I'll be leaving tomorrow to fly to Portland, OR for the Sock Summit! Squee! I'm so excited about being a part of this grand event, not only because my store is a sponsor, but also because as a knitter this means I can shop-shop-SHOP! If you aren't going to The Summit, check back here throughout the week to see glimpses as I have time to post them. (Thanks go to Tina at BMFA, for the permission to show off this picture you took!) And while I'm gone, please keep Joe busy filling orders. He's always been a big help around here, but I want him to get a good taste of the crazy pace around here!
I want to share with you the lovely things that will be at our booth (523/622) this Thursday thru Sunday. Not only will there be the fabulous guests I've mentioned, but of course, yarn. You'll find Pagewood Farms, Fleece Artist, Dream in Color (in Starry and special edition Smooshy colors), Lorna's Laces (including a special edition Sock Summit-inspired colorway just for SSYC), Schaefer Anne, sKNITches, Alchemy, Silver Moon Studio's bags (NEW!), Malabrigo, and a brand new sock yarn...
Simply Sock Yarn. I've been hinting about this surprise for awhile now, and I'll be debuting the store's OWN hand dyed, semi-solid sock yarn line at the Sock Summit. I've been working on this for over a year now, and it's taken all of 2009 so far to develop the colors. Want to know more? GREAT!
I don't know about you, but I've become more enthralled with knitting solid and semi-solid colors as I've progressed into more intricate sock knitting. I've also been in need of particular colors for sports team/college or socks that match a particular outfit or sweater. And even as the owner of a store that specializes in sock yarn, I often have a hard time finding exactly what I want, when I want it. So just like when I opened this yarn store over 4 years ago, I decided that I could do this more effectively myself if I could be in control and do it my way. There are so many dyers making amazing solid colored yarns, but they are all in such high demand that it can be difficult to get yarn in less than 2 months- and not all of them have the exact colors/fibers you might want.
Simply Sock Yarn is a 80/20 merino/nylon blend that is machine wash and dry, is fingering weight, and is soon to be available in over 70 solid colors. Yeah, you read that right. Over 70 colors. And I still don't have the entire color line finished yet.
Each skein is 175 yards/ 50 grams, which means that you don't have to buy a huge hank of yarn if you need less than usual for stripes, colorwork, or garments. Each 50 gram skein is enough for one sock. And each skein retails for $10. That means that you can make a pair of the highest quality merino/nylon, hand dyed yarn for $20. I did my best to get the skeins at a great price point, and I hope you'll agree that that's a very fair price for such craftsmanship.
I've left no stone unturned when developing color for this line. And no, I'm not dyeing the yarn myself- I'm NO dyer. I'm working with a artisan who has the most experience dyeing yarn. Really, it's been a complete pleasure developing the line because I'm working with the most knowledgeable people. What does this mean for you? You can knit those perfect sports team socks for your daughter's volleyball games, or your boyfriend's favorite sports team. You can knit those super soft, machine washable cabled socks and have the pattern show up beautifully. You can knit a baby sweater or blanket with multicolored stripes, and not have so much yarn left over that you're not sure what to do with it.
And the big thing? COLOR CARDS. It's practically impossible to find color cards anymore, but you'll be able to get a set for Simply Sock Yarn so that you can compare and plan your project with actual fiber samples, instead of on your computer monitor.
I really do think that I've pulled out all the stops in creating this yarn line, and I'm open to suggestions for things that you really see missing in solid sock yarn. Please feel free to leave your comments and suggestions below! And I know one of the questions on everyone's mind is... when can I knit it?! Simply Sock Yarn isn't available for purchase yet, but it will be in late summer/fall. Only a small amount will be available at the Summit in 30 colors. But rest assured, when it is available, you'll be the first to know!
You had me at COLOR CARDS! I need yarn in Komets colors, so I hope you will keep the home teams in mind as you develop your line. And good luck at Sock Summit!
Posted by: Abby | August 03, 2009 at 01:02 PM
Good luck at Sock Summit!!!! And your OWN yarn, that is fantastic. I am very happy for you and for us, can not wait until you put it up on the store. I LOVE color cards, what a wonderful idea. All the best.
Posted by: Juana | August 03, 2009 at 01:30 PM
Forgot to ask: are the colors to be solid-solid or they will be tone on tone?
Posted by: Juana | August 03, 2009 at 01:34 PM
Now I really wish I was going to the Sock Summit, too bad I'm soooo far away. I'm so happy about your sock yarn, can't wait to see it!
Posted by: Debra | August 03, 2009 at 02:17 PM
The dark, deep tones are solid, but the lighter ones are more semi-solid. It's practically impossible to get dye to absorb evenly in medium or paler tones, because the dye is so diluted, thus the term "semi-solid.
Make sense?
Posted by: Allison | August 03, 2009 at 02:23 PM
Thank you for your answer. I love the semi solids the most so I am very happy.
Posted by: Juana | August 03, 2009 at 02:40 PM
Ooh! That is exciting news!
Posted by: sprite | August 03, 2009 at 03:36 PM
Sweet. I will get to see these in person. I'm excited that you have your own set of colors. I totally need a color card. I miss those.
Posted by: Brenna | August 03, 2009 at 03:48 PM
This sounds great!
Posted by: knitopia | August 03, 2009 at 04:55 PM
Terrific news about your sock yarn line. I'll be anxious to get one of those color cards. Good luck at SS.
Posted by: Sue J. | August 03, 2009 at 06:46 PM
Allison, your line of yarn sounds FABULOUS - I'll be looking for you in Portland...
Posted by: Deirdre | August 03, 2009 at 07:25 PM
This is such great news! I know you will have tons of fun at the summit, and people will go nuts over your yarn. I look forward to getting some of my very own soon!
Posted by: Suna | August 03, 2009 at 07:38 PM
Woohoo! Please bring lots of the color cards to the Summit (and save one for me)! See you Thursday. :)
Posted by: Alyssa | August 03, 2009 at 08:07 PM
How exciting!! I can't wait for your line of yarns to be available. I am so excited to be able to get some solid colors and will definitely make use of the color card.
Good luck at Sock Summit!
Posted by: SusanB-knits | August 03, 2009 at 11:04 PM
Oh, I can't wait to see your booth at the Sock Summit! This is great news! Congratulations on such a wonderful step for your business!
Posted by: Nancy | August 04, 2009 at 01:20 AM
Congrats on Sock Summit; I hope it goes really well!!! (And I hope there'll be a repeat, some day!)
Double congrats on your own line of sock yarn. This sounds great! And thanks for such a good write-up. I often use sock yarn for baby projects, but hadn't thought of having smaller skeins to use for stripes in something. Great idea!!
Another good way this will work is for those of us who like to have a matching yarn for our multicolored ones. So often that is very difficult to accomplish, but with your color card, it will be easy!
What a great thing you've done here!
Posted by: Jan | August 05, 2009 at 02:52 PM
Congratulations on creating your own line of sock yarn! Wow! Wonderful! I can't wait to see the colors available and color cards are a fabulous idea. I will definitely order some of those - can't wait :D
Posted by: Marylu | August 05, 2009 at 09:03 PM
Congratulations, and thank you for offering color cards and satisfying my need for solid colorways. Will the yarn be single or 2-ply? (Sorry if that's a dumb question re fingering weight.)
Posted by: Susan | August 06, 2009 at 11:09 AM
I saw these at SS and I have to say I'm kicking myself that I didn't buy any because I didn't realize then that you didn't have these for sale yet. My mother in law WON four skeins and they are the most beautiful things I've ever seen. Did I say kicking myself?
Posted by: Kirsten | August 11, 2009 at 05:46 PM