Simply Socks Yarn Co. Blog

Halloween Kits, a preview

It's a crafters favorite time of year! We get to think outside the box and knit bright color combinations and carry around our projects adorably ghoulish bags. We get to eat more candy than usual, sip hot and spicy beverages and enjoy wearing our hand knits because the weather has finally turned crisp and cool.

To make our autumn even more awesome, SSYC will soon offer two exclusive Knit Kits! First, the Halloween Owl Knit Kit with a special edition colorway from Hedgehog Fibres, a spooky owl bag from Bird Leg Bags, and three adorable hand made stitch markers.

I seriously love working on these kits. I love to see what yarn the dyers come up with, the exact bag type that looks the best with the chosen fabric. The stitch markers that are made just for us out of polymer clay by a very talented craftsperson. I mean, look at these details!

I love the grays and bright orchid, saffron and lime in this skein. And who can resist little witches, kitties and candy corns?

And don't you just love the message on the inside of the bag? It's nearly as cute as the outside!

Now, maybe you can't get enough of EVERY character that Halloween offers- the witches, pumpkins, black cats and werewolves. Hey, let's even throw in a mummy or two, yarn from House of a la Mode and more adorable stitch markers and you've got the Ghouls n Goodies Knit Kit!

Look at the way this skein goes from apricot to lime to pink and then a sprinkle of black at the end. It makes my heart sing.

Take a sneak peak at the inside of this Sock Rectangle from Bird Leg Bags. I mean, this is just so freakin' cute, I. Just. Can't. Even.

Finish the kit off with three hand made stitch markers, and you've got a winner right here.

If either (Or BOTH. I know who you are.) of these kits has won you over, you'll have a chance to grab one this coming Wednesday, October 5!  Kits tend to go on sale in the early to mid morning (I'll post here and on Instagram and newsletter go out after), and I recommend not waiting too long to grab one, as they typically sell out the same day. I'd love to be able to make more of these, but each part of the kit is hand made and thus very labor intensive. As much as I'd love to be able to have many more available, I choose artisans that are popular and therefore may not be able to produce huge quantities. Instead of mass production, we go for quality and creativity and I hope it shows!

Both are priced in the $60s, with the owl kit costing a few bucks more, as it's a more expensive Skinny Sock bag size and the yarn was imported from Ireland. US shipping is free with an $85 purchase, so if you want to add something lovely and new like Halloween hues of Blue Moon Fiber Arts Super Sparkle or Opal Anniversary or the new colors of Poste Yarn worsted stripe or the two new fingering stripes below, please do!

Poste Yarn, Striping Sock in Oz

Poste Yarn, Striping Sock in Rugby, ND

Who is in with me?!

 

Worsted Stripes for Halloween!

In what started off as a purely selfish endeavor on Friday when I decided that I HAD TO HAVE STRIPED LEG WARMERS to wear with black tights for Halloween, we now have four black+color worsted weight Poste striping yarns for you. Thank you, Heather, for putting other things on the backburner, literally, so that I and others could cast on our Halloween projects immediately.

Originally available only in our fingering weight Poste Yarn stripes, I now have them for you in the worsted weight options as well, which give you nice thick stripes for thick socks, scarves, hats and LEGWARMERS. OMG.

Because we skein these ourselves, we make these larger than the typical four ounce skeins. These are 5.2 ounces, which is a nice size for a couple accessories, a scarf or a Christmas stocking.

Funkytown

Paradise City

Fright Night

Danger Zone

Super Duper Deal

Want a super size ball of yarn for a super duper price? I have added a light worsted weight collection to the Sale Section- OnLine's Supersocke 8-Ply Home Colors for 60% off! Instead of $24 a ball (and at 150g this ball is 50% larger than typical ones) it's just $9.60. If it's getting to crunch time for your holiday knitting, or if you haven't yet even started (Hi, I'm Allison. I'm in your club.) and you need a few projects that knit up quickly and provide easy care for the recipient, then this is for you. I also have a large selection of fingering weight and 6-ply options in the Sale Section, so there's definitely something for everyone.

This is one of those deals that's worth stocking up on. Not only is it a rare thicker-weight, self patterning option from OnLine, but it can be used for socks, scarves, hats and all sorts of winter accessories that will get worn and washed a lot. Henry and James (now four and nine!) would definitely look good in some of those blues and grays. But I think especially that red and navy. Heck, they would even coordinate with their upcoming Ninjago (Lego ninjas) Halloween Costumes! I had to share these because I feel like such a champ that I already found their costumes this year rather than waiting until the week of Halloween and choosing from very picked-over options. Mama for the win!

Join our Contest to win Zen Yarn Garden

Want to win these two skeins of the spankin' new Superfine Fingering from Zen Yarn Garden?

Zen Yarn Garden has release new yarns, Superfine Fingering and Superfine Glitter and we are celebrating this occasion by hosting contests to win some here on the blog, on Instagram and in the SSYC Ravelry group. Just check in to these venues through the end of the month to see your chances to win.

To have a chance at winning two skeins of this yarn in the above colors called Transition and Transition Splatter (Wouldn't they look great together? One is a multi and one is a speckle based on the multi.) just answer the following question in the comments below before Wednesday, Sept 28th at noon EST. What's the most satisfying knit you've done so far this year? Tell us all about it- the pattern and the yarn and leave us a link to the Ravelry project or pattern if you can. Let's inspire everyone as we enter into our holiday knitting season!

On my mind this week

I have a lot on my mind this week! So much yarn and awesome things coming soon.... like the newest Opal collection which celebrates the company's 20th anniversary. Look for it to be available this Friday!

Spankin' new colors and bases are here from Zen Yarn Garden. I have new colors in the popular cashmere blend Serenity 20, and a brand new base, Superfine Fingering. And shown below is the Superfine Glitter which I have a handful of colors now and more by tomorrow.

And it's almost time for a crafter's favorite time of year! Most knitters I know love the fall because it not only brings cooler knitting temps, but it also means that Halloween and Christmas are getting closer. These holidays allow us to knit outside our comfort zone and make brightly colored projects and carry them in adorable themed bags.... and we also get to knit for people we love who might also make us knit outside our comfort zone. I'll have two Halloween Knit Kit options for you this year. Each feature a Bird Leg Bag and one has yarn from House of a la Mode (top) and the other Hedgehog Fibres. And let's not forget the adorable hand made stitch markers.

I'll have details about the kits and their availability next week.

Also on my mind are all these Ball jars. I inherited all of my grandma's mason jars- most are aqua, but there are some that are smoky gray and some clear. I can't decide how to display these, but I adore them so. How would you show them off?

Gorgeousness from Black Trillium Fibres

Melanie at Black Trillium Fibres has dyed up some truly stunning skeins for us in her Pebble Sock, a 100% superwash merino.

Carnaval, Dragonboat and Holi Festival are some amazing speckles, don't you think? Pops of bold color with a peppering of contrast. Wow.

And, of course, boldly saturated skeins like Bifrost (above) and Lush (below)

Want to learn a bit more about this dyer? She and I seem to be in similar places in our life right now, trying to work the raising of little ones around a busy fiber schedule, so I asked her a few questions about her long days and much-needed free time and here's what she had to say.

Allison @ SSYC: I'd like to know about a day in your life. Mine involves lots of mom/work juggling; getting a 9 year old ready for school while a 4 year old follows me around all day, whether it's running errands or working at the shop. Then it's home for nap time (for him) not me) while I get more work done. Then the day continues with working/child management/ dinner/ fishing/ general craziness. Finally, when the house is quiet, it's time for more work and some good TV. Knitting if I'm a good girl and get all my e-mails returned.

Melanie @ Black Trillium: Just this past week both of my children are official in public school full time. With a six-year age difference between them, it's been a long time coming. I'm still getting accustomed to a full work day before picking them up from school, getting homework and dinner done, and then having family time after dinner.

Allison: I have five years between my boys- two more years before both mine are in school. Wow, how life will be different! Tell me what your fave color is that you dye right now and why.

Melanie: I'm completely head-over-heels for Jack Dempsey. I really like bright stuff, and I just adore the way the four different types of dye in this colorway combine and layer for interesting shading. Every skein is different, and I delight in the crazy ways things turn out.

Allison: I can see why you adore it. I'm trying to choose which skein I want in my stash because you're right, they are each slightly different! So once the kids go to bed and you get some alone time, what TV shows are you watching while you knit? Mine are reruns of Big Bang Theory, Narcos (on Netflix) and Real Housewives (of whatever city. Don't judge! Guilty pleasure!)

Melanie: We watch at lot of movies and TV in our house because my husband writes about that kind of thing for books and websites and talks about them on his podcast. I have 2 classes of TV: things I watch with him and things I watch while I'm knitting (i.e. something I can mostly ignore). We really like watching NCIS (the original and NOLA), Agents of Shield and Hawaii 5-0 together. My binge-watch personal favorite right now for knitting is Hart of Dixie.

Allison: OK, serious question here. Star Trek or Star Wars?

Melanie: Doctor Who. Sorry, but seriously, probably Trek, especially the reboot movies by JJ Abrams.

Allison: Ooooh, yes, The Doctor is a close second for me, right behind Star Treks of any kind (except Enterprise, because, ugh. Not great).

Thanks for taking time to hang with us for a few minutes!

Melanie: Thanks for reading!

Fiberstory Gradients & More

The amount of fibery goodness that just arrived from Fiberstory is definitely enviable. Gradients galore and new colors of Fave Sock to make you swoon.

Seven squishy little skeins that go from pale tints to full on saturation.

Get yours here.

And if you like Sarah's gorgeous full size skeins of Fave Sock, I have dozens of new hues and restocks here. And she's started doing what she calls 'dappled colors'. Like Dappled Heather and Dappled Mink below.

I can't get enough of Sarah's colors. If you're looking for inspiration, look no farther than Ravelry where the gradients are in full effect.

Michelle crocheted a stunning Wheel of Time shawl using the Gradients in Truffle

I mean, look at this detail. Holy WOW.

(all photos used with permission)

Marie knit her Easy scarf using the Gradient Set in Marooned.

I love the large swaths of color.

For the love of Hedgehog

(So sorry for the blog silence over the past week. Just moved homes and I'll admit that I'm a bit overwhelmed with Henry starting preschool and getting a hundred boxes unpacked with little people wanting to "help". But at least there's coffee and a new kitchen to keep me going!)

Waiting for some Hedgehog? We have a great selection right now, after it has all finally made its way through customs!

Fool's Gold looks especially amazing on Merino DK this time around. Heck it looks good on Sock and Skinny Singles too, but if you want an awesome sweater like Diana knit to wear to this summer's 11th anniversary party, then you'd go with the DK. It's Salted by Alicia Plummer. Looks like it would be flatter on different body types too. Or hippy people like me!

I may have showed off Rachael's (she is the Almighty Shipper around here) Match & Move before, but I just have to again because she just looks so stunning and happy here. Gotta love snapping a shot when someone's not ready and getting something so beautiful. I do believe all three colors she used were potluck ones that aren't available, but you could get something similar by choosing a bold purple one, something with pink and a white one with speckles. Or just choose colors YOU like!

Match & Move uses Sock or Skinny Singles. Right now, I'm stuck on Skinny Singles because a) the color just GLOWS and b) I'm the sucker who didn't get enough yarn for her project (yeah, I should know better) and I'm 5% from completion on my Cozy Does It shawl and I don't have enough in a matching dyelot of Pollen or Dragonfly in Skinny Singles. I might have made the shawl about 10% larger than the pattern recommends, so that would be why I should have known I would run out. But didn't.... sigh.

Hedgehog sells really fast around here, so if you don't see the color you want in Skinny Singles, Sock or Merino DK, then just wait about a month because we tend to get shipments in every 4-6 weeks, depending on how fast the yarn makes its way from Irelend. Beata and her crew are really good to us though and make time to dye us up gorgeous things regularly. 

Stay tuned for more new stuff this week because OMG I can't stop with the ordering. We have so much gorgeous stuff coming in the door.

Oh so much Tosh

We've received our biggest restock of popular Madelinetosh color this year! If you've been waiting for Earl Grey on Pashmina, Astrid Grey on Tosh Sock, or one of the MANY of their colors that comprise 'tosh's array of hues, now's the time to find them in sweater quantities! Seriously, the amount of Madelinetosh we have right now is enviable.

Coal Seam on Tosh Sock

If you want fingering weight, Twist Light (merino/nylon), BFL Sock (100% BFL), Merino Light (merino singles) and Tosh Sock (superwash merino) are for you. Twist Light, BFL Sock and Tosh Sock are perfect for socks and accessories that get real wear. Merino Light takes the dye beautifully and seems to glow with color. It's great for all those fingering weight shawls. In fact, all the Color Affection Shawls we have on display at the shop are knit in Merino Light. It's great stuff.

Then if you want DK weight, Tosh DK is for you. I snagged a skein of speckled Gemini Twins above for a hat. I think that Electric Rainbow, Havana, and Night Hawk would make perfect one-skein winter accessories for me too. I want COLOR this winter.

And if you want a perfectly stunning sweater, sport weight Pashmina is for you. Earl Grey (shown above), Optic, Calligraphy... these all speak to me. And if I could actually get myself to complete a sweater.... well, that's a discussion for another time.

SO MUCH yarn has arrived this past week and I will be sharing it with you all week long!

Halloween Stipes from Knitterly Things

Just in! new striping colors of Vesper Sock from Julia at Knitterly Things!

Meet Socktober Spooktacular and Bride of Socktober Spooktacular

Bump in the Night and Lightning in the Bottle

I also have several other restocks that I know you've been waiting for. Don't miss out!