Simply Socks Yarn Co. Blog

Thankful Thursday....

on a Monday?

I was in PA on Thursday eating several helpings of turkey, so let's pretend that today is Thursday, alrighty?  And 'cuz it's ridiculously busy today, let's also pretend that I've written a lengthy and well thought out Thankful Thursday list, alrighty?  Just humor me.

First, I'm thankful for broccoli.  It's super tasty, and because the weather here and in PA where we were for Thanksgiving is very mild, Joe's dad's broccoli plants are still producing.  Thus, I had a wonderful, though brief, lunch of fresh steamed broccoli and cous cous.  And if I have time to eat dinner, I just may have some more.

Second, the internet.  Without it, I wouldn't have this business, and thus you all wouldn't be participating in what is touted as Cyber Monday, the supposed biggest online shopping day of the year.  Otherwise called Fyber Monday.  I don't know if I believe the hype, but today is VERY busy.

Third, that my family is nothing like those families that I see on the show Wife Swap.  I have yet to see a family on that show that I can really relate to, but it doesn't stop me from watching it.  I get along really well with my family, especially my siblings who I talk to several times a week (they don't live close), and we are drama-free.  That can't be said for some families (like the ones on that crazy show), and I love them for that and many other reasons.  We truly are there for each other all the time (and are quite good at keeping each others' secrets!). 

So there's my rushed list for the last Thankful Thursday (Monday) of the month.  Thanks to Carole for inviting me to participate!

A week for thankfulness

After a week like last week when the store is so busy that I feel like a crazy woman, I almost, almost think "Ugh, this is tiring!  I wish it would slow down!"  And then I remember to be thankful for a busy, thriving business that is moulded and supported by thousands of sock knitters.  And I also think about all the people that my business, and businesses every business, support.

I wonder if you quite realize how your purchases of sock yarn affect so many people.  Not only does each purchase you make help support my family, but each purchase big or small affects a myriad of others.  For instance, the beautiful bags that are a part of the Joyeux Noel holiday kit.  Those bags are hand made by woman in Texas and the fabric is woven then purchased from a fabric store than employs many people.  Those bags have to get here to Indiana to Texas, which requires the use of a shipper and employs someone or several people to ensure that that package gets here from there.  All of those families are helped by each purchase that you make.

And that's just one chain.  Your purchases...

...help ensure a thiving post office in a small community that doesn't serve a huge amount of people, but people who deserve a thriving post office and reasonably priced and reliable way to communicate.

...provide an income to dozens of indie dyers..  You pay their mortgages, buy their food, put their kids through school, and provide them with healthcare.

...support larger knitting companies who employ dozens of people and work with thousands of others throughout the world.

...support a healthy thriving wool market throughout the world.  It takes a lot of farmers, feed producers and vets to properly care for all those sheep.

...support pattern designers, giving them a way to support their families and give them esteem when you rave about how much you adore their work.

...make many, many people happy and fulfilled. 

I will not be posting the rest of the week, as the store will be closed from Wednesday through Sunday to celebrate Thanksgiving here in the US.  I just want to leave you with these thoughts, because I know that each of the people who depend on my small store are very, very thankful for you this Thanksgiving.  You affect each of us in a measurable way, and without you we wouldn't be who we are.

I wish each of you a wonderful Thanksgiving.  I hope you have a few moments between the pumpkin pie and turkey-enduced naps to knit a few stitches and think of all the people you affect with each stitch.

Silver Moon Studio Project Bags... and LOTS more

f you happend to wander into the SSYC booth at the Sock Summit, it's likely you didn't leave without an adorable, handmade sock project bag from Silver Moon Studio.  These were a a big hit at the booth, not only because they are beautiful and reversible, but because the price is great.  For only $20 you get two bags in one.

Now I have several of Stacey's designs here for you in the store, a few holiday designs, and some everyday designs.  And if you have already ordered the Joyeux Noel knit kit, then you are getting a special edition bag.

  

I've been using one for my sock projects since Stacey first sent me on this summer.  The bag neatly fits my ball of yarn and needles, and it closes simply by pulling the large wrist strap through a small loop.  If you are in the car or soccer stand, you can wear the bag on your wrist and then don't have to worry about dropping it and having your yarn roll somewehre unreachable.  It really is a fabulously simple solution to an annoying problem.

Other new arrivals include new colors of Tilli Tomas' Milan sock yarn.  The three colors I just got in are Hydrangea, Peonies, and Floral Fury.  And for those of you waiting for more of the American Beauty color I used for my second pair of Lepidoptera Mitts, I have more of that for you as well.  You only need one skein for the mitts, so it's a gorgeous and luxurious gift for those of us who are last-minute knitters.  Ahem.

I also have new colors from Pagewood Farms in their Denali (wool/nylon), Alyeksa (wool/cashmere/nylon) and St. Elias (BFL/nylon)- shown here in Forest Camo, Navajo & Peaceful

 

 
Finally, I have received more Dream in Color Starry.  After the Yarn Harlot blogged that she was knitting a sock in Starry, it seemed to fly out of here all on its own.  But now I have more, including the special 2009 color, Plum Paisley.  I even have the new 2010 color, Prairie Grass in both Smooshy and Starry.... but I don't have those photoed yet, so give me a day or two and you'll see those pop up on the website.

Thankful Thursday

What a week it's been here!  Very busy, which is good.  And rainy and cold, which is bad.  I think last Thursday I listed one of the things I was thankful for as the nice weather.  Boy, did I jinx myself there.  I sure am not thankful for this week's weather, but I am quite thankful for three new things and I'd love to know what three things you are thankful for.  Let me know in the comments below, or leave me a link to your blog if you are also taking part in Carole's idea for Thankful Thursday.

First, I'm thankful that I have good health.  I don't have any health issues, I feel good everyday, and other than a headache or two, I feel good all of the time.  Yeah, I'm tired, but that's nothing that a little (or a boatload) of coffee can't fix.  I have no aches, no pains, and my body works well for me everyday.  It has given me a baby and nursed him into a healthy young boy.  I'm very, very thankful for that.

Second, I'm thankful that I'm happy.  I've been sad before.  And I just don't think you can truly appreciate happiness unless you've felt great sadness.  Afterall, how do you know something unless you have something else to compare it too?  I'm content, loved, and happy.

Third, I'm thankful that I work for myself.  From the age of 15 until I was 7 months pregnant with James, there wasn't a time in my life when I didn't work two or even three jobs at a time.  I'm one of those people who works.  I can't say I like working, but it's what I do.  But when I quit my other jobs a few years ago, I felt amazing.  I didn't have to answer to a boss anymore.  I just answer to myself and my customers.  And in a way, you all are now my boss- but a wonderful, crafty, nice boss!

And on a completely different note, one of you recently e-mailed that I never posted those Halloween pictures of James that I promised.  Oops!  So here are a few from the Zoo Halloween.  We settled on an elephant costume simply because we had one and it fit.  Turns out, he really loved it and made elephant noises all night.  Don't you just want to plant a big smooch on those fluffy cheeks?!

 
 

Joyeux Noel!

The holidays are creeping up on us, aren't they?  Have you decided how you are going to treat yourself this holiday season?  Every knitter deserves extra-special fibery goodness this time of year, don't they?  Well, I have just that special thing to infuse your holiday knitting with some luxury... for the first time, I've put together a special project kit for you!

The Joyeux Noel Knit Kit features a special edition colorway from Tilli Tomas' in their wonderful Milan yarn, a handmade bag from Silver Moon Studios, and a set of handmade stitch markers with copper detailing.

Supplies are limited of this kit, but I'll try and do my best to keep them in stock through December.  (Edited to add that our first batch of this kit has already sold out, so there is now a 2 week wait. It will automatically ship shortly after Thanksgiving.)  Please do keep in mind that every part of this package is handmade, from the fully reversible sock monkey/flowers bag to the cashmere blend yarn, and while I have this in stock right now, you may see a note go up on the kit page that indicates if there is a week or so wait.

Click on the picture above to see a very detailed image.

 

Kitchen Sink Dyeworks

It's arrived!  Hurray!  Isn't it wonderful when you order yarn and it arrives and it's even more beautiful that you remember?  Do you get that rush when you place an order from SSYC and you open your package?  "Cuz, I get that same rush when I open a large box (or eight) and it turns out that the yarn I ordered is even more gorgeous that I had hoped for.  It happened twice this week, once with a super special yarn that I'll talk about soon, and again on Friday when I opened the first box of Kitchen Sink Dyeworks' Merino Fine yarn.

I met Mercedes at the Sock Summit.  Her booth caught my eye because it featured an abundance of pale tones.  She has a way of making a light color still vibrant and full of color, as you can see from these pictures. The color I left Sock Summit with was Sucre, and I love it because buttercream is one of my favorite colors, but it's not solid- it incorporates a bit of pink and apricot, and the way these colors meld into one another is just perfect.  Mercedes really has great control over her art, and it's likely that this comes from dyeing in what she calls "microbatches."

 

I wound my skein on my lap on the plane flight home from portland.  I did this by putting my seat tray down, and that held the skein while I hand wound it into a ball.  Obviously, this isn't as quick as doing this with a winder, but I couldn't wait to cast on and it was really a nice way to enjoy seeing the colors in the skein.  I don't know how much Anne appreciated my elbows moving around for a half hour, but if it bugged her, she was smart enough not to say anything and impede my knitting!

I chose a Cookie A. pattern from her book Sock Innovations.  I usually wouldn't  and I've already blogged about my experience with this pattern here and here.  I really like the result of the pattern and the yarn together, but I would have liked to keep this pair of socks for myself, and the way the pattern was designed didn't allow me to easily size it to my longer and wider foot.  The 390 yard skein would have been plenty for my feet, as I have about 1/4 of the skein leftover.

There were no slubs, knots or imperfections in the skein.  The yarn was soft and as I knit these with US 0 needles (but would likely knit this using as US 1 next time) because that's what I had on me at the time.  It created a nice dense fabric that I can tell will hold up well to wear.  I just wish that I was the one wearing them because I love the color so much  But after seeing all the colors I ordered for the store, I think I like Sprout, Jake and Cocoa Ancho almost as much as Sucre.  So I'll likely snag one of these for myself.

I don't know how often I'll be able to get orders in from Mercedes, but like I do with all the store's small dyers, I'll do my best to keep a nice selection available here.  I really think you'll enjoy knitting this as much as I have, and I think the 11 colors I have in stock right now represent a good spectrum of colors, some light some dark, some bold, some pale.

Thankful Thursday

Today is my second Thankful Thursday- like I mentioned last Thursday, Carole invited me to list three things I'm Thankful for each Thursday in November.  You are welcome to take part as well by listing three things on your blog or in the comments below- big or small, it doesn't matter, as long as it's something you appreciate!

So what am I thankful for this week?

First, COFFEE.  Oh, sweet nectar.  It's not just the caffeine that makes this a wondrous drink.  I love the taste too.  I love that it's somewhat of a ritual for me each morning.  I hear James wake, I take a shower, I give him a book in bed while I go downstairs and grind and brew my morning carafe.  I run back upstairs to get James, and by the time I'm done, my coffee is finished percolating and James and I share those first few moments of the day, him on my lap drinking his milk while I drink my coffee.  It's how we start every day.

Second, tea.  My current favorite is a decaf green tea with tropical fruit flavor that is made by Good Earth.  In fact, I think one of you gifted this to me when I was pregnant.  I have quite a stash of tea to work through, and while I don't have tea every day, I do most days when I don't want caffeine in the afternoon.

Third, this weather.  There's something about warm weather in the fall that makes you feel like you are cheating nature.  Like you've done something to deserve just a few more warm days than you had last year.  So James and I have been spending more time outside, squeezing out those last days of autumn before the winter hits with all it's snow.  And with winter looking like this last year, who can blame us?

 

A day off

Today is Veteran's Day in the US- a day when we honor those who have given of themselves for our way of life.  My grandfather is one of those people, and I'm very thankful today and everyday for him and what he has did for my country and the world over 60 years ago.  He is the perfect Grandfather.  He taught me to fish.  He lived 5 houses away from me much of my life, and was the "candyman" of the neighborhood- everyday if you saw him working in the garage, you could stop by and get two small pieces of candy, or as many Whopper's as your age.   He had a list of all the kids and their age written on a weathered piece of cardboard in his garage, just to keep us honest.  Every week, he would give me a few Bicentennial coins from his collection.  He worked at GE most of his life, doing a lot of manual labor, and I have a picture of him holding me as a toddler, and his forearm is actually the size of my torso.  These are just a few of the many, many memories I have of a wonderful, courageous man who has made life better for me and thousands of Americans.

Veteran's Day brings with it a host of activities and closures- two of those closures being the post office and schools.  So what makes this Wednesday so much better thank any other Wednesday?   Joe's has the day off, so he's home with James, and since I can't ship out boxes I'm "working" from my favorite coffee shop.  The fact that I today purchased the unlimited cup of coffee should indicate how long I plan on being here.  Putting myself first.  Drinking cup after cup of coffee.  While it's hot.  *POW* That sound?  It was my head exploding at the idea.

I'll leave you with two pictures before I continue my "work".  The first is proof that I really am continuing to complete my half-finished projects.  This is the second one of my Vintage Jade socks using the Nutkin pattern (I added an extra pattern repeat 'cuz I used size 0 needles and have wide feet).  The little bag that's peaking out from behind is the awesome reversible bag that oh-so-many of you bought at my booth at the Sock Summit and that I'll soon have here in the store. I *heart* this bag so much.  I may have already snagged a second.. or third one.

The Yarn Harlot is currently knitting this pattern as well, only in Dream in Color's Starry in color 320.  Which is part of the reason I need a day off b/c half the internet is clearing this out of my store!

This next picture is something that completely blew my mind last night.  I was playing around on my iphone, and I look up and James had built this little house for his cars.  All.  On.  His.  Own.  The kid is barely two years old and is designing little buildings?  What the &^#(?  He's already smarter than me.  Joe and I are in such trouble, aren't we?  Do you have those oh-my-Lord-this-child's-too-smart-for-his-own-good moments?

 

Fortissima Socka & Pigeonroof Studios

I have new sock yarn for you!  I've had several requests over the years for Fostissima Socka, and I'm now happy to oblige with two of their collections, Degradee with Bamboo and Cotton Color.  These are both fun collections that aren't your typical sock yarn.  Fortissima Socka Degradee with Bamboo is a collection that gradates in color as you knit in the round, as shown below.

The Cotton Color is a blend of superwash wool, cotton and nylon, and it's printed with fun-to-knit patterns.  Perfect for those who want a sock that's warm enough in the winter, but with cotton content for summer wear as well.

And if you want more yarn that gradates as you knit, check out the new colors of Trekking Maxima.

   
 
 

It's been close to two years since I've gotten a shipment from Pigeonroof Studios, but I'm happy to get this in stock again!  Krista is now putting up her Original Sock in 100 gram skeins instead of 50 gram, which I think is always a good idea with handpainted yarn.  That way you aren't trying to match 2 50 gram skeins for a pair of matching socks.  Krista is an expert at applying color in a way that makes the skein and finished fabric look like it's dappled with color.  But what I really like about her skeins are way she combines colors- you'll see some atypical color combinations that really stand out, like Circus which combines yellows, oranges, pinks, violets and even a tinge of sky blue into a skein that can't be beat.  I've already snagged one for myself!

Shown above: Circus, Plum Hydrangea & Ribbon Dance

Ask the Knitters

Dear Knitters,

I'm currently knitting the Vilai sock pattern in Cookie A's book Sock Innovations. There are K3togs and SSSKs galore in the pattern.  I am having a very difficult time with these.  I have finally resorted to using a crochet hook to pull the yarn through on the SSSKs and with the K3togs I am doing a K2tog and sliding it back to the lefthand needle and slipping the third stitch over, then sliding it back to the right hand needle.

Is there a better way to do these?  I just can't seem to pull the yarn through with a size 1 needle.  Thanks for any help!

Sincerly,

Probems with Pulling

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Help a knitter out and leave your suggestions below.  Have a question you'd like answered on the blog?  Title an e-mail Ask the Knitters and send it to service@simplysockyarn.com and your question may be chosen for the blog.

Thankful Thursday

My friend Carole invited me to take part in her idea for Thankful Thursdays- each Thursday in November, I'll blog three things I'm thankful for, and you're welcome to take part as well by either posting three things you are thankful for in the comments below, or link to your own blog where you detail three things you are thankful for.  And these three things don't need to be profound- they can be superficial or selfish, as long as it gets us thinking about all the things we have to be grateful for, big and small.

First, I'm thankful for knitting.  It's such a release for me- it helps me center my thoughts, de-stress from my day, and it makes me feel as though I'm selfishly doing something for myself in a time of my life when I rarely concentrate on what I want, instead putting others before me.  It's a way I can show love for my friends and family- by gifting them fibery proof of several hours (and sometimes tens of hours) spent thinking of them with each stitch I knit. Not to mention that without knitting, I wouldn't have an income to help support my family while staying home with my son.  I am truly, truly thankful for knitting.

Second, I'm thankful for the color red.  Just looking at red gives me a boost of energy.  The perfect red can make me stop and sigh.  It can elevate a canvas of fiber, drywall or lips from a ho-hum display to a breathtaking view.  The perfect red can make your day, while a red that's to bright or too orange can make you wrinkle your nose in a what-were-they-thinking?! way.

Third, I'm thankful that you are a kind group of readers.  I put a lot out there for criticism- pictures of my family, imperfect knitting projects, insecurities about parenting, and you are kind and helpful at every turn.  No one here has ever been mean and there's rarely any judgment passed- and if there is, you are good at keeping it to yourself.  I've never read a comment or an e-mail that said that I'm a messy knitter/have poor taste in living room paint/should give my son up to monkeys to raise/should answer questions in the comments more often.

What three things are you thankful for this week?

*Pictured is one of my finished American Beauty mitts using the Lepidoptera Mitt pattern.  No, that's not my hand modeling it.  I neither have a wrist that dainty or a diamond that stunning!  But I wish I did!  THAT would be something to be thankful for, eh?

Dream in Color Starry & Impatience Pattern

Gosh, it's been half a year since we've been able to get Dream in Color's coveted Starry yarn (and just as long since Dream in Color has had the yarn themselves!), but it came in last night and now is up on the website for you!  This also means that the last month of the club yarn will be packed up and shipped.  Also, those of you that had special orders waiting, those will be shipped out too.

And I have a really cool new free pattern to share with all of you.  My good friend Anne, as you might remember from SSYC's booth at Sock Summit, designed this pattern for all of you.  Impatience is a simple but lovely cowl and I think the strands of silver in Starry really set off the lovely color and pattern.  To download the pdf of this pattern, click the pdf file below.

Download ImpatienceSSYC

I hope you enjoy the pattern and I've added it to Ravelry so you can add it to your queues.
 

One down, one more halfway

I finished a pair of socks this weekend.  I feel like a project-finishing machine! The socks I finished are the ones I first posted over a month ago.  They are a lovely combination of buttery yellows, cream and apricot from Kitchen Sink Dyeworks, a dyer I learned about at the Sock Summit.  Mercedes dyes her yarn in very small batches in, you guessed it, her kitchen (like many small dyers) and the colors she dyes are said not to stripe or pool but instead give you a lovely knitted fabric that has mottled color throughout.  I found that this was in fact the case with the Kai Mei socks that I knit from Sock Innovation: Knitting Techniques & Patterns for One-of-a-Kind Socks.  BTW. if you purchased the book when it first came out, you should check out the errara page on Interweave's site.  There are just way too many errors in this book's patterns, but I hear that the second printing of the book has the errors corrected, for those who have yet to purchase it.  While the errors in the patterns are very annoying, I'm a big fan of Cookie's work and it's a shame that her debut publication wasn't well edited.  Dispite the errors, I will definitely be buying her new book when it comes out next year.

These weren't easy socks to knit, as they are designed in a way that is different than I'm used to.  But they weren't terribly hard- it was just...different.  For me, this wasn't a pair of socks that I could absent mindedly knit while watching Glee.  I love the result of the way the lace panel works its way across the foot.  This was the first time I knit a pair of socks where you had a definied right and left sock.  And I couldn't figure out how to knit the foot long enough for my big feet, so I instead stopped when the lace panel reached the other side and I'll gift them to someone with smaller feet.  Well, I guess I just didn't want to take the time to figure it out- anyone else know hot to make these bigger and not have the lace panel stop well before the toe decreases? 

Here's my new project, the second pair of Lepidoptera Mitts that I mentioned in my previous post.  This is an amazing red, don't you think?  I must not have been paying attention several times while knitting this mitt, because I made a few mistakes and had to tear out. This isn't the easiest yarn to pick up stitches in- it's not nearly impossible like a Kid Merino would be, but it's so soft and really made me almost want to leave the second mistake in after I'd already torn back once.  Yeah, it could have been the glass of wine making it difficult, but I like to blame things on something other than myself...

I don't think I'll even use a whole skein of the Tilli Tomas Milan for these Mitts, so this will be a very luxruious gift for a very reasonable price.  And I think I can finish these mitts in a week's worth of evenings.