Simply Socks Yarn Co. Blog

When knitting for others backfires

We knit for others with the best of intentions.  We knit a pattern that we think they will enjoy wearing, in colors that suit them, and with fibers that we think will be soft or durable- whatever the situation calls for.  But sometimes that unselfish endeavor backfires.  What if you took a bit of a chance and they don't like what you've knit?  What if the colors are too bold or if it turns out they think they are allergic to wool?  What if you end up liking the project so much that the whole time you are knitting it, you are cursing yourself b/c you want to keep it for yourself??

That's the situation I find myself in this morning.  I started new project yesterday afternoon, and continued late (at least for me) into the night.  And this morning I've even picked it up again.  I'm three-quarters done with this sock that I'm knitting for someone else, and all I want to do is keep it for myself.  I think it's that awesome.

Now, I don't know that the person I'm knitting it for will think it's awesome.  I don't know this person very well yet.  But I chose the project based on what I think she will like, and now I adore it too.  I can't share pictures here, because it's supposed to be secret and I don't want her seeing this project or hearing about it.  But here's a glimpse of the first inch.

Not exciting at all, I know.  Just an inch or so of black.  And you know how I feel about knitting black- it's awful on the eyes at night, knitting all those tiny stitches.  I rarely knit dark socks.  But there's lots of black in this sock (along with five other colors) and I don't even mind, it's that awesome.  But I'm not going to keep this project, which I can't even reveal to you til late this summer when it's gifted.  I'm going to give it up to a good home and I might knit myself a pair too!

I'm knitting this sock using Simply Sock Yarn, Solids.  I needed very specific colors, and my yarn line happened to have them all.  And it's been a year or so since I've knit my own yarn line, and I have to admit that it's a fabulous yarn.  None of the balls had knots when winding, no breaks, no snags, no white spots in the super-saturated colors I'm using.  And I forgot how soft and squishy the fiber is when it's knit.  I do get e-mails on a regular basis saying how much you enjoy knitting the yarn- the reasonable price and the large color selection make it very popular.  And I agree with you- it's very, very nice stuff!!

*By the way, the server upgrade has been moved, so I'll post here again when the website is closed for a day or so for the upgrade.

 

Ask the Knitters

Dear Knitters,

I'm going on vacation soon, and I'm looking forward to knitting during the car trip and while relaxing on the porch at our destination.  When you take a trip, how many projects do you pack?  Do you pack a large one that occupies you the entire time?  Or smaller ones that are easily transportable and can be stopped and started easily?
What about needles and accessories? Do you pack extras or just enough?  Am worried that I'll forget something crucial that I'll need to cast off/finish/ free the current needles.

Sincerely,

A-certain-sock-yarn-store-owner, selfishly-using-this-series-to-figure-out-how-to-pack-for-vacation

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Help a knitter out and leave your advice in the comments section below.  Have a question you'd like to see answered here?  Simply title an e-mail Ask the Knitters and send it to service@simplysockyarn.com.  Your question could be chosen for this series.

Past week in pictures

A perfectly inpsiring Wingspan Shawl knit by Jan in Zauberball Crazy 2085.  While variegated shawls look lovely in this free pattern too, I think it's the striping ones that make it really sing. Like Zauberball, Zauberball Crazy, Lang Jawoll Magic and Lang Jawoll Magic Degrade.

Socks enjoying the sunny day.  A test knit that turned out lovely.

James enjoying a nice view of the pond with his perfect desk setup: sticker mosaics, 'toons on the iPad, and a fly swatter (apparently he finds flies intolerable).

A first time event: the ice cream truck actually came to our Amish 'hood!  James and I both got something tasty.

The perfect knitting spot- the porch on our upcoming vacation rental.  I booked our getaway- close enough to travel comfortably for me and James, and plenty of fishing for Joe.  I think I did well.

Taking a moment to breathe and thank

You all know a great sale when you see it, and you definitely know how to spread the word.  What started out as pallet amounts of the retired collections of Opal sock yarn has now dwindled down to just a few boxes.  You've kept us on our toes the past couple weeks- all three of us have worked extra hours packing up all your orders, and we greatly appreciate your continued support of SSYC.

Afterall, it's not just my family and the family of dyers and yarn companies you have supported these past nearly-seven years. SSYC now employs more people and our families thank you too!  With each purchase you make at my small (but ever-growing) sock yarn store, you affect the lives of myself, the ladies who work for me, our husbands and young kids, all the small dyers who send us fiber and the workers from larger companies, delivery people and their families, and even the small businesses and neighborhood around SSYC who are affected by the influx of shoppers and of the restoration of a previously unused but worthy building.

You allow us all the flexibility to care for our wee ones and also be home in time for the bus or the pre-school pick up.  We make a living wage doing something that we really like.  Those that phone the store, stop in the store or e-mail are pleasant and gracious and I feel that we see the best of the best in people.  You all are the best bosses ever!

Enough gushing.  I'm in a good mood (much better than last week), even though I've been up since 4am (ugh, this baby won't stop dancing).  Now take a look at the awesome new spring bags from Bird Leg Bags!

I'm still learning

While I learned to knit nearly 30 years ago, I've been knitting consistently and nearly obsessively, for over 10 years now and I'm still learning about myself and my style of knitting.  This week, what I already knew about myself was reinforced.  I'm a process knitter who enjoys small projects.  I don't have the attention span to complete large projects in a timely manner- perhaps it's the hectic pace of my life, perhaps I'm easily distracted, perhaps I just don't appreciate bigger projects.  Whatever the reason, my current preference is solidified, and I have absolutely no guilt about it!

This Sunday I tore out my Creekbed Scarf.  Above shows the remnants of what I had knit- just those tiny little balls, shown compared with the large unknit green color to show you how much I actually had done- only a few inches of the 441-stitches-across scarf.  Since I started this project on November 2nd, I knit just a few rows here and there, mostly when I had finished a sock or something at knitting group and needed something to work on for an hour before starting something else.  But yesterday, surrounded by a dozen of my knitting friends, I said that I really wasn't enjoying the project because knitting the project lengthwise made me feel like I wasn't getting anything done- I'm the type of knitter who needs to see progress, or I get impatient and bored.  It was suggested that I tear it out- afterall, why continue knitting something that wasn't doing it for me right now?  I had thought I would just keep it on the needles and knit it here or there when I decided to get it out, but after I thought more I realized that knitting is my time for relaxation, meditation and enjoyment and why should I knit something I'm not loving?  Especially when the yarn itself is so wonderful and I'd much more appreciate knitting it into something else- perhaps a few smaller, more manageable projects.

Have you done this before?  Just torn out a project originally you were so excited about and that you planned the perfect yarn to match the perfect jacket?  I really thought I would enjoy this one, and in reality it reinforced why I am a sock knitter.  After nearly 10 years of knitting mostly socks(peppered with a few mitts, lacy shawlettes, and baby blankets) I know that one-skein projects are still the ones that make me the most satisfied.

So here's what I did finish- my first started and completed project of 2012, my Van GoghSunflower socks.  I used my basic stockinette sock pattern, which is very similar to this one, and they fit perfectly.  Now I think I might cast on a baby onesie!

Insert Dispicable Me Soudtrack Here

I think this is the perfect song for my frame of mind.  I can't pin point anything particular, but I'm just having a crap week.  I'm in a bad mood, I'm short tempered, and of course my solution was to go to Target and buy lots of much-needed pregnancy clothes.  Which is good in a sense, but also makes me think "Why should I buy cute things that I can only wear for another three months?!"  See?  I'm in a no-win state of mind.

What do you do when you want to get out of a funk?  Do you knit?  Do you eat?  Do you drink?  What always seems to catapult you out of a poopy state of mind into a fair one?

The weather here is lovely- a perfect 75, which is unheard of this early in March in Indiana.  But every time I go outside I just think "Ugh, it's just too bright out here."

I will say that one thing that made me feel a bit better was a lovliness that Schaefer Yarns sent, restocking our Anne, Heather and Nichole yarns.  I particularly like Elizabeth Zimmerman this time.

Tomorrow I think will be a good day to take off and spend with James.  Look at my Mr. Bed Head:

Can't. Stop. Clicking.

Can someone please come over here and tape all my fingers together so that I can't use my index finger to click "Place Order"?  I spent most of last week buying things, and now it has started arriving.  So far, a new computer, outdoor rugs from One Kings Lane (warning: awesome stuff at cheap prices, and yes you have to sign up to get access, but you won't get spammed at all), new bedding for James' Big Boy Room (using gift cards I got for Christmas), and now I'm trying not to buy accessories off Etsy for James' room.

I think I've officially hit the nesting stage of my pregnancy.

You'd think that with all the Sale Opal orders being shipped around the world to all of you right now, I wouldn't have time to shop online.  But showing things to Mary and Heather in the store just makes it worse.  Last week, I didn't even have to convince Mary to buy a rug from One Kings Lane after I showed her what I bought.  But the orders are still flying out the door to you all, even though I'm taking frequent shopping breaks!

I've also ordered an obscene amount of yarn for the store recently, so you know my extravagant purchases aren't purely selfish!  More on that later... 

Arrived...

Here sits Mary, perching on one box to inventory another.  I think she could easliy fit into one of these.  Only a few dozen left to inventory, Mary!  Take a look at the Sale Section if you want to snag some of the great deals from Opal.

Take a look at this awesomeness.  Lara, who knit the new baby his first garment recently, was just published in Knitty!  Using Simply Sock Yarn!  If you come to the store in person, you've seen Lara in here- and usually she's in some state of disarray b/c we've taken off whatever knitted garment she's wearing to fondle and admire it.  If she wears in a shawl, she's lucky to leave the store without 20 people touching it.  If you want to knit more of Lara's patterns, check out this one (knit by Heather, one of the SSYC Crew who helps pack up your orders) or this one.  I have more Madelinetosh Merino Light coming soon if you need yarn for either pattern.  CONGRATS, LARA!

Woah

When the warehouse manager of the yarn company calls and asks you if you'd prefer your yarn in boxes or ON PALLETS, you know you're getting a lot of yarn.  Holy moly.

For this never-done-before 50% off sale on retired Opal collections, check the store's Sale Section in a few days.  Here's a tease of what's due to arrive.

It's a...

Boy!

James will have a baby brother in a few months, and I will be the only female in a house full of testosterone.  We are all very happy about having another little guy in the house, and James already has plans to "build a long tent so we can all snuggle!"  So now's the time to come up with some name ideas for the little dude.  Do you have suggestions?  I have one I really like, but Joe says NO, so we are at a standstill.  Regardless of his name, he's already on his way to a hand knit wardrobe, as my friend Lara gifted him this little sweater she knit and designed on the fly.  Talent.

Try and pay no attention to the messy play room.  Just focus on the awesome sweater please.

Opal Yarn, Fairies & Elves

Another anticipated collection from Opal has arrived, and when we opened the boxes of this yesterday, we agreed that the colors of this one were some of the nicest we'd seen.  Yes, the colors in the Van Gogh collection were awesome, but I can say that I'd be happy to knit any of the colors of this newest collection.  They are all quite nice.

Now, the pictures of the fairies above are quite another thing.  I imagine a 14-year-old anime addict dreamt up the images that are strewn throughout this poster.  If you were to see the full sized poster in person like we have on display in the store, you'd likely tell that fairie in the upper left to cover her bum. No one needs to see that much of your rear when selling sock yarn!  If you're coming to the store tomorrow or this Tuesday for showroom hours, you can tell me if you agree.

Dream Club, March 2012

This month brings the last installment of the Dream Club by Dream in Color.  This 50/50 silk/wool blend is dyed to a beautiful silver which shows of this stunning shawl perfectly.  Can't you just imagine wearing this to a summer wedding or special affair?  To snag this 1100 yard laceweight skein and the free pattern, just go here.  And for those of you who missed out on the February color (it sold very quickly), Dream in Color is sending me just 10 more skeins that they found, so e-mail me at service@simplysockyarn.com if you want one.

A new Dream Club won't begin til later this year, so if you want to get yourself something special from Dream in Color for your summer knitting, don't miss out on this one.  I also have a restock of Smooshy colors, so if there's one you're waiting for, check it out.