I'm so glad you all are as excited about the Special Edition Cherry Tree Hill Colorway as I am! And to answer your questions, there won't be preorders, but the yarn will go the website in about a week (before June). I'll give you a heads up here before I sent out e-mails to those that are on our list. You might also want to keep your eyes peeled for news about a Sock Yarn Club.... and that's all I'm sayin'....
I want to clue you in to another new sock yarn that SSYC will be carrying in a couple weeks- Dream in Color, Smooshy Sock Yarn. Have you heard of it yet? If you read the Harlot's blog, then likely you know about this yarn. What's unique about is is the hand dyeing process used; it's veil dyed, which creates a yarn that, according to the ladies at Dream in Color, doesn't pool or landscape. Aw, yeah. Take a look at all the lovely colors that are available- and soon, SSYC will have them all!
I'm really excited about this yarn. As I've mentioned numerous times, I prefer to knit with sock yarns that don't pool in a very noticeable way. Partially because I like to use lace and other sock patterns that don't show well with pooling and striping, and partially because I just like a random color distribution. And I've been knitting up a sample for the past couple days, using a mock cable pattern, and SEE, NO POOLING!!! Not even as I increased and decreased for the heel. Mark my words, this yarn will be in many an online store in a matter of months- especially after it's shown at TNNA (a trade conference) in early June.
As much as I want to keep this sock, while knitting it I realize that the color (330- Dusky Aurora) would be perfect for my Sockapalooza pal. She mentioned that she doesn't mind thicker socks, and Smooshy Sock Yarn is definitely on the thicker side of fingering weight. While I normally knit with a US 1 needles, I knit this sock with a US 1.5, and even went up to a US 2 for the slipped stitch heel (my pal likes a little extra room so I cheated and just used a slightly larger needle). I could have easily knit the whole sock with a US 2 needle (which is unheard of for me), but I wanted a dense fabric so the socks would really hold up to wear. The pattern I used is the Yarn Over Cable from Sensational Knitted Socks. I've knit that same pattern before, about a year ago, when I first knit with Schaefer Anne, though I used a US 0 for that sock. This one is obviously going a quite a bit faster! And that's good, b/c I want to get these finished well before the end of June, so that I can get them to my pal before the baby puts a kink in things.
And even though life is hectic and the coming baby puts a time crunch on things, I've joined the Knitters Tea Swap for the second year. I really had a great time with the last one, I received some great gifts from Susan, and I got to know Cynthia better b/c she was my pal. I couldn't not join this round! And who do I get for my exchange pal (it's not a secret!), but DAVE! I swear, Dave and I are linked cosmically somehow because he's won blog contests here before, and he was the person I shipped to for the last Yarn Aboard. So I'm going to search the cultural mecca that is Fort Wayne for luscious teas and cakes. It's not going to be hard though, because we have a really nice tea shop here (and I worked there in high school and college, so I know what's super tasty).