Simply Socks Yarn Co. Blog

Ask the Knitters

Dear Knitters,

Can you please share with me your most awful knitting blunders? I recently picked up a shawl that I was 3/4 through knitting. It uses a chart, and I must have been watching TV too closely because I read the chart backward, and now I have to tear out. Lace.

Please share your worst (or the worst of a friend, even!) so I don't feel like such a buffoon.

Sincerely,

Jane, Perhaps the Worst Chart Reader Ever to Roam the Earth

 

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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.

A Weekend of Knitting & Kids Stuffs

My kitchen has been taken over by Henry's science fair project this past month, and now that we're seeing an end to this scientific process, I know I'll have less knitting time. That's because I've really been able to get more stitches in while just sitting at the table with him, giving him a hand here and there when needed. It's been a fun project, really, and a nice way to slow down and spend time together - with the added bonus of getting more stitches in.

I also got some knitting in over the weekend during Henry's basketball games. This picture  was taken at half time right after Henry scored. That kid is SO happy when he scores (usually just once a game) and his smile is just huge. He lives on that excitement all week and it propels him through his practices, which are after dinner and usually at a time when he'd typically be sitting on the couch relaxing with us. So nailing those shots really gives him the umph to keep on keeping on when it's snowy and cold and he'd love to be lazier.

The yarn is one of the colors from this third month of club yarns that shipped last week. It looks like most of you have yours now, so I'm comfortable sharing one of the three colors and how it knits up. It's not a color I would usually choose to knit because it's more neutral and I tend to go for pizzaz. But it spoke to me and I really like how it's knitting up. In my head, I'm calling these the Observation Socks because I've knit them while observing Henry living his very full, 10-year-old life. I've knit it while helping him with science fair and while watching him play basketball.

Now, I don't get any knitting done while observing 15 year old James because I'm currently teaching him to drive. TO DRIVE. This baby is driving. Which means my eyes are way wide open and I try not to get anxious while he cuts his turns close and takes 7 seconds to get going again after his full stops. Teaching a kid to drive is no joke on the nerves. But seeing him smile nearly the whole time and the convos we have while he does it is pretty darn cool. I know as soon as he gets home this afternoon he's going to ask to drive again.

Upcoming Valentine's Goodies

We have some super cute things coming soon for Valentine's Day, and this is just a taste! Striping sock sets, super cool stitch markers, and even some limited edition hat sets. Likely all available in 10 days or so, and I'll definitely check in to share exactly when.

I'm super excited that we are going to get some DK weight striping sock sets, in addition to the fingering weight ones.

I'm keeping hush on the hat sets for now, but they are super duper cute!

We also have the new assigned pooling colors coming from Dream in Color. And while they aren't Valentine themed, so many of you have been emailing about them that I did want to mention it. I hope in a week or two.

Dream in Color even has this pattern for their new hues.

We have all the new hues coming on Smooshy and Smooshy Cashmere soon, then Colossal Sock (our exclusive yarn) in the Sale Section later in the month.

All the Valentine Knits

I don't know what it is, maybe it's just love, but I want to knit all the Valentine colored knits this year. I'm not sure what form it will take, but I'm starting to wander the aisles at the shop and assemble a little list in my mind of the things that I'm considering knitting.

My first thought is this sweet and sassy combo of Cosy Posy sock yarn in Wildflower Graffiti with a mini skein of this Emma's Yarn in Oops I Did It Again. And wouldn't it be simply adorable in the Mini Bobble Sock pattern?

The Madelinetosh color Kauai is similar in coloration to Wildflower Graffiti above, but it has more splashes of color, and I like that too. I'd put it with the Christelle sock pattern. I don't know if I'd choose Twist Light Sock or Tosh Sock in Kauai, because I like them both. I could put them with a mini in Shut the Front Door (it's a bit bolder than Oops above), or if I'd just leave it as is as a one-colored sock.

I'm thinking of going the cashmere blend route (somehow I always end up in that aisle, squishing those skeins) and doing a More than Blush sock in Dream in Color's Smooshy Cashmere, shown below. Maybe in some Normandy socks. I could go more bold with Victoria or this Pop Up color.

An obvious choice is the Love color from Uschitita, dyed in the Netherlands. I mean, come on. Isn't this just spectacular? Maybe with the Denouement Socks? Or the Weasley Homestead?

Oh, and Buy me Flowers. That's a great one too.

 

Even though I'm pretty sure I'll do Valentine colored socks, I'm also considering putting together a whole slew of minis and a solid skein, or something like this set shown below and doing a Painting Waves cowl. I like the idea of it, but I know it will take longer than a pair of socks and I'd really like to get them done before actual Valentine's Day.

I'm going to keep wandering around and deciding what I'm in the mood for. I'll prob post some more when I find other things that are inspiring me to knit the love theme. Perhaps you want to come in this Saturday and wander around and find something for one of these patterns too. The sock patterns I shared today are free or low cost, so definitely worth queueing, IMHO. Or, email me, Allison at [email protected] and tell me what kind of color you are in the mood for, and we'll direct you to something awesome to get shipped to you ASAP so you, too, can knit up something Valentine themed.

Winter and Hats and Complaints

Can I tell you something I appreciate about winter this year, my 45th year of being a human? Wearing hats. Yes, has are lovely and a wonderful project and a fun way to play with color and pattern. But when finished, they also cover your gray roots! And I can wear them all winter, indoors and out, and look cute and cover my graying hair before I have my next color appointment.

Hats shown (my current rotation) are from former SSYC Hat Sets. This month's selection are now in the Kits & Clubs section. And I have some really cute ones planned for Valentine's Day coming up! Left is the Copycat CC Beanie and right is Wurm. Two of my go-to patterns and both free. The brim on the Wurm is a bit fiddly, but the doubled up fabric really does help keep the hat in place. Highly recommend doing it as written and not a simple rib.

I'm poking fun at myself right now, as this is meant to be lighthearted. But really, it has become a bit of a bother when the weather keeps changing every other day from 10 degrees to 55 degrees and I can't rely on my hats to cover my mismatched hairline. Why can't the weather stay consistent for awhile in the Midwest? And before you tell me I can just go gray and stop dyeing my hair.... mmmmm hmmmm, I know that's an option. But that's not me yet. And I'd just like to instead gripe about the weather changing. 

So I'll continue making and wearing hats because I know my natural color isn't going to get brown again. And I know that I neither have the time to get to the colorist every 4 weeks, nor do I want to go gray yet. Le sigh.

In other hat-related news, for those in our Hat Club, your second month shipment left the building today and it's striped and I LOVE IT SO MUCH. And Ysolda Teague supported it with a pattern. Yes, the Ysolda. Yes, I just shouted at you. But it's worth a shout. So if you're in that club make sure to check your email later today for your pattern. If you're in the sock club too, that one is like10 times bigger than the hat club and takes more time and will ship next week. We usually ship clubs mid month but our holiday break and other things put us a week behind this year. Thanks for being patient with us!

January's SSYC Hat Sets

Monthly hat sets are back and this month I'm featuring something that I'm totally obsessed with. Tweeds.

There's something about Donegal that brings a different dimension to a colorway. Those natural tweedy flecks just really add a bit of something that I can't live without. I want to collect, knit and obsess over all the tweeds.

Above are Emerald Camo and Melon Mimosa

So this month I decided to focus only on Tweed DK blends - two colors are from US dyer Less Traveled Yarn (above), two are from Irish dyer Life in the Long Grass, and three are the first time we've offered a DK option from Irish mill Olann Mills. Seriously great options, all of them. 

Above are Antique Rose and Tinkerbell sets

I can't get over how much I love all these. Especially the Tinkerbell set above and the three from Olann Mills below. I'll let you have time to grab yours first before I start stashing for myself!

Above are Midnight Oasis, Milky Way Riot and Arctic Fox kits

If you're as much of a tweed fanatic as I am, it's worth looking at the sock weight tweeds we have right now too like those from Less Traveled Yarn, Hue Loco, Qing Fibres (from the UK). Those are definitely worth trying if you haven't yet. And then you can pair them with a solid mini for toes and heels for the best socks ever.

Ask the Knitters

Dear Knitters,

I started knitting socks two years ago, and last year found hand dyed yarn and started knitting mostly with those (thank you, Allison!). I really like trying new dyers and seeing how differently they knit.

But my current socks, a rainbow-y colored hand dyed skein, are knitting up differently than I expected. The finished sock is random in how the color is laying on the sock (variegated), but the one that I'm halfway through is striping more. The sock looks nearly self striping! They are the same skein, but are knitting up differently! 

Is this a bad skein? Am I doing something wrong? I don't understand - I'm using the same needles, the same yarn, I cast on 64 stitches. Everything seems to be the same, but the socks look different.

Should I rip it out? They are for me, so I don't know if I mind that they look different, but I'm confused.

Thanks, Knitters!

-Patricia in Arizona

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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.

Fleece Artist Thrum Mitten Kits

Whew! We are caught up on all the orders we got in while gone,  and wowza, it's nice to be back but WOAH. I forgot what it's like to close the shop for more than a weekend and come back and get everything done. It's a lot. 

What's made this week special is seeing how excited y'all are to see the Thrum Mitten Kits back in stock! There were so many emails and social media comments about how you've been waiting for these. The last time I got these from Canadian dyer Fleece Artist (you know, the ones doing their thing for more than 4 decades now) was last year and the new colors we got are just fab. We had one straggling box making its way through Customs, so if you pounced earlier this weekend, then you'll now see 8-10 more colors too.

Fire Opal set

If you're unfamiliar with thrumming, the Yarn Harlot herself has explained it pretty darn well here, but it's a simple and effective way to basically knit fleece lined mittens that are out-of-this-world comfy and warm.

Each time we get them, the sets are different. Jana and crew pair the colors of yarn with the sliver (fleece that pulls easily apart- all the hairs a basically in the same direction, if that makes sense, so it pulls apart easily so you can add it to your stitches here and there as you go) so that you get a side variety of sets. Some of the combos (like Mood Ring and Cosmos) have fleece that contrast wildly, and some sets like Fire Opal and Blackberry (above and below) are more matchy. 

Blackberry set

We also got in Fleece Artist's organic Cottage Sock, a combo of 80% organic merino and 20% nylon. Yes, it's still machine washable. But it's one of the few organic options for a sock yarn, if that's your thing. And because the exchange rate works in our favor, they are only $27 a skein, which is a fab deal for unbeatable hand dyed colorways on an organic wool blend yarn. The prices of Fleece Artist only went up about 5%, which is half to a third of what we've seen industry wide in the past year.

I don't have any of the new Cottage Sock colors up on the website yet, but I will very soon. Likely Thursday. And this batch of thrum mitten kits is selling out fast, so if you see something you like disappear before you grab it, just know that I hope to get more later in spring when I also get their Casbah (merino/cashmere/nylon sock yarn). I do have a bit of their Merino Sock in stock too. And at $23 a skein, it's a total steal. This is the first hand dyed sock yarn I carried in the shop when we opened over 17 years ago, but sadly it's not available anymore. We hope it's milled again, but the pandemic has changed a lot of things. Fingers crossed.

Are you coming to see us this Saturday? We have our shop open days posted through the summer, and I post them all here on Facebook too (see, it lists each day then says +45 more that you can click on to see them all for the year), so plan a visit with your friends! The weather's been downright travel friendly, which is odd compared with the last few years. It's definitely good for a day trip for yarn and lunch at one of our fave restaurants (we have as list at the shop for you).

We're Back & Ready to Serve You!

After our holiday break, we're now back at it today at SSYC! We have SO MUCH yarn to share with you after we get the week+ backlog of orders on their way to you. I can't wait to share. And it finally includes those coveted thrummed mitten kits (yarn+fleece+pattern) from the first hand dyer we carried over 17 years ago..... Fleece Artist. It's been a year since we've had those for you and we have SO many color options to share soon.

It's going to take a day (or three) to get through the hundreds of e-mails and orders we have, but we will be as quick as we can. And for those who placed an order during out break, you'll find a brightly colored coupon in your parcel (look in the plastic bag protecting your yarn) for free shipping. Contactless pickup starts on Jan 5 (if you left a note on your order with a pick up date), and our next shop-in-person day is Saturday, Jan 14.... and I'll be officially 45 years old by then. Woot!

I had a really nice, refreshing break. I didn't open my computer even once (and that hasn't happened since before COVID). I'm so ready to serve you all and be back at it. Especially after seeing this really nice e-mail in my Inbox today. It warms my heart to know that what we do affects you and those you love, so thank you, Andrea, for sharing this note and photo. And allowing me to share it with others today.

I would like to thank you. My son is in the Army; we are visiting him and his family for the holidays. I was knitting a sock when he said that his Army issue socks weren't warm enough during winter training exercises and the ones I made him (about 10 years ago, and I was surprised he still had them) were way better. Well, what else is a mom to do but scour the internet for sturdy sock yarn in appropriate colors.
SSY Solids in camo and khaki were perfect. So this mom thanks you for keeping her soldier boy's feet warm.