Simply Socks Yarn Co. Blog

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.

Emma’s Yarn is here!

We have our first new dyer of 2021 and it's Emma's Yarn! Emma's Yarn is a sister-run dye studio in Florida started by Emma and Aspen who grew up in their mom's thriving yarn shop. They create some really fun colors with even more fun names. I have Practically Perfect Sock and Hella Hanks for you. The sock is the classic superwash merino and nylon blend that we all like for socks. Hella Hanks are 150g merino/cashmere/nylon skeins that are luxurious and perfect for those of us who like extra yarn for our socks, or never quite have enough yardage for our shawls. 

These are a few color combos that I really like. We are still waiting for a box of the Practically Perfect sock, so if you don't see a color you were hoping for, please wait a few more days or feel free to e-mail me to ask.

Wedding Dress, Ice Ice Baby, Barbie Girl (all photos shown on Hella Hanks)

Yarn Husband, Wish You Were Beer, Denim

Everglades, Denim, Just Add Salt

Happily Ever After, Ice Ice Baby, Barbie Girl

Bohemian Market, Sweet Magnolia, Barbie Girl

And it's a new month, so we have new SSYC Sock Sets for you! Check out our Kits & Clubs section to see what we have, like this May Day Delights set.

Fiberstory is here!

I can tell that many of you noticed that Fiberstory is back now! Several of you went for the fade that I posted on Insta, at least in part, and I don't blame you. It's super pretty. Baltic, Dappled Sea, Flurry, Mist, Frost, Fresh and Prairie. All on Fave Sock.

But I also have more ideas for you (and Rachael had a few that I'll soon post here or on Insta). It took me much longer that usual to photograph all this yarn, not only b/c of the boot I'm wearing, but also because I get so enthralled with putting together color combos. I can't help myself!

Flutter, Swelling, Daybreak. Flurry, Mist on Fave Sock.

Above is what I'm calling my Weathered Beach Fade. Five skeins that make me want to the east coast and stay in a wood sided beach cottage. I can imagine that the painted siding is faded and peeling, and I take walks along a cloudy beach in the early evening and listen to the sounds of people chatting on their back porch and can smell them grilling their dinners. Then I go home and magically there is tasty food and drink just waiting for me and the kids are already asleep. Such a nice fantasy!

Frost & Fresh on Fave Sock.

Sarah dyes her yarn in Detroit, and we haven't gotten a restock this big ever (or any new stuff this whole pandemic). I couldn't resist asking her to put together what she calls Curated Collections of her 7 mini skeins based on some of my fave skeins of hers. You'll see six of these Curated Collections as well as all her Gradient Mini Sets. And I think you'll agree that the price point for these is quite fair.

Emma Gradient & Hazy above. Blackberry & Hazy below.

Want a few pattern ideas? What about On the Spice Market, The Joker and the Thief, Kalari Shawl, or Woolsia Shawl. 

Coastal Gradient & Fresh above, Coastal and Breezy below.

Of course, these skeins of Fave Sock stand alone well without combining with a gradient. But Sarah's whole color palette goes so well together that it just seems made for a multi-skein project. If there are a few colors that you think look great together on your screen then it's likely that in person they are super amazing.

What else is coming this week? I'm half done photographing our first big batch from Emma's Yarn! We also will have a restock of Sweet Georgia in Tough Love and Party of 5 mini skein sets. I also have more Tosh Vintage and even new colors on other bases just waiting to be photographed. I find out later today what's going on with my foot, so I'm hoping there is soon a solution that doesn't involve wearing this big ol' boot much longer. Fingers crossed that it's good news so I can get back to work at my normal speed.

Casapinka's Noncho Pattern for National Bubble Tea Day

Earlier this month I shared the details of Casapinka's newest pattern. For those who purchased one of the kits here (also available there are extra add on skeins should you want to make the M-XL size), you received your free pattern code to use on Ravelry as of this morning. The code isn't active til tomorrow, but I e-mailed them all out today already.

If you still want a kit, I have a few in stock as you can see on the quantity listings. These are here and ready to ship.

So if you think you are due a code for purchasing yarn for this pattern and didn't get one, please check your spam, add service@simplysockyarn.com to your contacts and then e-mail me. I checked every single order to see if there were four qualifying DK weight skeins or a kit, just to make sure no one was missed. Or if there was a note on your order saying "Hey, I'm making a fingering weight version and this is the yarn for that, please send me a pattern code", then I sent you one too.

You can still get a pattern code if you make your purchase for four skeins for the kit today or tomorrow., and you ask for the pattern in the note field at Check Out. After tomorrow, I don't guarantee that I'll be working on Saturday or Sunday, so if you order later than Friday, I won't see your note until after the code expires on Sunday at midnight. Casapinka gives a very tight timeline for using the code. So please do order before Friday at 5pm if you want a code b/c I doubt I'll see your note later than that.

If you received your code and it's not working for you, please respond to the e-mail I sent and ask me for help. Please do not try and e-mail or message Casapinka and expect a response this weekend b/c she's so busy generating codes and helping yarn shops do this that I'm betting she can't get to those questions. Just send them to me.

Here's the link to the Noncho pattern, should you want to take a closer look before deciding on yarn before end of the day tomorrow. I hope you enjoy this knit!

The one where things don't go as planned.

Well, I did a thing to my foot.

I did this thing months ago, just sliding off my couch. All of a sudden I stepped down and couldn't even walk on it. Not a problem at all before that. I ignored it and it got slowly better over the past few months because, well, we don't do anything outside of the house- there's a lot of sitting around happening during a pandemic. Then I was fully vaccinated last month and I subbed on a volleyball team for a tournament a few weeks ago and my foot absolutely hated it. So now I'm wearing this, going to all sorts of appointments for xrays and MRIs and there aren't clear answers yet. Only things I don't understand, and don't want to understand. Like bone spurs, facia, tendons.... gah.

I feel really human this week. But not the super kind, the fallible kind. The kind that has to rely on others, ask for help, reign it in when things are done but not my way. I'm not used to being that human, I'm used to being the mom type that does it all. 

A lot of us have had human times this past year in pandemic. Knowing I'm not alone in that gives me strength. Is that odd? Acknowledging that others are having their own struggles is somehow comforting? I'm not wishing it on others, but knowing that others are walking around day to day with their own humanity calms me. Perhaps being overworked and frustrated, losing our own health, losing families or friends.... there are so many things that daily life heaps upon us, and it's been heightened exponentially by this pandemic. My hope is with this spring and summer that we all start to enjoy more of the community connection that we get to enjoy as people. That we have that to look forward to.

James, organizing all the Fiberstory together that my staff sets aside for me to photo. I bring it home and he organizes it into three-skeins-each so I can more easily just take the labels off and photograph. Welcome to my multipurpose kitchen.

It helps to look forward to things. In the short term, I'm looking forward to having all this Fiberstory photographed and on the website. And all our new Emma's Yarn arrived last week too and is just sitting waiting. Our first new dyer in 2021! I really, really enjoy taking pictures of the yarn and getting it all ready for you. It's a fun part of my job. Especially when its yarn I haven't gotten in the shop for so long! It's taking a lot longer than usual though, instead of two days, it's taking six. Sorry! That's the nature of my work speed right now. But I have cute help as you can see, in freckle faced 13 year old James.

In the longer term, I'm looking forward to getting solid answers for this foot and then (fingers crossed) playing a summer of kickball and volleyball! We typically play a decent amount of outdoor sports as a couple and as a family. Well, more than a decent amount... really every spare moment, so 12-18 hours a week. We watch the kids' soccer, they'll watch our kickball league, we play sand volleyball, James has taken on golf, etc. It's been two years since we've been that version of our family and I was really looking forward to doing all that safely again! But now..... ugh. It's all a big question mark that I have little control over I have instead purchased a few paint by number kits and beginner embroidery sets so that I at least have something I can enjoy, even if it's a different way to enjoy my summer.

What are you looking forward to, short term and long term?

And what TV series do you think I'm rewatching, indicated by how the title of this post is composed??

The right tool for the job

This weekend I had some time to knit, which has been a rarity here for the past couple months. I started this sock over a month ago and just now am turning the heel of my Black Dragon color 9960 socks. Such are the seasons of life.... sometimes free time just isn't available. Sigh.

It's a beautiful sock. Even Terry commented how nice it was as I was knitting last night. It's a change from the self patterning sock yarns I typically choose. It's not quite as addictive to watch the colors develop as it is with a brightly self patterning color, but it definitely creates a pretty sock. If you bought more than one color, I think it would be really cool alternating colors every couple inches too. Or using your leftovers to make striped/gradient socks.

Which brings me to the difference between this Black Dragon collection and typical Opal collections that get their color from a special method of "printing" rather than different colored strands plied together. This Black Dragon is made of several colored strands plied with a black strand an that's what gives it the gradient/heathered look. I love the effect, but the way it's plied isn't the same as typical Opal so it's a bit easier to pierce one ply when you're not paying attention. This is especially noticeable when picking up stitches at the gusset, so I had to pay a bit more attention than usual.

This doesn't mean I wouldn't knit this yarn again. But it does mean that like with a lot of craft projects, having the right tool for the job makes all the difference. You wouldn't want to knit with the ultra sharp tips for this sock, because you're more likely to pierce and separate plies. While those super pointy sticks might be good for other projects, not this one. Just using normal tips (I'm using these) is the way to go. I also think that using metal needles instead of bamboo is more pleasurable a knit because the yarn isn't as "smooth" as Opal sometimes is, so I think the yarn might stick a bit to the bamboo. And I like my stitches to glide effortlessly.

I've posted this video before, but it's definitely worth rewatching. It shows how this yarn is made and while it's not in English, you don't need to understand the language to see how cool the process is.

And here's just a little tease of something that I get to finish photographing today. Oh, minis. How I love thee. Details tomorrow I hope. Happy Monday!

 

 

Cascade Yarn's Heritage Prints - new hues!

Cascade Yarns has just sent us their new Heritage Prints colors! These are self patterning sock yarns that do the wonderful colorwork for you as you knit in the round. 

Cascade Heritage Prints is dyed on one of the softer superwash wool/nylon blends that I've felt for a commercially dyed yarn. It's smooth, but not slick and it's one that holds up nicely to wear. And for just $13 a ball, you can treat yourself to many to keep on hand for all those gift knits that you're not too sure how the finished socks will be treated. Or maybe you do know and you know you have to choose wisely. Ha!

I think the colors in the 100s look like they'd make great hiking sock colors. The heathered/dappled but colorful look of them really appeals to me.

The pandemic has created all sorts of importing issues, and since this yarn is made for Cascade in India, it's been quite delayed as far as I can tell. I first saw that samples of this last year, I believe, and it's finally here in the US. All this is to say that if there's a color you like (I think 77 Unicorn below is one that will be popular), please don't hesitate because I'm unsure how much there is of this and if there will be timely reorders. I've heard "horror stories" from some of our companies about crates getting lost on freighters for months (and some still not found!), or being held up in a port forever. There are just not enough workers to do all the shipping and importing work that needs to be done, and it really has affected yarn supply greatly.

On another note, who here got the 3-5" inches of snow we got here in NE Indiana? Or are you still awaiting yours? I just can't believe it's mid-April and we got so much snow. I posted a few pics on Insta if you'd like to see how it was last night. And then this morning it was even more! Here's hoping this snow did at least something good, and that's decrease our pollen count! 2021 has been full of surprises, that's for sure.

LYS Day & the Start of Summer

We had a very busy LYS Day online here at the shop, and I just want to thank you. Not only for your patronage this weekend, but throughout the past year. It's been very difficult for us (like everyone else during this pandemic, of course) to navigate caring for our schooling-at-home-kids, worry about our families' health, miss our parents and extended family and friends, not participating in community activities. As we start to see some hope in the form of vaccinations, and we see the COVID rates declining, it gives me the mind space to really think about the past year and how the heck we made it through as a small business. And that answer is mainly YOU. You've continued to support us, purchase yarn, be patient with long shipping times sometimes, and be kind about the fact that we can't serve you in person. Of course, there are unhappy people that I engage with once in a great while. But for the most part you have all been a wonderful source of connection and levity and I'm so proud that Simply Socks Yarn Company made it through such a difficult point in history.

While we didn't grow, we all stayed employed, working as many hours as we needed, were able to support our families and get safely out of the house to feel useful and of service to others. Yes, some of us worked odd night hours or week-hour-of-the-morning hours, but we made it work and all stayed healthy.

I say all this with some hope that we will open up to the public later this summer. I don't know when or what that looks like. If the past year has taught me anything, I can have great intentions but the public health climate is so unpredictable that you have to be willing to change what you're doing immediately. But I've been fully vaccinated now and I will soon start considering scheduling groups of five or more masked shoppers for 45 minute shopping sessions in person, after 4pm on select days, or on select Sundays. If you have a group of 5-15 that wants to come in the shop in the next few months, please do e-mail me at service@simplysockyarn.com. Now, if Indiana's COVID rates rise, or if things change CDC recommendation-wise, this will change. But I'd love to start serving small groups in person in a safe manor. Please feel free to e-mail me, Allison, if this is something you're interested in and I'll start amassing a list.

I do think you'll start to see more small dyer restocks in the shop soon too. Many of our small dyers haven't had the staff to help with orders, or they haven't been able to get yarn, or like many business owners they are just trying to do their best and be as efficient as possible so that they come out of this in the end. I have some great stuff coming from Hue Loco, Less Traveled Yarn, Stitch Together Studios, Fiberstory, Flock Fibres, Hedgehog Fibres, Knitterly Things, Six and Seven Fibres, Sweet Georgia.... and likely more that I'm not thinking of. All in the next month-ish. And we'll have Emma's Yarn in two bases here later this week!! Our first new dyer in 2021!

Thanks again for being a part of our little slice of this world. You really make a difference to us.

 

LYS Day = Free US shipping this weekend with coupon code!

We miss you very much in person and wanted to give you the opportunity to shop online at Simply Socks Yarn Co without paying for shipping this weekend since it's Local Yarn Shop Day on Saturday. So if you place an order Friday, Saturday or Sunday (April 16-18, 2021) and enter the coupon code LYSDAY at Check Out, you'll see that your shipping is FREE!!!

Please don't forget to enter the code to get your US shipping for free. Otherwise it's $6 (or always free with $100 purchase). Please also don't forget how much we appreciate you and how you've kept us steady during a year long pandemic!! There have been a lot of struggles this past year in life and in running a small business, but your loyalty has not been one of them. You are all made of awesome and I can't wait to see your faces (at least the top half since we'll all be masked... hehehe) later this summer if Indiana's rates start going down again. Which we are all greatly hoping for. I just can't imagine going through yet another summer like this, but I guess we will all just have to do what we have to do to keep everyone as safe as possible.

What might you want to purchase in the shop Friday through Sunday? I blogged Monday about a lot of things that we just got in. And then I added more to the Sale Section like the DIC Colossal in My Fair Lady above.  And a lot of you are getting Magner totes. I don't blame you - I use mine almost daily. It sits at my feet on my ottoman when it's not in use. Heather's holding one here in the Nautical Red. Nice, right?

More Colossal Sock from Dream in Color!

We have a lovely batch of the 150g skeins of Colossal Sock from Dream in Color in the Sale Section! This is our exclusive yarn from Dream in Color that's priced 45% less than typically sized skeins.

I made sure to order plenty of spring and summer hues for us. I mean, look at these blues and greens!

Spoil the Littles and As a Bird

Carousel and Azure Cove

Brilliant

And then I went crazy with the mod pastels too.

Butter Pop and Pop Up color for March 2021

Lavender Bloom and Pinky

There are dozens of options in the Sale Section right now. I try to get a fresh batch of this every 4-5 weeks, and it always sells out before more comes.

Some of you were asking to have back some of the pairings I shared before. Like Fable and Pickle Ball

Or My Fair Lady and Fancy

Or how about Pop Up April 2021 with Pinky?

Or Milky Spite with Lavender Bloom?

Get it while it's here! And through the end of today we are still giving you a set of stitch markers to celebrate LYS week here in the shop. 

New Tosh Colors to Swoon Over + a Contest

I'm super stoked to share some fresh hues from Madelinetosh! Fatal Attraction

These are all new-to-us colors. You'd think that after offering hundreds of their colors for a decade now I'd have seen everything, but there's always something I see that's new on their color rings. I'm not quite sure if they are wide releases, or from the formerly-retired vault, but they definitely aren't in regular rotation, that's for sure. 

Midnight Pass

Wolf

Siren

All these are shown on Tosh Sock, but I also have them on Tosh Merino Light and will have them later on other bases. I wanted to give them a try and see them all in person in full sized skeins before going for them on all the bases. But I love them all for different reasons. I love the saturation of the tonal/solids, and the highlighter/rainbow of Pinata Pop is awesome. And I love the Killing me Softly... but Kauai the most. It's such a pretty peach/pink but then BAM with the splashes of boldness.

The Feels

Killing me Softly

Kauai
Pinata Pop

Madelinetosh is starting to get back up to full production now, so if there's a color you've been wanting to see here on a particular base, just e-mail me at service@simplysockyarn.com. They've been struck with issue after uncontrollable issue. First, Tosh was purchased from the original owner by another company so of course there's a learning curve to that. Then COVID. Then they moved to a new facility (in the same city so that they could keep their staff). Then their brand new, renovated studios immediately got flooded b/c of the cold/power outages in Texas a few months ago. Now they are getting back going full speed again after pandemic/natural disasters and I bet they will really grow and grow over the next couple years. The new owners have done a stellar job of bringing back previous hires, keeping the 300+ color range in tact (while even bringing back MANY formerly retired colors), and they've been super consistent with the colors too. I can't wait to see what they do in the next few years as they continue to grow and change.

Have you used Tosh in something recently? Want to? Tell me in the comments below what color in our range really speaks to you and I'll choose one person to win a skein of Tosh of your choice. Just comment by noon EST this Saturday and I'll randomly choose one winner and notify via e-mail.

It's Local Yarn Shop week!

Local Yarn Shop day is this coming Saturday the 17th, and here at Simply Socks Yarn Company, we've decided to extend the celebration to an entire week online! While we look forward to opening up to the public again later this summer, we want to show you how much we appreciate that you've kept us going completely online for over a year! How are we celebrating this event with you?

First off, with contests galore. Check here on the blog, on our Instagram and on Facebook to enter to win. There will be something every day from yarn to gift certificates!

Want a free gift with purchase? We are giving away this little yarn ball and locking stitch markers with your purchase through Thursday. You don't need to ask for it or add it to your online cart at all, we will automatically include your little set before we seal up your parcel. Orders placed Monday through Thursday this week will receive this gift.

Finally, since you can't visit us in person yet, we want you to be able to get something awesome WITHOUT paying shipping. So on Friday I'll share a free shipping code so you can enter that at Check Out and receive free US shipping on your purchases made Friday, Saturday and Sunday. While we greatly appreciate all our international friends, shipping rates are is still way too pricy to offer any kind of discounts on those. If you haven't yet signed up for our e-newsletter, I recommend going to our website - just click and scroll down to the bottom to sign up. That way you'll get the code on Friday.

This is just our way of celebrating a week that usually would be a really fun one in the shop, in person. SSYC has been at this for nearly 16 years now and I'm super grateful that you've made the past year a good one for my staff and I, our families, and all my dyers and craftspeople and our families. We all rely on you, and you've been a source of stability for us in a time that could have been infinitely worse. You've made it possible for us to work safely and stay COVID-free, care for our kids and their odd schooling schedules, pay our bills, and feel of use and service to others. Thank you.

So, what might you like to treat yourself to this week? Here's what's the most popular in the shop right now....

Madelinetosh. We just started offering Tosh Vintage, a worsted weight yarn, at your request. Over the past 16 years we've grown to offer more than just sock yarn, but instead easy care wool blends in other weights as well. We also have 200+ colors in our other Tosh lines!

Tosh Vintage color Beta Crucis

Restocks of Opal Yarn and two new collections, Black Dragon (shown below) and Best of Opal. Opal is a wonderful sock yarn for gifting, as it can be machine washed and dried (though I pull my socks out of the washer before drying so the fiber lasts longer), and it comes in super addictive self-patterning colors. I'm knitting this one right now. Oh, and if you haven't seen the Opal Minis yet.... so cute!

Love mini skeins? It's labor intensive to skein all these little gems, so dyers haven't been producing many of these sets during the understaffing caused by the pandemic. But we finally have a full restock in the sets we get from Six and Seven Fibers. Take a look at this Monet mini set! And then go here and here to see patterns to use.

Did you see the details of Casapinka's latest pattern and Knitalong? Go to this blog post to learn more and then here to get your yarn.

Love trying a new dyer? How about Qing of London, Flock Fibre, Less Traveled Yarn, or Wonderland Yarn?

Candy Crash, our exclusive color from Qing Fibres.

Do you love a searching for a deal? Our ever-changing Sale Section is the place to be! There are all sorts of goodies in there right now from discontinued lines to overstocks on striping yarns. And later this week you'll find more of the 150g skeins of Colossal sock from Dream in Color! Those always go fast.

MWP Bridgetown DK, color Pinwheel. A big DK weight skein for 45% off in the Sale Section!

Do you need a new project bag? Now's the time to grab one from Magner Co. Casey makes his bags in Athens, Georgia from the finest waxed canvas and leather detailing. I use mine nearly every day.

Want more accessories? How about our exclusive line of shawl cuffs and pom poms?

These are just some of the 16+ tons of goodies that we have in the shop for you right now. Have questions or need help putting together a project? We're darn good at being your personal shoppers online, so just e-mail me, Allison at service@simplysockyarn.com if you have any questions about your project or color combos. And if you've made it all the way to the end of this post, how about a contest?! Simply tell me in the comments what you're knitting right now (feel free to leave a link to your Ravelry project page or pattern if you want) by noon EST this Thursday and I'll randomly choose one person to win a $25 gift certificate to the shop! I'll e-mail the winner and announce it here too.

Thank you for shopping with us, sharing your SSYC projects in our Ravelry group, commenting on and sharing our social media posts. Every bit makes a difference to a small business like SSYC so that we can continue to serve you for many more LYS days to come!

Yarns this week....

I have so much lovely, gorgeous, splendid new yarn to share with you..... but OH MY GOSH, there's so much that I'm having a hard time getting it all ready. There are certain times of year that I wish I had a duplicate of myself. Spring Break is one of them, as my kids have two weeks off from school which is awesome and all, but when then are home I do like to spend time with them (like right now as I'm typing and we are watching King Kong) which means my daylight hours are kinda taken. BUT the weather has been so nice that they've been outside safely with their neighborhood friends playing, which means I have time during great light to take photos. I take all our photos in filtered daylight - not something that I can do at night. So it's taking a bit to photo the hundreds of colors of Tosh that arrived ..... including Vintage worsted weight. 

Tosh Vintage in Texas Tulips, coming very soon

Over the past 16 years you may have noticed that while we continue to focus on sock yarns at SSYC, I've also offered other weights of easy care yarns here and there as requested. We still don't offer bulky or lace weight yarns, or much that requires hand washing only, but over the years I listen when you ask for something and then we go all in. Like hundreds of colors of Tosh DK or all the Cascade 220 Superwash colors or Malabrigo Rios colors. Tosh Vintage is a yarn we had on special last year in the Sale Section when they found some mill ends in the warehouse and we bought them all. You really, really liked finding those here in the shop and now we will have a lot of colors in the shop regularly for you! This is a wonderful yarn to use for blankets, comfy sweaters, and winter accessories. We also have a few new colors of Tosh Merino Light and Tosh Sock. I'll be sharing all these soon.

What else arrived? A bunch of Malabrigo. We will soon have brand new colors of Sock too. I can't wait for those, but like all things imported, it's taking a while longer than anticipated. And if you've been waiting for the EYB Tenderfoot to arrive, it's here now too. This is a heathered sock yarn that is more rustic/toothy than the smooth sock yarns that have been popular in mills for the past five or so years. Many of you like more rustic feeling yarns, and while this is still soft enough to wear, it feels like it lasts better than some.

These two Opal Yarn collections arrived too, above the Best of Opal and below Black Dragon. I teased about these a couple weeks ago and received a lot of inquiries, especially about the Black Dragon collection because it's not the typical self patterning yarn, but instead is a marled effect where the plies are different colors- one of them is black, and it creates a more gradient look as you knit. Because so many of you want all six colors, I'm offering a slightly discounted Series of all six, should you want that. You can also now purchase them individually, as they have all now arrived.

AND!!! I'm super excited to have the Six and Seven Fibres mini skein sets back. Like these Harry Potter ones later this week.

This is the pattern above. And we also have her new Little Women mini sets which I just CANNOT WAIT to start with.

FYI, Rachel at Six and Seven Fibers is welcoming her first baby later this summer, so this is likely the last of her mini collections that we will get for a bit, and I know many of you were waiting for them. We do also have full sized skeins of her collections going up this week and then more arriving in a couple weeks I believe. But I'm unsure how quickly we will be able to get a restock after this, as she takes time off to care for herself and her little person.

Now keep in mind that all of these things will come live on the website later this week as I have time to post them. Likely the Madelinetosh today/tonight and then the Six and Seven Fibers after that. The only things that are up today are the Malabrigo, Tenderfoot and the two Opal collections. I think there's even more I'm forgetting about too. I've only had one cup of coffee and the sounds of Godzilla and King Kong roaring are distracting. OH! The Noncho Kits! We have an added-skein option now too, since Casapinka realized that not everyone is a small. Add a skein if you want to make a medium through an XL. Read the details here.

Is anyone else just loving this 80 degree weather in the Midwest? Isn't this just the hope we all need after the year we've had? Vaccines PLUS amazing weather? And perhaps some of you had a safe Easter celebration that was just amazing too? We didn't meet up with anyone this year either (just my mom, and we have all been vaccinated at this point), but we took a walk through our neighborhood and saw so many homes with cars in front and could hear the laughter outside and smell the grills and I thought about how wonderful it is that so many smart and hardworking people spent their lives over the past year creating a vaccine and healing people so that they could all have these moments together again. So much hope!

Here's a bit of how we spent our Easter weekend. We did out own version of Netflix's Nailed It, a little competition to make the prettiest unicorn-bunny cookie and we all laughed so hard at the results. I can't remember the last time I laughed as hard as I did - I highly recommend trying this with your family. But realize that you may still find colored sugar on your kitchen floors days later. Terry was the winner of our Nailed It. Who knew he was great on the court and also in the bakery? He's super competitive, so we kinda knew he'd try the hardest. But we didn't know he'd show up to the competition with actual skills! Mine was voted second best, James' unicorn-bunny looked like it got mauled by a wolf, and Henry left the competition in to hide in frustration because James said his looked like it was melting and screaming "help meeeee". His commentary made us laugh even harder.

Casapinka's Noncho Pattern for National Bubble Tea Day

It's that time of year! It's nearly Local Yarn Shop Day and Casapinka is celebrating it a bit later (life stuff, pandemic stuff and just because it's kinda funny) on National Bubble Tea Day! What's this mean? Well, if you, like thousands of others, like to participate in her LYS Day pattern and KAL (knitalong), you can get the yarn and the pattern code from Simply Socks Yarn Company!

I love the simple, striped design of this year's pattern. It's so super cute and wearable. And we even have preorders for the yarn used in the photos, Emma's Yarn Simply Spectacular DK. Preorder yours here.

Your kit comes with four skeins of yarn (three colors, so two skeins of the main color). Emma's Yarn developed the colors Casapinka used in her pattern photo, as well as three other color options. I'll also blog more in the coming weeks about other color ideas using our other DK weight yarns like Madelinetosh, Less Traveled Yarn, Hedgehog Fibres, Life in the Long Grass and Vrinda. There are so many ways to go with this. And while the Emma's Yarn options are lovely, you can purchase any four skeins of DK to get your pattern code for free from us. Just make sure it's four DK weight yarns all on one order. Its definitely worth perusing those listed DK weight yarns now as we have a really nice selection of them all and if you need color help, just send an e-mail to me, Allison, as usual to service@simplysockyarn.com. We are really quite good at being your virtual personal shoppers. So if there are colors you like and you need a third option, or you aren't sure if your chosen colors are great together in person, then please feel free to e-mail me.

What does preordering mean? Well, you get in the queue for having your set dyed and here approx April 23rd, at which time we'll ship it right out to you. It also means that you get the free Ravelry pattern coupon code from us, e-mailed when it is released around April 30th. These are supplied to us by Casapinka, so we won't have them before then. Once we e-mail them to you (likely on that date) you have to redeem it on Ravelry quickly. Usually its by midnight on that Sunday (so you might have two days to redeem). Otherwise the coupon expires and you can simply buy the pattern on Ravelry from her instead. Which is what a lot of people do anyway b/c they just like to support Casapinka for doing so much to help LYS's with sales. In the e-mail you get from me on the 30th you'll get instructions on what to do and how quickly to do it.

It's worth noting that preorders like this do not qualify for our normal return policy. Once you order a "preorder" it's being specially dyed for you, so you don't have the option of canceling it in a week or two, or returning it after you receive it. I do allow a 24 hour grace period after your order, should you have accidentally clicked, rethought your budget or a life event happened. But 24 hours after your order this is yours to keep/donate/gift to someone. It will be specially dyed for you and leave here around April 23.

Other things worth noting:

• If you want other color combos, just watch the blog over the next couple weeks and I'll post other options and ideas.
• You also need a 40" US 6 needle and 3 stitch markers 
• Please do not e-mail me asking for your pattern code. I don't get them until the end of the month and I'll do my best to e-mail you yours as fast as I can. 
• It sounds like Casapinka is also going to offer this pattern for fingering weight. I'm not sure if/when that is for sure happening, but I'm betting it will happen afterwards as a paid pattern. I'll let you know if I learn more.
• You are more than welcome to order other items in the same Cart as your Preordered kits (these kits do qualify for the free USPS shipping option already). Those additional items will wait here and ship with your kit around April 23rd in one shipment. If you want other items sooner, please Check Out separately.
• You do have to purchase four skeins of DK weight yarn on the same order to qualify for the pattern code. 
• If you get into your pattern and you find you want to knit a larger one or need more yarn, I can special order you more later if needed. No worries! Please just do let me know within two months of receiving your initial kit. Edited to add details below....
• Why National Bubble Tea Day instead of the actual LYS Day? Well, my assumption is that b/c TNNA (The National Needlearts Assoc.) didn't publicize or do anything about it this year (they pretty much closed up for good last year), and it's technically their event, it kind of just passed people's radar. Since the 17th is way too close to create colors/test knit a pattern/organize this whole Casapinka event that gets bigger by the thousands every year, the next "fun" holiday was National Bubble Tea Day and I think it's a quirky idea, right?
• When there's a KAL and more info about this "not a poncho" I'm betting you'll find it here on Casapinka's Ravelry group. But this is brand new, so this is about as much info as there is so far.

Edited to add a day later - Casapinka and Emma's Yarn realized late in the game that not everyone is a Small and would likely need more yarn than needed in Casapinka's first test knit. So if you are a Medium through XLarge, order this add on skein as well. Otherwise, you won't have enough in the four-skein kit for anything larger than a Small. And if you find that you still need another skein b/c your gauge is off or you just want to make it really long, then we can always special order a month or two after your initial order for you. Most people are going to need to order the add on skein, because the majority of us statistically are NOT Smalls. So maybe just order the add on just in case and we'll add it to your particular color of kit.

Mineville Wool Project, Bridgetown DK

If you enrolled in our current National Parks Series Yarn Club, you got a taste this month of a rare yarn - a hand dyed, DK weight merino/nylon from Mineville Wool Project. Not only is this blend something that we don't see in a hand dyed yarn (nylon in a DK weight???) but it comes in a put up that is actually great for socks - there's 40% more than the average 100g skein. Meaning that most regular foot sized people will have enough for a pair of socks (still get two just in case for larger foot people or longer than 5" legs). A rare gem indeed. And it's in the Sale Section!

Bridgetown DK in Amelia

Usually, DK weight yarns are put up in amounts that are more suited to garment knitters. So when Emily at Mineville told me about this skein (mid-pandemic, mind you, when getting anything imported was nearly impossible) I said "YES, PLEASE." And then waited. And then waited some more. Because if there's one thing running-a-small-business-that-relies-heavily-on-imports during a pandemic has taught me, it's the art of patience. And lest you think "well, why don't you just start sourcing all US made yarn".... Agreed. I'll do that. In the middle of a pandemic (which I did try and we'll see where that leads in the coming years). But in the meantime, where does that  US-dyed yarn come from? What country does all the superwash process for most everyone? Where do you think US dyers even get their skeins from? It's a global effort, my friends. And it can't be changed mid-pandemic, as much as one might try. But we made it work here and I'm so glad things are getting easier!

Bridgetown DK in Gros Morne

But it's here now and if you think you'd like to knit yourself some DK weight socks in this lovely blend, or a lovely hat like this (or this hat, which has been on my to-knit list ever since Rachael here knit it), have at it! I've already gotten dozens of e-mails from club members about how much they like this yarn and want it in other colors. 

Keep in mind that just because it has nylon doesn't mean it's not great for accessories and sweaters like the DK weight 100g skeins of MWP that you have gotten from us for the past two years. It's super soft, takes the color wonderfully, and nylon is a great addition to most any project that you want longevity and retained shape memory.

The increase in skein size means that you would typically see this yarn at $32-ish a skein, or even $39 depending on the dyer (especially since this is imported). But we have it right now for $17.50 a skein, which is a fab deal. I already caked two skeins for myself, Spooked above and Lotus Garden below. Spooked is a color that's definitely in my wheelhouse - a gray with dappled color. But Lotus Garden is outside my normal color choices. While I do love a good green, I don't usually choose one with so many other colors in it. I'm a basic green girl. But I'm glad I took the plunge.

I have size 10-11 feet, so I'll post how it goes knitting up one of these into a pair of socks for my large feet. Instagram is usually the place I post little updates, and it cross posts to Facebook, so if you follow us on one of those platforms, you'll see how it's going as I go along. 

If you are a club member and want more of the club color, I should have that listed for you in about week I believe. If you asked to be e-mailed when it goes live, you'll get an e-mail but I recommend acting fast as there's not a ton of it in that special color.

Again, this can all be found in our Sale Section. If you miss out on a color you want, I do think I can get another shipment of this. Maybe two. But like all Mineville Wool Project finds, they specialize in short runs that they get at a fab price b/c it's a test yarn or an end run or slightly different than expected. MWP gets it at a fab price and I pass that price along to you. So sometimes yarns are available for a year or more (and can be remade) sometimes just for one run.