Simply Socks Yarn Co. Blog

Preferential Treatment

On Tuesday night, I finished up two pairs of socks that I had on the needles: the Siren Two socks in Indigo Ink, and the stealth project that I hinted to a few weeks ago- I'll post about those soon.  This left me with a void.  What did I want to knit next?  Should I knit the ridiculously soft Indulgence sock yarn that I found for the sale section?  It's 60% off, and it's extrafine merino with nylon (and colors 109, 112 and 113 have aloe) and I can safely say it's among the softest wool/nylon sock yarns I've ever felt.  Too bad I bought the last available balls of it and likely can't get more once it sells out.  Shown below in color 106.

But no, I didn't cast on socks.  Instead, I started a non-sock project.  And if you are a regular blog reader, you know that over the last 5 years, this is something that I rarely delve into.  Socks are my thing.  What project do you think that I've started?

Please excuse this bad photo, but I wanted to illustrate to you what my brain is like with a toddler around- constantly blurry and out of focus.  And James wanted to go back to using it as a blankie for his pirate ship.

Yes, he's pantless. Potty training. STILL. But that leaves my new rug somewhat, er, vulnerable. At least the pirate ship is warm.

There are certain aspects of this project that I like- the ability to combine some interesting colors and the mindless garter stitch.  But starting this non-sock project just reinforces how much I really, really prefer socks over any other project.  Here's my reasoning for my preferential treatment:

First, portability.  After one long evening of knitting this rectangle, already it won't fit easily into the diaper bag or laptop bag, or any other bag I will be lugging around on my non-toddler-wrangling-arm.  And I only have a few project bags and those are sock sized.  So it's likely that if I do attempt to bring this project with me out of the house, that it will get popped in the diaper bag and come out covered in Goldfish cracker carcasses and the needles will somehow slip out.

Second, the cost.  When it's finished, this project will cost at least five times what a $20 sock project costs- and about 20 times the cost if I would have chosen to knit Indulgence from the sale section.  And while I wouldn't reduce the cost by choosing a less expensive yarn, (it's DIC's Classy- a dream to knit) because it then wouldn't be the special project I'm hoping for, it's still going to end up costing me half a car payment.

Third, my attention span.  I don't have a great attention span.  Which is why socks are the perfect project for me.  In my world, they take about 2 weeks to complete, and that means that I can start something new, but still have the satisfaction of having completed a goal.  But I do have to admit that the mindless garter stitch in this new project is really nice right now.  It makes it easier to enjoy TV at night because I never have to look down.  Just row after row of meditative stitching.  Tink.  Tink.  Tink.  Tink.  I love the repetitve sound of the needles.

Fourth, the sweat factor.  Don't forget that while I'm knitting this project, where will it be sitting?  On my lap.  And it's hot here.  I hate being hot.  Socks don't make your lap sweat.  And I already have a large project on the needles from two years ago that I have yet to finish befcause it made my lap sweat.

So, while at the moment I'm enjoying knitting this new, non-sock project, I am already looking into my crystal ball and seeing a bit of resentment, sweat and vodka.  What a combo.

The Mondays

I've got a case of the Mondays.  What's that mean for me?  Woke with a headache that no amount of caffiene is touching, and there's a looooong list of things to do and boxes to pack, and not enough time to do it all.  Are your Mondays the most hectic day of the week for you too?  But the weather has vastly improved and so I'm hoping to get everything done by 5 today so I can enjoy some porch sittin'!

I do have something special to share today.  As you may be aware, fiber artists dye up their yarn in certain amounts.  And once in a great while, I have some extra of the sock yarn club yarns because of the quantities that I have to order in.  Thus is the case for one of the special selections from the past 4 Seasons of Sock Yarn club.  The Spring selection was dyed by Tilli Tomas on their Milan sock yarn which is a wonderfully luxurious yarn.  It not only knits up into sumptuous socks, but also special lace pieces.  But what makes this club selection even more special is that it included a matching half-sized (84 yards), hand beaded skein of Milan.

Here are the details of the Milan skein (beaded Milan shown below is half the length):

Size: 165 yds/ 50 grams
Content: 80% merino, 10% cashmere, 10% silk
Gauge: 7 sts/inch on US 1-2
Care: Hand wash, dry flat
*2 skeins make 1 pair of socks*

If you'd like some of this yarn, I have a limited quantity available in the Milan and Beaded Milan at those hidden links.  When planning your project, keep in mind that the beaded skein is the same fiber content, but the skein is 84 yards (half of the non-beaded skein)  The links will stop working when it's all sold out.  Want a pattern idea?  Take a look at Karyn's project that she knit out of two skeins of the Milan and one skein of the Beaded Milan using the free Yvaine pattern.  She had this knit up just one week after receiving her club shipment!  Wow!

Last year I used one skein of Milan to knit my Lepidoptera Mitts for a Christmas gift for a friend, and she said they were a perfect gift because the mitts allow her to use her iPhone in the winter while also keeping her hands warm.  If you know someone with a smart phone, then you know someone who would really appreciate a pair of fingerless mitts.

The rare weekend post

The handful of times I've posted on the weekend, it's because I've gotten something so fabulous in the store that I had to share it on a weekend.  But today?  This had nothing to do with yarn, and more that I've been so busy this past week that every single minute has been so full of work or toddler-wrangling that I haven't had a moment to myself to think, let alone to assemble a coherent sentence.  So I've sequestered myself in my basement today.  I have the 4th season of Alias playing on the 50" TV, and I'm going to catch up on various computer work and pretend that I'm neither a mother or a wife.  If I hear the sound of a toddler screeching upstairs, I'm going to pretend it's noisy neighbors.  If it's lunchtime, I'm not going to care what Joe feeds James, I'm just going to stay down here and pretend that the outside world doesn't exist.  Heck, there's even a bar down here if I really want to drown out everything else!

Basically, Mama needs a day.  And I'm taking that day.  The one non-sitting activity I might do is to make this panzanella that I made for myself on Mother's Day. I'd never made this before, and not only was the recipe fool-proof, but it tasted so fabulous that I pretty much at the entire dish myself. 

So what have you been up to this week?  Has the humidity and rain turned your house into a marsh too?  Every time I walk on carpet, it feels like I'm stepping on a sponge.  We've had one sunny day in the past week, and last night the storms were so bad that we lost power, thought our pond was going to overflow, and watched the road in front of our house turn into a river.  The one nice thing about all this rain is that it's made everything vividly green.  It makes for some nice porch sittin'.

 

A Review: String Theory Colorworks, Continuum Striping Yarn

If you've visited the blog or the store on a regular basis over the past 5 years, you know that it's a quest of mine to find hand dyed yarn that self stripes.  But not just any stripe, but wide ones.  As I've explained before, it's quite labor intensive for a dyer to dye thick stripes.  Thin stripes that are just two or three rows aren't that much of an issue.  But when you are trying to create stripes that are thicker than that, it becomes quite difficult to do because you have to have such a long color repeat that your skein needs to be nearly 50 feet long to dye stripes that width (don't worry, the yarn is reskeined into a normal size after it dries so that you can actually wind it at home).

Because there are so many steps involved in dyeing thicker striping yarn, it's rare to find someone who will dye in the quantities I need for the store.  Afterall, you all buy a lot of yarn and I would prefer not to carry items in such small quantities that it sells out in three minutes, disappointing many a knitter.  This is where Caitlin comes in.  Caitlin and her husband own String Theory Colorworks and not only do dye awesome striping yarn, but I have it for you on a merino/cashmere/nylon base.  It's like the holy trinity of sock yarn: hand dyed, widely striping, CASHMERE.  I KNOW!  Just breathe...

Now you'd think that when I received a skein of this yarn to test that I would have been selfish and knit it myself.  But the store/toddler wrangling/life in general has been so crazy busy that watched it slip through my fingers an along to one of my test knitters, and lucky Laura has reviewed it for us.

As is customary with my test knitters, they each go into this not knowing what exact yarn they are knitting- they only know the gauge and fiber content.  I try to keep this as unbiased as possible.  But in this case, I did share with Laura that she would be knitting up a striping yarn so that she could choose a simple pattern that would look nice with a boldly self-striping yarn.  She knit a 2x2 rib and cast on 64 stitches.  She said she knit an extra long leg with an average sized women's foot and had "tons of yarn leftover." This is what Laura has to share about her experience knitting String Theory Colorworks' Continuum in the Dark Matter colorway:

Presentation:  The yarn was a sheer joy to wind.  There were no snags, breaks worn parts or knots.  I just placed it on the swift and it practically wound itself.

Texture:  The yarn was a pleasure to knit with.  It is plied well and did not come apart at all, even when casting on the stitches.  The yarn felt great to work with, soft and yummy.  I put each sock on my feet as soon as they were done and kept them on for hours.  In fact, I didn't see the need to block the socks at all.

Knitted Fabric:  What is so unique and great about this yarn is that the stripes are so bold!  In wearing the socks for several hours, I found they held their shape well and did not get baggy at all.  The fiber felt warm on my feet and was much softer than the usual (without cashmere) sock yarn. 

Misc:  I really love this yarn and was able to knit up the pair of socks very quickly.  The yarn glides on the needles and yet is not slippery at all.  Even though the colors are bold, no dye came off on my hands feet or needles.  I'm looking forward to seeing the other colorways offered and will definitely knit up another pair of socks.

Thank you for your review, Laura!  You don't have to live vicariously through Laura's review and my pictures, as I have 10 colors in the store right now.  But please do keep in mind that even while I have a lot in stock at the time of this post, it could go quickly.  But I'll do my best to keep it in stock.  I recommend signing up for the e-newsletter (if you aren't already receiving it) to know exactly when I get more of this and other yarns.  If you are considering a particular color, make sure you read the description for that color because I have listed how many rows of each color there are in each particular colorway.  For instance, if you like Magnetism (a red/white/blue combo that I asked Caitlin to dye specially for the store), then you'll see that it stripes in 8 rows of each color.  Or if you want to make black and white striped knee socks for your witch costume at Halloween, then you'll see that Stardust stripes in 8-10 rows at a time.  That way you don't need to see the yarn knit up to know how it will stripe.

Ask the Knitters

Dear Knitters,

I've been knitting socks for at least a decade, and I've found that in the past few years there have been many more fiber blends than there used to be.  I used to be able to find only acrylic sock yarn, but in the past years I've grown accustomed to knitting with the popular wool and nylon blends like Opal and Trekking XXL that I find in Allison's store.

I've avoided sock yarn that doesn't have nylon in it, and sock yarns that have more expensive fibers like cashmere and silk, because I'm worried they won't wear as well as I know wool and nylon will.

Now for my question: Do you think that I should stick with the wool and nylon that I'm used to?  Or should I open up my heart to 100% merino and the merino/cashmere/nylon blends?  I don't have too much of a yarn budget, and I'm concerned that I might spend over $20 on trying something new that just doesn't work well for everyday use.

Sincerely,

Sceptical in Skokie

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Help a knitter out and leave your advice in the comments section below.  Do you have a question that you'd like to see answered here?  Simply send an e-mail to service@simplysockyarn.com and title it Ask the Knitters.  Your question could be chosen for the blog.

Claudia Hand Painted Yarn SALE, 40% off

It may be hard to believe, but I have Claudia's Hand Painted Yarn in the sale section for 40% off Retail.  Seriously.

 

Shown above: Mudslide, Chocolate Cherry, Bootcamp

Claudia's sent me 25 colors to share with you, and I've already chosen several for myself.  This yarn works nicely for socks, but to me, it really sines in shawls and larger pieces.  Many have compared Claudia's method of dyeing to Koigu, which is quite a compliment.  Seems that this comparison likely rises from the face that both dyers use many colors in a skein in short bursts.  Your thoughts?

Shown above: Butter Pecan, Blue Fields, Begonia
 

Claudia's been changing up her fingering weight yarn base over the past couple years, and the yarn I have for you is of superb quality from a South African mill.  It's super soft, and while the label reads that hand washing is recommended, many of you have told me that you successfully machine wash your Claudia yarn, even though the label reads for hand washing. 

Shown above: Last Night's Wine, Lipstick and Navy Olive

I have several free pattern recommendations for you for this yarn.  Check these out:

Spanish Dancer Shawl,

Crusoe Socks,

Socks of Kindness,

Multnoma Shawl (links to a pdf)

and my own Lepidoptera Mitts

The amount of yarn needed for each project varies from seven for the Spanish Dancer Shawl down to just one for my mitts.  And if you've already started your holiday gift knitting (some never stop), then you really can't find a better deal than a superb hand painted merino pair of mitts for $8.10.  Check it out!

R & R (now with Wii)

I took quite a bit of time this weekend for rest and relaxation and time with James.  And as a result, I have absolutely no pictures to show.  Joe and James gifted me a Wii for Mother's Day, which seems to be Joe's way of hinting that I should have a hobby that doesn't have to do with work!  Let's face it, knitting is my work, my hobby and my creative outlet all in one.  It's what I do when waiting in line or waiting in an office, it's what I do at night when I'm watching TV.  I take pictures of yarn and I write about yarn.  So I think putting down that fibery cake once in awhile and instead picking up the Wii remote (does it have a special name?) to play Mario Kart is a nice change.  At least that's what I'm trying to tell myself.  Any game recommendations?  Is there a knitting game?!

But I have to admit that more than the Wii, I enjoyed Betty White hosting SNL.  Wow, that was some really fun TV!  Boy, did she bust any stereotype I had about 88-year old women and what they can do and how HILARIOUS they can be.  Her comic timing is perfect.  She is awesome. 

How did you celebrate Mother's Day (otherwise just called Sunday)?

Lorna's Lace's New Color: Ysolda Red

Lorna's Laces has released their seventh color in their Color Commentary series- a special collection of colors that are designed by prominent knit designers and writers.  This lovely, shaded raspberry red was designed by Ysolda, a designer and blogger whose Ishbel pattern is something that I know many of you have knit in the Casbah yarn in the past year.  Boy, you love that pattern!  Let me introduce Ysolda Red!

Now, I could tell you all about how Ysolda and Lorna's Laces worked together to create this shaded, semi-solid red, or you could read Ysolda's blog post about it, complete with pictures galore  Go there.  Read.  Then come back and snag some for yourself.  I have this yarn for you in the Shepherd Sock base, and I'll do my best to keep it in stock in the coming weeks, but the colors in the Color Commentary series can be hard to keep in stock at first.

Congrats to Ysolda for being a part of an exclusive club.  When you are in the company of Clara Parkes, Amy Singer, Franklin, Cookie A., Wendy Johnson & Annie Modesitt, you know you're in the right place!

Shown above: Amy's Vintage Office, Franklins Panopticon, WendyKnit's Sunrise

Summer of Color Contest!

I was really inspired by all of the color combinations you proposed in last months contest.  There were over 300 entries in the contest, and each one detailed a combination of colors you would like to knit up in stripes using Simply Sock Yarn Solids.  So I've decided to offer a contest with BIG PRIZES-  $500 in sock yarn!

So here's the deal.  I want you to knit up some socks using Simply Sock Yarn's solid line of yarn.  There are three categories in which you can win, and the winners in categories 1 & 2 will each win a $150 Gift Credit to Simply Socks Yarn Company.  The winner in the third category will receive a Grand Prize of a $200 Gift Credit!

Feasibly, one person could win all three prizes, if he/she submits pictures of two pairs of socks.  And since the first two prizes are randomly chosen, even a new knitter could easily win!

Deadline for photos being e-mailed to service@simplysockyarn.com is June 30, 2010.  Title the e-mail Summer of Color and in the e-mail give your name and blog address (if you have one you'd like me to link to), list which category you want to be entered in, and attach the photo.  And if you don't have the ability to e-mail a photo, you are welcome to mail the socks to me to photo.  Just e-mail me at service@simplysockyarn.com before doing so.

(Striped Sock example below knit by me)

Category 1:  Striped Sock

Using as many of the Simply Sock Yarn Solid colors as you like, knit a pair of socks with stripes on them.  The pattern can be from any source and can even be your own creation.  Simply knit a pair of striped socks and e-mail pictures before the deadline date.  A winner will be randomly chosen from all those who submit pictures.

(Mosaic sock example below knit by designer and teacher Deb Barnhill who you can find blogging on Knitting Pharm.  She recently told me "I have to say that your yarn was perfect for mosaic knitting!".  Awesome!!

 

Category 2: Mosaic/Fairisle Fun

Using as many of the Simply Sock Yarn Solid colors as you like, knit a pair of socks using a mosaic or fair isle pattern- basically any pattern that involves using more than one color to create an interesting colorwork effect.  The pattern can be from any source and can even be your own creation.  Simply knit a pair of socks (not striped) but using more than one SSY solid color, and e-mail pictures before the deadline date.  A winner will be randomly chosen from all those who submit pictures.

Category 3: Best in Show

The pictures of all the entries will be shown here on the blog a week after the deadline date, and you will get the chance to vote on your favorite.  The socks with the most votes will receive the Grand Prize of a $200 Gift Credit to Simply Socks Yarn Company!

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I encourage you to spread the word of this contest to as many people as you can so that we can see a wonderful pool of entries and inspiration.  Link to this blog post so that others can participate!  If you do link to this on a website (like Ravelry, Knitty or Knitters Review forums or any other website) or e-mail friends about it, e-mail me at service@simplysockyarn.com with the link (or if you simply told your knitting group, let me know) and one person will win a set of SSY colorcards.

Again, the deadline for sending pictures to me at service@simplysockyarn.com is June 30.  All yarn used must be from the Simply Sock Yarn Solids line.

Two things that will greatly help your chances: a color card set, and the ability to take a good picture.  You might consider using a set of sock blockers or a model (like a friend or sibling) to wear the socks for the photo, as this makes a pair of socks look much nicer than simply setting them on a flat surface.  Also try to take the photo in daylight b/c too much flash can distort the color of the sock.  If you don't have a pair of sock blockers, consider simply cutting out cardboard in the shape of a foot and lower leg.

Again, if you don't feel comfortable taking a good photo, e-mail me, Allison, at service@simplysockyarn.com for directions for sending your socks to me to photograph for the contest.

New Opal Hand Dyed and Kaleidoscope Sock Yarn

I have some spankin' new Opal Sock Yarn to share!  First off, the Kaleidoscope collection is an example of what Opal does best- produce interesting and colorful self-patterning sock yarns.  I find that my Opal socks are some of the speediest projects, because it's addictive to watch the pattern develop as I knit.

I also have three new hand dyed colors, shown below.  I think they are completely lovely. Earlier this year, Opal released three new hand dyed colors, and these were the first they had released in nearly four years.  Now that the next three have been released, I have a total of six for you ranging in subdued colors like Indigo and Choclate, to more vibrant colors like Motley. 

After reading some of your comments from my picture post on Friday, I find it hilarious that many of you commented and e-mailed about my shiny wood floors, and I received no comments about how horrible it is that my yard is a dandelion conservatory!  It made me laugh (and love you even more) that you noticed how clean my floors are, and when you have a toddler who spends so much time on the floor, it's pretty much required that you keep the floors somewhat respectable. I think that if Swiffer made Swiffer Toddler PJ's, I'd have to clean my floors much less often.  But one's yard, that's a completely different story.  When I think about how many acres we have, and how much pesticide it would take to kill all those weeds, it's just hard to make that decision to put that on the same yard that James plays in everyday.  Anyone know of a way to rid one's yard of dandelions, without using an obscene amount of bad chemicals?