Simply Socks Yarn Co. Blog

SSYC Birthday Gift 3

This summer we are celebrating our 16th birthday online with 16 different gifts or specials and it's time for the third! Sweet Georgia is gifting you their popular Sail Shawl pattern when you purchase Sweet Georgia yarn from us! Just place an order online as always and then simply respond to the e-mailed receipt we send and ask for your pattern code. It's a Ravelry code, but if you aren't on Ravelry and would prefer a pdf, just let me know.

You need three skeins of Tough Love (or comparable fingering weight yarn) to make the project (you do have to buy some Sweet Georgia to get the pattern for free from me/them) but I like the idea of making it more lively by using your chosen colors and then using a Party of Five mini set to put some random strips of other colors in it. I love adding unexpected pops of color in a project, and it's easy to do in a simple project like this that focuses on big blocks of color.

We are giving you this pattern with a Sweet Georgia purchase through the end of this month, and then I think you have til the end of July to download it before it expires- I recommend adding to the pattern to your Ravelry library with the code right after I send it to you, just in case. Just another way we are showing you our gratitude during our 16th summer serving you! 

Want some color, ideas? I blogged last month with some that caught my eye, but I'm happy to help you change it up if you want. Just e-mail me at service@simplysockyarn.com.

New this week at SSYC

The week is already starting out right with new yarn! First, we have a limited amount of the Yarn Love Zebra sock yarn that club members received in April. This is a superwash merino sock yarn that has a black strand plied into the yarn and it gives it a striking look. While it's great for socks, of course, I love the idea of a simple sweater like Pavement too.

To give you an idea of how the black strand punctuates the skein, here's the Unicorn Poop colorway above in Zebra and below in Juliet sock (the merino/nylon yarn with no black strand). It definitely gives it a bit of drama, right?

I don't have much of this, just a few skeins of each color. So if you liked the club yarn a lot, please don't hesitate. I am unsure how available this is, but I'm hoping one is later milled with a bit of nylon too because I really, really like it.

Been waiting on more self patterning yarn? Me too! Getting imports for Europe take a lot of time right now, and has for the past year. Shipments take their sweet time, and then entire crates just sit in ports until there are people to inspect/unload them. Such is life for all the German self patterning lines I love (Opal, Regia, Trekking, etc). But we were finally able to get a few new colors (and restocks!) of Trekking XXL. Aren't these new hues fab? The numbers start in the 720s for these.

We also got restocks of the popular Tweed Trekking XXL (scroll to the bottom of that link) plus 6ply Tweed for the first time! If you want some heavier weight socks with Tweed neps, then grab it while we have it. All this seems to be in short supply. I got everything I could of the new colors and it wasn't as much as I hoped for.

We have more fun self patterning lines on their way. They are all delayed months (most were expected in March and April) and these include the new Lofoten collection of 8 colors by Arne and Carlos (photos below courtesy of Arne & Carlos). I've received a lot of e-mails over the past months about this collection and the arrival date keeps getting pushed farther and farther. Last week I was told that this yarn was finally sitting at a port here at the US, awaiting inspection. So perhaps it will actually arrive here by the end of June? I'm really looking forward to seeing these in person because the pictures are fab. I do have a few of their previous colors back in stock if those are of interest for now.

Our Reopening Day

Saturday was Simply Socks Yarn Company's first day open to the public in over a year and, darn, I'm glad to be back open to in-person shopping. It's really nice to see people in person, to be of service in a different way, and to feel like this whole pandemic situation is slowly going back to a new normal.

Me and my friend, and first shopper in the door on Saturday, Diana.

While we had people shopping on Saturday, I was expecting this big amount of people who wanted to come in and see and touch and smell. I get e-mails nearly every day asking when we will be back open, and you'd think with that amount of interest and the time it takes to e-mail and ask that for those hundreds of e-mails we'd have a super busy reopening day, right? And instead of that it was pretty much like any Saturday. A few little groups here and there and lightly busy. I was also expecting some people to be sassy about wearing masks, and not one person came in without one. We even had extras on hand just in case someone forgot, and they went completely unused. It was so nice to see visitors doing what we requested simply because it makes us more comfortable for now. Thank you for that. 

Everyone who came in was so happy to actually be in a yarn store! We talked about how we were all going to spend the rest of our day (Lunch and dinner out! Maybe a walk under the bright blue skies!) and how we couldn't wait for more things to feel normal again.

I forgot how differently people shop in person than they do online. Online we seem to sell more of what's newest and what I'm blogging about or sharing on social media. People shopping in person take time to go down each aisle, look through bins of colors and skeins, combine skeins for projects and discover new-to-them dyers and goodies. They aren't necessarily buying for a project, but more finding things that are new to them and spark that "gotta have it" feeling. In person, we sell a lot more of things that other yarn store don't stock- this week it was Wooly Wonka, Fleece Artist's Cottage Sock, Wonderland Yarns awesome Blossoms, Stitch Together Studios Swanky sock yarn (the merino/cashmere/silk gets people every time).

All in all, it was a super day. If you are coming this way from out of town and can't make one of our every-other-Tuesday-and-Saturday open days, please do e-mail me at service@simplysockyarn.com. Like the "before times" if you want to come in and I'm available to let you in, or I have plenty of staff on hand that day, we can often make a single person or small group shopping session work. We want to serve you in the way you are most comfortable with, if we can.

The skies were super blue this weekend!

And if you still aren't going out to yarn shops and other places yet, keep in mind that we are doing Contactless Pickup Monday through Saturday too, from 11am-1pm. 1315 E State Blvd, Fort Wayne, IN. You just have to choose that option on the shipping drop down on the Check Out page.

Thank you for bearing with us as we forgot prices, wrote 2019 on your receipts, couldn't tell who you were b/c of the masks, couldn't hear you b/c of the masks, couldn't remember where a yarn was or couldn't get our PoS system to work as fast as we wanted. It's been so long since we've served people in person, it's almost like relearning it all over again. We look forward to getting quicker at everything again as time goes on!

Tweedy DK and My Gloam

My friend Chevas knit up an awesome shop sample that I’ve been wearing around. I adore it. It goes with jeans, dresses, whatever. It's Gloam knit in Tweedy DK Noir from Hedgehog Fibres.


I highly recommend this yarn. It’s fun, it has bits of lots of other yarns plied into it to use up bits that Hedgehog Fibres doesn’t want to waste, and it goes with so much. Grab a few for accessories or your own sweater while we have it, as this is rare stuff.

Other patterns to try: Winter's Beach Cardi, Sawyer, and any awesome hat.

June Sock Sets

It time to share our exclusive monthly sock sets! This June I have some hot hues with full sized skeins dyed by Less Traveled Yarn and coordinating minis from Hedgehog Fibres. They can be found here.

I love that these feature some really vivid tones. Each focuses on a different neon hue and will make a super fun knit for all those awesome patterns that call for a full sized skein with mini.

I especially like the variations in each mini skein. The bold, solid skeins really allow the multicolored minis to stand out.

I also have this super cool 4th of July Dream in Color Sock-It set that we'll have later this week, I hope. It's dyed in a way so that if you cast on 60-64 sts then you get a striping effect like the sock shown below. Keep in mind the sock shown below isn't the same color (it's a limited edition one from last year), but it at least show the effect of the thin strips of color with the contrasting heel/toe skein.

I had Veronica dye it up to look like a mod take on a Bomb Pop. Remember those? Definitely knit worth for 4th of July, right?

Today is the day

Today is the day, 16 years ago, that I opened up shop! I started SSYC in a small bedroom in my first house and carried just a few brands at first and only sold online. But SSYC grew and grew and grew our of that little house, into this restored post office into what it is today. Here's part of the first blog post I wrote, 16 years ago:

So by the name of the store have you figured out what products are available?  Sock yarn.  Lots and lots of sock yarn.  And more on its way in the coming months.  I am hooked on sock knitting and I'm not the only one.  I always had such a hard time finding exactly what I needed.  And I ended up having to purchase from several online stores, which made me incur several different shipping costs.  I didn't like that.  I also didn't like ordering a skein I wanted to knit right away, only to find that it was "backordered" and I couldn't get it for weeks.  So this store caters to sock knitters, because there are A LOT of us out there.  We need a store all our own.

While this blog will have information about the events of the store, it will also be a place for me to share my current projects, the happenings in my life, and learn about other sock knitters.  Cause there are a lot of us- and we are pretty interesting people.  We deserve a blog.

When I read through that I realize that I've pretty much stuck to my original idea of serving a niche community of crafters. I've continued to expand the range of sock yarn we offer while also increasing our stock of other weights of easy care wool blend yarns. I've kept the shop somewhat small in our reach and haven't expanded so much that I've lost sight of what's important, which really is being of service to others. 16 years later, I have a great team who manages the shop's day to day, and I am proud of the level of service they provide each day in shopping and shipping for you. I'm still the one who answers all your e-mails, who chats with you on social media, who has direct contact with our dyers and artisans just like I was in the beginning. Yes, I do other things, but customer service is number one to me. And I hope to be serving you this way for another 16 years.

I'm especially proud to have made it through this past year. It honestly hasn't been the toughest one for my business. I've had harder and more frustrating times. 2020 was difficult, but I didn't have to lay off any employees, I was able to help out other artisans and dyers who really needed the boost, and my family and the families of my team stayed healthy. I'd like to think that we operated the business in a way that not only kept us and our community as safe as possible, but we were able to help others in the industry, donate thousands of dollars to causes that needed it (the Boys and Girls Club and Second Harvest), and support thousands of crafters who needed yarn to get through a pandemic. And we were able to do all this because of you. Your support for the past year has been remarkable. Thank you.

This would usually be the weekend that we would have a big ol' birthday party at the shop, like shown above. We always do it up right, that's for sure, with gifts and contest and food and often a line that reaches from the back cash register to the front door! This year, while we are happy to be reopening to the public this Saturday, we will hold off on a big party until later. But as always, we will celebrate all summer online with contests, free gifts, sales and limited edition yarn. I hope you join us here on the blog to learn about it all!

Last week we started the celebration early with free shipping. It was the first of 16 gifts we're offering throughout our 16th summer. What's the 2nd gift of the summer? A super special price on something we're testing out. We're branching out our Simply Sock Yarn line that we've offered solids in for years. We have some variegated colors in the Sale Section for nearly half off. PLUS you get another $1 off the 16 test colors if you use the coupon code SSYC at Check Out. The code is good for two days, through June 4. But the price of $14 is still super nice, right?

This yarn is an 80/20 blend that is great for socks. It holds up well to wear and is machine washable. You could dry it once in awhile too, but I don't recommend it for longevity. It's super nice for gift socks because the colors are festive and fun and the fiber is plied in a way that makes it more durable than the two or three ply yarns you see in most hand dyed yarns. Do give it a try. It's a fab price for this test batch!

On display in the shop

It's been over a year since SSYC has been open to in-person shopping, so I get to change out the projects we have on display so we all get fresh takes on what we can knit up. It's no small undertaking, finding/making/labeling/displaying dozens of pieces, so I called in some favors. Sometimes, you need a little help from your friends, and they definitely delivered! I thought I'd featured a few of the things you'll see up in the shop so everyone can enjoy them, even if you can't see/touch them in person on our once-a-week open days.

Today's pieces are all knit by Linsey. She's my amazing knitting bud/vacation bud/volleyball bud/euchre partner and as you will see she has a real eye for color. We have the same taste in color, so that's big plus! If you are in the shop on Saturdays you might see her there helping me and the normal crew out. She's the only blonde one around, so say Hi and tell her how awesome these are!

Above and below is her Maytham using LITLG Sock in a speckled club color from a few years ago and Oyster. If you want a similar effect with a color you can get I'd go with Garden Party or Pansy. I think this shawl would be even more amazing in LITLG Silk Merino. If you've knit this shawl or look closely you'll see the one pretty obvious mod she made. The addition of tassels. I mean, COME ON. That's what I love about creating your own garments and accessories. If you think it would look better with a tassel or a pom.... BOOM. Done.

Then we have this vivid Winterfell cardigan using our Dream in Color Colossal Sock in Peacock Shadow.  This is the yarn you'll find in our Sale Section about once a month when we can get it - DIC dyes it exclusively for us. If you don't see it, then Smooshy is a great sub. The color of this is hard to photo, especially on my kitchen countertop. Yes, I simply snapped a few photos of all these in my kitchen when Linsey brought them over. The first question I asked Linsey about this was "Did it bleed?" Nope, it did not. Which surprised me b/c I often expect colors like this that are so saturated with color to bleed. But it didn't!

Next is a really great example of how to use those variegated skeins that you grabbed because you loved it so much, and then a year later aren't sure what to knit with it. You knit this. The Sketch It Cowl. Linsey knit hers in Swift's Tweed Sock in Tropical Vintage. Also look at LTY Tweed Me Sock, Qing Donegal and HueLoco Tweed for similarly modern colors on Tweed.

Linsey knit this Gratitude shawl a few years ago when we went on a Moms-away vacation. I have a photo of her knitting it on the plane five years ago. Wow, time flies. We keep talking about how wonderful that trip was and how we should do it again. Then life happens and it keeps happening, right? Note to all- make the plans. Take that long weekend with your friends. Travel together and enjoy each other while you can.

She used the 6-mini gradient set from our Mod Spring Knit Kit. I may have one more color set here if you want to e-mail me about it. Otherwise. I have other color options here. 

Linsey is particularly good at choosing colors for sweaters like this. This is Telja and she used Madelinetosh Vintage in Nocturne, Asterid Grey, Antler and Candlewick. First question I asked..... How does it fit in the shoulders? She said that Jennifer's patterns typically fit her well in the shoulders. Some designers' colorwork sweaters look nice but then don't seem to really fit that well up top.  But for Jennifer's designs they seem to fit her well.

Now, this one is right up my color alley. It's Joji Locatelli's Tourist Sweater in Water Green Malabrigo Rios. It looks so nice on, too. Yes, on my kitchen counter it looks a little odd. But it's sublime.

I love the simple lace in this pattern. Linsey used three colors of Hedgehog Fibres Sock - the multi is a potluck from awhile back, and the solids are Crystal and Hush. The pattern is Heidschnucke and is a super three-color project.

This last piece is the one. Humus by Eeva Kesakuu. Linsey chose six skeins of Madelinetosh Pashmina paired with the perfect pattern in this one, right? It's squishy and soft and just plain amazing. Lins says she wore it a lot over the winter and there is a bit of pilling along the collar area, but not as much a I expect with silk/cash blends. You can click on the picture above and zoom in and you really can't see much pilling. I think they eye of the maker is much more harsh than that of others, right? I asked Linsey how she found the perfect colors for this and she said "I sat down on the floor one day when the shop was open." She literally sat there on the cold terrazzo floor and went through 200 colors to find the perfect 6! She chose Havana, Glass Bottom Boat, Baltic, Nectar, Pink Clay and Murakami.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Knitting friends are the best. Until 10 years ago, I knit by myself. Never had a knitting friend. Then the shop moved (we started restoring the building 10 years ago this past week!), I met knitters in person and went to one group in a local coffee shop. I met some of my best friends who I've spend holidays with, played sports with, raised children alongside, and share some my my most intimate truths and learned how to be a better human. I've gone through some of the realest periods of my life with these women and I wish the same for all of you - that you have a soft place to land when you need it. That you find real friendship that endures and is surrounded by great knits like these.

So if you come to the shop in the next few months, it will be filled by knits made from the people I love. My knitters.

We're turning 16! Celebrate with us!

Next week marks SSYC's Sweet Sixteen Birthday! I'm so proud that we've made it well into our teens, especially being online only this past year (but we reopen to in person shopping very soon) and we have you to thank. So all summer long I'll be gifting you with a variety of free shipping deals, gifts with purchase, and various sales..... sixteen surprises or gifts in all from now through August. What are we starting with? Free shipping to US addresses through the holiday weekend/Monday! I thought, why not start the celebration a few days early this year since we all have so much to celebrate this Memorial Day weekend anyway?

All you have to do is shop as usual online and enter coupon code SSYCbirthday at Check Out in the Coupon Code field to get free shipping on your US order - it's best just to copy/paste it (there are no spaces in the code). It's just our way of starting our summer of gratitude. Sorry, international shipping is just way to expensive right now to offer anything on that- we already lose $ on that deal.

What might you like to purchase this weekend? Well, many of you saw the preorders for this super cool striping sock kit that will start shipping out after this hoiday weekend. You get two matching rainbow colored socks because the kit comes with 2 matching 50g balls of sock yarn.Plus there's a slew of other cool colors too like Tiger and Zebra and more. And there's a free pattern too.

We also got in a stunning array of Less Traveled Yarn that I blogged about yesterday if you'd like to see the cool color combos I suggested. Above is just one in tweed that I adore in Tweed Me DK. Gorgeous, right?

Photo courtesy of Sweet Georgia

Then we have a gorgeous selection of Tough Love sock yarn and mini sets from Sweet Georgia. For those of you who want to knit the Sail Shawl shown above, we have dozen of hues so you can make your own three color combo. Or take a cue from one of the options we shared here.

Have you checked out our Sale Section lately? We keep adding goodies in various fibers and weights. Have you tried Polwarth wool for socks yet? You should! Not only is it less expensive than merino (it's $18 in the sale section right now) it holds up well, is soft to the skin and takes the dye beautifully. Do give it a try. We have some from Laneras Yarn Co right now -marked as at LYC in the sale section. Shown above is the Forbidden Forest colorway below is Bambolina.

Want more ideas? Well, we just got in a huge restock of Hedgehog Fibres which I know many have been waiting for. This includes Tweedy DK too. Plus we have Emma's Yarn and Fiberstory in a lovely spectrum of colors. Those are going so fast that both dyers are dyeing us up more already!

Thank you for your loyalty, guidance and inspiration over the past 16 years. Please bookmark the blog to visit all summer long if you'd like to know what gifts we're giving, and what dyers like Madelinetosh, Dream in Color, Yarn Love and more are dyeing up to celebrate our Sweet Sixteen. You all really are made of awesome and I look forward to serving you for another 16 years. 

This photo is not from pandemic-time - you'll see me fully masked if you visit in person- no worries!

If you're spending your summer knitting up holiday gift socks for your loved ones like many of us who don't want a big, heavy project making our laps sweat, I have several suggestions for sock yarns that are addictive to knit while also holding up to wash and wear. If you don't want your gift to be ruined the first time the recipient throws it in the washer, consider using Opal Yarn (shown above in 9546, a great dress sock color), Trekking XXL, Berroco Sox, Regia and Cascade Heritage Prints. There are so many different colors and self patterning styles to choose from. Shown below is Cascade Heritage Prints in 77-Unicorn.

As always, if you have any questions about your selections or if colors look as great in person as you think they do online, please feel free to e-mail me, Allison, at service@simplysockyarn.com. I do plan on spending a hefty amount of time this holiday weekend with my family but I know that many of you do want to take advantage of a free shipping offer like this, so I'll check e-mail a couple times too. Happy knitting, all!

More from Less Traveled Yarn

We have some lovely new summer skeins and restocks from Less Traveled Yarn! Sarah and Matt typically sell a lot at fairs and festivals and so I selfishly love that they have moved more online and to their retailers over the past year b/c that means we've gotten so much lovely yarn from them. I adore the colors she dyes on the Tweed Me DK and Tweed Me Sock shown above and below.

LTY offers one of the rare superwash merino/nylon sport weight combos. Usually we see sport and DK with no nylon, so it's really nice that you can get hand dyed colors in this slightly thicker, cushier yarn.

I hope you find something you really like in this batch. We were able to feature the Tweed Me DK in one of the clubs last year and since then many of you have become addicts of that yarn. I, too, have several skeins just waiting to be knit. There's just something about the mod tones on traditional tweed that makes me so happy.

I'm betting that when the world opens back up again, you'll see Sarah and Matt and their booth at all the events again. This photo I took in January in NYC when I last saw them before the pandemic hit the US. I can't wait to see them, and everyone else, again. 

SSYC Resumes In-Person Shopping!

We are so pleased to announce that Simply Socks Yarn Company will start our normal every-other-Tuesday-Saturday rotation of in person shopping starting on Saturday, June 5 from 10-4! Dates are here. We miss serving you in person and can't wait to see your faces in the shop - at least the top half, that is. We will all remove our masks when we are all a little more comfortable with the ever-changing-pandemic-rule climate. It's been a long year for all, and we ask for grace in our requests for masks. Even if you are vaccinated like us, you'll be wearing a mask in the shop for now, and if you forget yours we have one for you. And if that's something you can't do for whatever reason, hey, that's okay. I'm more than willing to watch for your online order and walk your bag out to your car on open days - just tell the person manning the shop door (it's likely this fella) your name and we'll bring your package out to you. Or read at bottom for info on new Contactless Pickup options on our non-open days.

We will be limiting the number of people in the shop to around a dozen at a time, so if you want to definitely secure a place with no wait, please do e-mail me, Allison, at service@simplysockyarn.com to secure a 45 minute spot. We will take walk-ins too, but if there are too many people in the shop (we are a small staff, after all) there may be a slight wait at the door. Signing up is a great idea if you want to come in with friends (Anita? Linsey? Kim? Deborah?). We know there are many people who want to come shop in person after a year! I doubt there will be too much of a wait, if any, so if you don't wait to e-mail me to sign up, that's fine too.

 

We will continue with our pre-pandemic 10-4pm every-other-Saturday-and-Tuesday open days as listed here. Please don't trust Google. Just our page. Please do not bring "extra" people for now, as we want to be able to serve as many people as possible in the shop, and those people may cause a wait outside for someone else. We love seeing your spouses, kids, etc, but right now we know that people do want to come in and we want to be able to serve as many of you as possible. Especially after waiting a year to come in! Maybe wait a month before bringing in your hubs to say Hi. Again, I don't think there will be much of a wait, if any, but we just don't know what to really expect once we reopen. It's been awhile!

I know some of us aren't a fan of groups, or perhaps the pandemic has made you wary of being around people. We can relate. If this sounds like you, please do e-mail me because I'm willing to come in a bit earlier in the day or at another time if I can to make sure you get served in a way that you're comfortable with. I know we are all a bit frazzled after this year of fear and change (which is one of the reasons that we ask that you keep your mask on for now, even if you are vaccinated), and I don't want you feeling like you're missing out on something. If I can make it work for both of us, I will.

Are you local and like shopping online and picking up at the shop on our not-open days? We have a new Contactless Pickup option/procedure! Find full info in the middle of the page here. Have questions after reading that? Please do e-mail.

Have any questions about anything? Please do pose them in the comments and wait a day to see my response. If you're wondering something, someone else likely is too. And just in case you forget where we are (ha!) we are still at 1315 E State Blvd, Fort Wayne, Indiana. Plenty of parking in our side lot and on the street. Or e-mail if you don't want to ask in front of everyone.

So come see me and all this awesome Less Traveled Yarn Tweed Me DK we just got back in stock before I try and stash it all! Our first day back at is is Saturday, June 5 from 10-4!

Why we take our own photos.... part 2 or 20?

When I blog about how and why we take our own photos at SSYC, it seems to be of great interest. Things have changed during the pandemic a bit and especially now that I'm booted because I do most all of my job/s at home now for social distancing purposes. I rely more on help from my kids, especially James. My team pulls skeins from orders and packs them up for me, I load them into my car and bring them home to my kitchen photography setup, and 13 year old James helps organizing all the colors so I can quickly photo them.

Colossal Sock in Dune from previous dyelot above and new dyelot below. Same color, but as you can see one has more white and less color.

I enjoy photographing everything myself. But more than the enjoyment of it, I take pride in it. I think it makes for a kind of quality control that can easily be overlooked otherwise. Hand dyed yarn often looks different each time it comes in, so if you aren't actually putting eyes on the new batch and comparing it with the previous batch photos, you might really be not representing the skeins well to people who can't see them in person.

I think it's worth mentioning that the same reason we photograph so much is also the same reason that dyer's don't provide knit up pictures of their yarn. Each batch is different enough that they just can't knit up a sample. Sometimes lots are dyed in twos, sometimes sixes, etc. So they simply can't waste 20% of what they dye to show a picture that only represents such a small batch. So if you want to see knit up pictures, I recommend going to Ravlery, searching for that yarn and then seeing the projects knit up in it and searching for the color you like. And even if you can't find the color you like, you might at least get a better idea of how that dyer's artistry looks overall in a finished piece. Here's that page for Colossal Sock if you want to see what I'm referring to.

Colossal Sock in Flower Drum Song in the new lot above, and previous lot below.

Yes, it's a lot of work to photograph new lots. Yes, we could totally use the stock photos provided by the dyers like other online yarn shops do. Yes, we could take one photo and use it for years across six different batches of yarn. But I don't think that using a dyer's stock photos from three years ago fairly represents what they are dyeing now. And I don't want someone to open their package and be let down. Of course we make mistakes sometimes and an older pic pops up once in awhile. And screens do show things differently (especially teals/aquas) and people having their screen brightness way up can make colors look SO much brighter than they actually are. But we do our best and I hope it shows.

I'm showing off Colossal Sock as an example because we just got a big, beautiful batch of it in the sale section from Dream in Color. It's probably the most we've ever had in stock at once, so if you've been waiting for a color, please do look! We even have some new pastel hues that just came out like Sonoran Magic, Mint Drop, Peachy Keen, Lime on Ice, Sundance and more.

Such lovely inspiration

If you were a part of our 25th yarn club that just ended (26th to come in a couple months), you have already read the story I'm featuring today. But I just had to share it with everyone because I was so touched by the inspiration for the May club skein that I knew others would be too.

We've carried Wonderland Yarn now for four years now, and Stephanie's skeins and minis are always a joy to see. But learning the inspiration for her recent contribution to our National Parks club made me appreciate her work even more.

I think it's safe to say that most fiber artists are similarly inspired in the colors they create- either by experiences or feelings or relationships. That the skein you are knitting now has so much meaning to it before it gets to your needles. But I have yet to see such a clearly expressed inspiration and intention. We are all so used to seeing feelings and statements reduced to short sentences and soundbites that reading the full artist statement about this colorway is remarkable and worth savoring.

Much of my love for travel can be attributed to my grandfather, Pop. Pop drove the school bus at 12 and a few years later jumped trains all the way from the east Coast to the west. In him, a hunger to go--to see and to do, to admire and appreciate. So, when he retired, incidentally from a knitting mill, he bought a van and converted it into a camper. He painted it emerald green, encircled with a white band. He built in the fixtures and furniture; my grandmother sewed the curtains and the upholstery. Pop fitted it out with everything one would need to travel near or far. By the time I came along the van had made many trips from the East Coast to the West Coast, from the south to the north, and to many state and national parks in between.

The magical thing about the van was you didn’t have to go very far to have an adventure. Sometimes we would take it to get ice cream and sit by the river. Sometimes we would take it on a picnic. There was something about the van made any regular trip into a magical adventure.

My fondest adventure is when we drove all the way out to the Grand Canyon. It was a family reunion of sorts. I was 11. I learned a lot on that trip. My father said that as soon we drove to a point where we able to see the depth of the canyon, I leaned over and quickly locked my door so as not to fall out. That was lesson one--the Grand Canyon is very deep. Other important life lessons were: You should wear flip-flops in the campground shower and wash your hair quickly, so you don’t run out of quarters. A BLT can be made with Baco’s Bacon bits in a pinch. The summer sun was hot enough to fry an egg during the day, but at night you’ll need to crawl, shivering, into bed with your grandmother. Some bugs are very big and very ugly. Important life lessons that have stuck with me these 30 years after.

We went to the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest. We had lunch in a greasy dive in Santa Fe, bought trinkets and blankets from the locals, rode inner tubes down a river. And thankfully, did not ride donkeys down into the Grand Canyon, which to me was a terrifying idea. I was amazed at the flatness, the difference of the plants and colors, even the different light— that trip was truly a magical experience.

So, when Allison asked if I was inspired to dye a colorway for the National Parks club, I knew immediately what my inspiration was. And it was a green and white van. And it was my grandfather who said, whether we were going across town or across the country: “Let’s mosey on down the road!"

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Thank you, Stephanie, for expressing your appreciation of your loved ones in a way that we can all relate to. In a time where we can finally hug and see our loved ones safely and have great hope of the months to come, your words hit close to home.

Monday is for Mineville!

Did you see the stunner of a batch from Mineville Wool Project we got late last week in the Sale Section? This is our last-for-now batch of the rare superwash merino/nylon blend that is Bridgetown DK. Not only is it harder to find a hand dyed DK blend like this, it's put up in a 140g skein, which is great for socks and accessories.

Andros

MWP is an off shoot of Fleece Artist and they use the relationships they have cultivated over their nearly 50 years dyeing yarn to get great deals from the mills. These base yarns could be test runs for another company, or a short run or a mill end.... but basically they get a great price on a premium yarn because it might be in short supply and then I'm able to pass that deal onto you. I believe this is the last of the Brigdetown DK for the Sale Section, unless more is stuck somewhere that they couldn't get (shipping containers seem to be getting waylaid all over) or if they mill finds more.

Gumdrop

This is great stuff and you're getting 40% more for 45% off. I'm knitting a Wurm hat (medium size)using the Spooked color right now and it's such a satisfying knit. The colors are interesting but wearable (I do like gray), and the hand is fab.

I'm considering grabbing a baby blanket worth in the Vintage Denim or Andros too. I think I may be in a blanket mood this summer. 

Vintage Denim

If you're hoping for more spring deals, I have some more Colossal Sock on its way from Dream in Color too. I've had many special requests for colors of this yarn lately. Colossal Sock is our exclusive yarn for our 15th anniversary and now that we are nearly at our 16th anniversary I'm not sure if I'll keeping having the mill make this for DIC and us, or if we should try something new. Thoughts on this? It's such a fab deal, durable and the colors look fab so I hate to see it go but wonder if it's time for something new? There's only so much time/space I can take up in Dream in Color's queue/studio so if we continue full force with this like we have for the past year, there may not be room/time to dye another base. But darn it, I love it so much that I just don't know that I want to see it go.

Sweet Georgia is back!

Gosh, it's nice to see all this color from some of my favorite Canadians. Felicia and the SG crew have dyed us up a gorgeous batch of Tough Love sock yarn and their Party of Five mini skein sets and WOWZA, the colors are just fab.

Much like last week with Emma's Yarn, it took me longer to photograph not only b/c of my booted foot but also because I just couldn't stop combining colors into project ideas. Want a three color project like the this cowl or this shawl? One of these may be perfect for you.

Or just choose two of these if you want something like the Phi Shawl (which I can never get enough of) or Pure Joy.

All these are Tough Love sock yarn, which is the classic superwash merino/nylon combo that Sweet Georgia has been using since we first starting carrying it over a decade ago. It's super stuff. And the price has only gone up $4 in 12 years. Now that's something, when Hedgehog Fibres sock yarn is going up almost twice that in an 18 month period.

Felicia has such a way with color that it's like her skeins are just begging you to combine into a larger project. Perhaps you have an idea for one of these full-sized skeins with a mini set?

Bloom & Blossom mini set with full sized skeins of either Rainbow Sprinkles or Alpenglow

Celestial mini skein set with a full sized skein of either Torrent or Drift. What do you prefer?

And if you want to knit Casapinka's Perfect Blend shawl, I have two color options in stock for you and just a couple sets of each left. At this link you'll see the first things to show up as kit 1 and kit 3 (they won't show if they sell out though). So if you want to knit this pattern and want the ease of someone else choosing colors sets for you, go for it! Or, purchase three of these Party of Five sets to make your own and then you'll even have a couple mini skeins left to keep on hand for toes and heels!

Get your Hedgehog Fibres now.... plus a contest!

Well, I knew it was coming, but it's sad to see it here. We are going to see another price increase on Hedgehog Fibres. Last year we saw a small increase due to pandemic related import fees, increase in international shipping rates and the fall of the US dollar compared to the Euro. Now we are seeing even more of those things plus Hedgehog Fibres has increased the price of their yarn. We could see skeins go as high as $36 USD soon as a result. I'll do my best, as always, to keep the price down however I can, but importing yarn has already become more costly and more difficult than ever over the past year. And now that they have raised their prices too.... well, I can't eat that price increase. It's just too much.

Other lines have raised their prices too, but just by a dollar or two overall, not several dollars and fees and increases in all sorts of rates. So you will see some other small dyers I carry have slight increases too. But not $5 a skein after a $2 increase last year too.

I think every one is just trying to do their best and keep their lights on in an ever changing world. And most of us can understand that prices do go up and things do change. If you're using/stashing most of the yarn we offer it's likely you appreciate that it's your time that's the commodity in knitting, and that a few dollars more is likely worth it compared to how much time you invest in your craft. But this second raise on Hedgehog Fibres in just a year's time is something I wanted to point out because you could have a project queued up and you may need a skein or more to fill out a fade or a sweater project and now's a good time to grab that before the price goes up with our next shipment later this month. If you wait a few weeks, I don't want you to be surprised at the increase.

There are a lot of great lines that aren't $36 a skein too, and if you need help finding a yarn that's more in your price range, just e-mail me. But so many people enjoy the colors of Hedgehog Fibres and it's used by so many designers that we will continue to offer a wide array (pretty much all) of the colors for as long as we can. But I understand that $36 is limiting for some people, which is why I felt compelled to point it out now while you can still get it for 15% less.

I did just get a small shipment of the popular Tweed Noir if you've been waiting on some to make a sweater. The price did not go up on this yet. I had a sample sweater made by my friend Chevas in the Gloam pattern that I can't wait to show off to you all in person once the shop is reopened. I'll try and remember to post some photos of it on Insta. It's one of those sweaters that you can just toss over whatever you're wearing and you instantly look put together. I wore it last week over a turquoise shirt and jeans and I felt like I looked fab.

And if you made it this far on a Monday, how about a chance to win some yarn? Simply tell me in the comments below what your favorite color of Hedgehog Fibres is and I'll randomly choose one person to win this skein of Skinny Singles in Macaroon! Leave your comment by noon EST on Thursday, May 13 please.