Simply Socks Yarn Co. Blog

SSYC's 27th Yarn Club is LIVE!

SSYC's 27th Yarn Club is LIVE! Go here to sign up for three months of greatness. I'm super excited about this one, as ever since I post about the idea of a Hat Set Club a couple weeks ago, I have received a lot of feedback on social media and especially e-mail. You all really wanted me to make this happen and I'm super happy to. Yes, it did require a last minute pivot, as I already had a different idea in the works, but our monthly SSYC Hat Sets have been selling out so fast and so many people miss out that I think this is a fab way to make oh-so-many of you happy and spread the hat love.

What can you expect in this three month club? Gorgeous skeins. Goods handmade with care and love. Thoughtful design. Each month a full sized skein of either DK or Worsted weight yarn, a beautifully coordinating pom pom and other goodies like patterns, tools, stickers, little note cards - basically things that either come in handy or make us feel good and smile. Yes, the yarn and pom are meant for a hat. But you can use it for whatever you want. Heavy weight socks, mitts, or get another skein (yes, we will have extras you can tack on after) for legwarmers or several for a sweater. And I find that I just love having a few extra poms in my knitting stash so I can add them to a hat, to a ceiling fan pull, to a kids' backpack, to a keychain, to the top of a gift, use as a Christmas Tree ornament.... so many pom-possibilities!

The cost of this club is $140 today and that includes shipping. Next week it will go up in price to $146, assuming there are still spots left - some years the club sells out in days, but usually I can keep it open 10-14 days so you can wait for payday. By ordering early you basically get shipping of one month for free. It's just a little token of appreciation from me to you. Your encouragement and ideas mean everything. Since our SSYC Hat Sets (released here mid month) are typically $39, this is a great deal b/c for an extra $20 you are getting 1) shipping, extra goodies, and limited edition colors and 2) you don't have to visit the Kits & Clubs link every month and find that the one you saw in the preview already sold out in an hour. Instead, we package up your club with care and you get it automatically shipped to you. And if you have been in the club before, you know that I often surprise you with e-mailed coupon codes for discounts on that month's dyer or free shipping, these are not included in the cost, but are just icing on the cake. There are all sorts of surprises each month!

What dyers should you expect to see? I'M NOT TELLING. No, really. It's a complete secret this time. Sometimes I tell you one dyer ahead of time, but I'm not sharing any this time. I will share that we are adding three new dyers to the shop shortly, so perhaps that's a hint as to one? And you should not expect each month to be a 100% merino skein, though each skein will be mainly merino wool. We're trying other fibers, textures, etc. I'm really pushing the limit of our dyers and artisans and I can't wait to see the results.

Signing up now means you pay now to secure your place for all three months, March-April-May. We will ship these out mid-late month each month. These will not ship out early in the month, so please do wait until around the 20th of each month to see the monthly shipping e-mail we send out with pattern ideas and other tidbits. These are all high-demand dyers and need time to get their skeins to us. You can sign up if you are not in the US, but know that while we will ship out your club with the others, international shipping is taking 1-3 months. Last round, Australia stopped taking USPS packages, so we couldn't ship those out at all. I think Italy or another country did the same. So please do keep in mind that if your shipping address is not in the US that you are ordering knowing that the pandemic and shipping issues are out of our control and it could be months before you receive your package. US shipping is predictable, but international is not right now.

If you'd like to see some of the hat sets we've done this fall and winter, here are a few links to Instagram to show you: January, Christmas, December, November, October.  They have been SO well received and it makes me super happy that so many of you have given me such great feedback on these. My plan is to continue the mid-month hat sets through March, so you'll still see those in the Kits & Clubs section too. I might continue them later in the season because I have a feeling that I'm going to get a lot of e-mails if I stop. My intention was to just offer hat sets during the cold weather months, but as you all reminded me, hats are a great project any time of year (just like socks) as they are portable, small, and our loved ones are always in need of a good hat or three.

Oh, and if you are new to our clubs, please do order the club in an order of its own and do not add other items/ yarn to it. For your club to be counted it needs to be ordered alone. Yes, you can order several clubs on the same order, as many of you do. But if you order other goodies along with your club, you'll get an e-mail from me about me refunding those and taking them off your club order. Please order other things that you want today separately from your club subscription.

Have questions? You can always e-mail me, Allison, at service@simplysockyarn.com. I'm always happy to help. Now go sign up and join us in three months of fibery greatness!

On the way from Ireland....

.... New colorways from Hedgehog Fibres!

There are 15 in all and the Sock Yarn colors are already on their way, traveling in what I am sure are the best of accommodations across the world to us from Ireland to Indiana. I imagine the skeins are enjoying concierge service right now on their ship, sipping cocktails and watching the waves. Ah, our skeins can travel and we cannot. How's that for irony?

Here are the 15 colors on their way. Again, they will be here hopefully Monday of next week (Did I just tempt Customs Fate? Probably.) and only on Sock. We have Merino DK and Skinny Singles on order but Hedgehog is working at 15% capacity due to the pandemic there and so things are moving slooooooowly. We're all doing our best, right?

Bandit- Light green undertones with all the speckles that could fit!

Shape Shifter- Kaleidoscope of ever changing layers of color.

Static - High contrast deep eggplant and lighter colored multi speckles.

Mulberry - Rich and vibrant. Reds and pinks with a touch of blue and green. So many layers.

Maelstrom - Dark and Brooding. Like a stormy sea.

Orca - Black with a few white highlights. Completes a white to black fade.

Renaissance - Rich, autumnal reds, oranges and greens.

Pet Rock - A new neutral with an almost "tweedy" look.

Brine - Muted grays and rich teals.

Merman - Who doesn't love a good blue? Tons of speckles too!

Soundwave - Unusual purple vibes with cool tone speckles.

 

Puffball - Soft peachy neutral, with multicolored speckles

Flamingo - Bright bright bright! You'll see this one across the room.

 

Sweet Pea - cute and pink with lots of delicate speckles.

 

Filigree - Reminiscent of gold jewelry. Opulent and fun.

Do check early next week to see colors added to the 100+ colors we regularly stock. And then their other bases in these colors in Feb.

On another note, I'll be offering sign ups for our upcoming Hat Set Club later this week. If you have a picture of your finished hat set you'd like me to share with others as an example of what one can make with these hat sets, please do e-mail me your pictures to service@simplysockyarn.com or just send me your project page on Ravelry and I'll pull those photos from there. I can't wait for you all to see what I've put together for the club - just gorgeous colorways paired with super fun poms.

Ask the Knitters

Hi Knitters,

I saw last week that there were lots of helpful responses for this "column", and I thought "I have a question for The Knitters too!" I've noticed that Allison makes up some hat sets and sock sets and I have not yet pounced on any of them. Well, I've tried for hat sets but the ones I want seem to sell before I get one. So I am planning on signing up for the hat set club she mentioned.

Anyway.... my question.... for those who have knit these hat sets or sock sets, what patterns have you used and loved? Can you share? I've seen pattern ideas that Allison shared but I didn't see one that really got me (no offense, Allison!) but I did really like some of the suggestions for patterns last week that came from readers of the blog.

Would you mind sharing with me what you've made with these sets or plan to make with the ones you've purchased? Thanks!

Hat Knitter Hoffa

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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 on to service@simplysockyarn.com . Your question could be chosen for this series.

It's finally here! All the Opal!

Can I tell you how impatient I am sometimes for yarn? I'm betting when many of you order yarn and it doesn't arrive as fast as expected, that you check tracking over and over, hoping for change. Well, sometimes I do that same thing too. And with importing being as unpredictable timewise as it has been in the past 1.5 years, sometimes packages from an order can trickle in over 5-6 weeks. No joke. Like six boxes arrive, and then the seventh does another month or more later after it just sits in Customs or travels to parts unknown.

Can I tell you how happy I am that the rest of our Opal Yarn order arrived? Not only because so many of you have been asking when these collections are coming, but also because I could not wait to knit them myself. Here they are, the Memories and Schafpate 13 collection.

Of course, I couldn't wait to cast on (Schafpate 11033 - oh, the greens), already got a lot knit and have already chosen my second cast-on of the week (Memories 11004). I love it all so much!!!!

Seriously, if you need a pick me up, this is the stuff. Take a look at all the Opal here, which includes the 6ply and 8ply heavier weight collections that arrived a couple weeks ago.

And it's mid-month, so I listed our 6 new SSYC Hat Sets here! I shared a sneak peek of them all last week and they tend to sell within a day or two, so if you don't see one that you liked, then it's sold. If there's one you really liked you can always e-mail me, Allison, at service@simplysockyarn.com because we might redo a few or do similar ones later.

Upcoming SSYC Hat Sets - January

Here's a preview of the six SSYC Hat Sets I'll have for you on Monday!

This month, I focused less on brightly in-your-face colors and more on darker, moody sets and earth tones with speckles. These make me think of winter and I hope they give you the same feel too.

I typically list these mid-morning EST, so check the Kits & Clubs section for these on Monday.

And I've gotten lots of comments and e-mails about my idea I posted last week of doing a Hat Set Club and so we're doing it! I'll put off the sock yarn club I had planned to start subscriptions for later this month and instead replace it with a Hat Set club that will start shipping in March/April/May. I was wondering if people want hat sets in the spring/summer and the resounding answer was Heck YES! Hats, like socks, are small portable projects that can be knit and crocheted year long and are great to have on hand for gifts. So check the blog or your e-mail (if you get our newsletters) for details in a few weeks.

Thanks for your interest in our Hat Sets! These are fun to put together and it's been a great addition to our normal winter offerings. We'll definitely do a February batch (with some stunning, romantic combos) , but I'm thinking that in March we'll focus on more warm weather things and bring the Hat Sets back for the fall/winter. We'll see!

Ask the Knitters

Dear Knitters,

I was a knitter as a kid, and just picked it up again during the shut down last year. I'm now addicted to socks (can't get enough!) and now I think I want to add using sock yarn for other projects too. Can you suggest specific projects that you really vibed with? Things you would want to knit over and over? I would like to stick with ones that use a single skein of sock weight yarn because I seem to have collected several loners.

I've looked on Ravelry and have queued one named Hitchhiker. Can you propose other ideas? I tend to choose wacky colors like some of these, if that helps.

Thanks from cold Indianapolis,

Ellie

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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 on to service@simplysockyarn.com . Your question could be chosen for this series.

Ooooooooh Silk. From Life in the Long Grass

We're totally in love with our latest batch from Irish dye studio Life in the Long Grass and their Silk Merino is definitely a big part of the reason. This stuff is 50% silk, 50% merino and it's just superb. No, I wouldn't use it for socks, but I would use it for anything you really want to have the most luxurious texture, amazing sheen and beautiful drape.

Now, I usually gravitate toward brighter, bolder hues, but there's something about Cauldron on the Silk Merino that really speaks to me. It has almost a weathered metallic look and I can imagine pairing it Joji Locatelli's Paris in Berlin. Burnished has the same effect, but with warmer tones.There's a bit of texture to that cowl and I LOVE a cowl that is deeper/longer in the front so it would show nicely under my camel colored wool coat. But do watch out when wearing a seat belt over it because it's likely to rub across it and make it pill a bit more than usual. So maybe slip it off or push it out of the way of a seat belt, mkay?

Photo used with permission of Joji Locatelli

Joji's Infinito Cowl is also a simple project that would look great with Silk Merino.

I do love pairing two colors together, and one of my fave skeins in the whole shop is Silk Merino in Firefly. I'd pair it with Harvest . Lughnasa or Podzolic would also look great with Harvest, but also Gorse.

Harvest above, Firefly below

Lughnasa above, Gorse below. Podzolic below that.

Shop manager Heather has made a Petals and Picots and love it. you can choose any color, and nearly any solid or variegated or speckle would look great as you can see from the first picture on the pattern page. It's designed by one of my fave yarny people who I finally met in person right before the pandemic, Carol of Swift Yarn.

I think that Ocean Flight and Frosting would be super awesome - light and bright.

Viking and Jade Gray are perfect if you want tonals with a bit of interest.

And Sailor Moon is just about the prettiest aqua I've ever seen. Use it alone or perhaps with Oyster for the Infinito above.

Upcoming SSYC Hat Sets

We have six new SSYC Hat Sets debuting on Monday the 17th - I'll preview them by week's end, likely on Instagram if I don't here on the blog.. Each month this winter we are doing special SSYC Hat Sets mid month where I pair a skein of DK or Worsted Weight yarn with a hand made pom, and they have been very very popular. They are listed here when they go live and have been all selling out within two days - some within hours. Typically we have six different ones to share and I've gotten some really great feedback from you on them. You like trying new bases like the Dream in Color Smooshy Cashmere, and you really like that I'm working with the dyers and pom makers to do all the color pairing for you so you don't have to guess what will look good with what.

They've been so popular that I'm considering putting off our next 3-month sock yarn club and instead doing a 3 month Hat Set club. Thoughts? Let me know in the comments how you feel about it, yay or nay. The Hat Set club would come with the yarn, pom and a pattern or perhaps a tool instead of a pattern on a month or two. And even though the club would start in mid-March (so selling end of this month and shipping mid-March/April/May) and we typically don't need hats in those months, I think that hats are just a great year 'round knit because, like socks, they are small and portable. I already have the next sock yarn club planned and ready to start subscriptions soon, but I really do like the idea of putting it off for the hat set idea.

Holly is one of you that can't get enough of these hat sets and here are some that she's done so far.  She says she's been using the Timber Bay pattern on Ravelry for hers. If you hover over the picture, the file gives you an idea of the color that was used. Aren't these just gorgeous? Thank you, Holly, for sharing with us what you've made so far this winter! She's making some really gorgeous stuff, if you want to check out her project page on Ravelry.

Malabrigo Arroyo KAL Color Ideas

Malabrigo Yarn is organizing their 2022 KAL which starts on February 1 and uses three colors of Malabrigo Arroyo (four skeins total- two skein of one color) to create this lovely La Mondiola shawl. If you haven't used this yarn before, it's a very soft, machine washable, sport weight merino wool available in a wide array of hand dyed speckles, tonal solids and variegated hues. Highly recommend for the quality and price.

Colors shown in the sample shawl are 162-Rumbo (two skeins), and one skein each of 047-Prussia Blue and 058_Borrjas. Available here.

Want to join? Great! First, take a look at all the Arroyo (sport weight) Malabrigo colors we have in stock. We typically stock them all, and if for some reason we sell out of one you want you can always e-mail me Allison at service@simplysockyarn.com to ask when it will return or if there is an awesome color suggestion to substitute. Also make sure you have a US 7 circular needle. 24" would likely be what I would choose, as I have lots of those around and I don't mind stitches scrunching together on my needles. You could also go with 32" or 40" circs. We have a wide array of needle options here.

Then go here to get the pattern. You can also join the Malabrigo Junkies group on Ravelry and I'm betting that there will be a KAL thread on there soon to chat in and talk to others about your color choices and pattern. I think that's where Malabrigo will be giving our prizes once the knitalong (KAL) actually starts. I do believe you can only get prizes if you use only Arroyo in the project and no other company's yarn. You can start early I guess, but why not wait?

Malabrigo also has a YouTube channel where they will be posting pattern tutorials. Keep in mind that they likely won't be posting anything until Feb 1 2022 when the KAL starts. Here are the things you will need to know to make this shawl: Increase with yarn over; Double Central Decrease; Slip stitch pattern; Understand slip stitch pattern; Elastic Bind off; Knit stitch and Purl stitch; Add a new color; Change to another color and carry non-working yarn.

Now, you know I'm all about the color combos. So, of course, I asked our shop manager Heather to put together color ideas. If have shopped with us in person any time in the past decade, you know how great she is at putting together the right colors for your project.

Above, 035-Frank Ochre (a new-as-of-today color on Arroyo along with 10 or so others), 089-Flama and 249-Talisman. Think wearable, fall/fire vibes. All available here.

Above, 036 Pearl, 064-Chispas, 049-Jupiter. Romantically sublte. All available here.

Above, 043 Plomo, 066- Lavanda, 872-Purpuras. Focuses on sultry purple/greys with fuchsia. All available here.

Above, 162-Rumbo, 057-Emglish Rose, 134-Regatta Blue.Speckles with pops of pink and vivid blue. All available here.

Above 163-Camino, 043-Plomo, 252-Wabi Sabi. I always love a purple/green combo. Like a forest bathing feel. All available here.

Above, 165-Norte, 415 Matisse Blue, 096-Sunset. Sunny with speckles. All available here.

Above 248- Petrichor, 096 Sunset, 051 Vaa. The ultimate fall vibes. All available here.

Above 251-Secret, 035-Frank Ochre, 250-Immortal. Full of jewel tones and what a lovely verdant green, right? All available here.

Above 252-Wabi Sabi, 054 Escorias, 048-Glitter. Earthy with loads of patina. All available here.

Above, 697-Moon Trio Full, 057-English Rose, 134-Regatta Blue. A color combo that will make non-knitters say "Wow, where did you get that shawl?! All available here.

If one of these color is missing from the shop at this link or if you think one of these color combos is almost what you want, but you want to change out a color and want our help in making sure it looks as great in person as you're hoping, you know you can always e-mail me, Allison, at service@simplysockyarn.com. I'll put real eyes on it and make sure. Or if there are any other questions, just e-mail. We're great at being your virtual personal shoppers. We typically have 75 colors of Arroyo in stock, so you have plenty of options to make your shawl exactly what you want. We also have other bases of Malabrigo too (in all the colors) if there's anything else you want to add to your order. Yes, we have focused on sock yarn for 16 years, but you all have guided me into carrying literally tons of other weights over the years too. I mean, look. We used to operate out of a bedroom 15 years ago. Now it barely fits into 3500 square feet.

Of course, you're also welcome to visit us in person in the shop in Fort Wayne, Indiana. But I thought these color ideas would be helpful to most of you who can't come see us in person. 

Free Shipping for New Year!

Let's say goodbye to 2021 by starting a fresh, new project, shall we? If you'd like to treat yourself to a skein (or many) to help you start 2022 with a smile, use coupon code FreeShip today (Friday, Jan 31) through Wednesday (Jan 5) and your US shipping will be free at Simply Socks Yarn Company.

Along with the complimentary project bags, stitch markers and great deals we offered in 2021, this is just another way I'm saying Thank You for helping us through a tumultuous year. Running a small business during a pandemic has been a study in frustrations, but you have kept us going and helped us all be of service and bring you joy during a tough time. We greatly appreciate you and your part in our 16th year at SSYC, and I hope it shows.

I loved knitting Tosh Sock in Amnesia into the Picnic Blanket socks below. We have over 300 Tosh Sock colors to choose from so you can knit your own!

What might you like to get to start your 2022 off in color? Well we have the most Madelinetosh we've ever had. Well over 2 tons and hundreds of colors in several base yarns. I even have new colors from them, colors like Gravity, Pardon My French, Rose, West Texas Sunset, The Delorean, The Force, Pink Mist Smoke Tree.... all gorgeous and available on several bases. Madelinetosh is raising their prices approx 10% in early 2022, so if you were hoping to stash something or get a sweater quantity of something, I recommend getting it now while the price is where it's at. If you need help comparing colors for a project, just e-mail me, Allison, at service@simplysockyarn.com.

Hedgehog Fibres Sock in Comeback

We also have imports from Ireland! Hedgehog Fibres and Life in the Long Grass just arrived this past week and you'll see more colors appear over the weekend as I have time to photograph them.

Hedgehog Fibres, Tweedy DK is back in limited supply. I have it in this sweater. It's amazing.

We also have two new Opal Yarn collections here now, the 6ply Paradise (sport to DK weight) and 8ply Ice Palace (worsted weight) which come in a big 150g ball and are perfect for thicker winter socks.

We have two more Opal Yarn collections making their way through Customs that should be here on Monday or Tuesday, the Memories collection and Schafpate 13.

Have you tried Onion Yarn's gorgeous Nettle Sock? It actually swaps out the nylon for nettle fiber, so you get a sock yarn that is nylon-free but still holds up nicely to wear. We haven't had this import from Denmark for over a year, but we're able to get it again.

Want to see the newest colors from UK's West Yorkshire Spinners? We have the new hues from designers Zandra Rhodes (like 1027 Zandra's Rainbow shown above) and Winwick Mum and ALL the DK weight colors too!

It's also worth checking out our Sale Yarn section as we received a beautiful shipment of DIC Colossal Sock, which is our exclusive yarn from Dream in Color. You get 50% more yarn for 45% off. Also take a look at the Regia we have in the Sale Section, like the rare, thicker 8ply color 8070 shown below. It's only $10.50 a ball!

I'll share more goodies here on the blog as we get them in the next few days. The coupon code allows you to use it twice, so if you wanted to pounce on something today and then get something else on Monday or Tuesday when more yarn comes in, that's the way to do it. I'm sorry that I can't offer free shipping to our international friends, but shipping is pricey and we already lose on shipping outside of the US. And just a hint, I recommend logging into your shop account (or adding your shipping info in your cart) before entering the coupon code b/c it wants to know where you are before it will apply. And sometimes with quick Check Out with Paypal and ApplePay it's easy to forget to apply the code.

I hope this little gift from us to you helps you start the new year right with a new knit. If you have questions about colors you're putting together, or just want some more info, we are always to be your personal shoppers via e-mail. Just email me, Allison, at service@simplysockyarn.com with all your questions and we're happy to help! We've gotten pretty darn good at being your virtual personal shoppers over the years and we love to know what you're knitting.

Happy Monday! What's new this week at SSYC?

And we're back at it here at SSYC after a lovely few days off with my. It really was nice to see my extended family all together for Christmas this year, since we did not last year b/c of the pandemic. This year we are all vaccinated and feel better about getting together and not spreading things, and it showed in what a great time we had together. My sister and I love watching White Christmas whenever we are together, and we all ate tons of great food, played cards (Euchre here in Indiana), board games, and just laughed a lot. It was great to see everyone.

Now I'm back at work (though alone today as my staff is still taking a nice break) and getting lots of things together for you this week. Life in the Long Grass and Hedgehog Fibres both arrived from Ireland, so I just need to get those photographed and up for you, and new Opal Yarn collections arrived from Germany - XL Ice Palace (a worsted weight option!), Paradise, Schafpate 13 (here's an overview of that project), and Memories, all shown here for you. Some should arrive today and some later this week, so I'm hoping to have them all up for you by Friday. I can't wait! My knitting mojo needs a good Opal color infusion - I'm really eyeing the green in the Schafpate collection below....

Past this week, well, I just can't think that far.... I'm giving up coffee for a bit, so my mind is rebelling. I know we will have Arroyo KAL ideas, some sock sets and hat sets for you.... but past that I just can't even think. OH! Here's a tease of our Valentine sock set we'll be doing with Dream in Color late this month. I adore it. I'll share more as I get my head together and get things photographed. 

OK, truth be told I'm also eyeing at least four of the above Memories colors. And the PO JUST DELIVERED FOUR HUGE BOXES (so big they barely made it through the door) of this one minute ago. We're still waiting for the rest to get through Customs though.

Twelfth Day of Sock Yarn

On the 12th Day of Sock Yarn, Simply Sock Yarn gave to meeeee....

A gift certificate and donation of my choice!

To have a chance at a $50 SSYC gift certificate for you and a $100 donation made by SSYC to the non-profit of your choice, simply answer the following question in the comments below:

When your interest in knitting or your "knitting mojo" diminishes, what do you do to get your excited about your craft again? Have you had times in your life when knitting or crocheting wasn't on the top of your list of ways to spend your time? Or perhaps knitting has always been something that you can't get enough of, ever since you started? Do share.

I started knitting when I was 7 or 8. My Grandma taught me and I knit with her here and there, during summers at the lake or when just hanging out at her house. She lived on the same street as me during most of my childhood. I picked up cross stitching in my teens, and then basically did very little crafting during high school and college. Then right after college I picked up knitting again, discovered great yarn, a friend taught me to knit socks and at 26 I opened Simply Socks Yarn Company. Knitting has been my main hobby for 20 years or so. Over the past 7 or 8 years I picked up volleyball again and play 6-10 hours a week (in non pandemic times, sigh) so I don't knit hours at time like I used to, but instead when I'm watching TV in the evening, sitting in the car, or at kid soccer games.

Me, Allison, in the shop

I do have times when I knit less than usual and the thing that gets me going again is usually a self patterning sock yarn. Opal Yarn is my go to (at least when we can get it- its been more difficult to import in the past year) and so I can't wait for this next shipment of collections to arrive next week and then the Van Gogh collection in Feb or March. I love watching the pattern develop as I knit, and I often find myself staying up an hour later than intended as time just passes by.

Today is the last day of our 12 Days of Sock Yarn celebration and we're giving away the same gift as we did yesterday, as it's my favorite so I decided to do it twice this year - a gift certificate and donation to your chosen non-profit. This is a prize we started giving last year.. It allows me to treat one of you, and allows you to direct a donation to a cause you value. Last year's winner, Stephanie, chose Fisher House, and I liked that cause so much that I offered to match anyone else's donation up to $2000. I love that together our small moves can make a large impact.

What might you want to purchase with your gift certificate? We have some great holiday themed goodies that are almost gone for good, I adore these mini sets with this pattern, and just got in a super cool batch of stripes from Julia at Knitterly Things. Do take a look at the shop! While we aren't shipping again until Monday, you can place your order any time this weekend and we'll get things out as soon as the holiday weekend is over.

Vesper Sock in Live in Technicolor

Thank you for joining us in another year of our yarny holiday. It's been a joy to read your comments and learn more about you. During the past year a half when I'm not able to connect with people like I'm used to, my blog and social media has made me feel closer to this community and I'm very grateful. Thank you for sharing your lives with all of us.

I'll leave this contest/comments open more than 24 hours (likely until after the 26th) so you can enter at your leisure. I typically announce the winners of the contests sometimes in January, though there have been a few years that I don't find time until February. If you are one of the randomly chosen winners, you'll receive an e-mail and also be listed here on the blog when I do an entire post about the winners. Thanks for playing!

Eleventh Day of Sock Yarn

On the 11th Day of Sock Yarn, Simply Sock Yarn gave to meeeee.......

A gift certificate and donation of my choice!

To have a chance at a $50 SSYC gift certificate for you and a $100 donation made by SSYC to the non-profit of your choice, simply answer the following question in the comments below:

Are you making a New Year's resolution this year? Or a goal for your knitting or crafting? Do tell!

I can't think of any resolution I'm making for 2022. Life or knitting in general. I always want to be healthier and have more work/life balance and I've really make headway in that this past month as I'm no longer in a boot (I tore my Achilles and had other issues so was in a boot for 4 months of 2021) and I've been making more time for myself, even if that is just a few minutes to read or knit. I don't ever try and put limits on my knitting- life has so many rules already, so my yarn collecting and knitting are a place where I try to do what I want when I want. I collect/stash the yarn that makes me happy and I knit the projects that inspire me. That means that while I likely have more yarn that I'll ever knit, that's completely fine with me. It also means that I'll likely never be a sweater knitter, as I know I like small projects like socks and hats that give me quicker gratification. I know myself. If I change, great. If I don't, great!

What might you like to get with your gift certificate to SSYC? Perhaps you want to put it toward preordering the upcoming Van Gogh collection? I haven't been this excited about any yarn collection in I don't know how long. I only knit two of these colors when it was first released 10 years ago, and now that it's coming back I'm getting them all.

Malabrigo Yarn has released their new solid colors in the Rios line, which I have received A LOT of request and e-mails about. Plus they are starting the 2022 Knitalong on Feb 1. It uses Arroyo sport weight yarn, which we offer all the colors in. I'll blog about color ideas and the pattern more in early January so that we can all prepare for it.

And Julia at Knitterly Things has made us the most lovely batch of hand dyed stripes. We only get these a few times a year and they do sell out somewhat quickly, so if there's one you adore, please do grab it.

Vesper Striping Sock in Radiance

Tomorrow is the last day of our 12 Days of Sock Yarn Celebration and we're giving away the same gift - a gift certificate and donation to your chosen non-profit. This is a prize we started giving last year, and it's my fave. It allows me to treat one of you, and allows you to direct a donation to a cause you value. Last year's winner, Stephanie, chose Fisher House, and I liked that cause so much that I offered to match anyone else's donation up to $2000. I love that together our small moves can make a large impact.

We have 1 more Days of Sock Yarn coming up, so do stop here at the SSYC blog (our shop journal - I've been writing/sharing shop and life news here for over 16 years) every day until Christmas Eve so you can win. Full details of the contest can be found here.

Tenth Day of Sock Yarn

On the Tenth Day of Sock Yarn, Simply Sock Yarn gave to meeeeeee....

a mini skein set of my choosing!

To have a chance to win your choice of mini skeins sets from Sweet Georgia's Party of Fives, Fiberstory's Gradient or Curated Sets, or Wonderland Yarns, simply answer the following question in the comments below:

Have you used mini skeins this year? And if so, what for? If not, why and is there a pattern you've been eyeing? Do share any inspiration you might like!

Curated Set 11

I have really enjoyed knitting with minis this year. For the most part, I'm adding them as toes and heels and I'm finding that having a set or two on hand to pick through has been super helpful to giving my projects more punch. I don't often use mini sets as a whole set at a time, but instead take them apart and use them as I like. Our knitting friend Brenda did make an entire sweater out of these, which I found to be the best use of minis I've seen in a long time, perhaps ever, and I wish I had taken a photo of it last month when she was here in the shop. I'll try to remember to do so if she wears it in again.

Spring Fling

Right now though, I am knitting a mini set into a pattern, using all colors in this one pattern. This is the Sprocket Socks in this color. I really am enjoying how its knitting up, but my eyes are now 43 years old and I've noticed that over the past year my close up vision has changed. It's a lot harder to see the small, dark stitches. I post about it here on Instagram, and I really like the suggestion of using an LED headlamp for evening knitting. Oh, Santa, I hope you're reading! (I know you're not, which is why I told you what I wanted as soon as it was suggested....)

Such a Specktacle

We have 2 more Days of Sock Yarn coming up, so do stop here at the SSYC blog (our shop journal - I've been writing/sharing shop and life news here for over 16 years) every day until Christmas Eve so you can win. Full details of the contest can be found here.

Ninth Day of Sock Yarn

On the Ninth Day of Sock Yarn, Simply Sock Yarn gave to me.....

four balls of West Yorkshire Spinners DK!

To have a chance at this new yarn, ColourLab DK, simply answer the following question in the comments below: If you could choose a mantra or phrase that has served you well this year, what would it be? If no mantra, then perhaps a lesson you learned this year that really struck home?

This year I focused on "Integrity in all things." Basically, do the right thing in all circumstances, even when no one is looking. I find that we all know what the right thing is to do, but sometimes default to whatever is easiest or most comfortable instead of what's right. So I am taking time to pause (and sometimes it's a long pause so I can explore what I really feel) and choose the right thing for me, which often is uncomfortable, but best.

Melmerby crocheted socks

We've just started offering a DK weight, all British superwash wool yarn from West Yorkshire Spinners, and we'd love you to give it a try! This yarn would be perfect for socks (there's no nylon, which is fine if you knit a dense fabric) but also great for sweaters and accessories. The colors and price point are just divine too- dozens of options and just over $10 a ball. Consider it for a simple kid sweater, festive holiday socks, or this really cute hat.

We also have a great restock and new hues of the 4ply Signature Sock Yarn from West Yorkshire Spinners too this includes the new hues from UK designers Zandra Rhodes and Winwick Mum.

Sock color 1026-Forest Stripes

If you want a cool project for 2022, how about this wrap? I do believe we have all the solids and multis to make this work with multiple color ideas! It looks like it uses 1022 Bluebell and Juniper. We can help you pair other colors too if you like. As always just e-mail Allison at service@simplysockyarn.com if you need personal shopping help.

We have 3 more Days of Sock Yarn coming up, so do stop here at the SSYC blog (our shop journal - I've been writing/sharing shop and life news here for over 16 years) every day until Christmas Eve so you can win. Full details of the contest can be found here.