Simply Socks Yarn Co. Blog

Coming soon - Tweed Sock from Less Traveled Yarn

We have some really gorgeous skeins coming our way soon from Sarah and Matt at Less Traveled Yarn. We offer their 757 Sock and Sport, and soon we'll have their Tweed Me Sock in 50 colors. I got so carried away with color on this order that we'll have SO MUCH to choose from. Here's just a taste at what's coming.

Above is Spicy Salmon and below is Amber. I just love how she dyes her tonal/solids. The Spicy Salmon above seems to have parts where it's more cool and then warmer. It's so dynamic. And the Amber just glows with color. And there's something about the bits of tweed that makes them pop even more, right?

Above is Prickly Pear and below is Canyon. These variegated colors are more subtle and you can still see how the tweed stands out. We'll also have some more vibrant multicolors too.

Want a chance to win a skein for yourself? I have one Odyssey skein up in an Instagram contest right now. If you want a chance at winning the skein below, go and comment!

End of Summer Knitting - Cowls

It's the end of summer. Here in the midwest that means that Mother Nature is giving us one last heat wave before she takes a bit of a break and offers us cooler temps. But for now, a knitter must still choose her projects wisely because the 90 degree heat and high humidity could give us a sweaty lap if we choose a large project. So it's definitely cowl knitting time.

Cowls are a perfect project to knit up that single skein of hand dyed yarn that you bought because you couldn't resist it, but now know that it might not hold up well for socks, or it's just too beautiful to knit into something like socks that won't be seen. A cowl will be seen an appreciated all fall and winter long. That's a lot of bang for your time and buck.

Heather, SSYC's shop manager, recently brought in a bunch of her cowls that she finished. Since you can't come in and see them in person til this COVID crisis is handled, we wanted to show them all off here. If you're knitting in a temp that's way to warm to start a bigger shawl, or perhaps you want to get started on your holiday gift knits, maybe one of these is for you.

This is the Midsummer Haze by Joji Locatelli. Heather used one skein of Flock Fibre's Lone Pine Singles in the Antique Shop colorway. Heather mentioned that she wasn't sure that she was going to do the tassels but ended up liking the look. I like that they are still a bit wave from being in the center of the ball. I think it's a cool look, though once you soaked and blocked it, those would straighten out. If you wanted to try another imported dyer, Qing's Singles would be lovely, as would the tones of Life in the Long Grass Singles.

 

This is the Valanar Cowl by Elena Noel. She used Malabrigo Rios (worsted weight, two skeins) in Vaa. This is for her husband who I believe wanted something to keep his neck warm when he was outside. So many coats leave that V at the neckline all exposed, right? The designer details that it was made for her outdoorsy husband to his exact specs. I was thinking it would be a great cowl to put up over your face for extra projection when needed. Isn't it beautiful?

This is the the Starshower cowl in Swift Singles color Discography. A really nice charcoal with bits of bright color that will go with so much. We don't have this color right now b/c the dyer is taking a break during the pandemic, but a lot of dyers do charcoal with bits of color and you can get a nice effect with colors like Night Hawk, Constellation, Mandala, and Seance.

Want some luxury? How about knitting up some Pashmina (this is Dr Zhivago's Sky) into a Zuzu's Petals. What person wouldn't want to receive a holiday gift with a bit of cashmere AND silk?

For those of you who want something stripy, Rachael knit up this simple cowl and her simple pattern is detailed in the notes of her project page. She used Urth Yarn's Uneek Worsted in color 4024. I think this is a perfect project for someone you know that likes a bit of color, but just wants a simple design to put on. It's a super gift idea for all ages. And it's simple enough that it can be your on-the-go project, one that you can just carry around and tink away when you have a few minutes.

I hope this gives you a few ideas on what to knit right now. For me, I've tried knitting a bit of a patterned sock, tore it out and am just doing some simple footies in a yarn that I'll share more about tomorrow. Apparently my mind can't handle anything more right now!

Free Tote with Purchase This Week!

This is the last week of SSYC's 15th Anniversary Summer-long Celebration, and we're celebrating in two ways- a contest and free totes! With your online purchase Monday through Friday this week, we'll automatically include one of our new woven fabric knitters' totes in your package. This stylish project bag fits a sweater sized project and is perfect for keeping your current project safe whether you're able to stay home and knit, or whether you're venturing out. We want to show you how much we appreciate you're support through these difficult times. THANK YOU!

While you're here, enter the following contest by scrolling down to Comments at the bottom of this post. We have some really cool Chevron Love Slouch Hat kits in the shop and you can win this one by telling us in the comments what your go-to project has been during the pandemic. Are you knitting socks? Prayer shawls? A baby blanket for a special baby that you weren't able to get on a plane to see yet? Do share by noon EST on Saturday, August 29 and you could be the randomly chosen person to win this set in the Graffiti colorway.

 

You might remember we offered two special Chevron Love sets last Christmas in our of our Holiday Knit Kits. We asked Julia at Knitterly Things to make us up more, plus many other colors, and you can find them now in the shop. These rare offerings often go fast, but we hope to get more in winter. If you e-mail me after your order (responding to your e-mailed order confirmation is the easy way) asking me for the Chevron Love hat pattern, I'll e-mail you back with the PDF. The pom pom doesn't come with (you'll need US 4 and US 6 needles too), but you'll find a wide array of colors here. Want more stuff from Julia? Go look at her Bespeckled line. It looks really cool with the Close to You pattern, don't you think? It's a free pattern and requires just one skein.

What else might you like to grab from the shop to get your free tote? We have a fresh restock of Tenderfoot sock yarn. This is popular because it's a bit more rustic in feel than the smooth hand dyed sock yarns out there and it has a bit of a heathered look to it too. It's wonderful for socks, accessories and the colors in the line really look nice together. These are some of their spring hues that are just available (the pandemic has slowed imports quite a bit).

We have a stunning selection of Malabrigo right now. If you've been waiting months for a color to be available again, I'm betting it's finally here now. It's been a trying time to get all sorts of imported goods, but things are happening a bit more predictably now. Shown below is Archangel in Sock

Want Tosh? We have a really wonderful collection. Not only do we have hundreds of colors and several weights (and also some in the Sale Section), we have the first four colors of the Dyer Collection series. Madelinetosh is tasking their dyers with creating their own inspirational colors, and Leticia is the first to be featured with her four colors: Sunup, Sunday Drive, Late in the Day and Ametrine. I have these for you in Tosh Sock, Tosh Merino Light, Tosh DK and Twist Light Sock.

Need more sock inspiration? How about new colors of Trekking XXL and, for the first time, solids?! We're doing our best to keep stocked up of the tried and true sock yarns like this so you can make all your easy-care holiday gifts - if you want to join our early holiday KAL on Ravelry, please do! Just by commenting once you've entered that month's contest, and it's a great way to connect with others.

 

We also have some amazing new colors from Free Trade Certified dyers Manos del Uruguay. The Manos Cooperatives were founded in 1968, begun by five women whose goal was to develop economic opportunities for women in a country where there were, and are still, few opportunities for work. This cooperative continues today, supporting women and families and producing skeins that we can appreciate in our own homes and create for our own families. Alegria Sock is a soft merino/nylon blend that is wonderful for socks, accessories and lightweight garments.

Don't miss out on the August Sock-It Set from Dream in Color. This skein knits a thin stripe and comes with a coordinating mini.

And if you love a deal, we have some real steals in our Sale Section right now. We will continue to stock some really great deals this fall too, as we continue to support dyers that haven't been able to sell at their normally busy fiber fairs and festivals due to the pandemic. Keep checking this blog daily/weekly to see what's new - while I'm not posting every day like I was during the beginning of the pandemic, I will continue to post 3-4 days a week like I have for the past 15 years. Now if you made it this far, comment to enter this contest!

We are continuing to ship 6 days a week during this time, and we look forward to reopening our doors to the public when it's more safe for everyone. Thank you for your continued patronage- it makes all the difference to the four of us and the artisans and dyers we support. We are very grateful that we all have reliable jobs and can continue to support our families safely.

Super Sale Section Today!

We have some really great deals for you in the Sale Section. Today was our last release of Madelinetosh Euro Sock colors. And we also have BFL from Mineville, Silk and Prints from Cascade Yarns, High Twist DK from Tosh, and these really cute shorty sock sets from Urth Yarns.

If you always have too much sock yarn leftover, or want smaller cakes for accessories or footies, this is a superb deal for you. (Find it at the very end of the sale section) There are two matching, striping balls in each set. Each is 30g, so it's 60g total and instead of $17.50, you pay only $10.50! Or, if you want really long socks or knee highs, get two sets and you'd have 120g total. I was able to get a men's size 12-13 out of 100g, so you can really get a nice size out of two of these sets, right? 

I have some really cool, silk speckles for 50% off too. These are popular for in-store shoppers (looking forward to that time again) who want a more economical option for an easy care silk blend. Really nice for sweaters and baby blankets too. And how about some red/white/blue patterning socks?

All these and more in the Sale Section! Please keep in mind that things sometimes sell out within minutes, so if there's something you really want, please don't hesitate. I'm always happy to help you make choices if you e-mail me at service@simplysockyarn.com, and I do often get back to you the same day. But I don't recommend waiting for a response from me (we all work odd hours to care for our families and social distance) if you really want to grab something.

Colors for tomorrow's release of Euro Sock

This last batch of special Euro Sock in our Sale Section is the most colorful yet. There aren't too many greys and denims and greens (perfect for stashing for sweaters) like you've seen the past two Wednesdays and instead these are a bit brighter and bolder. I will also have a Potluck option (where we choose the color for you from singles and one-offs we received) and that's even less expensive than the 40% off skeins! I hope you like this little tease - we will again have a few dozen colors released tomorrow so this is just a taste.

More from Flock Fibre!

We were able to get a rare import from our friend Kim at Flock Fibre! Kim dyes her yarn at the edge of the Canadian Rockies and we get goodies from her two or three times a year. We have a restock of some of our Take a Hike sock and Lone Pine singles, as well as these awesome Flock Sock Sets. Consider the Coffee Talk pattern for yours - it calls for the first pictured set, Patina + Pecans.

I love how Kim's colors work so well together. She has a really nicely planned palette. If you think it goes together on your screen, it's likely to be a stunner of a combo in person. If you're looking to take a little fiber adventure, do give Flock Fibre a try!

Dream in Color’s Sock-It Club

If these gorgeous photos don't make you want this sock set, I'm scared for you. 

But seriously, Veronica at Dream in Color has dreamed up some amazing sock sets for us through the end of the year. One color set a month with a full sized skein of Smooshy and a mini. I just may cast on tonight. These are her photos- I'd love to take credit for what she's knit up so far.... but can't.

Happy weekend, y'all!

Ask the Knitters

Dear Knitters,

I was wondering if you are aware of any charity that is looking for hand knit socks?  I love knitting them, and am at a point where I need to donate some if possible.

Thanks!

Jane

*                         *                                *  

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 service@simplysockyarn.com . Your question could be chosen for this series.

Colors for tomorrow's Euro Sock release

Tomorrow I'll be listing the second of three batches of Euro Sock that Madelinetosh has for us for 40% off to celebrate our 15th anniversary! Here are some of the hues from this special batch. There will be dozens of colors like last week, and all will be available in the Sale Section.

These aren't the only fab deals in the Sale Section this week! We have a rare BFL sock from Mineville Wool Project as well!

New yarn from Mineville Wool Project

We have a new sock yarn to share from Mineville Wool Project- BFL Sock! You may have had a chance to try this during our recent Christmas in July event, and now we have it in a wide array of hues for you to choose from, and for $10 off in the Sale Section!

Shown here are Radiant Orchid and Pavement Prism

What is BFL yarn? BFL (Bluefaced Leicester- pronouced Lester) wool simply comes from a different breed of sheep- not the merino that is typically used for hand dyed yarns.... which is odd, because BFL has a long staple that makes it really well suited for accessories that you want to hold up really well like socks. So if you are one of those people who love hand dyed yarns, but the socks never seem to hold up the way you want them too, do give this BFL yarn a try. Let's be honest, we all have been disappointed in the past by the amount of time we have put into a pair of socks, only to find that after they were worn a few times, there's a hole in the heel. And here's a tip- for me, the solution to that is to make sure I knit a really really dense fabric on the foot. Like if I'm knitting a leg on a US 1.5 needle, I may go down to a US 0 for the foot. Yes, it's a bit more tedious, but it holds up a lot better. For me. If you have advice for how you get your socks to last longer, leave it in the comments!

If you want to know more about wool and why it behaves like it does for certain purposes, read this book. You can get it from the library, but I think after reading it you'll find that you want a copy of your own to keep it on hand for when you need it.

Shown here are Emerald and Beach House

I hope that you are able to snag one of these skeins in a color that you adore, as deals like these in our Sale Section tend to go fast. I'll have the second (of three) batch of Madelinetosh Euro Sock on Wednesday in the Sale Section too. So much awesome yarn right now..... during a pandemic!

Letting it go....

We're letting go of this first Wednesday batch of Euro Sock. Most of yesterday's colors have sold out now, leaving just a few that we had more of (or ones that I accidentally forgot to put up on time.... oh, goodness). There are a few sweater-worthy colors up on the website right now in the Sale Section if you're interested in making yourself something awesome. Perhaps a Pavement sweater? Or a Boxy? Euro Sock is the perfect choice for a sweater that you'll pop on before heading to the farmer's market on a cool fall Saturday morning. Check the Sale Section the next two Wednesdays for more colors.

Boxy picture used with permission of Joji Locatelli

If you have a half hour free to watch the back-and-forth between myself and Laura, owner of Madelinetosh, I believe the Instagram Live we did together will be available for another few hours. I think typically they are available for just 24 hours- but it's on Tosh's account so I don't know how long they will make it watchable. I am pretty sure you do not have to have an Instagram account to watch- simply hit play and listen to us chat about yarn, our kids and how our shops have changed during COVID times. Knit along, and if you have questions for us, let me know and I'm betting I can do a follow up Q&A here on the blog.

Tomorrow with Tosh

Tomorrow I'm doing Instagram Live with Laura, the owner of Madelinetosh. I'm all about chatting with people in person (I'm a definite extrovert), but I can't remember the last time I was on video, or live streaming. I think last year for three seconds in my friend Chevas' video podcast... in my pajamas. And I'm unsure what people like prefer when watching live streams, as I'm not too familiar with them. So if you watch Instagram Live or Facebook Live streams and enjoy them, please do tell me in the comments what makes you connect with them- seeing/hearing people, seeing yarn or shop tours or things like that. Maybe I'll do more in the future. I think this is just an informal back-and-forth Q&A, so if there are questions you'd like included in it, please let me know in the comments. Questions for me to ask Laura (she purchased the company last fall) or me, or Madelinetosh in general.

And tell me which set up of these you would prefer- the first that's more a close up of my face.... yes mom, I'll wear makeup and I know if I make that face it could stick that way.

Or the more far off shot that shows the shop a bit more (and our vast Tosh collection). Yes, I'm making faces. I'm self conscious. Especially in front of a camera. This is a leap out of my comfort zone. Someone send vodka.

Please do join us. I believe we are going live tomorrow, Wednesday at 4pm EST. And please do leave me a comment with advice or any kind of encouragement. Tell me if you think you can watch too! If you follow Simply Socks Yarn Co or Madelinetosh, a notification should just show up on top of your feed that we are doing a live stream. I think.

Vrinda Yarn and a Contest!

Want a chance to win some wonderful Vrinda Yarn from our newest batch? We have a slew of summery colors (and of course the autumnal tones I can't get enough of) for you on Pada Sock and Shakti DK. This is the yarn that has one of the four plies is intentionally spun in the opposite direction before the four plies are twisted together, and that makes the dye soak up differently giving the added dimension of a barber-pole-effect to the finished yarn. It's super neat to see and popular.

Silver Lining

In some of the more solid/saturated tones the barber pole look isn't too noticeable, but it's really cool how it comes out in other colors like this one, right?

Infamous

Want to use Pada Sock for the Sharon Show Mystery KAL happening on Casapinka's Ravelry group? Here are a few four-color-combos that I couldn't resist sharing

Bambolina, Forbidden Forest, Monarch, My Happy Place

Blue Danube, Bellatrix, Purple Heart, Saruman

Joyful, Bambolina, Beso and Targaryen

And if you've read this long, here's your chance and winning three skeins of your choice of Pada Sock! Just tell me in the comments below what three colors you'd choose before noon EST this Friday, August 7, and I'll randomly choose one commenter to win. If you win, you'll have a chance to change your mind or tell me if you want all three in one color, so to enter tell me your three overall favorite colors.

And perhaps I'm burying the lead here, but b/c of you, we donated $2372.00 to the Boys and Girls Club today! I told you that for each order we shipped out July 25-31 (as our part in giving back to others during our Christmas in July event online) we would donate $2. We shipped out 593 orders (that's a lot for our crew of 4). That made for a donation of $1186. And then my family and I decided that we wanted to contribute too, so we matched that for a total of $2372 donated today! THANK YOU for your constant support of SSYC. This is the second donation we've made during COVID-times to our Boys and Girls Club who is doing so much to serve kids and families in our communities. If you are unsure how to help others right now, donating your time, expertise or money to a cause you believe in is a really nice way to make a difference. And please do share your contributions with others- don't hide your work in serving others! I think it's helpful to see how many small bits can add up to something larger. Your part may not seem big in the overall scheme of things, but each drop of rain matters in a drought... or in knitters' terms, each stitch adds up to a finished piece.