Simply Socks Yarn Co. Blog

Striping Sock Yarn Galore

Just a quickie post to let you know that many things have arrived that I know you've been waiting for.  String Theory Colorworks' Continuum striping sock yarn in Trifolium (the St. Patty's color). While I ordered lots of this, I do expect like the other colors that it will sell somewhat quickly.  So if the link stops working, that means it's gone but I will be getting more in a couple months.

 
 

Lang's Jawoll Magic that I post about earlier this month.  I have some colors now, and more coming soon.

A new shipment from The Unique Sheep in their Gradiance Sock, with restocks of the faves and new colors as well.

 

And what I'm knitting now (after a 4 week knitting haitus- boy the store has kept me so busy!) Berroco Sox in color 1410-Lollipop, the first one shown below.  There are 4 new colors for spring, and a restock of all the other ones that we've been out of.  If you haven't tried this line yet, like Opal it's a fun knit.  Self patterning, good colors, and a lower price.  I did notice that while knitting it's not as soft as Opal, but I'm betting a machine wash or two will fluff it right up.

  

I anticipate a super busy week, so posts here might be short and sweet... if they come at all.  I definitely appreciate how busy you are keeping me!  February is typically one of the slower months for the store, allowing me to catch up on details. But this month has been so busy and crazy that my predictions for the year and my busy times may be blown out of the water.  I certainly haven't had time to knit at all this month, until this past weekend, and I'm going to try to make sure that blogging doesn't take a similar hit.  If only I could clone myself...

BTW, I do expect the newest Dream in Color Dream Club selection tomorrow, and it's featuring the awesome Smooshy with Cashmere.  So I'll try and post when it's up, but if I don't you'll find it here (but the link won't work until March 1).

Allison's Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Muffins are a big deal in our house.  They are easy to make, freeze and eat - especially on the run.  And if you have a toddler, or are just trying to eat healthier, you can sneak things in like veggie puree or flax seed.  Every other Wednesday, James and I have a "muffin morning" and make a couple batches for the coming weeks.  So today I'm sharing with you the recipe that we make the most.  I believe the recipe originally came from this blog, but I've tweaked it quite a bit to make a healthier (and just as tasty) version.  And I doubled the recipe because I figure that if I'm going to make muffins, why not make enough to freeze?

 

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups flour (I use a combo of all-purpose and white whole wheat flour)

1 cup sugar

1 cup Splenda

2 T baking powder

1 t salt

4 T flax seed (whole or ground)

2 t cinnamon

1 t nutmeg

1 t ground ginger (not fresh)

1/4 t ground cloves

2 cups canned pumpkin

1 cup milk

1/2 cup canola oil

3/4 cup applesauce

5 T molasses

1 t vanilla

(Also consider adding chopped pecans, raisins, or chocolate chips.  We use mini chocolate chips almost all the time.)

 

The How To:

Preheat the oven to 400 F and fill 24 muffin cups with paper liners.

Mix together the first 6 (dry) ingredients.  Then in a separate bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until just combined.

Then use a measuring cup or scoop to full the liners about 3/4 full.  Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until the muffins have risen and are no longer "jiggly" in the middle.  Let the muffins sit in the cups for 10 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool.  The muffins will stick to the liners if you don't let them cool completely, so try not to dive in right away. 

Do you have any healthy muffin recipes you'd like to share?  Please do!  I could use some inspiration.  Leave me a link.

Ask the Knitters

Dear Knitters,

My local yarn stores have closed due to the economy and I learned to knit an afterthought heel from a kind Swedish lady at one of the shops (I live ½ hr. east of Seattle).  I put my sock down and cannot remember how to do it (one sock was done a year ago)!  I am knitting a 2 color sock, red and white with the main color as red on two circular needles.  I can’t remember exactly how start this heel.  I have ½ the stitches on a holder and knit 1 row of waste yarn into the heel stitches.  Then do I do a provisional cast on (using a crochet hook) and the main color and knit the heel stitches onto waste yarn?  Is there a tutorial for how to start this type of heel.  I’ve done several different types of heels, but I need it to match the sock that I already made.  I am not new to sock knitting and have lots of sock books and patterns, but I don’t see a detailed tutorial anywhere on this.

Can you help?

Stuck in Seattle

*          *          *          *          *

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

Recent Random Observations

To me, buying yarn for you all is just as fun as knitting.  In fact, this week I've ordered so much that it could've covered James' college.

I haven't knit a stitch in nearly a month. 

Frozen manure doesn't smell.  Add heat, and this changes.  So, of course, I feel like a fool wishing for warmer weather for weeks and finally getting it.  Ah, rural living.

When one runs out of coffee, it's okay to delve into the gift cupboard and open the Starbucks Via instant coffee gift pack.  Turns out, it's actually a decent substitute when one has run out of coffee beans.

Bibio is awesome.  But Radiohead is still better.

My Opal and Trekking socks aren't being washed in a mesh bag, but they still have great stitch definition, after dozens of washes.  This is contrary to my sKNITches and Cherry Tree Hill socks, which are much fuzzier (but also softer) because of my lack of attention to their washing.

James will eat raw flour, but not meat.

 

USPS has informed me that a certain box containing a certain color of STC will be here today.  If you've been waiting for this, then check the STC Continuum section late this afternoon.

 
 

Three Irish Girls Sock Yarn

The yarn has been pouring in here... restocks of all sorts of yarn and needles, and even a new line.  It's turning into one super busy month, that's for sure. If you've been waiting on Starry, Kollage or Lantern Moon needles, check them out.  Check back later in the week for more String Theory Colorworks (more of the Valentine's color too, but not the until closer to St. Patty's Day), Trekking, Zauberball, a new design of Austermann Step and Mini Mochi.

So what's new?  Three Irish Girls, that's what!  In spring of 2010 (so nearly a year ago), I talked with Sharon about adding her line to the store.  It's one I learned about at Sock Summit '09- I can't remember if she had a booth (b/c I was so busy I didn't get a change to browse much) or if a customer told me about her yarn, but something convinced me to contact Sharon about her company (which is named Three Irish Girls for her three daughters).  So Sharon and I chatted on and off about her studio and in the summer of 2010 I finally found time to test knit a skein.  Often I pass along yarn to one of my test knitters to knit up and review, but Joe and I were going on a little vacation to Northport, Michigan (our first real 3-day vacation away without James) and I wanted something new and special to knit.  It's rare that Joe and I together do anything without James, so I knew that I'd finally have some time to really enjoy a few rows of uninterrupted knitting.

I wound my Glenhaven yarn into a ball and packed it in my Silver Moon Studios project bag  and instead of knitting it on the 7 hour drive, I chose to save it for the beach.  But the yarn had other plans.... mostly dictated by my friend's untrained dog who found my knitting bag, and won a wrestling match with all my yarn.  The yarn was ruined.  Just beat to crap by this dog who has no idea the value of cashmere.  It was like the saliva of the dog combined with the agitation of its teeth basically felted the strands, and even though we tried untangling the yarn (which took HOURS), it was rendered usless. 

So what did I do?  I contacted Sharon and literally had to tell her that THE DOG ATE MY HOMEWORK.  Seriously.  I never used that excuse in school, and boy was I embarassed to use it in business!  Sharon was nice enough to mail me another skein to try out (which I did and loved and plan on sharing here in the future) We all got a laugh out of it, and now I have two of Sharon's sock yarns here in the store for you- her Adorn Sock (a merino/nylon blend) and Glenhaven Cashmerino Sock (merino/cashmere/nylon).

 

 

What I like about her work is that she uses several techniques to get the effect she wants.  Some of the colors are dipped (like Collins and Mairin, shown above in Adorn Sock) to get the blocks of color that blend together, and some are painted with bright colors (like Ainsley and Nora in Glenhaven shown below), and others are dappled with short bursts of dye (like Winter Birch).  I think you'll really enjoy her colors.  I know I do.

 

 

No parentheses were harmed (simply overused) in the writing of this post.  Apparently my writing requires a little more caffiene than I have in the house at this time :)

Opal's Suprirse Sock Yarn Collection

I have something that I know many of you have been waiting for- the newest Opal collection, called Surprise.  For those of us who like thickly striping yarn, it's exatly what we want.  There are two things I particularly like about this collection: First, there's a wide range of colors that includes a cool rainbow and feminine as well as masculine colors.  There are at least two colors that would look very nice with denim, and dark colors that would blend well with black shoes.  Second, it's not the typical stripe effect- instead they look like tie-dye stripes where the color blends a bit from one to the next.  See what I mean?

If you haven't tried Opal sock yarn before, I definitely recommend it.  Not only is it a fun knit, but every pair of Opal socks I've knit, I'm still wearing.  Even years later.  My socks from the Feelings collection (long sold out) a few years ago are washed nearly every week during the winter, and they haven't faded and have no hint of holes.  My Hundertwasser 3 socks from 2010 are washed once or twice a week, and not only has the color not faded (and it's bright green, red and yellow) but the stitch definition is still nice and there's just a slight fuzzy halo after many, many wearings and agitation in the washer.  I'm just as satisfied with my Antonia socks from 2010.  Not only is Opal a workhorse, but my socks are comfortable and wear and wash well.

 

Also this week: several boxes arrived from Nova Scotia, replenishing the shelves of Fleece Artist's Merino 2/6 Sock (100% merino), Trail Sock (merino/nylon), BFL Sock (both very well priced- definitely a good bargain for the quality), and from the Hand Maiden (luxury branch) Swiss Mountain Sea Sock.  I have new colors in all these like Blomidon and Fire Opal, and restocks like Stardust (oh so lovely in Trail Sock) and Salt Spray (which always sells quickly in Swiss Mountain Sea Sock).

Shown below are Merino colors that make me think of spring (on a day when school was cancelled b/c of the extreme cold): Beach House, Mellow Yellow and Fire Opal.  Even the names hint at warmth and relaxation, don't they?

 

What's coming later this month?  I'll have a new line for you, as well as a special St. Patty's Day color from String Theory Colorworks. Think rainbow-leading-to-a-pot-of-gold.  Alright- I'm not good at keeping things from you guys.  Here's a tease!

 

10 Tips for Longer-Lasting Knitted Socks

Back in December, I had the opportunity to help Interweave Press (publishers of popular Interweave Knits magazine and all sorts of knitting books) by putting together a list of tips for longer lasting socks.   Interweave published this list in their daily e-newsletter, Knitting Daily, which goes out to several hundred thousand knitters.  Did I tell you all about this?  I'm thinking that because the holidays were so busy I forgot to mention it, and I want to share it with you now.  Here's part of the published article, and you can go here to read the entire thing.  And if you have more tips to share, please do so in the comments section below!

*          *          *

Owning Simply Socks Yarn Company, a store that specializes in sock yarn, is a very particular niche. Over the past six years, the most common questions I get from my customers involve making hand knit socks last a long time. So I've compiled "10 Tips for Longer Lasting Socks."

1. Don't wind your yarn into a cake until you're ready to knit. Winding a skein into a cake pulls fibers taut and over months the yarn could lose its ability to spring back into shape.

2. Choose the right yarn for the project; 100% cotton yarn isn't necessarily appropriate for socks because they will quickly bag and lose their shape when worn. Wool and wool/nylon blends are popular for socks because of their innate elasticity.

3. Choose high-quality sock yarn—inexpensive sock yarn tends have short fibers, which pill and wear out more quickly than longer fibers. If your budget is tight, you can find great deals in sale sections.

4. Go down one needle size (or more) when knitting the feet. If a label calls for a US 2 needle, knit the foot of the sock on a US 1, or even a US 0 so you get a dense fabric that holds up to wear.  You might need to leave more stitches on the needles for the foot to account for the smaller needle size.

5. Knit the right size socks. Too-big socks slip around more on the foot and cause more wear as they move around in your shoes.  Too-small socks cause stress on the stitches.

6. Rinse socks separately before washing with other items. While dye shouldn't run, super-saturated colors might and you don't want your other socks to be affected.

7. Turn socks inside-out when washing. That way the inside of the sock gets a fuzzy halo over time, and not the outside.

8. Consider washing your finished socks in a small mesh bag in the machine so they don't catch on zippers.

9. Don't wash socks in hot water. Even socks labeled "superwash" could felt or shrink a bit.

10. Lay socks flat to dry. Over time, machine drying will lessen stitch definition and make socks look worn. The intense heat of drying might also break down fibers, causing them to be less elastic and eventually break.  (Picture below shows the pull-out drying drawers in my laundry room.  The screens allow for air circulation- perfect for drying my socks and other hand knit garments!)

—Allison Van Zandt, Simply Socks Yarn Company

 

 

New Shipment from Tanis Fiber Arts

I've received a new shipment from Tanis in her Purple Label and Blue Label sock yarns.  They are all such lovely colors, but as usual the colors that speak to me are the blues and greens.  I may have grabbed a skein.  Ok, two.

 

Deep Sea is shown here in the Haruni Shawl knit by Tanis herself.  She modified the pattern (knitting 10 repeats of the leaf motif per side) to just use one skein of Purple Label.  But if you want to knit the shawl pattern as written, you'll want to get two of these.  This was actually her second time knitting this shawl, she loved it so.

I also got in a few new colors and restock of popular Olive.  This was the color that I swooned over a couple months ago.  If you're into green like I am, you really need this.  Colors shown below in Purple Label (cashmere sock): Deep Sea, Lilac and Olive

 

If you need some free-pattern-inspiration, check out two of Tanis' designs, the Prism Shawl and the Alpha Socks.  The shawl is one that would be good for a new shawl knitter, and the socks are a bit on the tangy side, only because they include cables which require a bit more attention.  Colors shown below in Blue Label: Glacier, Mallard and Prism

   

So did you watch the big game yesterday?  We had a bunch of friends over- kids running around and playing, adults trying to wrangle them while watching the game (and ads!), lots of good food.  Below is a picture of James (yes, he does still exist even though I haven't written too much about him lately!) helping me make S-shaped cookies.  Joe grew up in PA, so we're a Steelers house all the way!

I realized something yesterday- spring and summer are a much better time for parties than the middle of a snowy winter.  First, because we have unlimited space outside, we can invite over a lot more people.  Second, because we have a pond and a barn, our house stays clean because no one goes in!  There's so much less clean up with an outdoor party!

 

 

Next Project... Ideas?

I've finished my Coronal Mass Ejection socks (yes, I'll be getting lots more of that in about a month), and now I'm trying to decide on my next project.  I could start my second Papyriform sock, but because it's a more tinky pattern, I'd also like to start something that's somewhat simple maybe another pair of simple stockinette socks.  I'll likely start it soon anyway because I want to wear the socks!  While knitting only for myself last year, I found that the projects I finished the quickest were self-patterning or self-striping yarns like those from Opal (like the Antonia and Hundertwasser 3 collections) and the three projects I knit with String Theory Colorworks yarn.  While I thought I was a hand painted or semi-solid knitter, I found that while I do love those yarns, they aren't the projects that I finish in a timely manner.  I think it's because the self patterning yarns do all the work for me and I can simply knit row after row of mindless stockinette while watching TV at night.  I just don't find much time during the day to knit anymore, even on weekends, and so TV time is when I now do the bulk of my knitting.

 

So here's where you come in.  I have these three skeins set aside: Trekking Maxima in color 911 (shown above) or Cherry Tree Hill's Fingerpaints in either Lilac Lily or Pebble Beach.  (shown below).

 

 

I'm looking at these because I want to start another simple project that will produce a fun knit, but that will require very little attention on my part.  I also like them because the top two would coordinate with anything I wear with jeans, and the bottom is so neutral that it would look very nice with anything gray or taupe.  I wear a lot of gray.

So which do you think I should choose and why?  I'm also open to completely different suggestions- maybe a project that you've knit recently that you found so satisfying that you'd recommend it?  While these are the three yarns I'm initally considering, I'm easily swayed to something else that has the possibility to be addictive.

 

Dream in Color's Honeymoon and Pleiades Pattern

Dream in Color has released their February selection in their Dream Club, and it's a lovely hot pink semi-solid dyed on the Starry base.  Called Honeymoon, this color comes with a free Pleiades pattern, which is the shallow cruved shawlette shown below.  If you purchase this color, just e-mail me after with your invoice number and I'll e-mail back the pattern.

 

I think DIC really hit this one on the mark- I'm told pink is going to be very hot this year, and the color and pattern are very appropriate for Valentine's Day, don't you think?

 

This is just the type of project that I think would be perfect for an on-hand-gift.  Surely there's a person in all our lives that would love a feminine, pink accent to her winter wardrobe.

 

Along with this special color came a restock of all the other lovely colors of Starry for the store.  Also check out the restock in the Everlasting 8-ply (fingering weight) and 12-ply (dk weight).

I don't know about you, but here in Indiana, we have had quite a bit of snow overnight.  It's awesome because school has been cancelled which means Joe isn't working and can be on James Duty and I get a lot of work done.  It's not so awesome because I know that my USPS and UPS guy would rather I take the day off so they don't have to trek through the snow to deliver and pick up packages!  Sock yarn doesn't stop with the snow, guys!