Simply Socks Yarn Co. Blog

July Mini Sets and Sock Sets

Because we're working a bit of a shorter work week here b/c of the upcoming July 4th holiday, I'm releasing the July Sock Sets and Mini Sets now, a tad early. So in the Kits & Clubs section, you'll find what we've paired our limited edition Hedgehog Fibres mini skeins with this month. Here they are, the Weathered Seaside Sock Set and the Plumberry Fizz Sock Set.

The Weathered Seaside Sock Set features a full sized skein of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock with the Hedgehog Fibres mini skein, and I LOVE how this reminds me of the East Coast shore this time of year.

The Plumberry Fizz Sock Set features a limited edition colorway that they did for us in 2019 with a lovely pink potluck mini.

If you want a bit of color to add to your projects, or if you want to make a pair of faded footies or shorties, take a look at the two mini skein trios in the Kits & Clubs link. Each mini is 20 grams of Hedgehog Fibres Sock yarn in a potluck hue that isn't named/repeated. We have been doing 5-mini-skein fades the past few months, but I like the idea of offering different amounts here and there. That way we do various price points for different people and purposes, and we keep it fresh!

As it is still difficult to get yarn from overseas during this time, we're taking this chance to offer any remaining club and kit yarns to you. Usually, dyers dye in a particular amount, and we over purchase just in case packages don't arrive to you in a timely manner or in case you want more than one skein to go with your club/kit. So we're going to offer these extras to you as we have time to list them on the website. Today you'll find the Candy Crash skeins from Qing Fibre of London from two or three clubs ago. If you were part of that club, this is your opportunity to grab more if you found you loved it. If you weren't a part of that club, it's your chance to get a taste of what our clubs offer - we do them every few months for a three month span and we hope to have one in the fall if shipping to us if supply becomes more predictable.

Thank you for your support and encouragement during what continues to be a very difficult time for small businesses. I'll continue to do my best to find awesome fibery goods for you so you can stay home and knit. We will continue to remain closed to the public and focus on social distancing and shipping to you six days a week.

Tease 1 of Christmas in July

I thought I'd share with you some of the pics that the dyers are sending me of color for our upcoming Christmas in July event on July 25 (online, not an in person event as we aren't open to the public at all right now, just shipping). Veronica at Dream in Color sent me these beauties and I can't wait to send some of these to you next month!

Here are Gettin' Blitzen, The Naught List and Santa-gria.... we like the idea of naming these after fun holiday cocktails!

Here's a video on Insta of them drying in the Arizona sun too. Don't you just want to squish these in person?!? Me too.

How are you all where you are? I'm enjoying a bit of summer now that the kids are out of school and there's no more e-Learning. I'm even told that our school will go back at the end of August (with a lot of changes)... I don't quite believe that yet. I've spent much more time outdoors lately and also seen my family more and that's helped me feel more connected than I have since March. It was a pretty hard few months, working, staying home with the kids and also managing their educational needs and every single little other thing that was going on, but now life seems to have calmed down a bit and I'm very grateful for it.

I'm saddened by what's going on in our country with so many people without jobs, so many in need, and so many voices unheard for so long and I feel shame for my own part it in it all. I feel like I can and should be doing a lot better for my kids, for my friends and family, and for humanity. I feel as though I've become complacent in my life and my place in the world and I either don't listen or completely ignore what's been going on for so long. I tend to make the excuse that "there's so much going on in my life and I'm barely managing as it is" but I know that's not enough. I'm still figuring out what my part is in the change of equality in our country. But I've at least learned that I don't need to be silent about my failures as a person and that if I don't make myself feel the discomfort, I can't change or be part of change. I have started to take actions that feel right for me, I've been talking with my kids and family a lot about what we think and what we should do and how we should affect change. It's not enough, but I always struggle with feeling like enough. Do you?

Huge selection of 150g Colossal Sock just arrived!

I think this is the most Colossal Sock we've had in the Sale Section at one time, so go now and take a quick look! I'll wait....

Now that you're back... aren't those great?! I mean, the price is awesome, but getting 50% more yarn is a treat too right? And if you want a chance at winning a skein, take a look at Insta today, as there's a contest.

I'm really into these summer blues and greens right now like Shuyler Lake above and Surf below. And wouldn't one of these be great in Andrea Mowry's newest sweater?

Many of you told me how excited you are about our Christmas in July event I posted about yesterday. I thought it was a fun way to be able support some of our fave dyers with a fun project during a time when they can't sell at their fiber fairs and festivals, and I like the idea of getting holiday colors mid-year. They tend to go so fast in the fall - we'll get many then too, especially since some larger companies (like West Yorkshire Spinners) won't release their new holiday colors til then anyway.

What's on its way for the Sale Section? Some of that awesome DK from Mineville Wool Project! It's been several months (like pre-COVID.... now that seems like ages ago, right?) since we've been able to get some of this and we'll soon have dozens of colors again.

One month from today.... Christmas in July event!

One month from today we're hosting a Christmas in July at SSYC! That's right, July 25th, 2020 is your day to get a head start on your holiday knitting, or just get those coveted holiday colors that seem to sell out in October as soon as they are released.

Christmas-colored knits are some of the most popular projects around. Especially socks and small accessories. If you don't celebrate Christmas, you might still like wearing red and green in December, or you might love someone who does celebrate and you want to knit her some festive socks. If you do, we've got you covered on July 25th this year.

What will we have and who will we have it from? Colors from Dream in Color, Stitch Together Studio, Mineville Wool Project, Cascade Yarns (shown above), Knitterly Things (shown below)Flock Fibre and more. You can get a head start on your holiday knits this summer, or just stash wintery-themed colorways that always seem to sell out too fast. We might even be doing little holiday gifts in your packages too....

Do you have an idea for making our Christmas in July event special? E-mail me, Allison, at [email protected] or leave your suggestion in the comments. You all have the best ideas!

And I'll leave you with pictures from our holiday card four years ago. Because who doesn't want to show off their little goobers when they can?!

And I can't resist sharing this one from seven years ago too. Oh, those cheeks. Just indulge me, OK????

A case of the Mondays

Make that Forever 41 and they also give you yarn with your vodka.

 How many of these characters do you know? I missed 7, 22, 28 and 34.

 

I’m having a very Monday-like Monday here. If you are too, perhaps one of these will make you grin!

Dream in Color's Smooshy Sock Yarn

Last year, Dream in Color changed the make up on their Smooshy Sock Yarn after 13 years of requests to add just a bit of nylon, they did just that. And really? I like it even more.

Pickle Ball, Mod Squad and Navy Zeal

Yes, the idea of changing such a well known sock yarn after so many years of success kind of made me worry. I really liked the original Smooshy a lot, as did thousands and thousands of you. After all, it's what started Dream in Color nearly 15 years ago.

Tex Mex, Lafayette and Miami Red

But when you can make something even better, why not? The small amount of high quality nylon puts many sock knitters at ease, keeps the price down a bit rather than the skein going over $30 like some skeins with such high quality merino, and really just gilds the lily. At $26 for a 420 yard skein, it's a really fair price for a 4 ounce skein of sock yarn.

True to Life, Awesome Wow! and Divine

And if you like the original Smooshy, you likely appreciate the Colossal Sock that we get in the Sale Section once a month, as it's from the same mill and has that same slightly rustic, toothy feel too it (but also has a bit of nylon) that the original Smooshy had.

Torchwood, My Fair Lady and Aqua Jet

I have dozens of gorgeous colors of the new Smooshy right now (check back later this afternoon to see them all- it's taking some time to populate the website).

Time Machine, Peaceful Transition and Shy

After the weekend, I may have more Colossal Sock (the 150g skeins in the Sale Section) to share with you too. They are expected to arrive next week and I'll post them asap. But shipping times certainly continue to be unpredictable right now, so we will see.

Black Pearl, Tucson and Liberation

Ask the Knitters

Dear Knitters,

I'm knitting this scarf and totally dropped a stitch mid-scarf and need some advice for fixing it. I can't really use the crochet hook method and carry it up to the top because it's about two feet down AND due to the short rows of the pattern, it can't really be carried up to a live row anyway.

Thoughts? Ideas? Magical incantations? Perhaps just take a few inches of leftover yarn and weave it into the stitch and secure the live ends? Do tell.

Yes, I'm hijacking the Ask the Knitters series for my own gain on my own project. HA!

-Allison on her couch in Fort Wayne, Indiana

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Help a knitter out and leave your advice in the comments section below.  Have a question you'd like to see answered here?  Simply title an e-mail Ask the Knitters and send it on to [email protected] . Your question could be chosen for this series.

Yarn is our 15th anniversary color from Malabrigo that debuted yesterday, Blue in Green on Rios, also available on Sock. I used two skeins and a 24" US 7 needle to make this pattern.

Now live - SSYC's 15th Anniversary Malabrigo color + Knit Kits!

Some very special 15th Anniversary knits are now available in the shop! Go here to get your choice of two Knit Kits, and then grab your skeins of our 15th Anniversary Malabrigo color on Sock or Rios!

I'm so proud to share these with you today! This Blue in Green colorway has been in the works since early 2020, and after months of design, planning and waiting due to the impact of the pandemic, I now have our special color available for you on Sock and Rios. I even have a free printed pattern for you if you order the Sock. The Bryce Canyon Cowl is knit using one skein of Sock and I think it would look divine in our colorway, don't you? Your copy of the pattern will be included in your package.

I knit the Rios myself over the weekend, and I'm nearly finished with my two-skein scarf. 

The colorway is inspired by one of my favorite Malabrigo colorways, Aguas, toned with grey and overdyed with charcoal speckles that break into unexpected drips of wine and burnt sienna. I love this color nearly as much as I love the Miles Davis song that it is named after- it's moody and bluesy and worth your time in knitting - maybe while listening to one of the best jazz albums ever?

I shared details of our two 15th Anniversary Knit Kits last week. Each Knit Kit includes a limited edition skein of yarn, a wonderful linen canvas bag (think the durability of canvas with the feel of a hearty linen) that's big enough to fit a 5 skein project and fully reversible, and a tool. I'll have three more Knit Kits in July.

I can't believe how wonderfully the striping yarn in the Gumdrop Dreams kit matches the stripes in the bag. Now that's some attention to detail from my friend Julia at Knitterly Things, am I right?

Want to add more to your order? I have new colors of Frugal Fingering from Stitch Together Studios (with even more coming late this week), the Magner Co. bags I'm using every day (mine is Bluestone), and restocks of solid hues in Simply Sock Yarn, Cascade Heritage and Opal.

I think you'll really appreciate some of these Frugal Fingering colors, as Kayanna dyed up a selection of microbatch hues, small amounts of non-repeatable colors. I've even given my faves their own unique names (in my head) like Hot Girl Summer (microbatch no. 23), Holiday Swag (microbatch no. 24) and Fro Yo (microbatch no. 20). Do you rename colors in your head sometimes too?

I hope what I've added to the shop for you gives you many reasons to stay home and knit! I'll continue to stock the shop with the latest and greatest this summer, including some more amazing deals for the Sale Section to celebrate our 15th. Thank you for joining us!

A Great Knit

There's nothing quite like a good garter stitch scarf to help you zone out and enjoy a few (thousand) stitches, am I right? I spent much of my weekend tinking along on this scarf, using two skeins of Rios in tomorrow's 15th Anniversary Blue in Green colorway from Malabrigo. And darn it, a simple soothing knit and a bunch of Netflix was just what I needed.

This color will be available tomorrow on Sock and Rios. I'll also be releasing our two Knit Kits that I showed off last week and other awesome goodies. If you don't get our newsletter, please do go to our website and scroll down to the bottom to sign up so you don't miss out.

Boy, do I live for those little unexpected stitches, like the little drips of wine here and there in this gorgeous ocean of garter.

What pattern do you find simple and soothing? Do tell!

Preview of next week's Knit Kits & Malabrigo Anniversary color

I have some really stunning things to share with you next week! I'm super proud of our first two 15th Anniversary Knit Kits (we will have three more later this summer). Not only because they are awesome, but because it's not easy getting hand made goods from all over the world during a pandemic. But all the involved makers are super grateful to be represented and busy and I'm so happy to share these with you. These will go up for sale mid-morning EST on Tuesday, June 16 at our Kits & Club link.

First, I'll have the Gumdrop Dreams Knit Kit. This features a sassy, striping sock yarn from Julia at Knitterly Things and a beautifully coordinating, fully reversible linen canvas bag from Mommy Sews. The colors are just perfect for summer, don't you think?

Want to knit from a flowered bag? Sweet! Want to switch it up and reverse it for stripes? Do it! Your bag is large- easily holds a 3 skein project, and it's made from durable and soft linen canvas on both sides. Your kit also comes with a DP WIP tube- it slides over your needles while they are in your sock project, keeping everything neat and tidy while you're not knitting.

 

Next I have the Periwinkle Blossom Knit Kit inspired by serene watercolors. Isn't this dappled skein from Mineville Wool Project just delightful? Emily dyed it on a limited edition BFL Sock and I think it looks just perfect with the coordinating, fully reversible linen canvas bag.

You get two different looks with this bag- one is a big gingham, and the other is a pretty blossom. This kit comes with a DP Needle tube for holding and protecting your double point needles when not in use. 

What else is coming next week? We will have our 15th Anniversary color from Malabrigo on Sock and Rios (worsted)! The inspiration for this colorway is one of my favorite pieces of music, Blue in Green by Miles Davis. I could listen to this album for hours. If you want to listen to this piece, it's available here on YouTube.

I'll also have some other bits you've been waiting for, including new colors of Frugal Fingering from Stitch Together Studios. I hope you'll find something that will make you smile!

Morning Shop Tour

Gosh, it's odd to not have people in the shop for three months. While we continue to hold off on having people in the shop in person for more months, I wanted to show it off a bit. Perhaps if you're local it will give you a bit of a smile of familiarity. If you're one of our guests from afar, maybe you'll feel even closer to us than you already do- you can imagine us choosing the just right skeins as we shop for you, putting stuff in your basket, and sending it with good vibes on its way to you.

Welcome to Simply Socks Yarn Company! If you entered today, this is what you would see. 16+ tons of yarn and all the heady yarn fumes to go with. It's taken 15 years to amass this collection. I like to think of it as my own stash... until it's yours!

I love these linen canvas drawstring bags that Jen makes for us. I'm totally into this melon/apricot color combo right now too. Very summery.

We have such a stunning array of Life in the Long Grass on this wall in the shop. It makes it really wonderful for choosing color combinations. Especially with all the diffused natural light.

Below is Walk Collection from Germany. With Customs issues, it could be awhile before we can get much more of this stuff. But it's on the to-get list, that's for sure.

Qing Fibre of London makes some great tweed sock colors, don't they?

We haven't dyed Poste Yarn in about a year now, but we do still find some hidden here and there and put it back out for you. I don't know what the future holds for our little dye studio, but for now we're taking a much needed long break.

We do still have our own line of Simply Sock Yarn solids though. These 50g balls are perfect for colorwork. Have you tried using a Yarn Cozy before? Shown in the bottom of the photo below, these are simple ways to keep your yarn cake from imploding or getting caught on things. Or if you have a bad kitty who wants to play with your yarn ball, at least the Cozy gives it a fighting chance of staying in one piece! The Sock Ruler is another great tool to have on hand too.

This is our somewhat empty wall of Flock Fibres. Kim is currently dyeing up more for us and I have my fingers crossed that Customs from Canada will continue to be back to normal. Kim is making sock sets for two of our 15th anniversary Knit Kits as well as a full shop restock and new Flock Sock Set colors (including holiday ones that sell out no matter the time of year).

 

I'll leave you with two images. Above, the shop as it looks this morning, full to the brim of yarn... at least the best we can do during with mills and dyers being closed for months. The morning light makes the skeins shine. And as you can likely tell, the lights aren't even on- that's all natural morning light!

And below... something I'm crazy excited about. A limited edition color that Malabrigo made for us to celebrate our 15th. This will be available soon- perhaps next week if it's all here and ready. Check back here on the blog for more details as I have them. I've been waiting months to share this, so I literally ripped open boxes as soon as they arrived this morning to see and photo it. After developing the color with Antonio in Peru, it was ready to ship to us in March and then everything in Peru was closed down. It's now here and more beautiful than the pictures can show. Gah. I love this.

Picture post

Started new socks last night.

Flower boxes three weeks ago vs. today. Success!

Casapinka's Hug Shot shawl pattern & kit

Casapinka has moved the deadline date for getting her Hug Shot shawl free with purchase of yarn for the shawl (either the kit or two skeins of fingering weight yarn for the pattern) to June 14, so you still have a chance to get one for free! What do you have to do?

Just place your order online now through June 12 for either the kit we had made below with Less Traveled Yarn, or two 100g skeins of  fingering weight yarn. Then respond to your e-mailed receipt or e-mail [email protected] with your six digit invoice number and request the pattern. That's it! I'm not auto-sending the pattern this week- you do need to e-mail me to request your pattern now. I sent out all last week's pattern codes, so if you didn't get yours, please e-mail me. Also make sure to add [email protected] to your contacts so it doesn't go to spam.

Want some more color ideas? Here are just a few, should you want something other than the original kit. Or go here, or here or here to see some other two-color ideas I came up with that would work wonderfully.

Dream in Color's Smooshy with Cashmere. Above in Alive and Liberation. Below in Aqua Jet and Blurry Eyed.

More Smooshy with Cashmere. Above in Anything Goes with Humdrum. Below in Spoil the Littles with Blanchfleur.

Then I have some lovely Malabrigo Sock in Flavia and Abril.

Or pair Malabrigo Sock in color Light of Love with either Glamp Fire above or Ice Dragon below from Knitterly Things.

If you take a look at all of the Bespeckled colors I have from Knitterly Things, I think most of these would look fab as your multi for this pattern. Hue Loco's Phyllis Sock or Merino Sock would look nice as a multi as well. Then just choose a solid - perhaps a Lorna's Laces or a Tosh Sock. Or e-mail me, Allison at [email protected], if you like one or two colors and aren't sure they work together- I'm always happy to be your personal shopper!

I hope to post a few more color ideas later this week too, so feel free to keep checking the blog as usual for all the new yarns and ideas. And don't forget to e-mail me to request your pattern if you order your yarn for your pattern before June 12 (I already e-mailed out all of last week's codes). The pattern code expires by the 14th, so you do have a bit of a time crunch.

Picture post

Gah. Thanks, 2020 school year. Don't let the door hit you in the @$$ on the way out.

See you Monday, friends.

More from Mineville

We just got in our last batch we can get of the 125g Sock from Mineville Wool Project for the Sale Section. I have a few dozens colors to share today- yarn from MWP sells out fast, so if you really want some, please don't hesitate.

Iced Aqua

As much as I'd love to get more of these particular skeins, MWP specializes in procuring short runs from mills and selling them at a wonderful price, so this is the last bit available. You might be able to save 50%, but it's available only for a limited time. Sometimes we can get the yarn for a year (like the DK we will have back in a month) or sometimes just two months like this batch of 125g Sock.

It's going to be harder to get these deals throughout the year as mills around the world were closed down or working way below capacity for months (and still are). But I will do my best to make our shop and our Sale Section full and varied.

Opal Sock Yarn Collections

I have some new Opal Yarn to share with you, three new collections and one is a rare cotton collection!

Opal Adventure is marked with stripes and dots of bold color and all you have to do is knit in the round to get an super addictive knit.

Opal Comedy has bright, vivid stripes separated by darker dots. I like the blues with greens the best. DUH. But there's something about yellow, orange and aqua that screams summer, right? But neither of these color collections really whisper, do they?

And if you want a cotton/wool blend that seems lighter weight than typical hand knit socks, Opal has released one of their rare Cotton Premium collections. I think the last time I was able to get one of these was four years ago- this is only the third one in a decade. Mills don't make much cotton blend sock yarn, so if this is something you wanted to try, now's your chance.

We also have a lot more solids and neons in stock too.

Because of the public health situation, shipping and logistics has become increasingly difficult. So some of our packages are still stuck in Customs. This means that there might be a few days wait on your Opal order if you happen to order something that we're temporarily short on and doesn't get here until Saturday (that's the current estimate). I don't think this will affect too many of you, but if you order some of these and you don't see your order shipping immediately as usual, that's why. Yours could be stuck in the box or two that we still haven't gotten yet. I'm doing my best to continue stocking the shop with beautiful yarn as much as possible though, no matter the difficulty or timeline.

Magner Co. bags now at SSYC!

I've been waiting to share these with you- we have a really cool new bag in the shop, and I've been using mine for a few weeks now. I thought summer was the perfect time to release these, because they look like the perfect summer bag- a little campy, sturdy, and they just get better looking the more you use them. The waxed canvas fabric is so reminiscent of summer fun- camping and boating and such, and the colors are all totally wearable.

Casey makes these bags in Athens, Georgia and they are divine. For a week, I'll have them for you at a special anniversary price of $74 instead of $84- that's a savings of $10 just as a thank you for celebrating with us. The price will go up to $84 next Monday.

I have the Bluestone one and I also have a Crossbody Strap for mine. It's plenty big to hold the project I'm knitting that's 400 grams of yarn. There are five pockets - three vertical ones that look like they are for holding needles, one big one that holds a folded pattern, and a zippered one that fits accessories or even your crossbody strap if you aren't using it. The straps and closures are made of a beautiful brown leather that's tanned in PA.

James also likes these enough that I'm considering getting the Charcoal one for him for his knitting. He's going to be 13 next month (a teenager??) and I think this would be a really special gift. Especially since he's shown such an interest in knitting. I do hope he continues in the school knitting club next year when it's not just a virtual Zoom class, but in person.

If you're here for more suggestions for Casapinka's newest shawl, I have some of those for you too! Most are all pictured on Tosh Sock and Tosh Merino Light. Twist Light would also be the right weight for the Hug Shot shawl, and if you order two skeins of yarn I can send you the pattern code for free on Friday when the pattern is released. Make sure to add [email protected] to your contacts so you don't miss the e-mail with the code b/c I'm told it expires Sunday at midnights.

Shown above is Posy and Dustweaver in Tosh Merino Light. Below are Alizarin and Victorian Gothic on Tosh Sock.

Above is Lepidoptera and Gemini Twins. Below is Nocturne and Gemini Twins. Both on Tosh Merino Light. A very different look, depending on the solid you choose to go with Gemini Twins.

Above is Daffodil with Amber Trinket for a burnished fall look. Below is Victorian Gothic and Nectar,  dusky yet sweet. Both on Tosh Sock.

Shown above is Barley Singles from Six and Seven Fibers, colors At Sunset and Indigo. Below are colors Morning Light and Poppy Field. So many of Rachel's colors look amazing together.

I hope this gives you some ideas to get you going on your Hug Shot shawl. If you want more ideas, check back throughout this week, or e-mail me with your ideas to [email protected]

Monday Malabrigo and Giving

It was as hard weekend all over the US and in my own city as so much happened. I'm feeling a loss of control right now, and as I've done before, I feel more control when I can do something. Those things this morning are write to my legislators to voice my opinion and donate to two causes that make a difference in lives in my city. If you're feeling a profound sense of anger, an anxiousness or depression that makes you want to leave everything alone, a lack of control or general horror about what's going on in our country right now, donating to a cause that can make a difference could make you feel a bit better too. 

I donated to the Boys and Girls Club and the Community Harvest Food Bank. It's never enough, but that's not going to keep me from putting my small drop in the bucket in hopes that others will put their drops in, and together we can help those in need. I'll share more on the blog about this likely later this week as I have time to compose my thoughts and ideas on how we can help together. This is my beginning.

After I donated to these causes this morning, I had Henry do a little modeling of some of the gorgeous samples that Malabrigo sent to us. The sad thing about being closed to the public and only shipping is that we can't share these with you in person. But the fun thing about it, and social distancing here at work, means that Henry is my little model. Here's what he has to show you today.

This cowl is Osborne in Malabrigo Sock colors Natrual, Codovan and Boticelli Red.

Prasada in Malabrigo Sock in Aguas, Lorus and Persia

Bryce Canyon Cowl in Mechita color Aniversario

Don't forget to get prepare for the Hug Shot shawl that comes out this Friday from Casapinka on Ravelry. You get the pattern for free if you purchase the yarn for the pattern from me. Casapinka will give me the free coupon codes later this week, and then I'll e-mail you yours, and you have to redeem yours on Ravelry June 5-7 (before it expires). The pattern uses two skeins of fingering weight yarn, and we have a kit here, or you can watch the blog throughout this week as I suggest other ideas. Or go here and here and here to see what I suggested for her last pattern, Breathe and Hope, as those would work well too. Many of those colors are sold out for now, BUT I'm still sharing them b/c you can e-mail me at [email protected] and say "I liked _____ with _____ but one is sold out. What else would you suggest?" And I can be your personal shopper and help you find something just for you. Or get this super awesome set.