Simply Socks Yarn Co. Blog

SSYC Holiday Knit Kits now available!

Our three different Holiday Knit Kits are now available! Find them all at the Kits & Clubs link while supplies last. If you'd like to read details before deciding, please head to Monday's blog.

What else might you like order? We now have our exclusive line of leather shawl cuffs available! These are priced at $15 for this first batch and are super nice. They are hand made for us here locally, dyed and sealed to avoid color transfer even if they get a bit damp in the snow/rain. The edges are even burnished and sealed with a tree sap so that they don't snag on your knits. They are really special.

Thank you for your continued support of our yarny creativity! I do hope you're able to snag a kit if you want one. If not, please do e-mail me as usual at the shop at service@simplysockyarn.com for possible waitlist. Sometimes we do have extra pieces or whole kits if someone accidentally duplicate orders or cancels. And we have asked Hedgehog Fibres to dye just one more batch of the Merry & Bright colorway for December, so if you want extra skeins then, please check back for more info on their arrival.

Stunning skeins from Dream in Color

I have our latest batch from Dream in Color, and wowza, this stuff is gorgeous. I've greatly increased our array of both Smooshy with Cashmere and Jilly singles, so if you're looking for one stunner of a skein for a gift cowl or shawl, or multiple ones for a sweater that pops, then it's likely I have exactly what you need.

All American Hen

Not only do we have dozens of new colors, Jilly also has a new lower price. Awesome, right? When do you see a price go down on a premium hand dyed yarn? I just love this yarn so much, and I really think that if you give it a try you'll love it too. So I've brought the price down from $24 to $22.75 so a few more people can enjoy it. Now, I don't know how long I'll be able to keep it at this great price, but here it is. Similar fingering weight, superwash merino singles range in price from $26-30, so it really is a fab deal for yarn milled and dyed all in North America.

Kiss Me Kate

If you want a cashmere blend yarn to make luxurious socks or gift accessories, then Smooshy with Cashmere is for you. Other Merino/Cashmere/nylon blends are 10% cashmere, but this one boasts 20% cashmere.... and you're not even pay more for that extra cashmere! I'm totally in the easy-knit mindset right now, and so it's Sockhead Cowls and Hats for everyone in my life in our various cashmere blends.

Rain on Me

Big Easy

If you like their original Smooshy Sock, this is your last chance to get it, as they are replacing it with Smooshy with Nylon. Smooshy is their original sock yarn they started their company with nearly 15 years ago. Now they are changing it up to add some nylon to the mix and we will have that for you in 2020.

SSYC Holiday Knit Kits, a preview

It's time to see our upcoming Holiday Knit Kits! This year, we are offering three different versions- all with a limited edition skein of yarn, a medium sized project bag (holds a three skein project) and little faux suede tags. All three kits will go up for sale mid-morning EST this coming Wednesday, November 20 in the Kits & Clubs section and will cost less than $60.

First, the Yuletide Knit Kit featuring yarn from Life in the Long Grass dyed on their Fine Sock, a beautiful bag from Mommy Sews and faux suede Katrinkles project tags. This kit is a warmer option that the others, with holiday hues accented by a beautiful brown. The limited edition color is so lovely- a departure from typical Christmas colors and featuring brown, emerald, a warm cranberry and hints of vivid olive.

The Katrinkles tags that are featured in all three kits are easily stitched on the brim of a hat, on the cuff of a sock or fingerless gloves, or even the back neck of a sweater. It's just a really nice detail to add to that special project. 

The Cindy Lou Who Knit Kit features yarn from Carolyn at Swift Yarn and is dyed on her Tweed Sock base. I love the little tweed nubs in the skein- it adds a really nice dimension to this colorway.... one that I asked Carolyn to dye extra of for me after I saw her test skeins. I just HAD to make sure I had some of this for myself, as I often sell out of the kits before I grab one.

Last but not least is the Merry & Bright Knit Kit which features a limited edition colorway by Hedgehog Fibres on their Sock Yarn, a super cute bag by Mommy Sews and Katrinkles tags. This Merry & Bright color is the only one that we will have dyed again, and just the yarn will be available later in December. I know that our kits often sell so fast (last week's Chevron Hat Kits sold in two hours, I believe) and this is one that I could get more of for those that miss out. I may have a few extra bags too, should you miss out and want one of those.

Thank you so much for your support of our creative endeavors. It's a wonderful part of my job, working with dyers and makers to create curated kits for the shop. We've been putting these together for more than a decade now and it's always a proud moment when they sell out so fast. As much as I'd like to have many more made, there's only so much I can ask an artisan to devote to just my shop. And I think that keeping the numbers limited allows me to ensure the offerings are unique and of the highest quality.

Want to know the next way we'll be celebrating the holidays here at SSYC? We have some awesome ceramic art coming from Charan Sachar and a sassy holiday-inspired mini set from Hue Loco coming in early December. I've also opened up the third and final sign ups for our 12 Days of Sock Yarn Advent with Hedgehog Fibres. I'll keep sign ups open through the end of the month and the sets will ship around Thanksgiving so you'll have in time to open for 12 days starting Dec 13. I've gotten some really great feedback on the first two batches that we shipped out and requests to do more things with minis. I've got some fun things planned with minis in 2020!

Finally, come see us in person at our Holiday Open house from 10-4 on Saturday, December 7. If you haven't been to our Fort Wayne, IN shop yet, it's definitely worth the trip on one of our open days. Our sale section is even larger in person (with things we may have just one or two of that we don't list online), you get more hands-on advice or help, and we generally just have a good time in the shop, showing you around and helping you find just the right thing for your project.

Tenderfoot Sock Yarn now in stock!

I've added a fab new sock yarn to the shop, Tenderfoot solids! I've seen a trend lately toward more rustic looking yarns with a bit more of a natural look, and this really fits the bill. The color line is beautiful, the skeins are slightly heathered and the price point is really the best part. At less than $15 a skein, you're getting a beautiful skein at a super value. Whether you're knitting socks or using this for accessories or sweaters, I think you'll be as pleased as I am with this new addition to the shop.

What do I mean when I refer to "rustic"? Well, it's certainly still soft and wearable next to the skin. But it doesn't have as smooth or slippery a texture as something like Hedgehog Fibres sock. It seems pretty durable too, which is something we all need in our lives with our sock yarns. I've heard it described as having "tooth". It's a bit more grabby on the needles, so I'll be using a slick metal needle instead of bamboo.

If you're someone who likes a bit of a more natural or rustic look, this one's for you. The heathered gives a really nice finished fabric, as you can see in the color below. And if you click on the image above and zoom in, I think you can tell what I mean about slightly heathered texture.

I don't think I can stress enough what a superb value Tenderfoot is. I've really been wanting to find a nice, slightly rustic feeling sock yarn with colors like this, and I'm really pleased with this find at this price. I'm considering taking home colors this weekend to knit socks with a coordinating stripe at the top and toes and heels. Though the person I'd be knitting for has size 14 feet and I just don't know if I have room in my life or brain for his socks right now. What's the largest size socks you've knit before?

Navelli Sweater photo courtesy of Caitlin Hunter, as well as every photo following

I think these colors would lend themselves well to a Navelli sweater or a Caitlin. Both by Caitlin Hunter.

Caitlin Sweater above, Cardamom Coffee hat below,  photos courtesy of Caitlin Hunter

Then you could use up leftover bits to make the awesome Cardamom Coffee hat, also by Caitlin. Well, it looks like I've fallen down the rabbit hole of her designs this morning, so let's keep it going!

Camp Wilkerson

How about a fingering weight version of Camp Wilkerson? I'd just go down a needle size or two from the pattern recommendation and then I'd have big ol' scarf for the winter. And I just bought the pattern and added it to my queue for exactly this. 

I think Zweig is her most popular pattern, and it would definitely look nice in Tenderfoot. Birkin seems quite nice too.

I'm going to pull myself out of the Boyland Knitworks rabbit hole now and get back to my regular day. But you should make yourself a hot cup of coffee and continue the journey where I left off. Do tell me in the comments if you're now planning a new knit!

Edited to add- I just wound my four skeins (details later here on the blog and Instagram) and it wound like a dream. No tangles or issues at all.

SSYC Holiday Chevron Hat Knit Kits

It's time to grab a Holiday Chevron Hat Knit Kit!

A holiday hat kit is a first for us. We have two color options, one Christmasy and one wintery. The kit comes with the bag, yarn and pattern and you can add a pom if you like too with the coordinating colors shown here. I do expect these to sell out today, and if you want a traditional sock knit kit, I have hinted at two of the three options here. I'll have those available next week for you.

Thank you for your support and interest in your kits! We've been offering these for over a decade now, and with each one I get to learn more about yarn, the artists I'm working with, and what you all want from us and this craft. I love what I do and I hope that you love what we create for you.

Holiday Chevron Hat Kits, a preview

It's time to preview the holiday Knit Kits! Tomorrow I'll have for you something new, a Holiday Hat Knit Kit! This is the first time (in over a decade of making our exclusive Knit Kits) that we have done a hat, and I have to admit that it's super awesome. Look for it mid-morning EST in our Kits/Club link. Next week I'll show off our three other Knit Kit options.

Julia at Knitterly Things is known for making awesome striped sock yarn for us. So this Christmas I tasked her with making chevron color combinations that would look awesome with our two reversible drawstring bags, and she totally hit the mark, didn't she? The Festive Forest Chevron Hat Kit has a woodsy, classic Christmas look to it while the Tranquil Forest colors are more winter wonderland in hues. I love them both.

The kit comes with a reversible drawstring project bag that fits your project and more. It comes with all the yarn you need to make the Chevron Love Hat pattern that is included. I'll e-mail you the pattern as a pdf within a few days of your order so you have it as soon as the package arrives to your home. The pattern uses a US 3 needle for the ribbing and a US 6 for the body of the hat. When I knit hats, I use a 16" circular needle, but then I use double points to cast off at the top. You, of course, can use double points for the whole thing or one long circ for magic loop, or whatever you'd like. I do have lots of great needles in stock if you need some.

The image above shows how the pattern looks in various colors, not the special colors in the kit. But it gives you a good idea of how it will look knit up. And if you want to ad pom poms to yours, I recommend taking a look at my recent Insta post, as it shows all the awesome ideas for the colors that I think look great with each kit.

Next week I'll share our other Holiday Knit Kits. We have three more that feature yarn for socks, a bag and some awesome goodies and here's a little taste of what's to come.

Vrinda Yarn, Pada Sock

It's time to welcome a new studio to the SSYC family- Vrinda Yarn! I met owners Nikki and Jay this summer at TNNA which is one of the yarny tradeshows. Their booth was full of colors that I wanted to cast on immediately, and I really liked their business plan that involves sourcing their wool, milling it and having it superwashed in Uruguay. I have two options for you right now, Pada Sock and Shakti DK.

Jay is from Uruguay (he's the guy on the right), and early on he attended farming school where he learned to care for sheep. So when searching for a wool supplier for their budding company, it made sense to source from a place he knew well. Uruguay is a small country with ideal climate conditions for sheep to enjoy grazing outdoors. It also has three times more sheep than people, so the farmers know a thing or two about raising sheep, right?

Vrinda's Uruguayan wool is grown, scoured, combed and spun using the most sustainable, environmentally friendly methods they have available. The facilities where the wool is scoured and combed, as well as where the wool undergoes the superwash process, are powered almost entirely by renewable energy. They have modern effluent treatment plants, ensuring all the factory liquid and solid effluents are treated to meet the high standards demanded by government authorities. There are groves of over 5,000 trees in the land close to the effluent treatment ponds which are irrigated by the effluent treated waters from the mills. These trees will then become a power source for the mills' boilers, which are exclusively fueled by the wood, also a renewable source of energy.

In keeping with Vrinda's plan to be more naturally focused, they don't use nylon in their Pada Sock or Shakti DK. Instead, their signature yarns use the "opposing ply" spinning method to create a more durable yarn with no nylon. One of the four singles is spun in the opposite direction so that when the four are plied together the opposing strand gets tighter. The resulting yarn is more durable and takes the dye differently, creating the subtle barber pole effect seen in the finished yarn.

I'm so glad to be offering such an interesting option in the shop-  more environmentally focused, an interesting ply and the colors are just gorgeous. Heather, Rachael and I all cast on this yarn already. Both Rachael and Heather finished their projects and I have one sock done... yeah yeah, you know me. I'm always the last to finish! Ha! My sock is shown above using the Pebble Sock pattern and the Sequoia color. Rachael's Seahare hat uses DK in the Patagonia color with a Coral Reef pom.

Heather knit the Linnie baby cardi with her skein of Pada Sock in Infamous (enter to win a skein on Instagram). 

We all agree that this yarn line should be on everyone's must-knit list asap.

Dragonfly Fibers, a Change, a Contest

This summer, Dragonfly Fibers sent out the following release, which was quite a surprise to those of us who have seen this hand dyed line in hundreds of locations for over a decade:

    Proving once again that change is the only constant in life, the time has come for us to move on to the next phase in our lives. We have made the difficult decision to move on from this wonderful yarn business by the end of this year. Don’t worry! We are all OK.

    We had originally planned to close the doors and wind down Dragonfly Fibers completely. However, a few of our fabulous colleagues have expressed interest in the business and we must pause to consider how it might be possible for the Colors of Happiness to continue in someone else's hands.

    We want you to know that we have loved nearly every minute of this wild ride that is Dragonfly Fibers. Our hearts beat a little faster every time you share your enthusiasm with us. Honestly, this connection is what we will miss the most. Whether you've stocked our yarn once, or you've carried Dragonfly from the beginning, we have never take a single sale for granted.

Firecracker

Bad Moon Rising

I can't remember a time when I have walked into a fiber festival or LYS and not seen Dragonfly Fibers, so this was a surprise to me. Of course, lives change and businesses have to follow suit. But still, was a shock to me. Thankfully, it was enough of a surprise to enough people that two dyers who know Dragonfly from fiber festivals decided to step in and purchase the business together, and it's set to change hands next month. What does this mean for those of us who love their Van Gogh colors and others?

    Will the colorways be exactly the same? Probably not, as they are different people and will no doubt put their own very talented spin on them. If you are a long-time customer, you may have noticed that our colors have evolved over time... This is the constantly changing nature of life! But never fear, we are incredibly proud of our colorways, and will be working very closely with Lisa and Amy insure that the Colors of Happiness remain amazing and true to themselves.

Van Gogh's Bedroom

Starry Night

Van Gogh's Sunflowers

I'm so glad that Dragonfly Fibers will live on. Just in case the colors do change a bit more than expected, I'll be stashing several from the batch that just arrived here. We have quite a gorgeous array on Dragon Sock (100% superwash merino) and Djinni Sock (Merino/cashmere/nylon sock) right now, more than ever before. I just can't help myself when it comes to ordering their colors, their stuff is so vivid and saturated with color.

Weather Girl

Titania

To celebrate this change, let's do a contest! Tell me in the comments below what are your two favorite colors (either on Dragon or Djinni) and I'll randomly choose one winner to get her choice. Please leave your comment (and perhaps some kind words and/or a memory of Dragonfly Fibers to Susan and Kate and Team Dragonfly) before noon EST this Friday, November 8.

Thank you, Dragonfly Fibers, for making us awesome yarn for so many years. I hope the fiber industry has been kind and good to you and that the care you've shown to all of us over the years is returned to you tenfold. May you ladies have all the good things!

Mineville Wool Project DK is back PLUS OPAL MINIS!

It's sweater weather and prime time for a fab deal on premium DK yarn! Mineville Wool Project was able to send us more of their Merino DK, so you'll find it in the sale section again for less than $14 a skein. This a great deal, as compared to $24-28 for similar yarns in the same size skein.

We haven't been able to get this yarn since early this year. MWP specializes in procuring short runs and end lots from mills (using their contacts and relationships they've amassed over the past 40 years of the Fleece Artist family), and they sell us these skeins at a great deal and we pass the savings along to you. This means that the availability is somewhat unpredictable- sometimes we get a yarn just once (Remember those 250g sock skeins from a few years ago? Ah, memories.) and sometimes we can get the same yarn for nearly a year. It all depends on what the mill has available and if the cost to us is right.

Want some sweater ideas? Take a look at my friend Chevas' podcast. Many of the sweaters in this video are made with this DK weight yarn. Like Rachael's Fern and Feather above (in Radiant Orchid and Bad Pixie) and her Soldotna below- here's her project page. Though I believe she used the DK weight one ply and not this plied version. Same weight though and could be used interchangeably. Colors are selling out already but I do hope to get more before year's end. Woah, 2020 is coming.

Now for something crazy awesome. Opal. Mini. Balls. I haven't ever had these in the shop before so this is something really special. Each set is 28 little balls of Opal Yarn- it's kind of potluck. These sets were assembled at the Opal headquarters in Germany, so I don't have control over the colors in each set, but I see some of the most popular colors in here. To me, it looks like each has the same colors or very similar.

These would be great as scrappy blankets, to add flavor to your solid colored socks, or just to keep in a pretty bowl on your table until you decide what to do with them. I'm uncertain if I can get more, so what you see here could be the last for awhile.

I also have two new beautiful Opal collections to share today, the Schafpate 11 collection and the Freche Freunde collection. Both are very colorful and I'm having a hard time deciding what I want to make first! Opal is my go-to sock yarn when I'm knitting at a kid's volleyball game, or if my knitting mojo has waned. The colors are so addictive and just make me want to knit. Is your knitting sluggish lately? Use Opal as your triple-espresso jump start to get you going again.

Picture post

Just a tease of what's to come.... details soon!

Free Stitch Markers this week w/ purchase!

There are no tricks, just treats here in the shop this week as we give you a free set of stitch markers with each online purchase through Friday! We have given these stitch markers away once before, and they were so popular and loved that we ordered more from Katrinkles and decided to give them away this Socktober. The little ruler is great as a stitch marker and gauge of how many stitches per inch you're getting. And it's just plain adorable!

What do you have to do to get your little package of a 1" ruler stitch marker and locking markers? Just place any order online Monday through Friday this week (Oct 21-25) and we will tuck a set into your package before it ships out. It's just a token of our appreciation of you and the wonderful Socktober you've given us so far. We love this time of year, when the weather changes, we all make more time for the things we love, and craft more for the people we care about.

Winwick Mum color collection from West Yorkshire Spinners

What might you like to purchase to receive your markers? We have a stunning array of West Yorkshire Spinners for all those gift socks you're knitting for Christmas that you want to be easy care and hold up to wear. Regia, Opal, Trekking and Berroco are also fun to knit and hold up to those who might not treat their gifted hand knit socks with the utmost of care.

I'm currently knitting Less Traveled Yarn's Sport weight sock yarn in the West Fork colorway. They are just slightly thicker and cushier than fingering weight socks and I love the overall dappled color. I blogged about the apple basket inspired stitch pattern here.

Love a good deal? We have some stunning Socktober goodies in the Sale Section up to 50% off. The silk Crock-o-Dye blend from K1C2 make wonderful dress socks that hold up well to wash and wear.

And we have this super pretty, limited edition Fade Set from Lorna's Laces that's inspired by Downton Abbey.

Been waiting for more of our exclusive line of hand made, faux fur pom poms? I have lots of them in stock for you right now. These are two of our favorite hats from last year, Rachael's Circumvolute hat using Spun Right Round DK in Bug Jar with an Avocado pom. And my Lichen hat in Life in the Long Grass Twist DK in Lichen with a Coyote pom and this pattern.

What's expected later this week? A huge amount of Malabrigo, more DK from Mineville Wool Project in the Sale Section, and the new Regia collections.

And for those who missed out on the Spooktober Knit Kit earlier this month, there were several duplicate orders (which sometimes happens when people try to snag it quick before it sells out) and I have a handful of those left... while supplies last. Thanks for your interest in the special kits we offered this month! Last week's kit went fast too, and I look forward to sharing what we have coming for the Christmas holiday.

Pattern Pondering

Do you have sleepless nights or wake early? When you do, what do you spend your time doing? Knitting? Watching TV? I usually sit on the couch and work and watch TV. But last night (ok, very early morning) I decided to figure out what I was going to make in a yarn that I've been wanting to start on since it arrived a month ago, the West Fork color of Less Traveled Yarn in their Sport.

When I was photographing this yarn for the shop, there was just something about the color that really spoke to me. I love that it's a fall-ish color, but that it reminds me more of an apple orchard or apple picking. It has pops of bright red and green without getting too muddled in the dye pot. So I thought a pattern that looked like one of those bamboo apple crates would be cool with it. Kind of an orchard basket sock for a orchard-like color. 

So this is what I'm thinking for the stitch pattern. It would be an eight row pattern. I'm thinking I'll cast on 60 stitches on a US 2.5. I usually cast on 68 for fingering weight for my own feet on a US 1.5.

Cast on 60 stitches. Join in round.  k2,p2 rib for 12 rows. Then start the following stitch pattern.

Row 1& 2: knit

Row 3 & 4: knit 2, purl 4 (repeat to end)

Row 5 & 6: knit

Row 7 & 8: purl 4, knit 2 (repeat to end)

I think I'll continue the stitch pattern on the top of the foot too, depending on how squishy a fabric this pattern makes. If it's too bulky, I'll just do the entire foot with no pattern.

I'm hoping to have time tonight or Friday evening to cast on. I think this will be my weekend project and I'll report back on how the pattern above works out. I'm sure I'll post on Insta too, if you want to see if I make changes or completely scrap the idea, which is completely possible since I thought this was a good idea in the way-early am!

Thank you for a wonderfully lovely and busy day yesterday! The Oh-My-Gourd Knit Kit has sold out and many of you are taking advantage of the lornaslaces code at Check Out. And our sale yarn is flying. You are made of awesome and I'm planning a gift at the end of Socktober to celebrate!

SSYC's Oh-My-Gourd Knit Kit now available!

If you want to celebrate fall in knits, then take a look at our Oh-My-Gourd Knit Kit that just went live!

This kit features the Oh-My-Gourd colorway that Madelinetosh dyed just for this occasion on their Tosh Merino Light+Copper sparkle yarn, a perfectly matching sock project bag from DnA Designs, a leather cuff from our upcoming shawl cuff line, and a bag of Poptique popcorn.

If you want extras of the yarn, you are welcome to purchase one or more to make a larger project. This add-on is only available to those also ordering the entire kit, so please don't add it to a cart that doesn't have the kit, as I will have to take it off for someone who qualifies. And if you want to add a skein of a coordinating or contrasting color to your order, these are our suggestions. In TML+Copper we suggest Ayo, Asphalt, Barbara Deserved Better, Love the Wine You're With, Danger Will Robinson, Fate, Flannel Blanket, Thunderstorm, Superb, Nocturne, Onyx, Keshi, Mars is Bright. If you don't want to coordinate with a sparkled skein, but instead a TML skein with no sparkle you can also go with one of those colors, or one of these: Librarian's Dream, Cousteau, Esoteric, Carbon Dating, Cosmopolitan, Cardinal. Seance, Worn Denim, Undergrowth, Tart. Like Rachael said when I asked what colors look nice with the kit color, "Ok, so pretty much everything." It's that versatile.

I'm really proud of this kit. Not only is it perfect for someone who wants to celebrate the wonderful colors of the season, but not in the orange/black combo way, but it features something new to us- a glimpse at our upcoming leather shawl cuff line. These cuffs are ideal for keeping your shawl in place if you like wearing it wrapped around your neck or shoulders, but are sick of it falling off all the time. Plus it just looks darned good! Here's my friend Diana wearing hers in another color (yes, we will have a wide array of color options later this fall). The one in this kit is a warm, medium brown leather.

If you want to add more to your kit to qualify for free US shipping at $100 or to fill your international flat rate package as much as possible, I recommend taking a look at the Sale Section and Lorna's Laces. We are offering 10% off Lorna's Laces through Friday (like we did on the trunk show in shop on Saturday). Just enter the coupon code lornaslaces in your Cart or at Check Out. You may have also seen the fab Socktober deal I have right now on silk blend sock yarn. 50% off solid and variegated colors of Crock-o-Dye from Knit One Crochet Too. This stuff is perfect for dress socks, scarves and shawls. It has a wonderfully soft texture and is durable enough to gift to someone special.

And if you're like me and love a surprise, I have some potluck skeins of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock for you at 30% off in the Sale Section. These are various skeins that LL owner Amanda said are from color tests, skeins that didn't exactly match the dyelot, club color tests.... basically all those beautiful skeins she had that didn't exactly match a particular colorway. I have those in multicolor batches and tonal batches. We choose the color for you and you get a hand dyed skein for less than $20!

Lorna's Laces Trunk Show & Sale

I had such a fun day in the shop on Saturday with Amanda of Lorna's Laces, She and her hubs drove over from Chicago, filled their car with goodies, and all were on display throughout the day on Saturday. Many of you got to meet and chat with Amanda, show off your Lorna's Laces knits and pick out your next project. Here are just a few of the great pics from the day, and check out this video too.

Shoppers on Saturday enjoyed choosing Soctober one-off and mill end colors and you can find in our Sale Section for 25% off (potluck options) later this week- starting hopefully on Tuesday. You can also get 10% off your Lorna's Laces yarn Monday through Friday (Oct 18) noon EST by entering code lovelornas (all lowercase, maybe just copy/paste it to avoid errors) in the coupon code field on our Cart or Check Out page.

This Christmas themed Simply Joys String Quintet set will also be available on Tuesday.

Sweaters shown are Sipila, Sock Arms and Zweig. Shawl worn is Goldfish Memory. 

Take a look at last week's post to see 20 sock colors knit up.

Spooktober Kit Live + Fashion Show

For those who wanted to grab one of our Spooktober Knit Kits, it's now live. Our Halloween and Christmas kits tend to sell out the fastest, so please don't hesitate if you really want one. We will have the Oh-My-Gourd Knit Kit next Wednesday and several Christmas ones after Thanksgiving that I can't wait to share.

If you wanted to add more to your cart to take advantage of free US shipping at $100, we have more Life in the Long Grass than ever before, the Christmas Robin color from West Yorkshire Spinners back in stock (as this sells out this season, we will continue to get more, so check back if it's ever gone), plus the four new Winwick Mum colors shown below. Winwick Mum (aka Christine Perry) is a popular UK crafter and she was asked to design a collection for West Yorkshire Spinners. I'm betting you'll agree that these colors are super cute.

And now onto something super fun. I often attend a local knitting group, and sometimes we get together at a local coffee shop, or have drinks together, or meet up at someone's house. I met these ladies over 8 years ago when one of you suggested that I come knit with her and her friends on a weekend morning. I did, and some of these ladies became some of my closest people in the world and have changed my life forever. Sometimes we see each other once a week, sometimes I go months without catching up. We have vacationed together, worked together, play volleyball and cards together, knit baby blankets for each other and our kids are growing up together. We have talked/cried/argued/drank through the mountains and valleys of our lives sharing advice and stories and support. Some have moved away and we miss terribly and visit virtually, some of us will never leave. These are women that I just happened to take a chance and share a few stitches with, and they have changed me for the better.

Recently, the group was complaining that they had so many sweaters they wanted to knit, but that they wanted to try them on and see how they'd fit before committing. So everyone got together, pooled their finished sweaters, and had a try on session/show. WITH OVER 50 SWEATERS. Different body types, different styles, but all hand knit sweaters from this group. And then my friend Chevas made a video podcast about it.

Photos courtesy of Chevyrell's Stuff Podcast

Now, here's the disclaimer. You likely know that I've never finished a sweater. I got halfway through one, gave up and passed it along to Diana who turned it into one of the sweaters in this podcast (at mark 2:45). So while I had the best of times hanging out, eating carbs, knitting this and taking pictures and videos, I knit none of the featured sweaters (though I think the yarn for 90% of them came from my shop) and only tried on one... around the 10 minute mark... in my pajamas.

If you have yet to join a knitting group, I highly recommend searching Ravelry or Facebook for one in your local area. Or give one a try at your next vacation destination. I had been a lone knitter before these ladies. And don't just try one group- if those people aren't your people, keep on trying groups until you find the right one for you. Or, better yet, convert your non-knitting friends into knitters and you'll be set!

The sweaters are labeled in the video with the pattern, but if you want help choosing yarn, just e-mail me as usual at service@simplysockyarn.com. These sweaters use a lot of Tosh, Malabrigo, Spun Right Round, Hedgehog and Mineville Wool Project (which we will have more of the DK in the sale section in less than a month). But if you have questions about particular colors of yarn, send me an e-mail with the minute/second mark so I can find the sweater and let you know via e-mail.

A big thanks to Chevas, Rachael, Jodi, Linsey and Diana for making this happen. It was a total blast. You all are artists and amazing women.