Simply Socks Yarn Co. Blog

Tales of Parenthood

So many times I have stories about the kids that I want to share with you.  This morning, I just had to take the time to type it out, because this was the type of hectic morning where everything takes twice the time, you end up making TWO trips to school, you forget your lunch, and in the midst of it was a scene that I don't ever want to forget.

And that scene involves James wearing denim hot pants.  Or, at least, what seemed to be so.

At 5:43 this morning, I hear Henry singing in his room.  It's a great sound, to hear a cheery baby though the monitor.  But not before 6am.  Before 6am I just want to curse and lay in bed instead of forcing my limbs to propel my body toward the shower.

After readying myself for the day, I step out of the bedroom to find that James has already dressed himself.  He's pretty good at it- picks out his clothes himself and goes downstairs to eat cereal and a Gogurt.  And while his clothes rarely match, I just let it go and he wears what he wants.  Today is his school's field day, so not only is he to bring extra clothes, but he also is to wear loose, comfortable shorts and t-shirt.  Instead, he is wearing painted-on denim hot pants.  What evil elf came into his room this morning to paint on said shorts is not to be found.  He escaped unscathed from this mother's wrath.

"James, what are you wearing?"

"I got dressed!"

"Come here please. Why aren't your pants buttoned?"  Silly me.  It's because they are so tight they don't even fit, showing the whole front of his underwear.  Was he really planning on wearing these out the door today?  So, SO many questions swirl around in my head.  But instead, I just start laughing.

"Mama, are you crying?"

"Yep, James, I nearly am."

Turns out, nearly-seven-year-old-James is wearing his brother's size 24 MONTH JEANS.  Somehow, James though it was plausible that these were his shorts, and somehow wedged himself into them with the fervor that only a 6 year old can display.

We then spent the next moment nearly literally "laughing our pants off" as I tried to remove the "shorts" from his body.  Damn, I love that kid.

More Socks that Rock for you!

I have for you more of those colors you've been asking for from Tina and the team at Blue Moon Fiber Arts!

The bright flashes in Fire on the Mountain:

The soft, regal shades of Lady Edith:

The deep painted blacks of Ravenscroft and Blackbird

The vibrancy of Rolling Stone:

Or the fun spring tones of Lemonello:

And my current obsession, KaPow PaTina:

There are over 50 colors in stock right now, so I'm sure you'll find one (or more, who am I kidding?) that tickle your fancy.  Which one speaks to you?

New colors from The Unique Sheep!

A stunning batch of colors has arrived from Kelly and Laura, the duo behind The Unique Sheep.  Not only have they dyed up for us all your faves, but also some new colors sets.  Want to knit a gradient Hitchhiker, Wingspan or Pagona?  Just pick one of the 4-skein Gradiant Sock Sets and follow the color change instuctions here and apply them to one of those patterns.  New Gradiants like Zelda or Wheat Fields would be awesome.

Want the luxury of silk with a 6-skein Gradiance Set?  Try one of the Luxe sets to knit the Now In a Minute shawl (photo used with permission of Brenda Dayne).  Shown in Enfys, and would look fab in any of the options, I think.

You might also consider the Terraform or do a Gradiant version of Semele. I adore Seregeti and Black Day Lily, don't you?

Really, you could use a Gradient set in any pattern that you think would look great with a color change like that.  A simple scarf or a stunning shawl would all display the sets nicely.  Or, of course, a great pair of socks!

Saturday morning in the shop

The weather is perfect, the iced coffee is flowing, and our front display is perfectly posed with bright, summery tones. What a great day! Feeling very thankful today for my place in this world.
What are your plans for your holiday weekend?

Man, I love Regia's new super bright solids.

New Regia Colors

Since adding Regia back to the shop earlier this year, it's been a hit.  Apparently, a lot of you are like me and can't get enough of awesome self-patterning colors on yarn that will hold up long-term to wash and wear!

Not only do I have restocks in the Fluormania, Kaffe Fasset, and Zoofari lines, I also have two new ones for you.  If you want ultra bright solids, check out the Trendpoint Brights.  They come in 100 g skeins and are exactly what you want if you want to knit socks to match all those trendy clothes right now that you see in every store.  Bright colors are the thing right now, so don't miss out.

I also have colors from Erika Knight's Design Line.

Check out the array of colors here.

I have some more fab collections coming from Regia later this summer, so stay tuned for all the details.

Late last month, we had a few contests on the blog, and the winners are Matt, Amy and Stephanie!  You have all received e-mails, so if you think one of these is you, check your Inbox. Congrats!

New colors from Lorna's Laces... and a contest!

"Woah." It's a common exclamation when knitters see our wall-o-Lorna's-Laces for the first time.  Every color of Shepherd Sock plus lots of Solemate and Sportmate stretched out over a long wall of our 3500 square foot shop, ready to be squished between fingers.  It's intoxicating. 

Our wall of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock keeps growing and growing as Beth and her crew release awesome new batches of color, and this season's new selections certainly deserve a prime place on that wall.  Take a look at what their busy team dyed up for us- we're the first shop to get all these new colors, according to Lorna's Laces.  Five Multicolors and one Nearly Solid

Granville

Hawthorne

Lake Bluff

Hampstead

Ravinia

Putty

Go back and click on those images if you didn't.  They are truly larger than life.

We also have a special treat.  Several years ago, Lorna's Laces dyed up a spooky, sinister colorway for our Halloween Kit. (Shown below on Solemate)

This color, Maleficent's Spindle, was a fave of many and since there's a new Maleficent movie coming out soon, I thought I'd let this color pop back on Solemate and Sock.  So if you wanted another skein of this, or missed out on the fast-selling kit a few years ago, or wanted it on Sock... well, there you go!

While this skein does look fab in socks (I've seen a few dozen myself, and I know there are hundreds more out there knit up or waiting to be knit) I think it also would make a really nice lacey scarf or shawl to wear around Halloween.  The deep purples and charcoal are set off by just a bit of pale green and I think it make such a great combo.  If you wanted something super simple to knit, perhaps do the Drop Stitch Scarf, Lace Ribbon Scarf, Noro Wave Scarf, or the One Row Lace Scarf.  Want something a bit more challenging? Try Clapo-ktus, Imagine When, or Trillian. 

Waiting on restocks of particular colors?  I currently have for you over 120 colors of Sock in Multicolors, over 50 Nearly Solids, and 9 of the one-row Stripes. Also look at the 80 colors of Solemate (fingering weight) and Sportmate (sport weight) if you like a litte bit of Outlast fiber in your socks for temperature and moisture control.

Want to win a skein of Shepherd Sock for yourself?  Just tell me in the comments below your two favorite colors of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock Multicolors, and I'll randomly choose one lucky person to win one of their favorite skeins!  Leave just one comment here on the blog by Saturday, May 24 at noon EST.  I know it's hard to choose just a couple from over 100, but give it your best try!

Tuesday Tease

Could these be the most adorable socks ever?  I think so. 

Rachael's knitting up the striping color for our upcoming 9th Anniversary Sock Yarn Kit using the Fruit Stripe Gum sock pattern.  Kit available in about 3 weeks (details to come).

Sweaters using sock yarn

Recently, we were asked for pattern suggestions for sock yarn.  Button down sweater ideas, in particular, and Rachael (your shipping diva) compiled a list of some of her faves.  Do you have any that you'd like to pass along in the comments?  Do share!

Audrey: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/audrey-15

Smaragd: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/smaragd-2

Paulie: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/paulie

Summer Dawn: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/summer-dawn

Alecia Beth: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/alecia-beth

Breckon: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/breckon

Oolong: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/oolong

 

Each of these uses fingering weight sock yarn.  So you could easily knit something awesome with Madelinetosh Merino Light or Tosh Sock, Malabrigo Sock, Black Trillium Pebble, Poste Yarn's Patina, or Fiberstory Fave Sock.  Each of these lines are comprised of lots of colors that are unlikely to pool or stripe, but have layers of color that would give your sweater some dimension.  Of course, you could also go with Cascade Heritage Solids and knit a sweater for just $22 (for a smaller size).  That's quite a deal!

2014 Stitch n Pitch with the Tincaps

Want to watch a baseball game while knitting and noshing? The Fort Wayne Tincaps have just released their Stitch n Pitch info, and you have access it at the link below.

Download 2014StitchNPitch

Just fill out their form, send it in with your payment (not to us, send it to them) and indicate on the stub that you'd like to sit in the Simply Socks Yarn Company section.  This is he easiest way to make sure we all can sit together, because I just got the flier today and we only have one or two open days in the shop before this date.  

I've gone to this for the past two years (even went 9 months pregnant!) and had a great time.  It's nice to sit around other fiber artists, meet new people, and enjoy a game. Hope to see you there!

All photos used with permission of the Fort Wayne Tincaps

My Mother's Day...

....consisted of great knitting (new Trekking XXL color 565) and Sunday drive with these two little backseat drivers in daddy's "new" muscle car. A great time had by all!
What did you do this Mother's Day?

SSYC's 12th Sock Yarn Club

Thank you for your patience as I worked to get our next sock yarn club ready for you!  I greatly enjoy planning our clubs for you and I like to make sure each month is going to be exactly what I want before I open subscriptions.  I'm really looking forward to all the selections each month because this club doesn't focus on one skein each month, but two or more.  This "Color Galore" Sock Yarn Club offers monthly shipments that you'll cherish because they come ready for all those coordinating-color projects that are so popular right now, but that you might not be comfortable choosing colors without assistance.  Patterns like Spectral, Vector, Daybreak, Phi, Stripe Study... you get the idea.  Sock, shawl and scarf patterns that are beautiful on their own, but are made spectacular with just the right color combinations.  We do the messy bits for you, working with the dyers to create special colorways that will work perfectly together, then package your hand made skeins and send them on their way to you to create and enjoy.

This "Color Galore" club is a bit more expensive than clubs in the past because this one includes so much yarn.  Not just one skein, but 650-800 yards of fingering weight per month. Each month you'll receive pattern ideas (some free, some not, but all available on Ravelry) that go with that particular selection.  You can, of course, use your monthly skeins however you like- for two sock projects, one larger project, or for whatever your heart desires.

Want to sign up?  Please do!  Just go here for both US and International subscriptions.  Please make sure that your club order is the only thing in your shopping cart.  This club must be ordered alone to count.  Of course, we welcome separate orders for other awesome goodies and we'll ship those out asap.  Your club subscription starts in July, and you pay now to hold your place.  The dyers need 6 weeks or more to create all these little pieces of art, so you'll receive shipments in July, August and September.  Once you order, you don't need to do anything else.  Just sit back and wait for your first shipment!

I'll leave sign-ups open for a week or two.  It all depends on how fast the spaces fill up.  Usually around 10 days.

Opal Yarn's newest collection: Love Story

Opal has delivered another beautiful collection of self-patterning colors in their Love Story series.  Available in 8 different colors, it's definitely knit worthy.  Perfect to have on the needles for summer when you're on the go- traveling for vacation, sitting at a baseball game, lazing at the lake.

If you've been waiting on restocks of some of the collections, I have those now.  Take a look at Little Prince, Snowflake (a light-worsted weight collection), and Smile.

Tuesday Tease

Sign ups for the SSYC Sock Yarn Club start soon!  How soon?  Likely this week.  This may be the biggest Tuesday Tease we've done, because you won't see the colors or know the dyers in the club til they arrive in your mailbox this summer!  HAHAHAHAHAHA! (I have to get my kicks somehow, right??)

This club is a doozy.  We're going back to our roots and making it all about the yarn. And not just one skein at a time.  There's so much color in this club that it can't be contained to one skein each month.  Instead we're focusing on colors that coordinate or work together to make all those two or multiple skein projects that we are all into right now.  So the club will be a bit more expensive than the previous 11 clubs, but that's because you're getting double the yarn over the course of three months.

This skein is the Rake colorway from our last sock yarn club, to give you an idea of the awesomeness that your mailbox could contain in July/August/September if you sign up.  It was dyed by Blue Moon Fiber Arts on their BFL sock base.

Look for the signups later this week as well as in your e-newsletter.

TNNA in Indy

This weekend was the TNNA tradeshow, and so Rachael and I drove to Indy to browse the show floor and find some fun things for the shop.  Here are a few things that I snapped shots of to share.

New colors from Lorna's Laces

New yarn coming from Dream in Color, which won a Best New Yarn prize.

Cute bags

And Sarah from Fiberstory

All in all a good time and I found lots of goodies to share with you this summer and fall.

A fun deal

Want to get a great deal and a surprise?  I'm offering 30% off several different yarns, potluck style- we choose the color/s for you, you get 30% off! 

All images shown are Three Irish Girls, Glenhaven Cashmerino

We're closing out a few of our lines to make room for others this spring, so this is your opportunity to get a great deal on something that we won't be offering for awhile.  Those lines include Three Irish Girls and Tanis Fiber Arts.  You may see these dyers back here in the future (like Tanis, who is taking a lighter load b/c she's found life with a baby a lot busier than life before baby).

So go to the Sale Section (I think these deals are on the last page in the section) to snag one or more skeins.  Then we'll choose from the two dozen or so colors we have in stock right now to suprise you with something awesome.  It's a great way to knit outside your normal crayon box of colors.  And if you want to see some of the colors that these dyers make, just look 'em up on Ravelry, as we no longer have them all listed on the SSYC website.

Here are the direct links to the Potluck sale options:

Three Irish Girls, Adorn Sock (merino/nylon blend)

Three Irish Girls, Glenhaven Cashmerino (cashmere blend)

Tanis Fiber Arts, Purple Label (cashmere blend)

Tanis Fiber Arts, Blue Label (merino/nylon blend)

Tanis Fiber Art, Yellow Label (DK weight merino)

You're welcome to snag one or many.  If you choose three of the same potluck item, we'll choose three different colors for you.  A fun mix!

Throwback Thursday

Our booth at Sock Summit, Portland, 5 years ago!

Jasmin (Knitmore Girls Podcast) breathing in the fumes of Simply Sock Yarn Solids.

Our busy booth.

Anna Zilboorg, picking out some solids of her own (which were later used in a book!)

Bags and yarn galore.

It was a whirlwind of a weekend, and I think all the photos I took were blurred just like my memory was after such a busy time!