Today is the first day (of many) of color suggestions for Casapinka's upcoming Ric Rac pattern!

Casapinka designs one LYS Day (Local Yarn Store) pattern a year to help shops celebrate. This year that day falls on April 30, and from now until April 30 you qualify to get her upcoming Rick Rac shawl pattern for free by purchasing two skeins of yarn for the pattern from us at SSYC (from our suggestions here on the blog in the coming week or ideas of your own - even if you shop in person) and letting us know you'd like the Ravelry coupon code e-mailed to you around April 30. You do have to let us know you want the free pattern after your purchase by either 1) putting that note on your order on our Check Out page or 2) e-mailing after your order (just responding to your e-mailed receipt is the easy way) asking. Then when she gives us the codes a day or two before the 30th, we will e-mail you yours. Then you go to the Ravelry pattern page (I'll include the link in your e-mail) add it to your cart on Ravelry and use the coupon code to make it free. The pattern won't be live until April 30 at 8am EST, and you shouldn't expect your code until around then either. Then please do use it right away, because Casapinka says the code expires at 11pm EST on May 1. So, basically she gives you a very short window to download the pattern for free. After that, you can just purchase it from her.
SO! 1) Order 2 skeins from us. 2) Let me know you want your pattern code at Check Out or via e-mail 3) Add service@simplysockyarn.com to your Contacts so your e-mail doesn't bounce. 4) Wait until April 30 to get your code. E-mail me on April 30 if you haven't gotten your code yet. 5) Use code on Ravelry to make your pattern free! Don't wait -use the code one or with 48 hours of April 30. 6) On April 30, cast on with the big group of people on Casapinka's Ravelry who KAL together and share their progress. 7) Feel good about supporting a small business and some awesome dyers and creating something unique and awesome for yourself or someone you love!
It's worth noting that I don't work on Sunday, so if you want the codes, please make sure you order and ask by 4pm EST on Saturday April 30.
Today, I want to share two things that are new to the shop. First, a new dyer we've just added to the SSYC Fam! Welcome to Olann Mills of Ireland! Jess is the woman in charge of the studio in Cavan, Ireland and as you can see she has a wonderful way with color. When I look at her color collection as a whole (and we'll definitely be getting more colors when I can), I see colors inspired by nature, but kicked up a notch either with some unexpected speckles or bumping up the overall color of the skein. Wearable colorways with a special something. They are super easy to combine into duos that you can use for the Ric Rac pattern too. Here are my ideas, and of course you can always e-mail me, Allison, at service@simplysockyarn.com if there's a color or two that you like and want to know if they are as awesome in person as you're hoping. Or, you might like to combine one of the new Olann hues with Life in the Long Grass or Hedgehog Fibres (also from Ireland) to get the exact combo you want. If so, DO IT. The base yarns go together wonderfully. And if you are unsure if the colors look great in person, just e-mail me at service@simplysockyarn.com and I'll get back to you pretty darn fast (during business hours).
Now that we're through all the talk, let's get to the yarn!

Above is a party of a combo that will definitely show off the wave of the ric rac well. Coven and Strata. Would also look nice subbing out Fennel for Strata. Below is a totally wearable every day kind of combo in Portrait (a deep, slightly olive tinged chocolate) and Veil. Veil would also make an amazing Pavement sweater.

A vivid, scummy green is one of our fave colors here in the shop. It and a good gold can be combined with almost anything, it seems. And Chai, below, is a wonderful scummy green. It looks great with a lot, but I particularly like it with Atlas. The combination makes me thing of spring in a city of monuments- budding trees against stone buildings. And if you want Chai with a more colorful skein, I also like it with Burnish.

I'm so pleased to be able to get this new line imported during such a precarious time. Olann Mills is a Irish workshop committed to embracing contrasts, celebrating differences and bringing together carefully curated color palettes that make lives richer. The process of producing quality hand dyed yarns is never rushed, but rather slowly developed to be highly desirable, inspiring and harmonious.

Above is Gossamer and Thalassic. Such a beautiful blue and the contrast of the two would show the stripes in the pattern really nicely. Below is a mod spring combo of Early and Golden Hour.

For those of you who love the brighter combos that are the hallmark of Casapinka designs, I have a fresh batch of the soon-to-be-retired-base of Euro Sock from Madelinetosh in our Sale Section with LOTS of hot hues. I think this means that I have well over 100 colors to choose from right now, all 25% off while we have them. What combos might you like to put together in a bright and fun Ric Rac?

Now, the pattern calls for two skeins, but I'm showing three here because the color in the middle goes nicely with either the color on the left or the color on the right. so you'd choose two skeins of the three. Make sense? Just choose two. All are available currently in the Sale Yarn section. Things there do sell fast though.







Again, all these skeins are currently in the Sale Yarn section, but since those skeins do tend to sell out fast, I do have the same colors on Tosh Sock (merino), Twist Light Sock (merino/nylon), or Tosh Merino Light (single ply merino). Those are bases I stock all the time, keeping 300+ colors in the shop and ready to ship for you.
I'll continue to post color ideas for you through the next 10 days before the pattern is released on the 30th. There will be some great options from Dream in Color (we just got some colors in yesterday that I'll be sharing), Hedgehog Fibres and more.
If you'd like to choose your skeins in person, we'll be open this coming Saturday and Tuesday from 10am-4pm! Make sure you leave us your e-mail address so we can e-mail you your Ric Rac pattern code next week. Our open days/times are listed here. We are open one day a week to the public and ship 6 days a week.