Simply Socks Yarn Co. Blog

Testing the new stuff

One of the pleasures of my job is testing new yarn. Obviously, there are some duds out there. But for the most part, dyers get their base yarn from a small selection of mills and distributers, making their base yarns very similar. Then you see how durable the yarn still is after dyeing- I've tested some that were obviously treated too harshly either by chemicals or temperature and pill right away or bloom too much and are too easily pierced by sock needles. And then there are the sparkles that fall out of the yarn or wash away. Then you want to feel the hand of the yarn overall- how wonderful it feels slipping through your fingers and creating stitches. And while I know we all love things that smell nice, I don't want a scent when I'm knitting- no vinegar and no scented wool wash. If I want that, I'll put it on myself. I don't expect tens out thousands of knitters to like the same smells I do, so I don't want a scent on the yarn I'm selling. No essential oils in your rinse, please!  

Seeing how the color distributes itself as you knit is always a little adventure. Obviously, striping yarns are going to stripe. But you want to see color all the way throughout and not a bunch of white between color changes. What colors are put next to each other matters so that you don't get four muddy colored stitches when the two colors meld. One stitch of an odd color in a stripe is fine, or one without color where ties held things together tightly, not allowing dye to saturate the fiber as well. But many, well, that just makes for a less pleasurable knit.

Today I start testing out a new yarn from Miss Babs. I'll be honest, her yarn doesn't need testing. I already ordered it a month ago and gave her free range on half the colors. After a decade of doing this with her, I trust that base yarn she picks (and I think it's the same base yarn as this) so I know it's great. And her colors, well obviously they are fab. I decided to take a plunge into a color combo that I don't usually do (pale/brights on one and maroon on the other), so the two skeins she sent me to test I'm instead going to offer in a contest to you tomorrow. So check back for the contest tomorrow and this new base, Estrellita, next week.

I'm pretty sure I'm knitting this. Girl from the Grocery Store by Joji. Though I completely reserve the right to tear it out if someone suggests another two-color project that I like better!! My FIRST sparkle shawl!!! Woot!

Still surprising us

Just when you think Tina and team at Blue Moon Fiber Arts had come up with every funny name they could for colorway names, they give us this:

Pixie Dust & Unicorn Farts. Yep! Have fun listing that name in your Ravelry stash! I have this in the Sale Section right now on Colossal Sock, but I'll add it to other bases later.

And just when I thought I had enough of the Colossal Sock in my stash, she sends me these:

See Scum Run and Scumble Bumble

and Poupon with You're Welcome

 

What a week!

It's been a crazy week here. The club sign ups are finished (and I can't wait to ship you your first package in a month), we have new yarn from Miss Babs arriving, and we had a bit of a mishap. James broke his arm, poor little dude. So if you have some awesome tips for keeping a boy happy in the middle of summer when he's not supposed to sweat too much (to make the arm itchy and the cast stinky) and he can't swim, or anything that you've learned that will make life for him and us much easier, please do share in the comments! So far, so good though, as I've allowed him to download Pokemon Go and it's pretty much made him want to walk around all the places all the time and catch those little suckers.

We have new yarn from Babs coming soon. Estrellita is a sparkle sock yarn, like the base used by Blue Moon Fiber Arts for their Super Sparkle, and it's dyed in the stunning hues that Team Babs is known for. If you don't want to sweat it out waiting in long lines at an un-airconditioned fiber fest, then you'll be able to find lots of colors here soon. Also more in Tarte Sock and Hot Shot soon too.

Here are a few shots of the yarn that will be here soon, photos from Babs. Above is Diva and below is Garden Party. Both available next week, if all goes well.

I do hope your week has been less crazy and hectic than mine! It's hard to believe that school starts up in a couple weeks too. When did summer become so short? I feel like we barely got any time and now it's nearly over.

More Colossal Sock & a Contest!

We have more of the big skeins of Colossal Sock from Blue Moon Fiber Arts in the Sale Section!

 

If you haven't tried this one yet, it's the limited edition yarn that BMFA is offering to help us celebrate our 12th anniversary this summer. Not only are you getting 50% more yarn (600 yards!) but it's 45% off in our Sale Section! We get more of this yarn about every two weeks, and it's likely it will all be gone for good in September.

We've had over 140 colors of this yarn so far this summer. Speckles, solids, holiday hues.... you name it! Want to help me choose more colors to have in the shop's Sale Section? Let's make it a contest! Go take a look at all the colors we offer on Socks that Rock Lightweight and tell me your fave. Not only may you then see it on the fab Colossal Sock later this summer, but lucky winners will receive the color they choose on Socks that Rock Lightweight.

All you have to do is tell me in the comments below what color here that you want to see on the Colossal Sock base by noon on Thursday, July 27 and I'll randomly choose two winners. Leave just one comment, please.

And it's time to announce the winner of our last anniversary contest! It's Andrea M who said this about her Yarn Love choice:

    I'd have to go with bouquet or daffodil daze, and would have to get enough to knit a fun, top down raglan tee! Of course, the 3 in the prize pack would work awesome together to make a gorgeous tee!

Congrats, Andrea! I've e-mailed you about your win, so if you think this is you, please check your Inbox to receive your prize.

August's Poste Cash Stripe- presale!

Well, we are only about half way to August but I'm going to offer the August color of our Poste Yarn Cash Sock in limited supply as a presale. Why you ask? Because our favorite wizard's birthday is July 31st and we want to be able to get yarn to you in time to cast on for his special day! Can you believe he's going to be 37??

Our four striping wizard colors have been favorites in our Poste Yarn line- we've dyed well over a thousand of Wizard Bravery, Wizard Ambition, Wizard Knowledge, and Wizard Loyalty. Now we are combining them all into one pair of socks in the Common Room Cashmere Striping Set. This is a six color stripe skein (we left out yellow because already had gold in there) and bronze is the toe/heel mini skein.

Are you in? I finished my test sock in a matter of days. The texture is super soft, the colors are deep yet vibrant, and it makes for an addictive knit.

I cast on 68 stitches for mine and knit with a US 1.5 for the leg and a US 1 for the foot. I like a nice, dense fabric on the foot that holds up to wear.

I have a limited supply for presale today. Then I'll have more throughout August. This stuff is quite labor intensive. Not only are stripes always time consuming, but getting such predictable yet vibrant colors is also requires a lot of artistry. But with Heather and Angela in the studio, we always get amazing results. They are some talented and detail oriented ladies!

Project Progress

I'm really proud to say that the project I talking about wanting to start for months has been started.... and completed! This is the first shawl I've actually completed in quite awhile. I have more than one waiting for just that last bit of yarn to arrive in a somewhat matching dyelot so I can complete my project, and more than one just languishing because of disinterest. But this one? DONE.

 

This is my Walk in the Woods Shawl. I used Malabrigo Rios in Aguas for the main color and Madelinetosh Tosh DK in Gemini Twins for the coordinating color. I had the Gemini Twins in my stash, and we are out of it for another few weeks, if you have the inclination to do the same color combo. Rey would look awesome as a cc as well. I modified the pattern a little bit, in that I wanted a larger shawl so I did two complete repeats of the 48 row mosaic section PLUS went to row 34 a third time. I chose row 34 because that's when I ran out of the coordinating color. It left me with no cc to do the rows before casting off, so I did the last border section in the main color only instead of one strip of the cc and one of the mc. It worked out really well. I ended up using 1 of the cc and 3 of the mc to get a larger shawl. I have 3/4 of the mc left so I'll likely save it for a hat or mittens.

And because I decided to take a weekend off from work and just enjoy Hulu and knitting, I started the test knit for the August Poste Yarn Cash Striping Set. It's Potter-inspired because Harry's birthday is coming up on July 31 and because I have been wanting to do one for awhile. We have been making two-color House Color-inspired stripes for years now, and we finally made it a reality.

While we usually release the monthly colors at the beginning of each month, this one I may release for limited presales in a few days so you can get it in your hands to start on Harry's birthday. I'll post here if that happens. In a few months we will be dyeing it on the regular Poste Yarn Striping Sock base, if cashmere isn't for you, so look out for that.

After this August color, Common Room, I've decided to take the rest of the year off in making the cashmere striping monthly sets. The end of the year is such a busy time for us in the Poste Yarn dye studio- our Halloween and Christmas colors fly off the pegs and we can't ever keep up with demand on colors like Jollyville and Goblin Forest (coming soon for the first time as a single striping skein without the mini matching one) as well as the sports team colors so you can make holiday gift socks, so we are instead going to focus on those and of course new fall and holiday colors on our regular base.

SSYC's 18th Sock Yarn Club

It's time to sign up for our next Sock Yarn Club!

Our 17th Club was so popular and I got so much great feedback that I've planned SSYC's 18th club as an even better version of the original Speckles & Surprises club. It's basically Speckles & Surprises 2.0!

This Sock Yarn Club combines two of the most popular things in our shop right now, speckled yarn and our Knit Kits. We've been offering special edition Knit Kits for years now- basically yarn and goodies that fall within a holiday theme. These kits always sell out fast, usually within a couple hours, and there's never enough to go around of these hand made, curated packages. So enrolling in this club gives you the opportunity to get a mini-kit each month of September, October and November that includes yarn and at least one extra. You don't have to stalk the website to click at the right time, and you don't have to do it each month. Just enroll once and we'll send your specially curated mini kit each month from September thru November.

This club offers TWO things that we don't usually offer in our Sock Yarn Club subscriptions. First, a hand made project bag. Yep, you'll actually receive a beautifully made, zippered sock project bag as part of this subscription. Second, you'll receive DOUBLE the yarn one month. Instead of 100g, you'll get twice that much. So in this three month club, you're really getting quite a bang for your buck.

I'm super excited about this club, and I hope you are too! If you have questions, just e-mail me at the shop and I'm happy to answer. But most of the questions should be answered here.

Edited to add later in the week: The club has sold very quickly, and we even added more spots than anticipated. Please don't hesitate if you want in as the sign ups will likely close late morning, July 20th.

Upcoming sock yarn club

It's nearly time to open up subscriptions for SSYC's newest three month Sock Yarn Club. The last round, this spring, was our most popular one ever, with more people signing up that usual, and more feedback than ever. Even though the price was higher, you appreciated that it wasn't just yarn this time, but also included the little bits and bobbles that we often include in our Knit Kits. It was a great way to ensure that you received a "mini kit" each month, and didn't have to stalk the website for hours, only to find that the kit sold out quickly and you didn't click fast enough. Instead, it automatically came right to your doorstep!

So for this next subscription, I'm doing what I've done for 12 years of growing the shop, I'm listening to you and letting your voice guide what we do. I've read all your loves and advice from this post and it's a great indicator of what makes your creative heart sing. We are again focusing on amazing yarn from the most sought after dyers, and including a curated item or two with each month's shipment. I expect sign ups to begin next week, and I usually leave them open for longer than one week. That way you can take a moment to decide for sure if you want in (since it's not returnable) or you might want to nudge a loved-one and send him or her a link to the club for a gift. So many of you do a little nudging, and I think it's an awesome gift- not only to you, but to the craftspeople and dyers who get to keep busy and support their families as a result.

While I rarely post photos of club skeins, the one above is an example of the loveliness you can expect. It came from last spring's Sock Yarn Club. It's a skein of new dyer Hue Loco's Tweed. We got such a big reaction out of this one, it was so well received. Sometimes we have a few extra skeins of these, and boy, they did go fast.

If you'd like to see some of the past club colors, or see what people have done with them, there's a thread on our Ravelry group that may be of some help to peruse.

I'll post here again when the club sign ups go live, and of course there will be an obvious link on the shop's website too.

Just can't stop

There's something about the colors of Swift Yarn that compel me to combine them over and over.... and over. Instead of actually getting my work done. I think that's part of 1) being a creative person and 2) working with what I love in such a creative industry. I mean, it's like being surrounded by constant stimulation. It really doesn't end. 19 boxes of Hedgehog, 21 boxes of Madelinetosh, 6 boxes of something I completely forgot about... it's like Christmas morning! But it's also hard to keep to what I'm doing and not get distracted by all the awesomeness.

So here's the rabbit hole I went down earlier this week. Photographing Simple Singles is the only work I seemed to have gotten done during the day (I work a lot at night or during kid naps), as it was both boys' birthdays and we basically just played in the lake and went to a trampoline park and ate cupcakes and had a week of no rules and loads of sugar-fueled fun. James is 10 and Henry is 5! Jeez. I have no more babies and instead a PRE-TEEN. I. Can't. Even.

I have been wanting to knit this since it came out... actually, one of you surprised me with it for my birthday (Did you know you can purchase patterns for people as gifts? It's cool.) and I really want to knit it. Now that I'm nearly done with my Walk in the Woods shawl (progress here) I may start another multi-skein project that won't make my lap warm over the summer. Maybe the shawl version?

What would you knit with one of these combos? I've shown them all in Simple Singles, but I do believe most are available in the Bliss Sock, which is a cashmere blend that I just may have to use. While I've been knitting loads of cashmere blend socks lately, I can't remember the last time I knit a different cashmere accessory.
I even have these in Cozy DK if you like the idea of knitting something warm and squishy.

Sip & Knit Kits now available..... plus a CONTEST!

Want to grab one of our Sip & Knit Kits? They are now available, and I do expect them to sell out quickly like they did last month. If you miss out, please know that we have another kit coming later this summer/early fall, and of course Halloween and Christmas as usual. Thank you for looking!

So let's celebrate our 12th Yarniversary with another fun contest! Yarn Love is one of the fab dyers we have added over the past year, and Katie has put together a stunning three-color combo for one lucky winner. Dyed on her merino/cashmere/nylon blend called Goldilocks, these colors are stunners together. They are Saffron, Daffodil Daze and Cosmopolitan.

How can you enter to win? Just tell me in the comments below what's your favorite color of any of the Goldilocks colors and what you'd knit with it. If you'd like to be specific and  link to a Ravelry project, that's always an awesome way to inspire another reader. Leave one comment by noon EST on Friday, July 14. I'll e-mail the winner and post here as well. Thanks for joining us!

And for those who joined last week's blog contest, the winner is Mary M. who said "My favorite kit is the Easter kit with the bag, stitch markers and the Hedgehog yarn. The bunny and carrot stitch markers are so cute." Big thanks to all who entered! Mary wins a skein of Swift Yarn of her choice!

Anniversary Sip & Knit Kits, a Preview & a Contest

Early next week, we will be celebrating our 12 Anniversary with the release of that last two of this summer's Sip & Knit Kits.

These kits were inspired by the artistry of ceramic and fiber art, combining the work of two artists into one package. Above, a green mug by Charan Sachar paired with a cashmere skein from Poste Yarn and below a red wash mug paired with a vibrant colorway from Swift Yarn. Both yarn colorways are limited edition.

I'll have these available for you mid-morning of Monday, July10 (no exact time, but EST). Last month the two kits we offered went very quickly- one within an hour and other didn't last much longer. I greatly appreciate all the love and support you have shown us over the past 12 years and especially with the kits and clubs we create. It's greatly appreciated that each one sells so fast and I do wish I could get more from these artists to have enough for everyone. Each craftsperson I work with is very kind to make our Knit Kits such a priority and work with us on large numbers- from bag makers to yarn dyers, ceramic artists to pattern designers, each person has helped us grow over the years with their talent and dedication. I've met so many gifted people through the shop in the past 12 years and I thank all of you for giving me the opportunity to do so.

So here's a little contest for you: Tell me if you have snagged one of our Knit Kits in the past, and which is your favorite. If you haven't yet purchased one or can't choose a fave, tell me what kind of bits and bobbles you'd like to see in a Knit Kit. Typically, we curate a special yarn, tool, snack, etc., and I'd love to learn what you'd appreciate. Leave your answer in the comments below before noon EST on Saturday, July 8, and you could win any skein of Swift Yarn that you like! I'll randomly choose one winner, so make sure to leave your e-mail address in the comment form.