother's Day kit was in 2010, but I had some great ideas swirling around in my head and I couldn't let this one pass without commemorating it with something special.  So in about a week (perhaps less), you'll see the Purple Limoge Knit Kit for sale at Simply Socks Yarn Company; an exclusive collection of yarn, pattern, bag and a little something shiny.  I like shiny.

The yarn is a 55% silk/45% merino from Claudia's Hand Painted Yarn.  The combination of purples with silver and bronze is reminiscent of my grandmother Eloise's limoges dishes.  The sheen of the yarn really brings out the bronze and silver in the skein, giving the finished knitted fabric little pops of a metallic nature.  The pattern is the newest release from Lara Neel, and is exclusive to Simply Socks Yarn Company til the end of the year.  The stitch pattern is a take on this blanket, which Lara came to my home to photo with Henry, and when I saw it hanging from my bannister, I knew that the zig zag nature would show off Claudia's hand painting perfectly.

Everyone likes a little bit of sparkle or shine, right?  These charms do the trick.  Add them to the top of gift socks, or the neck of a shawl to remind the person wearing your gift that you knit every stitch with love.  While a knitted gift is a special token, I think it's the time and love we give that's worth more than anything.

Photo courtesy of Lena Brown

This kit is packaged with love in a violet cotton project bag stamped with the phrase "Knit with Love"- so you can gift the shawl inside the bag to someone special, or keep it yourself and use it over and over.

This kit is priced lower than nearly every kit I've put together- under $60.  And for 150 grams of silk blend yarn, a bag, a pattern and charms, it's a fabulous deal.  Claudia gave me a wonderful price on this yarn for you, so I'm pleased I can pass along this savings to you.

As usual, our kits sell quickly, so if this is something you definitely want, I recommend signing up for our e-newsletter, watching this blog, or liking our Facebook page to be notified when it goes live.  It could be on or before Saturday, if we are able to assemble everything this week.

Edited to add on 4/26/13:  The kit is now available!  If the link no longer works, that means it has sold out.

Hanging on

Henry is nearly 10 months old now.  10 MONTHS!  It seems to have passed so quickly.  Too quickly, really.  Henry is the last baby for Joe and I, so I find myself trying to force myself to remember all these moments, because I know this is the last time I'll experience them.

I'm having a hard time reconciling my need to have my life back with letting go of this special time when I'm needed SO MUCH.  It's like I've spent the last 10 months convincing myself that all he sacrifices I'm making for him are so important, all the while he keeps growing and changing and needs me less and less.  It's a hard adjustment for me to make.  I like being so important to him, but at the same time it's almost suffocating.  Are you going through that now?  Or do you remember this feeling?  I'm starting to think that this is something that I'm going to experience for the rest of my life with my kids- that I think I've grown accustomed to things I can't change, and then they go and change the rules on me and I'm left trying to manage. 

I know that I can't hold onto time, and that for me to experience something new I have to give up the old.  But the problem is that what I'm going through right now is so awesome... what if the new isn't so awesome?  I know life isn't predictable and I won't always be surrounded by healthy, happy people I love and who love me.  I think that's what's hard about this stage for me- I don't see how it can ever be better and that's scary.  Parenthood. *sigh*

Henry started standing last week.  And this week he's already trying to walk from one reachable thing to another.  He hangs on to one thing and kind of flails an arm til it reaches something he can grasp.  Sometimes he grasps nothing and does a face plant on the floor.  Sometimes his arm reaches an object and he flings his body in that direction, finding a new thing to grasp onto.

Henry is such a happy little guy.  He rarely cries.  When he does, it's someone he's focused on leaves his field of vision.  He loves eating.  His fave purees are avacado/melon, chicken noodles, squash w/ lentils, and today really liked blueberry/peach/banana.  He adores his big brother (and the feeling is mutual... most of the time).

It's so cool to be able to kind of relive the moments and stages with Henry that I got to experience with James five years ago.  I guess it's no wonder that I don't want things to change so quickly.

It could be that I'm obsessed...

...with stripes.  Again.

I can't help it.  Stripes are my kryptonite.  I adore them on drapes and pillows, clothing, knitting.  There's just something about them that bring out Addiction Allison.  Above is a cowl I started on Sunday, simply by casting on 68 stitches with US 4 circs and joining into a round.  Then, using two colors of Sausalito, knitting four rows of French Roast and four of Borealis and letting the yarn do the work.  Much like watching the colors change on a self-patterning sock, this cowl has me addicted.  And it's basically just a long tube that I'll kitchener the ends of when I run out of the two balls each of the colors.  Mindless, gorgeous knitting, and would be equally awesome in crochet.

I knit a thinner scarf-sized version earlier, completed it quickly, and I don't think I'll be done anything soon with this stripey trend.  For the scarf, I used one ball each of Mini Mochi in Spice Market and Storm Clouds.

We just got in new colors of both Sausalito and Mini Mochi, and here are some colors that I'm considering doing next.  This could be what everyone is getting for Christmas this year.  I didn't think I had much time for knitting, what with the baby and all, but I'm letting go of sleep because I'm so into this cowl and the color options.  Like this:

Mini Mochi 303 and 307

Sausalito 8455 and 8454

Or Sausalito 8107 with 8307

Or you can combine any Sausalito or Mini Mochi with any solid Mini Mochi color you like.  That way, you could have a rainbow scarf with Mini Mochi 101 (rainbow) with a black stripe.  Or any pastel Mini Mochi with white or pale gray (oyster).

The possibilties are endless.  And addictive.

Want to know what else arrived this week?  New colors and restocks of Noro Taiyo, more Opal Sweet and Spicy (including color 6750 that was stuck in Customs for so long) and Smoky Eyes and Colored Lips, restocks of Malabrigo Sock and Arroyo (you could knit this sweater in Arroyo like Rachael did.  Gorgeous.), more Karbonz needles from Knitter's Pride (I'm using the circs right now and love them), Dream in Color Smooshy & Smooshy with Cashmere... it's been a busy week!

Fleece Artist, celebrating 35 years

When non-knitters walk through the doors of Simply Socks Yarn Company, they can hardly believe that the craft of sock knitting supports such a grandiose display of color and fiber.  Afterall, a non knitter can't imagine that there are people who choose to knit their own socks, let alone are passionate about it to the point of obsession (Yes, I'm obsessed. I admit it.), and that a store has been around for nearly eight years just to supply and inspire those knitters and crocheters.

So you can understand my awe of someone who has not only been in the fiber industry for 35 years, but has moulded it, inspired it, and done it all with integrity and imagination.  Fleece Artist has made it through the ups and down of the knitting industry and its popularity, and has not only started trends in sock knitting like with Casbah (cashmere blend sock yarns, anyone??) but has stayed on the crest of the knitting wave for nearly four decades. 

Kathryn Thomas, owner of Fleece Artist, was the first fiber artist I interviewed for the SSYC newsletter, and I've reprinted that interview below.  But first, you must check out the fabulous deal in the Sale Section (likely starts on page 2 or 3) that Kathryn sent us on a special "Emily" worsted weight superwash merino/nylon yarn.  For what would regularly be sold for $23, you can get a skein (or many) for $13 each.  These would be perfect for thick socks (two skeins for a large pair), baby garments, baby blankets, or sweaters. 

Don't hesitate if you see something you like, as I'm sure the colors will start selling out within a day, especially if you want multiples for larger projects.  So check out your Ravelry queue to plan your project, or consider the Moderne Baby Blanket, or it's full sized cousin, Tea Leaves Cardigan, Feb Lady's Sweater, Beatnik, or Gramps.  Then go to the Sale Section to see what's available.

Here are a few color collections to consider:

Spring multicolors with Beach House, Moondust and Stone

Baby semi solids, Jacobean Blue, Mint, Straw, Rose, Salt Spray, Ivory

 

Wearable semi-solids for sweaters, Periwinkle, Tourmaline, Plum, Amber, Beet, Cedar, Stardust, Charcoal, Ocean

So now, the interview with Kathryn Thomas from 2005:

SSYC: How did you start Fleece Artist?
K: Fleece Artist started in 1978 to supply fellow textile artists with hard-to-get natural fiber. In 1996 we built a dye-house and began selling our own colourways through yarn shops.
SSYC: As a knitter, it must be tempting to be surrounded by so much beautiful fiber. What do you like most about your job?
K: I like it most when customers are happy- then all the hard work pays off!
SSYC: Our customers are very happy with Fleece Artist. Your colorways are pretty unique. How do you come up with the ideas for your colorways and yarns?
K: We contract mills to spin our yarns to our specifications, and concentrate on luxury natural fiber: mostly wool, cashmere, and silk. Fleece Artist is comprised of five dyers, many from Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, so there is lots of input and ideas about color. Because we do one-of-a-kind colorways, we can express many, many colors. We dye to order creating unique yarns for every customer.
SSYC: How did you learn to knit?
K: All my relatives knit- but back in those days, old grannies would whack fingers that dropped stitches... So I would sneak a peak and learn on my own!
SSYC: What is the one knitting project you just can’t or haven’t finished?
K: After 30 years, I finish everything now- no more unknitting for me! If a project is not turning out, it just becomes something else. I used to do sweater backs, get bored, then rip it out. I could have had the best pillow selection in the universe!
SSYC: When you are not working with fiber, what do you do to unwind?
K: Spend time with my dogs- sorry cat people!
SSYC: What do you think about the increase in the popularity of knitting?
K: It’s great! The young are taking up the craft; so many old crafts have died out. We know this will not happen to knitting!

*          *          *

Congrats to Kathryn, her daughter, and her staff.  Your committment to the fiber industry and to your customers throughout the world is an inspiration to us all.  Lets hope for at least 35 years more!

Silent auction fundraiser HUGE success!!

I'm so proud of what local sock knitters donated at Saturday's SSYC Silent Auction to Benefit the Community Harvest Foodbank!  Fiber artists really are a great force, and on Saturday we raised $1357.08!  Claudia, the rep from CHF came by this morning and accepted the checks and cash donated, and was very grateful to everyone for their support.  This $1357.08 includes over $1000 made at the auction, plus the money so far from these skeins, and a few checks that were donated from those of you who couldn't attend the event in person but still wanted to donate. 

Thank you to all our dyers/crafters/companies who sent great donations for the auction.  There were over three dozen kits, skeins, and bag sets donated by the generous people and companies we offer in the store.  Should we do a similar event next year, I hope to find a fair way to bring it online as well.  I'll definitely let you know if this happens.

Here are a few pictures from the event:

A special wedding gift

Someone special to me recently knit a  gift for a wedding.  A lovely shawl that perfectly matches the dress, and even had Michelle at Three Bags Full on Etsy make a matching bag to go with the shawl, so that the shawl could be gifted in the coordinating bag.

The Haruni was knit with the Curiosity color of Pashmina.  Two skeins.

Have you received or gifted something special like this?  I love the idea of gifting that special something in a coordinating bag.  I know many of your like the kits we put together because you then gift the bag with the coordinating project.  Have you done this before or had this done for you?  Do tell.

Special Saturday

This Satuday, April 13, Simply Socks Yarn Company is hosting a special event- a silent auction to benefit the Community Harvest Foodbank.  If you live in Fort Wayne or are within driving distance, I highly recommend attending (1315 E. State Blvd) from 1-2pm to bid on special items donated by our generous dyers/crafters/yarn companies.  I have nearly four dozen kits, skeins, bags and accessories for you to bid on and take home.  Looking for a special gift for a new baby in your life?  Lorna's Laces has a hand knit monster and a wee little sweater for you.  Want a gift for the knitter in your life?  Claudia's Hand Painted Yarn has donated several shawl kits to inspire.  Want to design your own Poste Yarn striping color and get five skeins dyed to order?  That's on the table too. What about a sock kit featuring the bag below from Michelle of Three Bags Full?  Don't miss it!

Full details can be found at this Ravelry event listing.  I would really appreciate if you could share this link with Ravelry groups you think might be interested, or on Facebook, or by e-mailing or talking to friends.  I could use any help in spreading the word about this event.  Each dollar we raise can be leveraged by the Community Harvest Foodbank into $7, using their support network and corporate assistance.

Please bring your check book or cash, as the foodbank doesn't have a way to process your credit card at the event.

You can come early or stay late after the auction, as the store is open for shopping from 10-4, and the silent auction runs oly from 1-2pm.  See the new things on the shelves like the special deal trickling in through customs to celebrate Fleece Artist's 35th anniversary (more on that later).  Or check out Opal's new Diamont collection.  Choose a new set of high tech carbon composite Karbonz needles from Knitter's Pride.  Or how about a hand made needle case from Lena Brown?

If we are able to put together a similar event next year, I hope to find a way to include our knitters and crocheters worldwide.  If you'd like to support the even this year, you can snag a skein of this special edition colorway of 100% silk from Tanis Fiber Arts.  I'm donating 10% of the sales to the foodbank for this delicious skein.