Simply Socks Yarn Co. Blog

Summer Days Knit Kit, a preview

It's time for a preview of next week's Summer Days Knit Kit! This is the second of three of our 14th Anniversary Knit Kits we are releasing this summer. Our first sold out in about an hour, and so if you really want this one, please be ready on Monday, July 1 around 10am EST at our Kits & Clubs link.

What will you find in this particular Knit Kit? The fabric for the Medium Wedge project bag is the inspiration for this set- the large print of the wildflower pattern makes a really stunning impression on this hand made bag.

Caroline at Life in the Long Grass really knocked it out of the park creating a colorway for this kit, didn't she? I mean, not only does it coordinate perfectly with the bag, but it stands alone as an amazing color- the blending of so many hues with no muddiness and only clear, pale tones. Then a splash of speckles here and there to accent the watercolors.... this is a splendid skein with real artistry.

The icing on this14th anniversary cake is a set of five hand made stitch markers. Useful, lightweight yet durable, and so adorable that they make my face break into a grin every time I see them. I mean, look at this little guy close up. Do you need something to bring some levity to your day? This little snail might be it.

Thank you so much for your continued support of our creative endeavors. My crew of three and I love what we do and curating our Knit Kits with our dyers and craftspeople is always a highlight of my job. As we enter our 15th year serving you I hope that you'll continue to share with me the ways that I can make SSYC you're local yarn store, online and in person. Your advice and recommendations have turned SSYC into the shop it is today, and I greatly appreciate each e-mail, comment, phone message and conversation.

Again, this kit will become available the morning of July 1 in the mid $60 range. You are more than welcome to add more items to your order to qualify for free US shipping at $100, or to take advantage of our flat international rates. I've just stocked our Sale Section with even more fab deals, and we have a restock of the popular Backyard Chicken Collection colors from Hue Loco PLUS their Color Riot minis like the Sultry Set the Women of GoT, shown below. We even have full sized skeins of the Game of Thrones inspired colors here.

We have some gorgeous color sets coming next week from Sweet Georgia and Dream in Color so you can start the Perfect Blend KAL in good time. Casapinka herself even put together these sets from Dream in Color. Here's a bit of a preview of a few of the curated color options.

TNNA 2019, picture post

It was a whirlwind weekend in Cleveland as I road-tripped it with the kids to TNNA in Cleveland to browse the tradeshow floor and connect with our vendors and see what's new. I don't always have the chance to go to these industry events (hello, Polar Vortex.... thanks for canceling all our flights for days last season!) but when I do, it's always great to connect with the people I work with virtually all the time. And the boys enjoyed the Science Center, eating new stuff, and a hotel with a pool. Here's a bit of who Rachael and I saw, what we did and what you may see soon in the shop.

Me (at left) and Yana who with her unpictured husband, owns Artfil Yarns in Canada. She makes some of the most beautiful colorways and they use methods that save over 50% on water and energy. We have lots of their new colors here, as of two weeks ago. Plus some more new stuff coming too. What do you think of these gradient cakes?

Malabrigo's booth and the new speckled Sock colors we will have very soon. Plus new colors in Arroyo and Rios.

 

Some new patterned sock yarn I'm considering above. Below, Rachael and I taking a much needed knitting break during our long day.

Below, new colors coming soon from Manos.

A bit of the Lorna's Laces booth. Was nice to see Amanda and team!

Charan makes all the knit-inspired mugs and yarn bowls that we offer once or twice a year. The last batch of yarn bowls we had from him this spring sold out really fast and he already has more in the queue for us later this summer. 

30th Anniversay Zitron Trekking XXL colors. They are super cute stripes, right? Above in their booth, below how they will look knit up. They could be here as soon as Wednesday of this week!

Here's Rachael making notes at the Dream in Color booth. Veronica and Nancy continually find awesome things to treat you all with. Last year, it was our $100 Sock Yarn Club, and next week we have something else fab coming our way... color sets for the upcoming Casapinka design with colors Casapinka picked out herself for us and you! Plus their new Smooshy with Nylon base (regular nylon-free Smooshy is no more, so get it while you can). Below is a cowl I'll show off a bit later.

Glass Houses shawl knit with this and a grey yarn (something like this would work) in Spun Right Round. And all the beautiful colorways of Spun Right Round below. It makes it so fun to choose new colors for you all when I can see them all in one place in a rainbow array.

The progress I made on my Sockhead Cowl in this amazing yarn while I was away. It's been a heck of June so far in my life and I needed something simple but luxurious to feel like I am treating and taking care of myself. I love that knitting can be whatever I want, whenever I want. Need relaxation and meditation? A simple sock. Need to feel like you're treating yourself? How about some silk and cashmere with your merino? Want a challenge? Take on brioche for the first time. I love our craft!

Lots to see, right? And this wasn't even half of it! Sometimes I get so involved in what I'm doing that I don't snap shots. Plus I found several new dyers for us that I didn't even know about. YAY!

TNNA 2019, picture post

It was a whirlwind weekend in Cleveland as I road-tripped it with the kids to TNNA in Cleveland to browse the tradeshow floor and connect with our vendors and see what's new. I don't always have the chance to go to these industry events (hello, Polar Vortex.... thanks for canceling all our flights for days last season!) but when I do, it's always great to connect with the people I work with virtually all the time. And the boys enjoyed the Science Center, eating new stuff, and a hotel with a pool. Here's a bit of who Rachael and I saw, what we did and what you may see soon in the shop.

Me (at left) and Yana who with her unpictured husband, owns Artfil Yarns in Canada. She makes some of the most beautiful colorways and they use methods that save over 50% on water and energy. We have lots of their new colors here, as of two weeks ago. Plus some more new stuff coming too. What do you think of these gradient cakes?

Malabrigo's booth and the new speckled Sock colors we will have very soon. Plus new colors in Arroyo and Rios.

 

Some new patterned sock yarn I'm considering above. Below, Rachael and I taking a much needed knitting break during our long day.

Below, new colors coming soon from Manos.

A bit of the Lorna's Laces booth. Was nice to see Amanda and team!

Charan makes all the knit-inspired mugs and yarn bowls that we offer once or twice a year. The last batch of yarn bowls we had from him this spring sold out really fast and he already has more in the queue for us later this summer. 

30th Anniversay Zitron Trekking XXL colors. They are super cute stripes, right? Above in their booth, below how they will look knit up. They could be here as soon as Wednesday of this week!

Here's Rachael making notes at the Dream in Color booth. Veronica and Nancy continually find awesome things to treat you all with. Last year, it was our $100 Sock Yarn Club, and next week we have something else fab coming our way... color sets for the upcoming Casapinka design with colors Casapinka picked out herself for us and you! Plus their new Smooshy with Nylon base (regular nylon-free Smooshy is no more, so get it while you can). Below is a cowl I'll show off a bit later.

Glass Houses shawl knit with this and a grey yarn (something like this would work) in Spun Right Round. And all the beautiful colorways of Spun Right Round below. It makes it so fun to choose new colors for you all when I can see them all in one place in a rainbow array.

The progress I made on my Sockhead Cowl in this amazing yarn while I was away. It's been a heck of June so far in my life and I needed something simple but luxurious to feel like I am treating and taking care of myself. I love that knitting can be whatever I want, whenever I want. Need relaxation and meditation? A simple sock. Need to feel like you're treating yourself? How about some silk and cashmere with your merino? Want a challenge? Take on brioche for the first time. I love our craft!

Lots to see, right? And this wasn't even half of it! Sometimes I get so involved in what I'm doing that I don't snap shots. Plus I found several new dyers for us that I didn't even know about. YAY!

Our next 14th Anniversary Sale..... 50% off OnLine Supersocke!

Want 50% of OnLine Supersocke? How about 60% off?? Read on!

I have five collections of OnLine Supersock for you in the Sale Section for 50% off! One is a classic superwash wool/nylon, one is a cotton blend and wool-free (and stretchy!), one is infused with aloe and jojoba to pamper those tooties, and one is a marled merino/nylon DK weight. What a variety, right? And all 50% off! Or, buy the entire DK weight collection for 60% off!

Here's the breakdown on this great deal.

Diva color is the classic superwash wool/nylon blend. Great colors, machine wash and dry. Great for yourself or gift socks for someone who won't treat the finished socks with much care. And 50% off!!

The Cotton Style Collection is eight colors of wool-free, stretchy cotton. Wonderful for those who either don't like wool socks (what?!) or just like variety. Easy care, so great for gift giving.

The Caras Color collection is OnLine's popular superwash merino/nylon blend but infused with aloe and jojoba. If you remember Austermann Step from the past, this is similar and the extra softness that comes from the aloe and jojoba lasts several dozen washes. It's certainly a treat for your feet.

Finally, the only DK weight collection is the Merino DK, which is a superwash merino and nylon with a marled stripe look. Very nice for socks and also winter garments. This would make really striking Sockhead Hats and Cowls, or scarves of any kind. And the best deal of all because if you buy the whole collection of 6 colors you get 60% off the original price! Great, right? 

We get this deal every couple years on OnLine Supersocke for our Sale Section and I get lots of requests and questions about when we will be getting more. Not only is this premium sock yarn, it's durable and soft and great to keep on hand for gift socks. It's always a crap shoot, what collections we can get and what price. Usually we can offer 40% off, but I'm able to give 50% off this time which is a rare thing. So please don't hesitate if you really like one or more of these because once they are gone... well, you know.

Thanks so much, now for the preorder option

Wow, what an hour yesterday! The 6 kit options we had sold fast and our first Roller Derby Sock Set sold out within an hour too. Thank you so much! While I can't get more bags to make more kits, the color that Knitterly Things makes for us is repeatable and we can offer that again in the future. And I've received many e-mails requesting preorder to get one of the Roller Derby Sock Sets that sold out fast. If you'd like to get one of these Stitch Together combos, I'll have a preorder listing on the website next week and the wait will be a few more weeks after than for it to actually ship. And yes, it will still include the roller skate stitch marker and a pattern code for the sock pattern that Casapinka is making for us in July. 

If you'd like to be notified via e-mail when the preorders are available, please e-mail me (Allison) at service@simplysockyarn.com and I'll make sure to e-mail you when they go live. We don't often offer preorders, but I'm so happy that this zany idea was so well received and that you appreciated my idea and I hate when things sell out that fast. I mean, it's great and all for a small business, but I don't like to disappoint people!

Vintage Knit Kits now available + LOTS more!

You can now find our Vintage Kitchen Knit Kits an Sock Set options here! There are six different bag options (two colors and three sizes) and you can just get the yarn without a bag if you choose. As always, these are limited in supply but if you scroll to the bottom, you can see a preview of our next Anniversary Knit Kit, coming out on July 1, and plan accordingly.

Today is also the first release in our WIP It Good Sock Sets! Take a look at what Stitch Together Studios WIPed up for us. These are sure to go fast, and if it's super popular we may be able to get more for a second release. Edited an hour later to add: Woah, this all went fast. I'll get more and let you know when they are available later this summer! If you want to e-mail me at service@simplysockyarn.com for preorder, I can do that.

Then.... something we rarely get. Hand dyed sock blanks.

Sweet Georgia has released limited edition sock blanks, shown above in Eden and Canary Island. They have had their Tough Love sock yarn knitted into fabric pieces and then they dye it. This is quite a bit more labor intensive to make, as the yarn has to be preknit before it's dyed, and then the method for dyeing the different than dyeing a skein. The final result gives you a really cool gradient effect when knitting socks (which wouldn't be matching, but coordinating, as one would start at the beginning of the progression and one in the middle) or a shawl like this Eskra pattern.

And because you are so awesome for reading the blog, I'm giving you a super early sneak peak at our exclusive Summer Days Knit Kit. This features yarn from Life in the Long Grass (and come on, look at this color!) a gorgeous flowered bag from DnA Designs, and hand made stitch markers that are so adorable it hurts. The snail alone is enough to make me want this entire kit. I'll post more about it the last week of June, and it will go up for sale on July 1.

Thank you so much for your support over the past 14 years, whether it be in the form of purchases, sharing us with your friends, or commenting on social media. One of the best things about my job is connecting with you- helping you pick out the right pink hue for your newest grand daughter, hearing about the students you're teaching to knit in your Oakland school, or seeing on Instagram what you're knitting with our stuff. It really has been a pleasure and an honor to serve you and get to know you. I feel as though I've grown up with you (as has my family) since I started this shop at the ripe age of 26. I've made a lot of changes to the shop over the years, growing and expanding. But I don't feel like I've made compromises. I've kept to the honesty, fairness and work ethic that I would expect from any successful family business, even when I've been pushed to say and do things that I would consider unfair and unethical. I've made decisions for my shop to stay somewhat small in the scheme of things, so that I could maintain more control and conduct business in a way that I deem right. And I think if you've shopped with SSYC over and over throughout the past 14 years, you appreciate the same things I do. Thank you.

Using up those scraps

Recently, Gretchen e-mailed me, "I purchased the Opal Monet Collection and I'd like to use up the scraps. Any suggestions?"

Blender Socks and Manic Panic are good ideas, but I'm thinking that the Sockhead Cowl is my choice. It's simple and I think it would be really cool to have inch or two thick stripes of each of these colors separated by a thin stripe of Opal Unisolid in white or natural.

Can you help with other ideas? I told Gretchen I'd post and ask for opinions on other ways to use up her 8 colors of leftovers, as you all seem to have such great suggestions for me and others when it comes to design ideas. Especially in the Ask the Knitters series we do. Please do help us find something awesome for Gretchen!

SSYC's Vintage Kitchen Sock Set, a preview

It's time to give you a sneak peak at one of the special kits we are putting together this summer to celebrate our 14th Anniversary!  Three years ago, Knitterly Things dyed up this awesome Vintage Kitchen striping skein and we offered it as part of a Knit Kit to celebrate out 11th anniversary. This was so popular that we decided to bring it back with a different spin- with a mini skein and also with a variety of bag options. So Wednesday you'll get the opportunity to snag one!

Then there are a few of the yarn/bag combos that you can choose, if you want a bag with the yarn. Each of these is pretty limited on the quantity that we have, so please don't hesitate if this is for you. This will be available on Wednesday morning.

We are also celebrating our 14th by starting a new themed Sock Set Collection that I know you'll love. I've asked select dyers to develop sock sets (full sized skein and a mini) inspired by Roller Derby. I love the energy, female empowerment and general kick-butt-ness of Roller Derby and some of the names of Derby girls are so fun that I thought they would make great colorways. Our dyers agreed an so this summer we are featuring our WIP-It-Good Roller Derby Sock Sets and Casapinka is even joining in the celebration later this summer by offering a pattern to go with (it's not ready yet- so if you order, you'll get the pattern code when available. There will be several ways to get this awesome pattern this summer). I even had tiny little roller skate stitch markers made to accompany each set!

The first set is Scarlet O'Scara and is dyed by Kayanna at Stitch Together Studios. It comes with what you see here- a full sized skein of Smooth Sock, a 20g mini skein and a little roller skate stitch marker. And when the pattern is available later this summer, I'll even e-mail that coupon code to you.

We are celebrating our 14th anniversary all summer with COLOR! And there's still more to come in the next two months!

More from Artfil... plus a contest!

Wow, what a week for new stuff. Not only did we get all the new colors from Hedgehog Fibres, but Canadian dyeing family Artfil sent us an amazing batch of hues. One thing they are known for is airbrushing skeins with color to create a really lovely speckled effect. Here's what I mean:

Brewing above and Bering Sea below, shown on Solo Singles

Of course, they also do some gorgeous variegate colors and tonal solids like Harvest and Copper shown on Belle Sock. Gorgeous, right?

Now, I want nearly every color in my life. But I've managed to select just a few to stash away for later (I have so many secret things on the needles right now!!). Do you want to stash away a couple too? Take a look at all the colors I have right now and tell me in the comments below what two colors really speak to you and you could be randomly chosen to win the skeins of your choice! Contest closes Saturday, June 8 at noon EST.

The winner of our last contest if Coby Hanna who said "I have only been knitting since 2016. The lovely Lauren E. taught me how and I've been addicted ever since! I think for my next project I think I'd like to make the Suburban Wrap by Joji. Would love to win a gift card to pick out new squish!"

Another 14th Anniversary deal!

Every once in awhile I'm able to offer a really great deal on some really cool accessories. Today I have a really nice mesh fabric bag in the Sale Section for 35% off. That means that you can have a very nice project bag for less than $10! The Small, Medium and Large sizes are less than $10, and the Jumbo size is just slightly more and is large enough to hold a blanket project, keeping it safe from pets, snags while transporting and, well, life.

I'm offering these as Potluck- basically you order the size you want and we randomly choose from the colors we currently have (they are all quite nice, and we have colors that aren't even pictured- greens, chocolate and more). You can always tell us in the note section of Check Out what colors you typically do/don't like and we'll do our best to accommodate you before we ship. But please know that it is for Potluck, meaning that you should expect a surprise if you finalize your order. Make sense?

I very rarely find such great deals on accessories. So please do take advantage of this if you need a new project bag. These are also great for traveling and keeping all sorts of things safe- swim and beach accessories, sports accessories, crafting supplies, makeup and hair care... gosh, just a good bargain for storing so many things.