Simply Socks Yarn Co. Blog

Memes & Yarn

Just a few things to make you smile going into your weekend- memes & yarn.

Above is Fraise. Below is Feronia.

Above is Mermaids Unite. Below is Wash House.

All the yarn colors are from the special batch of 40% off Madelinetosh Euro Sock that I blogged about a couple days ago. If you want to grab some, I'll be posting new colors every Wednesday for a few weeks, starting on August 5. I'm considering sharing colors on Instagram Live on Wednesday if you all want to check in and watch. I'll let you know details.

Checking in

Well, it's been more than four months now of a very different life. I remember 2019 being very hard for different reasons and looking forward to a fresh 2020. I wanted to kick the door shut on 2019 and welcome something better..... and then 2020.

But I will say that as difficult as this has been on me and my family and the people I know, I'm grateful. No one close to me has gotten severely sick, no one close to me has lost a job that I'm aware, no one close to me has had to sell a home or something big to survive. We are all just making it work so far.

That being said, I'm living with a constant level of anxiety. Are you? Everything is infinitely more difficult than it used to be. I'm shorter tempered than I usually am, I have little patience for people who aren't following the rules and aren't seeing this as a team thing we need to battle together, and I'm really taking things much more personally than usual. I would love to do something indoors with people and feel safe. I would love to hug people when I see them. I would love greater connection with people outside my bubble.

I do love seeing my team at work the few times I have lately. I do love being at the shop by myself. I do love doing things outdoors. I do love when my mom comes over with the masks she has made the kids for when they start school again in a month. I try and keep these things in mind when my world feels small and disconnected and unhinged.

How are you all faring? Are you venturing out of your bubble more or are you unable? Are you finding different ways to connect (join us here if you want)? My family is connecting outside with neighbors and friends more. We have been to the pool at the Y (outdoor and 1/4 the people allowed - odd that I feel the need to justify this, but there's so much judgement everywhere about everything), we have started playing volleyball and soccer outdoors, we got haircuts yesterday for the first time in forever (in an empty salon) with an awesome new person (if you're in Fort Wayne and want a recommendation, e-mail me). Some schools are opening up here next week, and my kids' school opens in four weeks. I'm trying to get my boys out a bit "in public" safely again. Henry put on a mask for the first time last week b/c he finally went to a public place for the first time in over 4 months. He did well -didn't play with it, didn't touch things around him, didn't seem anxious at all. He and James will soon be back in the world, and need to know how to function safely.

I look around at how things have changed and I get a bit sad. But then I feel pride too for how we have all coped. For how many heroes I see handling situations with grace. For how we have made it through so much change in so little time. How we are all still going on with a constant level of fear of the unknown.

Madelinetosh's Euro Sock - a 15th Anniversary Special!

Before I share the yarn coming to us, I wanted to let you know that as of this moment the donation amount going to the Boys and Girls Club is $988. That's huge! Thank you for your orders, for sharing with others, and for helping our shop give back. I'll show off the receipt next week. For details on this donation, check out the Christmas in July post from last week.

NOW. Let's get to the yarn. Madelinetosh is helping Simply Socks Yarn Co celebrate our 15th anniversary with a super deal. Starting next Wednesday, you'll get a chance to snag some Euro Sock at 40% off. That right, instead of $28.50 a skein you'll see it for $17.25 in the Sale Section.

Take a look at some of these beauties, shown above in Boomslang and below in Birkenstick.

Notice something? A bit of a stripey nature to this fingering weight, 100% superwash merino 4ply yarn? That's because mills are run by humans, made of the hair of sheep, and yarn is "imperfect". This particular batch's beautiful anomaly is that one ply is either slightly tighter/spun in the opposite direction/etc- basically one of the four plies takes up the dye differently than the others and thus you get a barber pole effect when dyeing some of the colors. This doesn't make the yarn a "second" or a "bad batch" and it doesn't feel or knit up any differently in texture as Euro sock typically does- it's simply a difference in the way the strand takes on color. In fact, Vrinda Yarn has an entire yarn line based on doing this because they WANT the barber pole effect predictably. But since Madelinetosh didn't intend for this batch of Euro Sock to have this barber pole effect, they are selling it to us at a song. And thus YOU get it at a song.

We have a huge amount of this. Like so much that it was sent in palleted on a freight truck instead of typical UPS or Fed Ex. Like with actual machinery to move this around. See this? Yeah. You get the picture. Since we are a small, four person operation (who are also social distancing and working odd hours in the early morning/late at night), this is a lot to handle. So I'll be releasing this in batches starting on Wednesday, August 5 and then you'll see new batches released the following two or three Wednesdays. I don't have an exact time on Wednesday, but before 9am EST.

Some of the colorways you notice the barberpole effect more than others, as you can see in the photos- especially with multicolors like Brienne of Tarth shown above- it's hard to see the effect. Below in Fog it's more easily seen.

I think it gives an added dimension to the finished fabric. And it's such a deal. I mean, if you're a Tosh devotee, you know what a deal this is. And if your budget doesn't allow you to typically go for the $20-$30 hand dyed lines, then this is a wonderful chance to get a premium hand dyed yarn in the more budget-friendly yarn range. And it's a time to stash single skeins for socks or many for sweater quantities for your fall knitting. I don't anticipate being able to ever get more at this price.

Danger Will Robinson-Solid, the solid color version of one of my fave colors. Someone make this a Pavement sweater please.

Some colors I have 20+ of, some just 3. I won't be able to give a heads up on the colors being released each week. It's a lot to go through, to count, and to photograph. Have questions? I'll answer them in the comments.

One more thing.... did you see this?!

Christmas in July goes on - help us donate!

Wow, what a wonderful Saturday as we celebrated Christmas in July online at SSYC! Most of the hand dyed offerings sold fast and I didn't even get a chance to snag one for myself. I'll get more limited edition holiday colors this fall. I know many of you missed out on some treats you were hoping for. I do still have some wonderful things to share (shown below) but the most important part of our weeks is our giving. One of the best parts of Christmas is sponsoring a family or a cause, and so with each purchase we ship out July 25-31 I'm donating $2 to the Boys and Girls Club. They are doing hard work in helping kids and families right now, and I want to give them a well-deserved boost. Please do order anything (not just the holiday-themed things), share this with your friends too, and I'll donate $2 for your order that ships. I'll share the receipt after next week to show you how much we donated.

What awesome holiday goodies do we have for you?

How about the holiday offerings from West Yorkshire Spinners in the UK. We have their Christmas Robin and Holly Berry Holiday (e-mail for the free pattern). Another addictive, budget friendly knit that can tolerate wear. The 2020 Holiday color should be available in a few months and I'll post about it too.

Holiday Prints Holidaze (above on left, the one on right is sold out but more coming in a week I hope) and Wave (below) colors from Cascade

The best of knitters' mugs from Charan Sachar

Veronica and her team at Dream in Color have dyed us up three limited edition colors on Jilly Singles (great for fingering weight accessories and shawls), Smooshy Sock, and Smooshy with Cashmere (yes, get some for 20% cashmere socks!). Here is Gettin' Blitzen, Santa-gria, and The Naughty List. Put all three together in a cowl like this.

Want more striping yarn? Urth has you covered with color 25-Christmas Limited Edition. I mean, is this not super cute? And look how it comes packaged!  When I knit up color 57, I was able to get a men's size 12-13 out of just one kit. We also have the Tiger sock back too and many other colors. These stripes are totally addictive knits. E-mail me after your order (just respond to your receipt) if you want the free sock pattern that comes with.

Want more self patterning yarn? Cascade Prints is for you. Or try the Regia Candy Collection for holiday colors. This is color 1165.

And for those that wanted something Advent-like, we just listed the preorder spaces for the 12 Days of Madelinetosh! Order yours now for deliver in mid-November. Limited preorder spaces available and once gone, well, you know.

If you're not in the mood for holiday-themed yarn in the summer, we have a whole lot more to share. If you want to try a new-to-you dyer that you'd find at a fiber festival if they were able to happen this summer, here are ones you'd often find: Less Traveled Yarn, Swift Yarn, Miss Babs, Vrinda Yarn, Wooly Wonka Fibers.

Christmas Eve in July - Preview Day

Edited to add on the 25th- these holiday themed items are going very fast, so if you don't see the things available on our website please know we will have more as always in the fall. Please do order throughout the week if you'd like $2 per order shipped to be donated as indicated below. We have an amazing 40% off deal coming very soon on Tosh for the Sale Section (here's a tease of how much) Thank you for your support!

Saturday, July 25th we're celebrating Christmas in July! What does this mean? Since we all are using our knitting superpowers so much to ease our anxiety, create things for people we love and can't see in person, and basically just be awesome, I thought it would be nice if you could get a head start on your holiday themed knits if you wanted. When dyers and companies release their Christmas-themed colors in October, they usually go so fast that sometimes they are gone by the time you learn about them or you're so busy thinking about Halloween that you completely forget. So I asked some special dyers to make us awesome colors and our yarn companies to send us our holiday colors early so we could celebrate Christmas in July! All of these go live on our website on Saturday, July 25 (if you click on the links earlier you'll go to an error page). And you'll even get a free gift with purchase on Saturday - a handmade holiday stitch marker and some unlocking ones. Just a token from me to you. Oooh! And don't forget to join our Christmas in July KAL contest!

And since the holiday season isn't complete without sponsoring a family or a cause, for each order we ship from the shop July 25-31, I'll be donating $2 to our Boys and Girls Club- they provide a wonderful service to kids in the community and utilize donations to keep kids safe and healthy during this time. There's not a limit to the total amount, so if you want to share this with others on Ravelry, Facebook or elsewhere, please do. I'd love to show the power of knitters when we join forces for a cause. The more the merrier. We still are not doing in-store shopping or in-store pickups, so this is for orders that ship only. It doesn't have to be one of these holiday- themed yarns either. It can be something from the Sale Yarn section, one of our hundreds of colors of Tosh, some needles or a Yarn Cozy. Whatever you want to receive - I'll still donate $2 for your shipped order! Its my way of giving back and honoring you and your support of us for 15 years (and through this crazy time).. I'll post the receipt after I donate the funds the following week. Questions about what you should choose? Just e-mail me, Allison, at service@simplysockyarn.com. We love being your socially-distant personal shoppers!

Grab a cuppa 'cuz this is a long post! Let's get to The Yarn. There's a wide array of styles, fibers and price points here, and I hope you find something that makes your heart sing a little fa la la.

Veronica and her team at Dream in Color have dyed us up three limited edition colors on Jilly Singles (great for fingering weight accessories and shawls), Smooshy Sock, and Smooshy with Cashmere (yes, get some for 20% cashmere socks!). Here is Gettin' Blitzen, Santa-gria, and The Naughty List.

And because I can't leave well enough alone, this is Fable, Gettin' Blitzen, Alive, The Naughty List and Santa-gria together on Jilly. Wouldn't this make a fab holiday Starting Point shawl? Fable and Alive are colors we always have available.

Julia of Knitterly Things is well known for her stripes, but have you seen her speckles?? Here are Sugar Plum Fairy and Ice Queen, limited edition colors from her Bespeckled line. And then you can get Grinchy Business as a sock set with a little mini and three stitch markers. And I'm not charging you for the markers- I included $10 worth of markers in this sock set for free just cuz I like you.

Of course, you want some of Julia's stripes. She cooked up a special batch for us of Joyful Noise, Twinkle Lights, Jingle All the Way, Holiday Celebrate, the Holly and the Ivy, and Peace and Love. All are available here, starting the 25th, while they last- they usually sell very fast (Peace and Love shown below) and I know many of you have been waiting on these in particular. And do you remember her Chevron hat kits from last year? Those will be back this fall in MANY color options! With the pattern! SQUEE!

Want more striping yarn? Urth has you covered with color 25-Christmas Limited Edition. I mean, is this not super cute? And look how it comes packaged!  When I knit up color 57, I was able to get a men's size 12-13 out of just one kit. We also have the Tiger sock back too and many other colors. These stripes are totally addictive knits. E-mail me after your order (just respond to your receipt) if you want the free sock pattern that comes with.

And we have even found a few skeins of our own dyed-in-house Poste Yarn Striping Sock in Frankenmuth, Festival of Lights, Sugar Plum Mountain and Snowflake, Virginia. Again, all these will go live on Saturday (likely early morning).

Festival of Lights

Christmas Island worn by me. I love this hot pink/lime/emerald combo.

Frankenmuth

Can't get enough self patterning sock yarn? Cascade Heritage Prints has a pattern-y and a stripy option. Don't expect to just knit one pair of these- as soon as someone sees a pair, the person next to them wants one too!

Oh, and the Wave one too that gives the look of hand spun yarn! These Cascade options are more durable than hand dyed ones- they are good for gifting to people who might not always take the socks out dryer queue. And they are half the price of artisan dyed options too. 

And while we're sharing self patterning yarns, let's go to the Regia Candy Collection. Are these socks not fab? This is color 1165-Kinderpunsch (German Christmas Punch)

And don't forget about the holiday offerings from West Yorkshire Spinners in the UK. We have their Christmas Robin and Holly Berry Holiday (e-mail for the free pattern). Another addictive, budget friendly knit that can tolerate wear. The 2020 Holiday color should be available in a few months and I'll post about it too.

Want a special mug to sip from? I mean, we're all at home more than usual, we don't go to coffee houses and hang out. And you can't get to a fiber festival where artist Charan Sachar would usually be offering his knit-inspired wares. So why not get your mug with your yarn and stay home and knit? We have the jumbo sized (holds 20 ounces!) in red and green. I drink from my Charan mug every single morning. Have for years and it goes in the microwave and dishwasher every day. They are splurge, but a worthy one. And have it with this tea.

How about some Canadian goodies? I was able to get a bit of yarn from Kim at Flock Fiber and Emily at Mineville Wool Project (importing goods is horrid right now). If you want a Sweater Weather Sock Set or All I Want for Christmas Set, tomorrow's your chance. They go with this pattern.

Or get MWP's BFL Sock in the three limited edition colors of Holly Jolly, Sneaking Santa or Silver Bells. All are in the Sale Section because they would normally retail for $27 and I have them for $17 - ten bucks off! A real deal for BFL (Bluefaced Leicester is a type of wool that's great for long lasting socks but isn't available much). I'll have more colors of this BFL Sock in dozens of colors in a few weeks from Mineville.

These pictures Emily took herself, outside her studio in Canada, after she dyed the skeins. Look how beautiful they look outside in the sun!

These are the six colors that Kayanna at Stitch Together Studio dyed up for us. They are all shown on Stitch Swanky which is a luxe merino/cash/silk blend that I love for cowls. You can also find the colors tomorrow on her Frugal Fingering base too. Instead of Microbatch colors like she often gives her limited edition color names, these are Jinglebatch 1 though 6.

Want some sparkled colors to make holiday ornaments? Regia's Glitter line is a great options and there are also some reds and greens in Super Sparkle like Scarlette and Fir Ever Green. Or use Heritage for a less expensive option for ornaments.

Want more holiday hues? Blue Moon Fiber Arts always has some great ones like Elf, Holidazzle, Vintage Christmas, What the Elf.

Edited to add on July 25- we just listed the preorder spaces for the 12 Days of Madelinetosh! Full details are here. Order yours now for deliver in mid-November. Limited preorder spaces available and once gone, well, you know.

I hope you find something in these offerings that make you smile. Visit the shop online on Saturday, July 25 to grab your faves! 

More Sharon Show KAL color ideas

Want some more color ideas for the Sharon Show Mystery KAL that Casapinka's doing? I can't stop dreaming these up, so here are a few more. Check out yesterday's post for more color ideas.

Available from Dream in Color on Smooshy, Smooshy with Cashmere and Jilly are Crying Dove, Pickle Ball, As a Bird and Do Re Me.

Want some slightly heathered colors? What about knitting with Yak for the first time? Regia Premium Yak is for you then. 7504, 7506, 7508 and 7509. 7510, 7513, 7509, 7514

Cascade Heritage 5682, 5630, 5636, 5648.

Like I mentioned yesterday, we are happy to help you put together something you might like if we sell out of one of these ideas, if you have most of your colors already from stash, or just want something particular. As usual, just e-mail me, Allison at service@simplysockyarn.com

Want to get the combos that Casapinka shared on Instagram recently? Here are those for easy clicking. If you don't see a color you wanted, it's likely gone for now, so e-mail me for sub color ideas of choose your own. Things won't be restocked immediately b/c pandemic. Nothing is easy to get right now.

Sweet Georgia Tough Love Sock in Birch, Charcoal, Silver and Candy Apple

Dream in Color, Jilly Singes in Unimaginable, Peacock Shadow, Crying Dove and Iceland

Cascade Heritage colors 5617-Raspberry, 5625-Hyacinth, 5649-Iris and 5618-Snow

Dream in Color Smooshy in Crying Dove, Bermuda Teal, As a Bird and Divine

 

Cascade Heritage colors 5618-Snow, 5685-Dahlia, 5704-Dusty Turquoise and 5715-Avocado. There's also silk content Heritage too.

Hedgehog Fibres Sock in Jelly, Crystal, Harajuku and Kid You Not

If you want to be really overwhelmed with choices, also look at the hundreds of colors we have in Tosh Merino Light and Tosh Sock. Malabrigo Sock is always a great choice too.

Want a sneak peak at some of the colors that we'll have for you on Saturday's online Christmas in July event? Here are the six Jinglebatch (holiday microbatch colors, so small amounts) colors that will be both on Frugal Fingering and Stitch Swanky. Keep in min that these are shown on Swanky, which is a higher priced yarn that requires a lot more layering. So if you want the Frugal Fingering version at just $22 a skein, the colors are still amazing but not as nuanced. Kayanna offers the Frugal Fingering for those who might not have the budget for nearly $30 a skein yarn (or just want a really fab deal!) and so it doesn't include luxury fibers or some of the more layered effects, but has great yardage and expert dyeing.

These are inspired by vintage/retro Christmas ornaments. I mean, COME ON. How am I supposed to not keep all these for myself?!?!

Again, the holiday colors above (and many more) will be available on Saturday. Not sure of time yet. Could be very early morning, could be later, depending on me and how far along in everything I am. We don't schedule things to go live automatically, so everything we do on the website takes an actual person. I am planning on a long blog post on Friday to show off all the themed options we have though, and I'll send out an e-mail newsletter as well on Saturday.

The Sharon Show KAL color ideas

Miss Casapinka is getting ready for her fall Mystery KAL, and if you want to join in, please do! I have some wonderful combos to share with you - you need four skeins of fingering weight yarn, and they all need to contrast, not blend. If you choose a multicolored skein or a speckled skein, it needs to not be comprised of colors in the solid skeins you like. You can find details as she releases them here. If you want to get your colors ready, I'll be sharing ideas this week starting with today's in Dream in Color and Hedgehog Fibres.

All these Dream in Color skeins are on Jilly Singles, but we have them on Smooshy and Smooshy with Cashmere too. If you want some cashmere in your life right now, go with Smooshy with Cashmere b/c it is super amazing and treating yourself to some cashmere is never a bad thing.

Above is Power Plant, Rabbit Ears, Angelica and Blossom. Below is Peacock Shadow, Surf, Rabbit Ears and Ghost Town. All on Jilly.

Below combo is True to Life, Crying Dove, Ghost Town and Aqua Jet. All on Jilly.

Want to try some Hedgehog Fibres? Due to the pandemic, we don't have as big a selection as we usually do (not many imports). But we have some really nice colors.

Above are Merlot, Spell, Skinny Dip and Naive. Below are Plump, Cereal, Kelp and Cedar. All on Hedgehog Fibres Skinny Singles.

Above are colors close to the ones Casapinka is using. Jelly, Glacier, Crystal (go with Cinder or Graphite for a darker look) and Harajuku. Below is a combo that I just really like myself, Damned Nation, Dusk, Butter and Dew. All on Hedgehog Fibres Sock.

I hope today's ideas give you a starting point for what you might like. Or perhaps you think one is spot on for what you'd love together (like the above combo for me). If you have questions about your choices, please feel free to e-mail me, Allison, as usual to service@simplysockyarn.com. I look forward to seeing what comes out of this Mystery KAL. And if you want to knit yours as part of our Christmas in July KAL in the SSYC Ravelry group, please do! If you post your project, you get entered in the monthly contest!

New 15th Anniversary Knit Kits & Christmas in July KAL

It's time to grab the next two SSYC 15th Anniversary Knit Kits! These both just went live, so if you want the Surf's Up or Daydream Blossom Knit Kits, go and click now. I have to say, these little beach vans and surf boards on this bag give me all the summer feels.

If you want to add more things to your cart to qualify for free US shipping, we just listed a huge new restock of Dream in Color Jilly (singles) and Smooshy with Cashmere (merino/cashmere/nylon) to go with the Smooshy Sock we got last month. Grab a skein or many to make yourself something awesome and join in our Christmas in July KAL in our Ravelry group. When you post, you're automatically entered in that month's contest and we're giving away some really nice prizes from Cascade on the 25th of each month now through Nov 25 (there's only five days left in this month's contest and very few comments/entries on Ravelry so far). That way you can virtually meet others and share what you're knitting for those you love for the holidays (or just share what you're knitting for yourself b/c you deserve it). We could all use a little connection right now, right? On July 25th we are debuting a whole bunch of holiday themed yarns so you can start your knits early or just have Christmas colored yarn to keep on hand. These popular skeins and limited edition colors always seem to sell out fast in October when the dyers and companies release them, so I thought it would be cool to provide a way to get those all early so you don't miss out later this year. I'll have offerings across all price points and we'll be doing some little holiday gifts too.

We also have a brand new restock of Less Traveled Yarn in 757 Sock and Sport. Here are a few two-color combos that I really like together. Both available on the Sock and Sport. From top left, clockwise: Sonoita with Do Me a Solid. Odyssey with Motherwort. Alchemy of Herbs with Merlot. Spring Bouquet with Obsidian.

And these are totally gorgeous standing alone, aren't they? Her color combinations are unexpected and I love that when I think I have seen it all in the skein I look closer and see a speck of green or a little smudge where the rust becomes terracotta. Shown below are Harlequin Robot, Muse and Lost in New York.

Tomorrow I'm going to show off some color ideas for Casapinka's Mystery KAL that's starting in August. That way you can get all your yarn together, or search your stash for your four skeins (that contrast- you don't want blendy colors), see what hues you might be missing in your chosen combo, and go from there

I finished these socks earlier this year using Sport color West Fork and I love that these finished socks remind me of apple picking- the colors of the skein mixed with the basket weave of the pattern. They are slightly thicker and squishier than my fingering weight socks, but I still had enough for my size 11 feet.

Here are the notes I took about the stitch pattern as I knit them:

Eight row pattern. Cast on 60 stitches on a US 2.5. I usually cast on 68 for fingering weight for my own feet on a US 1.5. 

Cast on 60 stitches. Join in round.  k2,p2 rib for 12 rows. Then start the following stitch pattern.

Row 1& 2: knit

Row 3 & 4: knit 2, purl 4 (repeat to end)

Row 5 & 6: knit

Row 7 & 8: purl 4, knit 2 (repeat to end)

Follow stitch pattern through top of the sock on the foot. (I changed needle size for the foot- I think I went down to a US 1.2 or 2 but can't recall).

If you want to comfort yourself with a pair of squishy socks, I highly recommend this yarn and pattern combo.

SSYC's 15th Anniversary Knit Kits - a preview

It's been a busy week here at the shop, as lots of yarn has arrived. I hope to share all of it with you on Monday, but I wanted to at least check in today to preview Monday's release of our next two 15th Anniversary Knit Kits! These are just so summery and colorful and I have a feeling that one of them will really speak to you. First we have the Surf's Up Knit Kit which features a full sized skein of Flock Fiber Take a Hike Sock in the limited edition Surf's Up colorway with a mini skein in Shoreline. Kim's Sock Sets are super popular in the shop and I knew she would make something that coordinated so nicely with this fun, beachy fabric.

  

Aren't these little beach vans and surf boards perfect on this fabric? And the coordinating stripe on the opposite side of the linen canvas bag is super awesome too, right? These linen canvas bags are made for us my Mommy Sews and Jen makes such cool, durable bags for us.

To go with your bag, yarn and mini you'll see a bottle of something I discovered last month- one of my favorite Michigan distilleries changed their production to make hand sanitizer. What a wonderful change to make to help those of us who can't find it anywhere. This 4 ounce bottle is wonderful b/c it fits in your car's cup holder, or takes up very little next to you on your couch. It's a spray and leaves no residue that will get on your knits like some of those gel ones that pump out into your hand. There's no offensive, artificial smell either. It's basically the perfect hand sanitizer for a knitter and I think you should have some. So you'll find it in both kits that will be released on Monday.

So what's in the second kit? The Daydream Blossom Knit Kit features another fully reversible linen canvas bag from Mommy Sews (that fits a 4 skein project- it's a really nice size) and a Sock Set from Flock Fibres. This Sock Set features a full sized skein of the limited edition Daydream Blossom and a mini skein of Rose. Perfect for those Coffee Talk or Hello Sunshine sock patterns.

They will cost in the mid $70-range, what with the large sized, specially printed fabric, the sock yarn PLUS mini and the ample hand sanitizer. These will go up for sale mid morning EST on Monday, July 20th at the Kits & Clubs link.

What else might you want to grab with your kit to try for free US shipping at $100? We just got in a whole slew of Less Traveled Yarn in Sarah's 757 Sock and Sport. Here are a few two-color combos that I really like together. Both available on the Sock and Sport. From top left, clockwise: Sonoita with Do Me a Solid. Odyssey with Motherwort. Alchemy of Herbs with Merlot. Spring Bouquet with Obsidian.

We also received a HUGE shipment from Dream in Color that I hope to have on the website for you by Monday. It's wonderful to be able to get so much yarn right now from dyers that would otherwise be super busy with their fiber fair and festival season. Most of what we can get for now is all from American and Canadian dyers, or larger companies with US distributors (like Malabrigo, Manos, Opal, etc). But when shipping and Customs allows, I'll do my best to get imports from outside North America as well. This won't happen very much for awhile, as many countries are not shipping to the US until we have our COVID outbreaks under control, and it's extremely costly to ship if they will. At least that's what my courier contacts are telling me. Last week's shipment from Hedgehog Fibres of Ireland cost me nearly eight times the shipping/fees as usual.

Christmas in July KAL

We totally miss you all in the shop right now. It's been months since we have been able to serve you all in person and it really feels disconcerting and disconnected. One of my favorite parts of my week is seeing you in the shop and it's starting to wear on me, this lack of connection. Rachael and Heather decided that since we can't connect in person and there seems to be no end in sight, we are going to try and meet more with everyone online as part of our Christmas in July event (on July 25). They are going to host a Christmas in July KAL in our Ravelry group that will last until Christmas so we can share all that we're knitting. Anyone and everyone is welcome to join. We'll have contests and frivolity and we ask only that to be a part of the KAL that you post about projects that you're knitting with yarn from SSYC. It doesn't have to be new yarn and doesn't have to be holiday themed, but of course we welcome you to place new orders for yarn. We know you have stashed yarn to use from SSYC too and we welcome you share projects with that too. We just want to create a space where we can connect with everyone, since it will likely be many months before we can connect in person. We won't be opening up the shop to in-person shopping until this pandemic is under control/has run its course/there's a vaccine. Of course, we'll continue to ship to you six days a week as we have been, as long as we are all healthy and can work. Rachael will post details later this week in the SSYC Ravelry group, and we hope you'll join.

I can't wait to share all the wonderful holiday-themed skeins that our dyers are producing for us to release on July 25. I've been posting photos here and there on the blog, and I'll continue to do so. One of them is this red and green striped Sock Kit from Urth Yarns. I think it will go fast.

I haven't yet announced the winners of contests we had this summer -each of these winners has been contacted already. Thanks so much for playing with us and we still have a few more contests to celebrate our 15th this summer! Susan G won the $100 gift certificate, Terry won four skeins of Tosh High Twist, Cindy P won an entire Opal Mini Ball set, Ann won 6 skeins of indie dyed yarn. In last week's Urth Yarn contest, the winner was Melissa H.

I wanted to share a throwback to nine years ago today when my new storefront had just finished renovations and I had all the shelves in place. An empty shop full of promise.

Today, the same space holds twice as many shelves and more than four times as much yarn. Thank you for helping me make SSYC what it is today!

Free bag with purchase through Sunday!

Surprise! We're giving you a free project bag with your purchase at SSYC today through the weekend!

It's just another way we are celebrating our 15th anniversary this summer with you. I have more awesome gifties and contests and sales planned for the remainder of the summer, so keep checking back here on the blog, as I have been blogging nearly every day too keep up with you and share what we have available to ship from the shop.

What do you have to do to get one of these bags (that easily holds a large sweater project)? Simply place your order online as always and we will automatically tuck one in your package before it ships out. The order has to be dated July 10, 11 or 12. And the only reason you wouldn't get one is if we happen to run out late on Sunday (which hasn't happened in a long while, but you never know) and I would take the big banner ad off the homepage of our website and you'd see a big red "Bags are gone, sorry!" at the very top of this blog post you're currently reading. If you don't see that red text at the top, then you're good to go!

What might you like to order to get your free tote? Well, many of you have been waiting to see more Merino DK from Mineville Wool Project in the Sale Section and it's now here for just $13.95 a skein. That's over 40% off - A super deal on a fab yarn that's great for sweaters, blankets, thick socks and winter accessories. We also have our 15th Anniversary Special of $5 off a skein of Madelinetosh High Twist in the Sale Section- it's another fab DK weight yarn. And if you e-mail me after your purchase (just respond to your receipt) of the High Twist, I can e-mail you back the cute Madelinetosh Baby Raglan Top pattern. You need one skein for the short sleeved version and two skeins for the long sleeved version. It fits a 6 month old, so it's a really nice finished project to keep on hand for when you need a cute baby gift. And I think that Celadon, shown above, is a perfect baby color, don't you?

It's not easy importing yarn during a pandemic, but we were able to get yarn this week from two of our faves, Hedgehog Fibres and Sweet Georgia. Hedgehog Fibres Sock Yarn is so full of color that it will make your heart sing. I mean, look at Comeback and Insomnia below. Wouldn't these be awesome in a bright pair of Zigzagular socks, a crazy colored Reyna, or a wonderful Pembroke Scarf?

We've offered Sweet Georgia for over a decade now and their tag line is "passionate, relentless, and unapologetic colours to inspire"... and their commitment to color has never waned. We have their Party of Five mini skein sets (shown below in Escape), Prismatic collection (12 teeny minis!), and popular Tough Love Sock in dozens of colors. Cool patterns to keep minis on hand for are Solaris, First Point of Libra, and Joji's Gradient Band Cowl.

If you like the look of hand spun yarn, I'm betting you'd love making a simple Sockhead Cowl in this new Mid Coast Targheeling Twist. Each skein is a unique work of art. Shown below in Cornpocalypse.

Been waiting for more of the Tiger Sock Kits? We have those and many other striping sock kits from Urth Yarn now! These are two matching 50g balls so you get two matching socks. I was able to knit a men's size 12-13 out of one kit.

We also have fresh hues in Dream in Color Smooshy (with new colors in Smooshy with Cashmere and Jilly coming next week, FYI), and a bit of our Blue in Green 15th anniversary color from Malabrigo on both Sock and worsted weight Rios. This limited edition color is over half gone already!

 

What else should you look at? How about chickens, shawl cuffs, gradients, and limited offerings like these.

Thank for your continued support during these trying times. We want to do what we can to continue operating safely and sending you goodies to help you stay home and knit. We wouldn't be able to do this without your continued advice and support over the past 15 years and the four of us really appreciate you.

We look forward to a time, likely several months from now, when we can serve you in person safely again. Til then, we will continue to social distance ourselves and ship to you 6 days a week and be very appreciative that we can do so. Thank you for allowing us to come to work, be of service, and help support our families. You are made of awesome!

What can you expect from us soon? I teased recently about our upcoming Christmas in July event. On July 25th you'll be able to get some awesome holiday themed yarn much earlier than usual so you can start knitting all your gifts early if you want. AND we'll be doing a Christmas in July KAL in our Ravelry group with some big prizes each month through Christmas. We want to continue finding ways to connect with you online since we can't see you in person. So I hope you'll join us on Ravelry when details of the KAL are released.

Here are a few photos that dyers have sent me of what they are making for the July 25 event! Holiday color galore!

There's so much to share on July 25! Check back here at the blog til then to get more details. And go here to see a tease of next week's 15th Anniversary Knit Kits.

Stephen West's Painting Bricks Sweater

I have received several e-mails this week requesting color help for Stephen West's newest pattern, the Painting Bricks Sweater, so I thought I'd share some of the color combos I like from what we have here at the shop. Maybe you will like one of these as well, or maybe you will like where one is headed and send me an e-mail saying what you do and don't want, and we'll have a jumping off point for the combo that will speak to you.

Picture used with test-knitter-Susie's permission. Visit her pattern page for details- she did just the yoke in the brick, which is awesome, right?

If you do want help, or just someone with eyes on the yarn who can say "Yes! This is a perfect combo." or "No, that one color clashes or doesn't do anything for it so let's sub this." then please do e-mail me, Allison, at service@simplysockyarn.com. Now, if you see the color combo you like is limited on quantity, I wouldn't wait to hear back from me to buy it b/c some yarns are hard to get right now and it could sell out before we can get in-person opinions on it (what with social distancing here at work, things like that take a few days instead of one). So if you really like one of these combos or something else, don't wait on me to get it.

Please know that the photos of the yarn shown below are ones that I simply snapped with my phone to give you an idea of how they look together. They are not color corrected and calibrated like the ones on our website. So the ones on our website are a better gauge of how the colors actually look.

How about bold and bright with Malabrigo Rios colors Pearl Ten, Purple Mystery, Sunset, Fucsia, Glazed Carrot, Apple Green, Ravelry Red, Azul Profundo.

Want a sea breezy, watercolor feel? Malabrigo Rios in colors Ivory, Aquamarine, Almond Blossom, Valentina, Cucumber, Melon, Pearl and Cosmos.

Want a more earthy feel? Something that you can wear all weekend? Malabrigo Rios in colors Sand Bank, Cirrus Gray, Camel, Gris, Plomo, Neibla, Yerba and Fog.

Vrinda Yarn makes some stunning autumnal hues. Shown here are Natural, Moose on the Loose, Sol, Off the Beaten Path, Patagonia and de Clermont.

Love Tosh? Who doesn't?! These romantic hues are all on Tosh DK and you could easily sub out colors here and there b/c we have close to 200 colors to choose from right now. Shown below are Flashdance, Lepidoptra, Dissertation, Grapefruit, Barbara Deserves Better, Hi/Lo and Pink Clay.

Want a super POP of color? How about some Hedgehog Fibres Merino DK? Shown here are Melon, Rusty Nail, Seed, Egg Yolk, Spell, Electric, Jelly and Envy.

Cascade 220 Superwash is a great option for this sweater if you don't want to spend the price of hand dyed yarn, and you want it to wash and wear well... plus I have like ALL the colors. Shown here are 910a, 901, 902, 1940, 1915, 840, 826, and 821.

Picture used with test-knitter-Ines's permission. Visit her pattern page for details of her awesome sweater. We have so many colors of Cascade 220 Superwash that you could do a tonal version of this sweater in blues, greens, sherbets.... you name it!

Color ideas for Joji's Age of Gold shawl

Photo used with permission of Joji Locatelli

In the mood to knit up Joji's latest pattern, Age of Gold? I am too, so of course there are several color combos I'm considering.

Shadow and Pansy from Life in the Long Grass on sock above, Amethyst and Fortune below are great too. Ooooh, and Wolf and Gorse. Afterglow and Tanned on Singles.

Want silk? How about Life in the Long Grass Lughnasa with Harvest on the edge or Baroque on the Edge. For a simliarly autumnal vibe (like the pattern pic) you could go with Dragon Seed with Emerald Eve.

We just got in a huge amount of Hedgehog Fibres Sock Yarn.... like the first batch we've been able to get in about four to five months. I don't anticipate being able to stock Hedgehog Fibres and other imports as well as we have been, due to the increased costs and restrictions of getting goods from other countries right now. It seems that other countries don't want to ship to us b/c of how poorly contained COVID is here (that what one of my courier contacts actually told me - yikes). So until that gets handled, I think businesses who import goods could be greatly affected.

So, of course, I had this pattern in mind when I was photographing colors yesterdat. There are many speckles to choose from for the bulk of the pattern, and you can tell which solids go nicely using our compare feature. Here are some of the combos that struck me. Above is Comeback with Jelly (also nice with Highlighter) for a totally 80's feel. Boombox could easily sub for Comeback too, if you like a bit of blue and green.

Want a more neutral base for your shawl? Something that can be worn with your denim or your khaki? How about Heron with Electric, shown above. Or you can sub out Ink for Electric if you want a darker lace edge. I also like the idea of a Plump edge.

If you want something closer to the colors of the shawl in the pattern, here are my gold/green ideas. Gorse and Andisol, Gorse and Indigo- Indigo is a deep blue instead of green but I think it looks great and reminiscent of the colors Joji chose. What about Bee Wax and Black Walnut? Or Daffodil and Black Walnut? Liquid Gold and Candlewick on Tosh Sock would be nice too with nearly any dark solid edge.

If you like a particular color for bulk of the shawl, but aren't sure if you're choosing a solid color for the edge that goes well, you're always welcome to e-mail me at service@simplysockyarn.com and ask. Most of you simply type in the note section on the Check Out page something like "I'm using ____ and ____ together. If you think they clash please let me know thx!" That way, we can better "personal shop" for you and pick skeins that we think complement each other the best. We're always happy to help "virtually", especially since we can't help you in person until this public health crisis is safer for all.

Purple DK Yarn options for the emPOWER People Cowl

Casapinka has recently released the emPOWER People Cowl as part of the emPOWER People Project, and asked that we list the purple yarns (DK weight is suggested) we have available to make it easier for people who want to knit or crochet this pattern.

According to Casapinka, "emPower People is a purple colored craftivism project aimed at uniting crafters to spark conversation, engagement, and action. Wear it when you vote, grocery shop, march, or knit in your socially isolated bedroom. We would love to see a sea of purple to represent unity so please tell your friends, family, knitting groups, or anyone who can knit, crochet, or sew a simple pattern." In this time of division, I want to promote unity and conversation, and I hope to find time to knit one of these myself. I like the idea of others seeing me wearing mine, asking me questions, sparking conversations and listening and learning from each other. It seems like a small step, but we knitters know that each stitch we knit eventually leads to a finish.... just like each conversation, every donation, every effort leads to our goal of equality. I want to show others that I care and that I want to be part of a solution of inclusion. I may not know what that exact solution is, and I often feel like what I do for others isn't enough. But I don't want to be a barrier to others feeling good about their place in our world. I want to be of service to others, and do so with grace.

Keep in mind that our selection of colors is constantly changing as things sell out and as we get more. Since we only list on our website the items we actually have in stock, if there's something you want that you don't see, you can always e-mail me, Allison, at service@simplysockyarn.com to get other suggestions or see when something you want will arrive back in stock.

In Tosh DK, there are some beautiful purples like Flashdance (above) and Iris. Also check out Tosh's Work Sock Sport.

Hedgehog Fibres Merino DK in Purple Reign

 

Less Traveled Yarn in Aubergine

 

Spun Right Round in Lunar Spell

Vrinda Yarn's Shakti DK in Targaryen or Twilight

 

In Queensland Rainbow Beach there are several purple gradients, if you want something other than a tonal solid. Try 122 or 125 or solid purple 210.

 

You could use Arroyo Sport or Rios Worsted from Malabrigo. Colors that would be nice would be 872 Purpuras (shown below on Rios), 030 Purple Mystery, 136 Sabiduria, 211 Syrah Grapes.

 

Cascade Yarns even has a few options. In their Wave line, color 111-Nightshade (above) definitely fits the bill. Or go heathered or completely solid with Cascade 220 Superwash. 1948-Mystic Purple (below), 1969-Heather, 257 Violet Indigo, 283 Plum Purple, 310 Dark Violet (below), 803 Royal Purple.... there's so many more too!

If you have fingering weight on hand at home, you could hold it doubled (and perhaps go up one needle size on the pattern) to knit this cowl as well. Heck, you could combine bits of all sorts of purples that you have leftover too.

I hope this gives you ideas for purples to use to knit or crochet this cowl across all types of yarn dyers/companies and price points. If you have questions, just e-mail me!

A weekend to exhale

If you're here in the US, you likely enjoyed this long holiday weekend. It certainly wasn't the 4th of July celebrations we are all used to, but it was nice to exhale for a few days. I actually took time off and didn't work, which is rare for me to do two days in a row. I spent time in the water with the kids, sitting outside in the horrid heat enjoying my gardens, and knitting.

Above is my Kline Shawl in action. I'd say i'm 75% done now. It's a fingering weight pattern, but like I've been doing, I went up to Sport/DK and increased two needle sizes. The colors are Wash House and Farm House. I love the round nature of Work Sock and I think it's going to hold up really well to wear this winter. Though it's hard to believe winter is coming when it's 95 degrees outside. As I ran out of Wash House, I decreased the first section pattern repeats by one and for the little garter stripes in the second part of the pattern I used a heathered grey fingering weight yarn doubled. I had it on hand and didn't want to wait to find a DK weight one in a few days when I was back in the shop, so I decided that this solution was great and make it even more mine. Why I can't just leave a good pattern alone as is, I don't know. But I always seem to change the weights used, run out of yarn, add a different color for some interest.... just something. Though this might be a pattern I would knit as is. I just bought it. I think I'll blog about color ideas tomorrow. So if you have a color or collection you'd like me to feature, let me know in the comments.

Photo used with permission of Joji Locatelli

I'm finally enjoying some success in my window boxes. We put them up last year and the flowers weren't loving life b/c one of them gets a lot of sun, one dappled sun and one shade. This combination of plants really works for all of them and they are flourishing and it makes me so happy to see them on our home. There's something about window boxes that seem so special to me.

Another thing making me smile is this little succulent that I planted that has taken off and is even flowering! Gah! These tiny, feathery flowers are adorable!

The boys celebrated an early birthday this weekend at my mom's. I'm unsure how to celebrate their birthdays later this week (8 and 13!), as we can't have a party (I mean, we can, but that's not something we are comfortably doing with the current COVID situation). So if you've celebrated kid birthdays the past few months or have suggestions on a nice way to commemorate their days, I'd love your ideas. I don't go shopping (other than grocery), so I let them pick their birthday presents online this year. I really didn't want to give them something that they decided they didn't want, or got from someone else, b/c that would require another trip to a shop to return said item. So I gave myself an out and just let them choose their own gifts.

Urth Yarn Contest!

We have all the gradient sets in stock from Urth Yarn and to celebrate we are giving away one set of your color choice in today's contest! 

What do you have to do to win one of these 200g sets? It's a really cool idea- four 50g skeins that go from saturated to pale with speckles. Just answer the following in the comments below before noon EST this Monday, July 6: What are your plans for this holiday weekend (if you are entering after the 4th tell us what you did)? Is your city doing fireworks? Are you doing some at your own house? Are you grilling out a special steak dinner or awesome burgers? Are you outside the US so just hanging out this weekend? Do tell!

I'm unsure exactly what we are doing. I had family in town and was able to see some of the people I love that we haven't been able to for the past several months. We ate BBQ, played cards, had an ice cream cake for the kids and early bday presents for them. We've been invited to do fireworks at a few friends homes (as the local big display canceled as of yesterday), but I'm unsure about attending these since I don't know how many people are there, if those people are playing it safe like we are, or how I feel about group activities in general. I mean, I know I feel uncomfortable about the idea of group activities, but everyone seems to be operating somewhat normally (but also using masks/hand washing, etc), and even the schools here start in a month, so I just am so confused about all this and how I am to operate. Our family has been playing it quite safe (we've been seeing more people- friends/family and mostly outdoors, but still don't shop in stores other than the grocery and don't attend big events or indoor things) but we do want to celebrate the 4th somehow. All this is so confusing! We've been sequestering ourselves for months now, everything is pretty much open, Indiana as a state isn't growing in COVID numbers, but I still feel that the right choice is to not be a point of contact for this. To protect others. I'm torn and confused about how I feel. What about you?

We also have a restock of the Tiger Sock Kits, also from Urth Yarn, should you want to grab one of those! These are super popular. We also have restocks of the other striping colors. I have color 59 on the needles, and finished color 57 a few months ago. These stripes are super addictive.

 

Fiber Festival Find - Mid Coast Targheeling Twist

I have some something really special to share today. Kayanna at Stitch Together Studio has developed a new hand-spun-look yarn called Mid Coast Targheeling Twist, and it's just like a microbatch yarn that you'd expect to discover at a fiber fair or festival. You know, like when you've been browsing all day and haven't found that thing that you were hoping to find, even though you didn't even know what that thing was. But when you see it you can't help yourself and grab one.... then another, and then just one more just in case. This is that yarn.

Targheeling Twist is a blend of US Targhee wool, bamboo and silk and the fiber is dyed by Kayanna in Iowa BEFORE it's sent to a mill in Illinois to be spun into this lofty, gorgeous yarn. That's what gives it the look of hand spun- it's dyed before it's turned into yarn, not after. It's not the typical yarn we sell- It's not to be used for socks, as it's not machine washable and really not one that would hold up to hard wear. But it's wonderful for eye catching mitts, a cool hat, or an even more awesome scarf. I'm considering starting this scarf with two colors as soon as I can tonight. I reserve the right to change my mind to make a hat and mitts or leg warmers. Much like that perfect skein of hand spun yarn you find, I want to find the right project that I'll wear a lot. .... And of course I just fell down the rabbit hole and looked through many patterns and now think I'll do this with maybe going down to  a US 5 or 6 needle instead of an 8 and add a repeat to use up the yarn. Has anyone made this pattern with fingering weight? I see lots of projects on Ravelry that used fingering weight like this yarn.

I have all 12 colors that she's offering and I do hope that this does well enough that she'll make more. These kind of small run projects are hard to put together. There's a lot of up front cost and work and you don't know if it's going to pan out. Like you might be the only one who thinks this is an amazing idea, and then when it comes to fruition you have to hope that others are into it too. And oh, I AM.

To get you in the fiber festival mood, I thought I'd share some of my photos of my trip four years ago to Maryland Sheep and Wool. This may give you a taste of what I think of when I hold this yarn. This was the first real road trip I took with the kids- Henry wasn't even four yet! Gosh, this seems like yesterday, but FOUR YEARS.

I believe it was Mother's Day weekend of 2016. We filled up the car with kids and snacks and swim stuff for the hotel pool and drove from Indiana to Maryland to see all the sheep and wool and it was totally fab.

We went to the festival on the last day, which I believe was Sunday, and it was the slower day but as you can see still very busy. James toted Henry around in his little red wagon and I can't believe I didn't take more pictures....

I know it's not awesome that all the year's fiber fairs and festivals were canceled. Even though I know it was for the best, and even though all the dyers and teachers who lost work know the reasons are valid, it still stings for everyone. So I'll continue to support small dyers as best I can during this time, and bring you some unique blends that I might not usually offer. I have some really nice things in the works for you, and I do hope if you're a dyer or artisan who needs a boost right now, you'll contact me at service@simplysockyarn.com so I can see what I can do. We have to keep moving onward as safely as we can right now, and if there's a way I can help you thought this, I do hope you'll reach out.