Simply Socks Yarn Co. Blog

Local Fiber Fest

Are you in the NE Indiana area or coming here soon? Then you might consider coming the weekend of May 15th to visit the Salomon Farm Fiber Arts Celebration.

From the Fort Wayne Parks & Rec website: Join us at Salomon Farm for a two-day celebration of fiber arts. The focus of this festival is education through hands-on participation and demonstrations. Learn how natural fiber such as wool goes from animal to sweater: sheering, dyeing, spinning, weaving, knitting and more! Vendors specializing in fiber arts will sell equipment and supplies such as spinning wheels, wooden knitting needles, looms and shuttles, felting needles and forms, and crochet hooks. Natural fiber including wool, alpaca, silk and cotton, as well as hand-made fiber products such as sweaters, mittens, shawls and more will also be for sale. Visit with live animals, shop fiber art supplies and products, or just enjoy a day on the farm! Food vendors will also be on the grounds. The Fiber Arts Celebration is co-sponsored by the Flax and Fleecers Spinning Guild of Fort Wayne and the Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation Department. Call Karla at 260-427-6008 for more information. Due to the nature of this event, pets are not allowed.

Here's the brochure for the event, should you want more details

Download Fiber Arts Celebration

While SSYC isn't scheduled to be open that day, you can of course e-mail service@simplysockyarn.com if you and friends are coming to town for the event and would like to schedule a special shopping session. And if you're just a single person who doesn't have a group to bring, you might consider e-mailing anyway as you could come in if we already are open for a group. It'd be a perfect fibery visit to Fort Wayne!

I have a great day and learn something new each time I attend the festival. And it's definitely geared toward family attendance with fun things for the kids to see and learn. The most memorable lesson for me being DON'T TAKE YOUR FOUR YEAR OLD SON ON A BUMPY HAYRIDE WHEN YOU ARE EIGHT MONTHS PREGNANT. OY, THE PAIN. Lesson learned.

Things you've been waiting for

Many of you have been waiting on the following, and I just wanted to let you know they are available.

First, more Sock Rulers. These are fun gadgets that slip right into your socks to help you measure your project as you go. Much less fiddly than a tape measure, as you can just stretch the sock (leg or foot, toe up or top down) down over this and get a quick and accurate measurement.

Second, more Biscotte & Cie. The Melon d'eau striping colorway (watermelon) is super popular, but I just got a huge amount in stock. This is likely to go quickly, but I do have another bit batch coming in a month. My favorite in the colors we have right now is Ketchup Relish Moutarde, shown below.

Third, more of the Poste Yarn striping colors that I debuted last week, Bourbon Street and Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. If you missed out on the first batch, you can snag some now.

I love that you all are so passionate about the things I love too. I do my best to keep everything in stock for when the fancy strikes you. Since most of what we sell is hand made (and often one-of-a-kind from batch to batch), this can be a daunting task. But I greatly appreciate that you understand the limits of finding and knitting hand made goods. I think it's why so many of us have a sizable stash; because we know that many of the things we like might not be available when we actually want to knit it (like fast-selling Opal collections, Babs colorways or Tosh) and the skeins of the same colorway might not even look the same with the next batch. It definitely keeps yarn shop owners and yarn collectors on our toes, right? 

New striping Poste Yarn color

If you follow the SSYC Instagram feed, you may have noticed a few teasing pictures of these two Poste Yarn colors over the past month. Finally they are ready for you! Say hello to Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

and Bourbon Street!

Here's a picture of Bourbon Street drying, if you'd like to see the how the colors will look as stripes, rather than in a skein as shown above. It gives you a better idea what it would look like knit up with the thick swaths of color, doesn't it?

These are my types of colors. Bright and summery, cheerful, vivid, with unexpected bits of color that break in each swath. That acidic green in Boubon Street is super awesome. Like a lot of the "solid" colors in our stripes, you'll notice nuances when you knit- that each color is quite dynamic and almost tonal or slightly variegated in nature. These are truly great knits.

For those of you who have been waiting on particular sport team or wizard colors, we've dyed a big ol' batch of many of those too. Check it out!

Opal's Cotton Premium Collection

I am seriously impatient for this collection to arrive in the US. I love myself some Opal Yarn. And the fact that I've only had ONE other cotton blend Opal collection in the shop in 10 years... well, I'm really anticipating this. I'm pretty sure I'm casting on color 8895 as soon as it arrives.

If you are equally in love with the idea of knitting up some cotton blend Opal Yarn, then you may be interested in preordering the collection of 6 colors now so they ship out as soon as they get here. I'm currently offering you this option. And you get the SSYC Special price of $15 a ball that we offer on all Opal 4ply collections (instead of MSRP of $18) plus you'll get free US shipping with your order. Of course, you can add other things to your order since you're already getting shipping for free. Just keep in mind that other things ordered along with this won't ship until the 29th when the Opal ships.

If you preorder the collection, it should ship out on April 29. And if you see just one or two colors you have to have. then those will be available for sale as soon as the yarn actually arrives in stock.

I am SO looking forward to this collection!!

So much yarn, so much inspiration!

You might have noticed that we have received a serious amount of yarn in the shop in the past two weeks. Not only do we have new Miss Babs, Fiberstory,Madelinetosh and Hedgehog Fibres, but Tina and the gang at Blue Moon Fiber Arts just sent us an epic amount of Marine Silk Fingering, Yaksi Fingering and BFL Superwash Fingering. Gorgeous, vivid colors.

Since so much yarn has been flying onto the shelves, I thought you might like some fab pattern pairings to go with. Here's what you might like to knit with these lovelies. Of course, you could pair any of these patterns with any of these yarns. But we think some of these are so well suited that we wanted to share particular ones to go with particular yarn.

Do you love the new colors that Sarah has created for Fiberstory? Daybreak, Cora, Meadow... these are just gorgeous, don't you think? Show off these variegated colors with Favorite Scarf Ever, Honey Badger socks, Simple Things shawlette, Excess hat, or Starshower which is a cowl/shawl hybrid.

Have you seen the new batch of Miss Babs? It's totally swoonworthy. I have it in both the Tarte sock (merino and nylon with Tencel for the sheen and drape of silk without the price) and the new Hot Shot merino/nylon base. Hot Shot is very similar to it's cousin Cosmic sock, but it just seems to be plied a bit tighter. Other than that, same content and yardage and price. If you are in the mood for an addictive two-color project, I recommend pairing Tarte with our exclusive Poste Yarn Patina. It's the same base yarn, and you can combine the fab multicolors from Miss Babs with our tone-on-tone semi-solids. I did this with a Phi shawl and a Stripe Study, and I highly recommend it. Shown above is Tarte in Berlin, Biker Chick and Deep See Jellyfish.

So how about the Blue Moon Fiber Arts? We certainly want the right pattern to pair with these beautiful hues. Let's start with Marine Silk Fingering, shown above in Free Range Chickens, Ginger Plumlicious and River Rocked. I totally want to start Antarktis RIGHT NOW. Don't click on the link if you don't want to add another project to your queue immediately. YUM. The gorgeous edge of Eiku would be stunning in Marine Silk Fingering. Or go with something with less lace and more garter with Yvaine. If you like a blocked out scallop edge, then Knit Me is for you. And it might be for me too, using Yaksi (featured below).

Yaksi. A superb blend of superwash merino wool, silk and yak. Yes YAK. Have you knit this yet? You should. I have a special skein sitting next to my desk that I'm hoping doesn't sell out too quickly so that I can snag it myself. (I try and resist yarn for a few days so that others can get it first.... I'm USUALLY good about this. But today, my restraint is nearly gone and it's only 10am.) If you want to give this unique blend a try, wear it against your skin with the Sallah Cowl or Dandelion Days cowl. Choose several colors (or use leftover bits of this from other projects) to make the Moonraker, Make some mits and a neckwarmer with this Anne Hanson pattern. Or make a 3-color Cashmere Cowl. I've seen one of these in the shop already in Yaksi and it was a stunner.

BFL Superwash. If you like to try other breeds of sheep and experience what their fiber has to offer, give Bluefaced Leicester a try. These skeins seem to suck up the dye and deliver vibrant pops of color along with an added bit of sheen that you don't always notice in wool. Perfect for socks other accessories and garments. Shown above in Bag Lady, Cranberry Bogged and Grayple. Consider pairing one of these colors with Magrathea, Minetta, Emita or Willow Cowl.

Whew! Now that's a lot of inspiration from some super talented dyers and designers.

Madelinetosh Twist Light Color Combos

Oh Twist Light, how I adore thee. You are soft and tightly plied, just like I want in a sock yarn. And you have nylon, which is a huge plus (and rare for Madelinetosh). While you are totally meant for socks, we all know we use sock yarn for many other things. And since three-color projects are all the rage, here are some color combinations that I've been eyeing.

Below each color selection you'll see links to pattern ideas from Rachael (she's your personal shopper/shipper) and I that I really REALLY recommend clicking through to see on Ravelry. She has a good eye for these things, so I think you'll have a good range of choices from the both of us.

Baltic, Cardinal and Deep would be striking in a Barndom. Or choose two for a Rockefeller. 

I love this dusky, romantic combination of Blackcurrant, Opaline and Alizarin. Since these three are all slightly variegated instead of semi solid, I think the larger blocks of color in Moonstruck would be superb. Or go with Sunstruck and use the Leopard color as the dark edge. Want just two colors? Try Thunderstruck.

Coquette, Flashdance and Maple Leaf. Derecho would be awesome with these three. Or choose two for Whippoorwill if you like a slightly ruffled look more than a linear look.

Daffodil, Mansfield Garden Party and Carnation would look sweetly modern together in any three color shawl. Or try Stripe Study with just two. I knit this pattern a couple years ago in one variegated and one solid and it's so addictive. (I just remembered that I am at the cast-off edge! I need to get that finished and blocked so I can wear it!)

Margeaux, Steam Age and Aura would show nicely in any three color shawl. Or choose two for a Chadwick.

Nutmeg, Plaid Blanket and Jade. A perfect complement to any fall wardrobe without the typical maroon/burnt orange/gold combo you expect. Use all three for Pop, or pick two for Phi.

Want some socks? Try two of these for Broken Seed Stitch socks. Or all three for any shawl. Robin's Egg, Grasshopper and Tomato. I knit Tomato in Tosh Sock using the Nutkin pattern a few years ago and the results were fab. Hedera socks would also be gorgeous.

Scarlet, Optic and Leopard. Choose two for Miswis or all three for Happy Street.

Whiskey Barrel, Vintage Sari and Firewood. These are very similar to the colors I used in my Color Affection Shawl a couple years ago, so I definitely recommend that for these colors (or any of these color combos). Or you could pair two of these colors with the Elfe sweater.

Edison Bulb, Holi Festival and Fluoro Rose. Suggested with Neon Beast, Happy Street, or use two of these for Different Lines.

I could go on for days. I have a great selection for you right now and if you see other colors you think you might like together, just use the "Compare" feature to look at several of them on the same page. You just check the "Compare" box of up to four colors and scroll to the bottom of the page and click "Compare Selected." Super simple. And if you'd like one of us to compare them in person too, just e-mail Allison at service@simplysockyarn.com with the colors you're considering and we'll give it a look. We're happy to help!

Fiberstory

A new batch of Fave Sock from Fiberstory. So beautiful that it needs few words.

Breezy

Daybreak

Meadow

Maki

Cora

Sweetly

Do peruse it all here.

Saturday in the shop

Heather wants ALL the Babs. But she can't have it all. I need to save some for you, right? We received a new batch yesterday of Tarte and Hot Shot. Hot Shot is new to Babs- it's basically the same as Cosmic, but seems to be spun a bit tighter. Very, very similar.

Liz brought in her amazing Honey Cowl in the sale Mineville Wool Project 125g skeins in the sale section. This is the Hibiscus colorway.

We've been dyeing up new colors in the Poste Yarn studio. The two samples above just finished drying and we are in love. Big time. We'll dye up batches next week and have them available for you later this month. The color below is our newest gem, Haida Gawaii.

Finally, a photo of last night's stormy sky. There's something about the color in this landscape that really speak to me. That tinge of pink.

Opal Yarn's Best Friends Collection

http://www.simplysockyarn.com/opal-best-friends/

Opal's newest collection, inspired by animal "best friends", is now available! Eight totally knitworthy self-patterning colorways that give you not only an addictive time on the needles, but a completed pair that holds up to the least careful washing and drying. Opal and Trekking XXL are two that I seem to have been knitting more than any others over the past two years. Not only because I love letting the yarn do the work for me, but also because the finished socks hold up to machine washing like nothing else.

One of those days

Today is one of those days. There's so much new yarn here at the shop that I'd much rather just look at it all, than do real work. I mean, I'd like to think that in my job just looking at yarn could be part of the description and could be considered ok, but there's always so much to do here that just "looking at yarn" isn't something I get to do. But today, oh today, that's all that wants to get done.

Not only am I literally surrounded by tables and tables of Tosh today...

...but Heather is in the midst of dyeing up all the amazing skeins for this month's Poste Yarn Club color in the studio. And if you are part of this club, you are going to love LOVE this color. I can't stand it, it's just so cool. (If you aren't in the club, this one will end next month and there will be sign ups for another in a few months.)

So not only am I tempted by tons of amazing yarn, but if I walk to the back studio to, say, refill my coffee or get a snack, I can't escape the awesomeness. Just so much color happening in here this week.

If you're seeking a super awesome knit, this is what keeps catching my eye today- the new Tosh Twist Light, new yarn from Hedgehog Fibres (SO EXCITED about this new one), new colors and restocks of Biscotte & Cie including theWatermelon that many have been waiting for, and Zen Yarn Garden.

Madelinetosh's new Twist Light sock yarn

It's finally here. You may have heard the buzz over the past year as Madelinetosh tested their newest yarn base. Sock knitters have been asking for a merino/nylon sock yarn from Madelinetosh, and we have finally been answered with a beautiful, soft new yarn called Twist Light.

Twist Light is a rare offering from Madelinetosh, as it includes nylon. The artisan dyer usually sticks to all-natural fibers, but many sock knitters really do prefer a bit on nylon in their sock yarn. Thankfully our request has been taken to heart and we have a brand new yarn to offer you.

I currently have 80 colors for you to choose from, each one a stunning example of hand dyed beauty. From the glazed solids to the wild confetti colors, I'm betting you'll find something you love.

I do want to stress that this base yarn is unusually soft for a merino/nylon blend. To me, it even has the feel of a luxury blend that includes cashmere. But no cashmere and no luxury-blend pricetag! This is definitely a sock yarn that holds up to washing and wearing, but also would make a superb garment or shawl.

I'm so glad to be sharing this new yarn with you today. It truly is a work of art in a skein.

 

A game changer in hand dyed striping yarn

It's been nearly 10 years since I started this blog. For those of you who have been reading that whole time, or even a bit of that time, you realize that if there's one thing I adore in a sock yarn, it's STRIPES. Heck, I created a whole new yarn line dedicated to my obsession.

So it's no surprise that when it comes to trends in striping sock yarn, my shop would be on the leading edge of all that is stripes. Leave it to Poste Yarn to create something so bold, so amazing, that it makes one think "Why didn't someone do this sooner?"

Fear. Fear of being just TOO awesome.

All. Black. Striping. Sock yarn.

A total game changer.

I know, I know. It seems too simple. But sometimes the simplest knits are the best. I'll share the availability details on this as soon as I can. Til then, just imagine the possibilities.