Simply Socks Yarn Co. Blog

Laneras Yarn Co. - Barefoot Sock

We've been asked for lots of input over the past few weeks on colors for the upcoming Stephen West MKAL. I've shared a few ideas on Instagram and the recent batch of Barefoot Sock from Laneras Yarn Co. inspired me to share a few color ideas that I like together. 

These colors can all be found in the Sale Section because the price of this beautiful Polwarth wool sock yarn is $10 less than comparable merino skeins. It's a superb deal. You can find all the merino blends under Lanera's former name Vrinda Yarn on our website (they changed their name earlier this year).

I hope this inspires you a bit to combine hues for this shawl. If you are looking for other color ideas or help making sure the colors you like together look as good in person as you hope, just e-mail me at service@simplysockyarn.com.

 

What's coming this week

Many of you are waiting for the Cascade 220 Superwash restock so you can get the rest of your colors for the Blanket of Many Stitches MKAL and you'll now find all those colors here. Please note that a few colors were backordered so we can help you sub something similar if you e-mail me at service@simplysockyarn.com. Please don't hesitate if there's a color you want. And if you want the details of the MKAL, you'll find them all here on the initial blog post.

I also have the awesome 2021 holiday color from West Yorkshire Spinners, Vintage Tinsel. It's a super cute stripe with glitter, and it comes with a free pattern that I'll e-mail back to you if you simply respond to your e-mailed receipt and ask me for it.

I'm photographing our restock of Emma's Yarn this week and so I'll have that up for you. Also restocks of the Laneras Yarn Barefoot Sock, which is the only Polwarth wool sock yarn I have. You'll find it in the Sale Section for $19, which is $10 less than comparable merino blends. You're getting a fab deal for a different type of wool. And it's soft and takes the dye beautifully.

I'm sure there will be more too!

 

Just a Tease

You know, just a tease of things to come. Like I do.

Above, the Vintage Christmas 2021 Holiday Color from West Yorkshire Spinners (comes with pattern too). Coming next week. Below, the yarn for the upcoming Boolicious Knit Kit coming the first week of October (there's a bag and accessories too).

I'm super excited about Halloween and Christmas this year. I have some really creative colors, kits and a special SSYC exclusive holiday/winter themed countdown package that I can't wait to share. So. Much!

Colorful New Goodies in the Shop This Week!

I have some really fun things for you this week and more in the coming weeks!

A first for us, a New Year Countdown from Stitch Together Studios! This awesome set is preordered now for early December delivery (please order it alone without other items on the order). We have a limited amount of these sets coming, so if you love deep, brooding color, magic and snarky humor (with a bit of cussing), then please do sign up. You pay now to save your space for December delivery so you can count your way to an awesome 2022 in fiber. 

Also available today is the first of several of our Halloween offerings! Madelinetosh has created their first Halloween set, the Crack the Glowsticks Bundle, and it's here and ready to ship today! It comes with their newest color, Crack the Glowsticks, a fluorescent yellow/green dyed on their holo glitter, which is their Tosh Merino Light with a little bit of iridescent glitter plied in. You'll also find a black waxed canvas project bag with leather loop, and little accessories like a notebook, pencil, leather tag and tapestry needle. And as token of appreciation from SSYC to you, we're gifting you a little glow-in-the-dark-star accessory pouch. The pouch doesn't come with this kit from other sources, it's just a gift from me. Supplies are limited but we'll have other awesome Halloween yarns and kits in a few weeks for you. It's just the start of the season!

If you'd like to use your skein of Crack the Glowstick with another color or two, here are the ones that Heather suggests to use with them. You know she's our color diva. Pair Crack the Glowsticks with Magic, LYS, Maiyet, Lamplight, Bone Coral, Beta, It's Lit or Hydroponic. My personal faves are the Bone Coral, Beta and It's Lit.

Opal Yarn has sent us two new collections, the Rainforest 17 collection and 25 Years of Opal. Can you believe that Opal's been around that long? Hundreds of awesome collections and millions of hours of addictive knitting have come from this German company and I'm so glad to have offered them now for 16 years.

We also have restocks of the Joy collection (I'm knitting this one) and solids.

And for those of you waiting on colors of Cascade 220 Superwash so you can amass the four colors you want for your blanket, I expect to have those here Monday or Tuesday of this coming week. There are three colors (of there 100+ selection) that are unavailable, so if you need help with subs once you look at the website next week, just let me know and we're happy to color compare for you and find you something awesome. And if you haven't yet joined in the MKAL, full details are available here on the blog.

Flock Fibres

We have a rare batch of yarny goodies from the edge of the Canadian Rockies - it's Flock Fibres!

We expected this yarn in time for the Christmas in July event over a month ago, but as I've shared here before you can do months of planning and waiting and getting imported goods is still a crapshoot. Dyers have a hard time getting base yarn, certain dye powder or hands on help. Then there are issues with shipping and importing on both ends. Such is pandemic life. You think it's going to start getting better and then you realize, nope, we're still in the thick of it.

So what I have for you is a complete restock of Take a Hike sock yarn, Lone Pine Singles, and Flock Sock Sets. We also have skein of some of the newer holiday hues that we haven't had before. 

Here are the holiday sock sets I have for you. I also have just the skeins too, if you don't want a mini or want several skeins for a larger project.

Holly Days

Yule Ball

Winter Lights

Gingerbread Party

One Foggy Christmas Eve

All I Want for Christmas is Ewe

And if you wanted to make the Sweet & Tartan socks by Tracie Millar, we have those three color options again too. The one below is S&T set no. 1.

Photo courtesy of Tracie Millar

Many of you are asking for help assembling colors for Stephen West's upcoming MKAL, and Flock Fibres is perfect for that. Kim's colors look so great together, so get to lookin' and if you have questions about whether or not the color's you're choosing look as good together as you hope, just e-mail me at service@simplysockyarn.com.

Cascade Yarn - Blanket of Many Stitches Knitalong

Cascade Yarns is hosting a blanket KAL and I know that many of you participated in it last time, so I wanted to share this one with you. Details can be found here at this PDF, which also includes many color ideas. If you see a four color combo there and you don't see one of the hues on our website, I'm happy to help you find a sub for it, as we do carry all the colors of Cascade 220 Superwash. It could be that someone simply purchased the last of a color you want and it's coming soon, or that we could find you a nice sub. They have so many great colors that it's easy to sub things here and there and come up with a stunning result.

If you do want something particular and we don't have the quantity in stock right now, just e-mail me at service@simplysockyarn.com and I'll put in an order at the end of the week to get you what you need. The KAL doesn't start until the end of the month, so it gives us plenty of time to get the yarn here and into your hands.

There are several pages of colors ideas at this link. And, again, if you want something you don't see on our website, just e-mail me, Allison, at service@simplysockyarn.com and we can do a special order and have it to you in a couple weeks. The pattern calls for 17 balls of yarn, so obviously qualifies for free US shipping too.

Cascade 220 Superwash is the yarn that I use for all the baby blankets I make for friends. While it's soft and holds up well to washing, I'll admit that my favorite thing about this yarn is the wide array of colors. There's nothing quite like standing at our back wall and seeing 150+ colors all lined up and being able to imagine the possibilities.

I've noticed that KALs (knitalongs) have gained popularity since the pandemic. Since we all can't get out and about with our friends like we used to, it's a great way to share with others, get inspired by someone else's color ideas and creativity, and feel like we're doing a bit of adventuring. It's a fun chance of pace, if you're not used to doing one. Do join!

To make it super easy, here's what you do in three steps:

1. Go here to sign up for Cascade's newsletter so you get the clues to the mystery pattern when they are released on Sept. 29.
2. Read this so you have the details and can choose your colors.
3. Go to the Cascade 220 Superwash section to purchase your yarn. Don't see the color/s you want in the quantities you need? E-mail me, Allison, at service@simplysockyarn.com and ask to do a special order that we'll order for you at the end of the week so that we can get your yarn to you before the Mystery KAL begins at the end of the month. Several of you have already e-mailed today asking for colors that sold out fast and we'll make that happen.
4. Want to shop for your colors in person? Come visit us this Saturday or Tuesday! Our full schedule of open days is here and we're located in Fort Wayne, IN.

Checking In

Well, goodness friends. Life has been.... Life, lately. It's not amazing, it's not awful. It's just been quite overwhelming, and underwhelming? Is that possible to have both? I think so. Especially since what we were told would be a two-week-stay-in-place has turned into a year and a half of turmoil, anxiety filled sadness and disheartening stories.

Let's start with the good things. The shop is awesome. It's so well put together, we're on top of everything, we are busy, and it's just really so nice to see and experience. Especially after a year and a half of really anxious and difficult times with lots of juggling. It's like a big exhale and a bright spot to see, and my staff is so great at what they do. Plus it's been just refreshing to see people in the shop again, everyone is nice about wearing masks all the time, and we have all remained healthy and as safe as possible. We get a lot of appreciative feedback from in-person shoppers about how happy they are with being able to shop safely, and how nice it is to see/touch/experience the shop as usual, and it makes me happy.

Another great thing? My kids are back in school (I didn't even get a photo of the first day b/c I am not mobile - details below). It's been a full week now and they are both really enjoying it. James is starting fall soccer this week with practices and games outdoors, and Henry gets to be in his school's choir for the first time. He could have joined last year as a second grader, but they canceled choir because of the pandemic. This year, at least so far, it's going to happen and I can't wait to hear his sweet little voice singing along with his friends.

One thing that's making life hard is the constant gloom of the looming pandemic. COVID-19 rates are getting higher where we are, I wonder when my kids' school experience will be interrupted again by a quarantine of some sort, Henry is too young to be vaccinated, and I worry about my family's health, my staff's health, and the general public. I worry that I could be doing something different/more to make things better. I worry that the issues importing and getting certain things will continue or (gasp) get worse. I worry that even if I do my best, it might not be enough to make people happy. I don't share much about the intricacies of running a small business during a pandemic, but the struggle is real. Every day is something new to tackle.

Another hardship.... I tore my Achilles tendon. I can't walk, I can't drive, I can't stand - well, I started moving more today at least, so I'm feeling some hope. I can't function normally. I completely rely on others for nearly everything. It really sucks for me, as I'm not only used to doing things myself, but I tend to juggle a lot and that's difficult right now. We'll see if booting it for two months has solved it, or if I need surgical intervention. I'm not willing to allow a partial recovery because I lead a very active and sporty life, and I want to continue in that for a long time. This is a different injury than I had this spring (and the other foot).

But I did learn a lesson in my injury. That post-pandemic (if that's what you'd even call this time, which doesn't seem correct), or at least post-lockdown, I can't expect to go back to normal immediately. Not mentally or physically. That I have to allow myself some grace. A slow build up of mind, of muscle. A loss of anxiety and weight. And I should forgive myself for not being the same person I was 2 years ago. I won't be winning any sand volleyball tournaments this summer. I won't be hiking this fall like I enjoyed last fall. I won't be attending birthday parties or group events. These things I just can't do physically or mentally right now. I'll get there. But I'm going to get there slowly, and that's going to have to be fine.

Are you with me on this? Do you have similar feelings? Like now that we are vaccinated we should be of more service, connecting with all the people we missed, getting our kids back together with their groups/friends? Do you feel an odd guilt for not really wanting to do these things again? I do. I feel like I stayed healthy and I should be getting back to things, but I don't yet feel ready to do them. I'm not going to push myself to feel differently yet. Instead, I'm going to ease myself back into "normalcy." Whatever that looks like.

If you have found a solution to this mindset, what is it? Do you meditate? Or are you in a job/life where you can't allow yourself this grace, so dealing with it all just seems normal? I'd love to know where you are at with this.

My staff and I are all taking this holiday weekend off, so online orders will ship starting Tuesday. And if you want to pick up at the Contactless Pickup box, the first day that would be available will be Wednesday, 11am-1pm. Happy Labor Day weekend, y'all!

Free Shipping thru Thursday!

We are doing one last free shipping coupon for our Sweet Soxteen Summer Celebration! If you'd like to treat yourself to a bit of fibery goodness this week, just enter coupon code FreeShip at Check Out and you'll see that your US shipping is free through Thursday, Sept. 2! What might you like to purchase this week?

Beach Bash is the only color I have available from our summer Sweet Soxteen celebration, where four dyers created birthday inspired colors to celebrate our 16th. It's a super fun and vibrant color and would look great with the Slip Away sock pattern. It comes with some cute beach ball stitch markers too!

I'm super proud to share that for the first time I have over 300 colors of Madelinetosh in stock in Tosh Sock and Tosh Merino Light (one ply for sweaters, shawls, accessories). I don't think I've ever walked into a yarn shop and see THREE HUNDRED colors of anything before. It's a lot. Many of these are formerly retired hues that the new owner (well, two years in now) have been slowing bringing back. And, of course I ordered more Amnesia because I'm knitting that myself right now into my Picnic Blanket socks. I now have one sock finished and the cuff of the second one going.

We also have a stunner of a batch of Dream in Color. So many lovely hand dyed hues. Plus we have the September Sock-It Set shown above. 

Love Malabrigo? We all do. I have all the new colors of Sock and Mechita, plus restocks. Consider a pair of socks in the Life's a Peach pattern. Or an Emerger Cowl. Shown below new color in Under the Sea.

Want more minis? These sets, shown above, from Fiberstory are divine. I also have minis from Wonderland Yarns, Sweet Georgia, Stitch Together Studios and Six and Seven Fibers. And the Opal Yarn mini ball sets are always loved.

For those of you who are feeling sad about missing fall fiber festivals for the second year in a row, I have for you a fresh batch from Miss Babs! Her booth is always one that people make a bee line for, and the line can go on seemingly forever. If you are missing that feeling of snagging something unique and awesome, then head to the Babs section as I have five bases in stock. Yowza DK (twice the yarn!) and Yummy 2ply Fingering are the most popular, and Putnam is her newest sock yarn base. And if you like a rare sparkly sock yarn, try Estrellita.

Other new goodies and restocks? Check out Cascade 220 Superwash, Heritage Sock, Heritage Silk and Heritage Prints (color 89- Mod) shown above. I have ALL the colors. Also new colors of the more rustic feeling sock yarn Tenderfoot and the dynamic sport weight gradients from Queensland, shown below.

Appreciate a fab deal? Check Out the Sale Section for the best discounts we've found in over a year, like this worsted weight sock yarn - great for thicker winter socks. Or get several balls of the Regia Silk or Regia Alpaca to make a simple, lightweight sweater. It's soft, luxurious and machine washable!

We have some super goodies coming for fall - new Opal Yarn and Regia collections, a rare batch of Flock Fibre, and some super cool surprises. As always, you can learn about these things first here on the blog, or get news directly to your Inbox by signing up for our e-newsletter at the bottom of our website.

Thank you for helping us celebrate our 16th anniversary this summer! It's been a blast and we greatly appreciate your support and loyalty over the years. Whether you shop with us online or in person, or you haven't shopped with us yet, we appreciate you. Oh, and if you haven't been to the shop in person before or lately, check out this recent interview and shop tour from Krissy Glass. It's a fun way to see the shop!

New this week!

Just a quick note to let you in on this week's bit of awesome. We have a super colorful restock of all things Dream in Color, including Smooshy with Cashmere shown below. We even have a contest going on that you can enter on Instagram or Facebook to win two skeins of your own.

We also have new gradient hues of Queensland's Rainbow Beach, a lovely sport weight gradient that I can't wait to knit up some Christmas presents in.

Also, Tenderfoot in restocks and new pastels. This is the more toothy/rustic sock yarn that I found for us when many of you asked for a less smooth texture. It's been super popular not only b/c of the texture and price, but because all the colors look so good together.

We also have a restock of Madelinetosh that I'll have more details on soon.... which includes a new hue and about a dozen colors that were formerly retired under the previous owners, and brought back with the new (two-ish years ago) owners. Super happy about these.

But I'll leave you for the week and hope to see you in the shop this Saturday and Tuesday during our shop-in-person hours. I do want to share that COVID-19 rates in Indiana are really on the rise and it could be that we suspend in-person shopping again if it continues. I'm hoping that's not the case, as I've really enjoyed connecting with you in person since we reopened a few months ago. But we will continue to ship safely (and still offer Contactless Pickup) if we are compelled to shut down to in-person shoppers. Please do come in soon if you haven't yet or need to just in case we do. And please bring your mask, as usual. As I did before, I’ll post on our Shop in Person page if we change things.

Winners of Last Week's Contests

Last week we did a contest every week day and I love the feedback I get from everyone when we do contests that allow us to share a bit about ourselves. It seems we all like to read and share and it makes us feel more included in a larger community. Here are the winners of each day's contests. 

Winner of Monday's contest is Barb L who said "I've been knitting a bit more, mostly more consistently. I also picked up my previous craft, counted crossstitch, for a while. That was a refreshing change. Now I'm back to mostly knitting!"

Winner of Tuesday's contest is Vicki who said "My "lazy" supper is kale salad with lots of seeds and some Captain Highliner fish. Our indulgent "lazy" supper is take out sushi."

Winner of Wednesday's contest is Dana who said "Thank you for the chance to win! ❤️ I’ve never been part of a knitting group, but I have a knitting coworker who i used to knit with a lunch hour, but now we both work from home….hopefully we will continue when we’re back at the office!"

Winner of Thursday's contest is Filomena who said "Dream in Colour. Would love to try socks in any of the gorgeous colours."

And the two winners of Friday's contest are Judi who said "Everyone loves my cheesy hash browns. I use extra cream cheese and add jalapeños." and Mariana who said "I've adapted a cowboy caviar recipe that is my go to. I like it because I don't have to worry about keeping it cold or hot and it can be an appetizer with chips or a side dish."

All these winners were randomly chosen and have been e-mailed. Thank you ALL for taking the time to share a bit about yourselves each day. I've found a few more recipes and dyers that I want to try. And I feel better knowing that we all adapted our crafting during the pandemic in ways that worked for us.

Here's to taking chances

Last week, Donna sent me this e-mail:

I’m sorry, this yarn color is not what I expected.  The color name should have clued me in. I would like to return it and I will order something else to replace it please.

Then the next day, Donna must have decided to take a bit of a chance because this is what happened next.

I received the following e-mail and note:

It is so pretty knitted up. I'm using NCL’s Play with Magic Pattern, but putting in the broken rib stitch from the pattern Flores. This colorway knits up so beautiful, I just can’t tell you how surprised I am! Thanks again for offering such great yarn!

Isn't this just so great? She tried something a bit outside her normal range of colors and it turned out to be a wonderful surprise! This makes me so happy to see. I don't take too many color chances myself, so I'm going to remember Donna's story (shared with permission) the next time I waver in coloring outside the lines.

We have over 300 colors of Madelinetosh's Tosh Merino Light in stock and ready to ship right now - most of them in sweater quantities. This includes the Umbrella Sky Grunge Donna used (that was formerly named Holi Festival-Grunge). We have never had more than 300 colors of any yarn, so this is a big deal for us. SSYC really isn't that big of a shop- we are a small staff that houses quite a lot of yarn. But to have more than 300 different colors in a single hand dyed yarn is stunning, even to me. I'm quite proud.

Friday Contest - Gift Certificate!

Today's contest is basically a choose-your-own-gift because two commenters will win a $50 gift certificate to SSYC!

It's been a rough year for all, right? And I'll be the first to admit that I've soothed my woes with food/yarn/chocolate/Netflix/online shopping. So let me gift two of you with something that will help you on your self care journey. Just answer the following question below and I'll randomly choose two commenters to win $50 to shop online with us. If you're a local, you can use it too to shop in person. Tell me: What's your go-to Potluck or Carry In dish? Is that even a thing where you are? I mean I know it hasn't been for the past year, but in the "before times" what was your go-to dish? Mine is this chocolate cake and Mexican layer dip. Here's how I make my dip, as I find my version to be superior. I sauté half of a finely chopped, medium sized yellow onion, and then add in a can of vegetarian refried beans, taco seasoning (just a few pinches - I make one similar to this one), and a 1/3c of green salsa and 1/3 cup water. I let all that cook together for five minutes and then put it into a 9x9" Pyrex in the fridge to cool for an hour. Then I layer shredded cheddar (2/3 of a block), sour cream (using the squeezable kind is easier to layer - like 2/3 a Daisy pouch), guacamole (I use one store bought mixed with two cut up avocados and a squeeze of lime), more cheddar (the rest of the block) and dab red salsa on the top. Sometimes I add the corn salsa from Trader Joe's as another layer after the sour cream, if I have it. YUM.

I hope you've enjoyed our week of contests here on the blog! If you haven't entered all five contests, you can still scroll through and enter each because I won't be choosing winners til next week. Thanks for sharing and playing!

Thursday Contest - Dream in Color!

We've been offering Dream in Color for 15 of the 16 years we've been in business, as they just opened up a few months after we did. I believe I was even one of the first shops to test it and then offer their Smooshy Sock Yarn, which has seen only one small change in 15 years (which is the addition of nylon to their previously 100% wool sock yarn). This line has stood the test of time and is well loved by thousands and thousands of knitters. I still remember the first conversation I had with Veronica, who then owned a yarn shop in Chicago and decided to start offering yarn she was dyeing too.

This is Veronica, the lead dyer and owner (along with Nancy) of Dream in Color

Their newest colors arrived recently and includes some beautiful sherbet summer hues, shown below on their single ply (good for shawls and sweaters) Jilly. These are Sundance, Peachy Keen, Mint Drop, Lime on Ice, Sonoran Magic and Enchanted.

We also have these new hues and restocks of nearly everything on Smoosh Sock and Smooshy with Cashmere. Want something super special? This summer we are doing a series of Sweet Soxteen colors to celebrate our 16th birthday, and Dream in Color did this one below. Isn't it bright and sunny and fun?

We also have the August Sock-It set, which is a full sized skein and a mini that Veronica typically releases four months a year, August - November. She has this to say about this color: This month’s color is inspired by a place that I really love! In downtown Chicago, in-between the “bean” and the lakefront there is this little 2.5 acre garden called Lurie Garden. I’ve never really been a big city gal but something about that little patch of color always made me wish I lived downtown so that I could take a daily walk there. On of my favorite memories is going to Vouge Knitting Live and after lunch walking around there. Weird how the little things stick with you. Even though it was fall it was a gorgeous sunny day with flowers still blooming.

And if that's not enough for you, Dream in Color developed an exclusive sock yarn just for us last year, to commemorate our 15th Anniversary, and we've continued to offer it in our Sale Section. It's such a stunning deal that we will keep getting this big skein for as long as we can - we get a shipment approx every 4-6 weeks and some colors sell within a day. It's very popular. Colossal Sock is awesome, isn't it?

Want a chance to win some Dream in Color? We're giving one luck winner three skeins of their choosing! All you have to do is answer the following question in the comments, and I'll choose one winner next week: What hand dyer embodies "hand dyed yarn" to you? Is it a family that's been around for four decades like Fleece Artist? Someone new and top-of-mind like Hue Loco? Do tell who really speaks to you and why. And if you need a bit of a refresher, go to our Yarn section to see dozens of hand dyers' offerings.

When I think of the term "hand dyed yarn" Fleece Artist and Dream in Color typically come to mind. Of course, Googling "hand dyed yarn" will result first in Miss Babs and Sweet Georgia, so they are on my mind too. Thinking about this just makes me feel so lucky to know these ladies and offer the work that they create. I love that we can get a glimpse of their mind and artistry in a skein and buying a hand dyed skein makes me feel like I've secured a piece of art. That they started the process and now I get to decide how that art continues.

Don't forget to check out Insta and Facebook this week too, as we're doing contest there as well. Our summer long 16th anniversary party isn't over yet, but will likely be by Labor Day, and we're doing all sorts of goodies and giveaways all summer long to celebrate it. Like another gift and maybe a free shipping day!

Wednesday Contest - Fiberstory

Fiberstory is about as local a yarn as we have here since we closed up our own Poste Yarn studio last year. Yes, our back studio (now holding more of other dyers' yarn) was about as close as one can get. Now Detroit is! We can't get enough of Sarah's fiber goodies, and I can't tell you feel the same way since the late-spring batch we had sold down fast. Especially the minis.

So today I'm featuring all the goodies that we currently have from Fiberstory. We have a slew of full sized Fave Sock skeins so you can make a fade like this one

And the above fade I came up with was so popular that Sarah dyed us up a mini version too! Take a look at the new Curated Mini Set No. 7!

She also dyed us up a few more Curated Fade Sets (which are basically me saying to her "I like the idea of something built around this color story" and she magically makes it happen. Like a boss.) - I think we have a dozen total PLUS her gradient fade sets. Here are just a few and you can find them all here.

Want to win some Fiberstory? Answer the following question in the comments and I'll randomly choose one winner next week to win a full sized skein PLUS a mini set. Just tell me: Are you part of a knitting group? If so, have you met since pandemic restrictions lessened? Or perhaps you're part of a virtual knit group? If not, do you want to be in one and haven't found the group yet? (Hint- if so, check the Ravelry groups for your city.)

I started knitting with the same group about 11 years ago. People I had never knit before and now I do everything with various people from this group - play sand volleyball, work, raise our kids, have baby showers, spend holidays together, go out for adult date nights, play euchre, go to Mexico, etc. They are some of my best people. Before then I knit by myself (or with my Grandma when I was 7 or 8), so joining this group has made a big impact on my life. It's hard to meet new friends when you're in your 30's and 40's, right? During the pandemic when everyone was restricted to our homes for a few months, we did virtual meet ups and even met up with some of the knitters who were formerly in our group and moved away. A few months ago I got vaccinated and started meeting back up with a few people in person and that was super awesome. We even went to brunch together. We haven't met up as a big group in public though for over a year and a half and I'm betting it will be super awesome when we do and we'll pick right back up where we left off. Laughing and sharing. But I'm betting it will be quite awhile. Sigh.

This is James, 13 at the time, who was basically my only knitting friend/son during the pandemic.

Tuesday Contest - Malabrigo Yarn

Oh Malabrigo, how I love thee. You are beautiful and your texture is divine. And you cost 30% less than other hand dyed yarns. Which I'll never understand because you are just as amazing as all the higher priced yarns. I adore you.

Most dyers have just tried to keep up during the pandemic, what with dwindling supplies and help, and haven't been able to release a lot of new colors lines. Malabrigo hasn't released any new sock yarn colors in about two years and now they have all these lovely fairy tale named colors like Three Little Pigs, Gepetto, Land of Oz, Fiona, Aladdin, Gobber, Ursula, Swamp, Under the Sea, Alice, Tin Soldier, Neverland and Aurora. Here are just a few of above on Mechita (Fiona, Pascal, Gris, Alice, Neverland and Aurora). Shown below are Sock in Ursula, Alice, Swamp and Legend.

I want to gift one of you with three skeins of Malabrigo Yarn - your choice of any of the weights we offer. Answer the following question in the comments and I'll randomly choose a person next week to win. Just tell me: What your go-to recipe lately? Or go-to take out? Do tell!

I've been making a lot of pancakes lately - nearly every morning I make the boys a real breakfast. This pancake recipe (I add mini chocolate chips and sometimes bananas and usually do a double batch and freeze some), this biscuit recipe with either sausage gravy (only on a weekend), or use them to have egg sandwiches. Or I make breakfast burritos with egg, avocado, green salsa and cheese. James eats each of those components separately on a plate though (he's just that kind of teenager), and Henry and I enjoy it all together. I haven't been making much dinner lately though, as afternoon/early evening light is great for photographing yarn. So we get take out or Terry will grill up something like salmon, chicken breast or brat burgers and we'll have a salad. Plus it's just been so darn hot here that I don't want to heat up the house in the evening with cooking inside. That's more of a morning thing here. You?