Simply Socks Yarn Co. Blog

A "thankful" coupon code

Throughout the month of November, Simply Socks Yarn Company is demonstrating how thankful we are for your continued support over the past 10 years. Through contests, free tote bags and sales, we hope you are feeling the love! Today I have a first for you- a 15% off coupon code to use on a mix of new and loved, easy gifting, and yarns of various weights and fibers. What collections are included? Madelinetosh's Pashmina, Lorna's Laces Sportmate, Zen Yarn Garden's Serenity 20, Lang's Jawoll Aktion (with the spool of reinforcing thread) and Regia Stripemania, 50g Color and Pop Art. If you've shopped with us before, you know we don't offer coupon codes, but instead choose to keep our prices as low as we can, offer a great sale section and free US shipping at $85.

Use the code ThankfulSimplySocks to receive 15% off on the above listed collections. All you have to do is copy and paste that into the Coupon Code field (you'll find it on the Your Shopping Cart page) and you'll immediately see the discount reflected. Don't forget to enter the code because it has to be entered to get the discount. It's not automatic and not retroactive. This offer is good now through Black Friday, November 27th.

This is just another way I'm showing you how grateful the SSYC Team and I are for your spending your yarn dollars with us. I know you have other local and internet options for finding yarn, and I love that you appreciate our prices, sale offerings, large selection and quick shipping. Each e-mail you send about our service and selection makes an impact and I'll continue to stock Simply Socks Yarn Company with awesome fibers for another decade, as long as you're with me!

We just got in over 800 pounds of Madelinetosh, so it's a great time to add some Pashmina to your stash. It will take another week to put all the other bases up on the website, but the new Pashmina is up there for you to take advantage of the coupon code. With well over 100 colors, you won't see a selection like this very often anywhere.

Want pattern ideas for Pashmina? Sure you do!

One skein projects:

Shaelyn, Leila Raabe

Wurm, Katharina Nopp

Falberry Mitts, Anne Hanson

Stacked Eyelet Cowl, Ami Madison

Lilac Wine, photo below courtesy of Amy Christoffers

Two skein projects:

Pretty Maids, Joyce Fassbender

Shifting Sands, Grumperina

High Road, Mary-Heather Cogar

Three & four skein projects:

Pomme de pin Cardigan, Amy Christoffers

Larch Cardigan, Amy Christoffers

Pecan Crush, Carol Feller

Atelier, Heidi Kirrmaier

Opals Schafpate 7 Collection

If you've been waiting for the next Opal Yarn collection, your wait is over! Schafpate 7 is here! This collection supports the "buy local" concept, with each part of production happening in Germany where the company is located. The yarn is made through an all-German supply chain beginning with merino sheep at the Nature Preserve BioshpareAlb in South Germany.  The wool is processed in Bremer Woll-Kammerei AG and spun in the Zwickauer Kammgarn GmbH.  Finally it is printed into sock yarn by TUTTO Wolfgang Zwerger GmbH in Hechingen before being shipped throughout the world to sock knitters.

The colors are fab. I'm grabbing 8900 and 8901 for myself, definitely. Though I have to knit up Rainforest color 8970 before I get going on those. I hope there's something in here for you too!

On the blog

Over the past few months, I've received e-mails that you might like more blogging content about me and my family. It's become more yarn lately and less Allison and the boys. What would you like? More stories about the shop itself and getting to know the team here? More family stories? Or more details about the yarn and projects that my team and I are working on? I typically blog three times a week, so that limits the space here. What would you like to read about? I've been blogging here for over 10 years now, so I'm happy to write what you'd like to read and change things up a bit if you prefer. Since I'm done having babies, those blogging moments are gone (oh, the pregnancy posts), but there's definitely other family and life moments to share.

Today, let's talk about parenting. I've been talking/e-mailing a lot over the years with dyers and mamas I work with. It's good to know that I'm not the only person in the industry who has made it through juggling babies and fiber (that's an image), and I know that a lot of parents don't have the flexible schedule I have. Working for myself allows me to be able to go to every field trip, every Veteran's Day program, and take 3-year old Henry to have lunch with 8-year-old James and his friends, but that also means that I may be working at 5am or still at midnight.

The odd thing? It's not the schedule I imagined when I opened a yarn shop and then had kids, but I don't mind it. I like working quietly in the dark in the wee hours of the morning. And I like the feeling of accomplishment when I get my books done and can spend the day with Henry playing Legos and going to Target. Of course I'd like a solid 8 hours of sleep every night, but I think at this stage in my life that's insane to expect.

What did you do or do you currently do to make your hectic family and work schedule mesh? Are you working yourself or are you somehow making your family schedule work with a spouse's busy work schedule so you can better all enjoy those precious few evening hours together? Does your spouse work a different shift than you, making each minute you have together a rare treat? Lately I've been really trying hard balance work and family life and I could really benefit from reading about other's daily lives and what you do to have some balance. Do you have little fixes or things you do that you'd like to share? I'd love to know!

More from Mineville.....

....otherwise titled, yes, I really am blogging at 5am. I'm on mommy time!

Shown above in Red Fox

The awesome dyers at Mineville Wool Project has sent us fibery love from Canada in the form of their limited edition Fine Merino superwash fingering weight yarn in our sale section. Mineville is a branch of beloved Fleece Artist and they specialize in procuring short runs and special sale fibers and dyeing them up for us at a discounted prices. I have FORTY THREE colors of this gorgeous heavy fingering weight yarn in the sale section, and it's so super soft that you'll adore knitting and wearing it. It has a lower micron count that typical merino, and that means that it's even softer than you might expect. And the price is really great. You might want to grab it for socks, shawls, fingering weight sweaters, or even sport weight sweaters- Rachael mentioned that she thinks the gauge would also work for sport weight garments, which is what she plans to use it for. Afterall, it is a bit heavier than the typical fingering weight yarn.

Shown below in Majolica Blue

I'm so pleased to offer you such a fab deal as part of our month-long Thanksgiving celebration here at the shop. We're showing how thankful we are for you with giveaways, sales and contests. Thanks so much for your support and loyalty to Simply Socks Yarn Company. The team and I greatly appreciate each order we see come in the shop.

Shown above in Evergreen

You can tell I'm super excited about this deal if I'm blogging about it before 6am, right? Of course, having little ones dictates my schedule. Gotta get work done before morning snuggles, making breakfast and getting James to school. Do you (did you) rise early to get things done quietly before your house gets loud and busy? Or do your kids/spouse/sun wake you in the morning when they rise... which is what happens with me at least half the week. I'd like to say I'm organized and have had enough sleep that I can rise early every morning. This doesn't always happen!

Win Dragonfly Fiber's Djinni!

All month long we are celebrating the month of Thanksgiving by showing you how thankful we are for YOU. Last week, we had a contest and also gave away super cool totes to shoppers, and today another contest featuring the lovely yarns of Dragonfly Fibers!

 

To have a chance at winning these two skeins of cashmere blend Djinni Sock (in Coral Reef and Kensington Farmer's Market), all you have to do is answer the following question in the comments below before noon EST on Saturday, November 21.... What project are you working on today? Tell me the pattern and the yarn you're using and if you have a link to your Ravelry project page, leave that too. Know it's always inspiring for knitters to see what everyone else is working on, even from far off!

Thanks again for joining in our month-long fun! What's up next? Dozens of gorgeous colors of fine merino from Mineville Wool Project in the sale section. Expect this to be added to the sale section as soon as Wednesday, though it could be the end of the week as well. This stuff is a beautiful, lower micron (meaning softer than you expect in a merino) count, and a heavier fingering weight. Could even be used in sport weight sweater and projects if you wanted. SUPERB STUFF and a great price.

Picture post

Rachael's finished cowl in Yowza (Rachael, please remind me in the comments of the pattern), a random team selfie, Henry doing muffin batter quality control, SWANTS are being sold at Target (or a close approximation), and upcoming sale goodies from Mineville Wool Project.

Turtlepurl Yarn & a Contest!

Genevieve and her fiber dyeing team of Turtlepurl have sent us an awesome batch of their Turtle Toes striping yarn and Glitter & Stripe yarn! You might remember this yarn as not only coming in fun, trendy colorways, but also in two matching 50g skeins so that you get two perfectly matching socks each time.

One you may be waiting for is What Does it Mean, the gray and double-rainbow-inspired stripe available on Glitter (shown here) and non-glitter.

And, of course, a healthy dose of the Burberry-inspired stripe named Trenchcoat.

Want a chance at winning some of the Trenchcoat stripe for yourself? All you have to do is tell me what Thanksgiving food you can't live without when Turkey Day arrives (and if you aren't in the US, please share something awesome you love to eat this time of year). Are you TOTALLY into sweet potato casserole? What about pumpkin cheesecake? Do tell! Extra gratitude if you give us a link to the recipe so we can try it for ourselves.
Leave me one comment by noon EST on Saturday, November 14th, and I'll chose one person to win! Thanks for playing!

November is a month for thankfulness

Here in the US, we celebrate Thanksgiving at the end of the month. It's a time to share with our loved ones the ways we are grateful for them and all they bring to our lives. Here at SSYC, we are showing you throughout the entire month what your support means to us, through sales (did you see what we just added? Something new coming next week from Mineville too!), contests here on the blog and Instagram and giveaways.

We have 1000 of these fun canvas totes to gift, so I expect to be able to give these out for several days (perhaps up to a week). All you have to do is place an order on the website and you'll get one in your package. Once the ad on the homepage and this page disappear, the bags are gone. So don't hesitate too long.

If you're local and don't want to pay shipping, just place your order on the website and chose in-store pickup and then you can grab your order and the tote we save for you on one of these days.

I look forward to showing you throughout November how grateful the SSYC Team and I are for all you do for us. It's been a great 10 years, and we look forward to at least 10 more!

November's Dream Club

Dream in Color has released their November Dream Club color and it's one that had Heather exclaim "Oooh, what's that?" The color is beautiful. Plums, mauves, a bit of dusky grey dyed on a limited edition Jilly with Silk, which is a one ply 85% superwash merino, 15% silk blend.

And the slouchy hat pattern by Hanna Maciejewska is the perfect fall accessory.

To get the free pattern, all you have to do is purchase this month's skein and you'll get the coupon code in your package. Just go to this pattern, read the instructions and enter your coupon code and it's stored in your Ravelry library. Easy peasy!

I'll admit, the weather here is just starting to get cool enough to wear a hat and I'm totally going to have to knit a new one. I may have made a fiber adventure to Indianapolis this past weekend and bought a few skeins of yarn that I had to have for a cowl (Yarn shop owners are totally into supporting other yarn awesome yarn shops!), and now this pattern has me thinking HATS!