Simply Socks Yarn Co. Blog

Free US Shipping Through Friday!

We're celebrating SSYC's 18th Yarniversary all summer with new yarns, gifts with purchase, big sales and more! This week's gift is Free US Shipping Tuesday through Friday! Just place your order online as usual and enter code BirthdayShipping in the coupon code field in your Cart and you'll see that your US Shipping is free (sorry, friends, International shipping is way too pricey to offer for free). This coupon code will work today through Friday, June 30th. It can be used twice per person during this time.

It's worth entering the code in the Cart as you go shopping b/c some of the faster Check Out methods like ApplePay can breeze you past the coupon code entry field at Check Out. But if you forget, just respond to your receipt and ask for me, Allison, to apply it for you.

What might you like to get to treat yourself to a wonderful summer knit? We all need a small project to take from place to place, one that doesn't sit on our laps and heat us up, something portable and easy like a self patterning sock to enjoy while sipping a tasty drink on vacation. All my projects this summer are single skein projects. I'm working on an Opal Country color this week (shown above). I have a huge array of Opal Yarn right now. And I'm super pleased that it's finally cotton blend sock yarn season. If you want to knit wool-free options for yourself or others, I have two new options in Cotton Sox and Cherub Sock from Cascade Yarns. I also have the newest Regia cotton collection. Springtime Mood includes 8 dappled colorways that are delicate yet colorful.

If you want hot summer hues, check out yesterday's blog post for all the new hues from Hue Loco in their Disco collection. Shown below, I have them all available on Merino Sock and Tweed Sock. If you'd like to see knit up samples of all these colors, check out this blog post.

Want something to show off to your friends? Madelinetosh has just that for you. They dyed up this limited edition Unwind DK for us for our 18th birthday. It's a preknit tape that they then dye. To use it you simply pull the thread from the end. Cool, right? Think hats like this one. Want to see more? Check out our Insta Reels here and here.

We have added three new dyers to the shop this summer already! First, The Sheepy Shire. These beautiful hues are perfect for color lovers. I have Sock, Sport (yes, thicker weight merino/nylon!) and Mohair.

Then I have a dye studio that you may have noticed at fiber fairs around the US, Leading Men Fiber Arts. That's right, you don't have to travel or sweat your buns off at a festival if you want their goodies - just let us ship them to ya!

And if you love specially milled yarn and different breeds of wool, check out the blog post where I shared info about John Arbon Textiles. 

Love a great accessory? We have new Lemonwood Fiber Tools. Right now I have their Mini Minders, which are a super cool way to stitch on the go. You wrap the leather strand around your wrist, and the Minder hangs there (it weighs like 3 ounces, so super light) and twists as you pull your yarn from the cake. It's just so cool. I also have matching multi tools if you like a nice needle gauge/ruler. Find 'em all here.

If you're new to SSYC, we have more Malabrigo, Madelinetosh and Emma's Yarn than you've likely seen anywhere. Really. We offer all colors of our lines of Malabrigo, 300+ colors of Madelinetosh. And an ever growing collection of Emma's Yarn. Here's what our shop looks like on any given day!

Finally, our ever changing Sale Yarn section is always a great find. And with deals up to 50% off on hundreds of options, you can get premium yarn at a song. Like this Gusto Wool Echoes gradient sock yarn. It's two 50g skeins of yarn that match, so you get two matching gradient socks! And while some gradient yarns are $24-$30, this is $15 in the Sale Yarn section!

I hope you find something awesome to treat yourself to. We all deserve a smile, don't we? And I hope that offering you free shipping makes it that much easier for you to find a new knit that makes you grin. We definitely appreciate treating you to goodies this summer as we celebrate 18 years of serving you. Thank you for your support and allowing us to do what we love for so long!

Edited to add:

The National Park Collection from Fleece Artist has arrived, and it's dyed specially on a new sock yarn blend - a superb BFL wool/nylon blend that's wonderful for socks. I'll blog next week about project ideas, but there are a couple patterns I can email you after your purchase (just respond to your emailed receipt and ask for them), including this sock pattern.

Cherry Swirl sock pattern free with Fleece Artist purchase.

At the Disco with Hue Loco

Want a hot summer party vibe to your knitting? Then join me with the At the Disco collection from Hue Loco! 

These colors are vivid and fresh, a total party on the needles, if you ask me. They all look great together, but also separately of course. And LOOK AT THIS.... KNIT & CROCHETED SAMPLES. Yes, I shouted it. Just go with it.

Y'all know it's rare for a small hand dyer to knit samples, let alone crochet them too. So let's show Hue Loco some love by buying up all their yarn. I have these colors available on Merino Sock (a merino/nylon combo) and Tweed Sock. I also have a nice selection of other colors too at those links. Plus all their Backyard Chicken Collection colors too. Oh, and want a funny story? Two weeks ago, someone purchased one of those chicken-inspired yarns. Then filed a dispute with Paypal because he wanted an actual chicken. Mailed and delivered to his house. From a yarn shop. In the dispute, I replied "We are a yarn shop that sells yarn. Not a chicken shop that sells chickens." I just had to laugh! But really.... I thought it was pretty insulting that a dude found it more plausible that a yarn shop would need to sell actual chickens to stay open, rather than people actually wanting fancy themed yarn to enjoy. That the pictures of yarn were just there for fun, and the details of the yarn were just side note worth ignoring b/c who would want gorgeous yarn over a chicken? Insert eye roll.

Now, you know that the knit up pictures represent a different dyelot of the yarn. The photos I took of the skeins on our website actually represent the coloration you'd receive. Which is why most hand dyers don't knit up samples - they know that their knit up photo just represents that little batch and not ALL of the yarn that all of the shops will get. But I'm sharing them b/c I think it's a good example of what to expect when knitting it up. Not exact, but an idea.

John Arbon Textiles - UK Yarn Now HERE!

No one is happier than my shop manager Heather about this one, folks. She urged me to offer the wools of John Arbon Textiles, and our big order has made it through to the US and is now here! If you appreciate a more rustic wool, something that isn't slick like merino typically is, and you like the flecks of color variation that different breeds give a skein, AND you love the drape and feel of non-merino wools, this is for you. And Heather. And I must admit that I'm in lurve too.

John Arbon Textiles is a mill (click that link on your lunch and learn all about it!) run by Helena and Sonja (who recently took it over from John). Established in 2001, it's a traditional British mill based on a very simple concept - a return to old-style textile manufacture by sustainably sourcing raw fibre locally, wherever possible, and converting it into high quality yarns. The mill is situated in the heart of North Devon, and the surrounding Exmoor landscape provides not only local sheep breeds for the yarn, but inspiration for color.

I really do recommend reading up on their website about their mill and how awesome it is. It totally makes me want to travel there for one of their mill weekends. Of course, I have a perfect sock yarn for you in Exmoor Sock. But I also have a superb (non superwash) Devonia 4ply Fingering and Devonia DK. These are both fine for socks that you will give a bit more care too, but just perfect for shawls and sweaters too. I can't wait to see what we all make with it! For the past few days, I've been going back to Ravelry project pages to see what people have made with Devonia DK and I find the color combos so inspiring.

You might notice the fun color names of Exmoor Sock. I asked their team to tell me more about the fun names, and they had this to say, "The Exmoor Sock shade names are inspired by the changing seasons of our local Exmoor landscape, and the flower and fauna that call the national park home. The names although they sound like gibberish are actual words taken from the traditional local dialect of days gone by."

Here's a translation of the Exmoor Sock names and what they might mean to us here in the US:

Aggy (caterpillar)

Bell Heather (moorland shrub)

Bibble Bug (woodlouse)

Blooth (blossom)

Bulderin’ Clouds (storm is brewing)

Dimity (dusk)

Drumble (bumblebee)

Fairy Thimble (foxglove)

Fuzzpig (hedgehog)

Hemel (wooded valley)

Mackerel-Sky (cloud formation)

Mizzle (light rain)

Oddmedod (snail)

Peggles (berries)

Plashes (puddles)

Quick Beam (rowan tree berries)

Whortleberries (wild blueberries)

I hope you all find something you love in this new line. One of their popular colorwork collections is being reworked, and I'll be offering that hopefully in the fall too. 

Madelinetosh Unwind DK

Y'all. This stuff is really cool. If you like trying new things or likes to be the person to show off the new things to your friends in person and on social media, this is for you. It's also an awesome way to infuse some more excitement into your summer knitting - you get the amazing dyeing of Madelinetosh, but using a unique method - instead of dyeing their colors on skeins, they are dyed on preknit tape. And to knit it, you simple pull on the strand at the beginning/end of the tape and unravel the strand from the tape as you knit.

Accra Evening

It reminds me of knitting from a sock blank, only less wide. And I like that the colors of Tosh will take on a whole new way of knitting up. Instead of a one inch random splash of color on the skein, you get several inches of some colors, each kind of melting into the next. And the speckles take on a new twist too, as they could go on for a few inches as well. Really, it's somewhat unpredictable (like knitting a color from a skein) but in a new way!

Fiji

I'm unsure how limited this yarn is. When Tosh made one color a few months ago to test it, I immediately asked if they would be interested in dyeing up a few dozen of my fave colors as a way to celebrate our 18th birthday. They were totally in, and I'm so pleased! So, for now, you'll find it at SSYC. It would be nice if it's something we and other shops can get once in awhile, but I don't have info on that. So if you like it, get it now. It can be used interchangeable with Tosh DK, if you wanted to add a solid to your project or something like that. And it's the same price too.

Neon Crush..... totally swoonworthy.

I posted a couple videos here and here. And I grabbed a few for myself that I hope to share as I start knitting them. But like is so busy right now that I'm unsure when I'll have time to start those. I thought things would slow down once summer started..... but.... 5 tons of yarn has arrived. Plus another ton of club yarn. And I'm at a yarny conference in Chicago this week. And we just had a week long party. And all our kids are on summer break. And. Well, you understand!

Leading Men Fiber Arts @ SSYC!

I'm so happy to welcome the dyers of Leading Men Fiber Arts to Simply Socks Yarn Company! Steve and Andy draw inspiration from theatre, pop culture, and landscapes, and they consider themselves to be "The Leading Men" in yarn. I have to agree, as their colors certain stand out when I've seen them at fiber fairs and festivals. They've been dyeing yarn for a decade now, and if you've been to a midwest fiber fair, you've seen the lines to peruse their booth, for sure. But you don't have to visit a festival in the 90 degree heat - just order it now at SSYC!

Right now, I have their full sized Show Stopper Sock Yarn skeins and Show Stopper Mini Skein Sets (6 minis). I will definitely be adding more of their wares to the shop later this fall. But my shop manager Heather will likely need another 2000 square feet to even orangize what's arrived this month alone. And I'd like her to stick around for another 10+ years (as I know you all do to).

Now, how about this Confectionary Scarf that uses a full sized skein and a mini set? The guys made this one from Heirloom and Spectrometer minis. BUT GOODNESS, I've started going down the rabbit hole of color combos, as one does. Sunny Side Up and Fortune Teller? Bare Necessities and WandaVision? Smokey Quartz and Ron Burgundy? (Must. Break. Free.)

What else is arriving? Well, Unwind DK is here from Tosh. SSYC is the only place to get this fun yarn (details tomorrow or Thursday). I'm unsure if it's something that they will offer more regularly, but right now Tosh made one color a few months ago and then sent us a bunch of colors to celebrate our birthday. It's dyed on a preknit tape, and if you've knit from a sock blank before, it's like that- you pull the strand from one end and it unravels as you knit. I posted a couple videos here and here.

Then we are welcoming a new imported yarn, John Arbon Textiles. New Regia. Super 18th birthday deals from Dream in Color and Madelinetosh. Two new wool-free yarns from Cascade. Laneras Yarn Co (the new yarn we featured two months ago in the sock yarn club!). At the Disco collection from Hue Loco. Qing.

OMG SO MUCH YARN to share soon.

SSYC's 18th Birthday Super Sale

Today's our last day of our in person, week long 18th Birthday Party, and next week we are starting a summer full of online celebration (here's a little video)! What's first? A crazy good sale on some wonderful yarn.

What will you find? Gusto Wool's gradient Echo Sock will be back. And while we had this once before at at $18 a ball, this time it will be $15. That's a crazy deal for a hand dyed, gradient yarn that's put up in two 50g balls so that you have matching socks. Other gradient skeins we have are over $30 a ball, so consider stocking up. You could do simple stockinette socks, or pair the gradient with one of these solids and make these beautiful mosaic socks.

Then we'll have a big restock of our exclusive base from Dream in Color, Colossal Sock. Hot summer hues and all the assigned pooling colors that you've been waiting for. This is the base that is 150g skeins for $24. So 50% more yarn for 45% off comparable retail.

 

I love these two colors together - Universe is Yours and Indigo. Don't they just make each other even better? Perhaps in this cowl? 

Want self patterning yarns? I'll have some from Berroco, KFI, OnLine, and Lang Super Soxx for the first time. This includes some silk and cashmere blends!

I think there's more, but the shop's busy today and I'm not fully caffeinated yet. I can't wait to share with you all the other deals, special yarns, Knit Kits, contests, gifts and other goodies we will have for you this summer. It's really going to be an epic one!

Today is the last day to sign up for our upcoming 18th Birthday Splash Sock Yarn Club. I do believe it will be sold out later today, so if you didn't sign up and want to, please do hurry. Thank you SO much for your interest in this club. It is, by far, our largest enrollment ever in a club. It's a super deal, and I can't wait for you to see the colors. There are vivid, fun color and interesting neutrals.... I chose some really good, varied options in self patterning yarn. And the price just can't be beat.

End of the Year and Party Prep

I just wanted to stop for a minute and share my gratitude with you before this busy week turns into a busier week next week. 18 years ago today I opened a small online shop out of a bedroom in my first house. Before I had kids, before I had an actual storefront, and while I still had a day job and another part time job in a coffee shop. As a 26 year old kid (yes, I really was a kid, I think) I loved knitting socks, and my local shop didn't have more than a few balls and rudimentary online shops didn't have much either. This was before Amazon was a big thing, afterall, so online shopping wasn't great. But I thought, hey, I can try opening an online shop and see if I can make $40 a day so I can stay home with future kids.

Shop restoration, 13 years ago

Then the online shop grew fast and within 6 months I had quit my full time government job and two years after that moved the online shop into a much bigger space, I was able to hire help finally, then a couple years later moved into our restored 1940s post office and grew into what SSYC is today.

This quick recap is just to share how much my life has changed and continues to because of your constant support. I know that the team we've created here has changed as have the families of the dyers and companies we support have all changed for the better too. We all rely on your support on a daily basis and we all know that.

So, today I'll be spending time with my boys on their first day of summer break (Henry's already partied out from yesterday, as you can see LOL), while monitoring the Splash Sock Yarn Club sales and answering emails about it - it's half sold out in two days! Then later tonight I'll start preparing for the party next week - I'll try and share on Instagram the balloon installations happening tonight! I loved what Pop Pop Balloons did for our party last year so am having them back. And then the online celebration that will start soon after. All with a grateful heart. Thank you for being a part of my life for some or all of the past 18 years. My family and many other families are supremely thankful for you.

SSYC's 18th Birthday Splash Sock Club

It's time for our latest 3 month club and it features not 3 but NINE balls of yarn over three months. Yep, for real. For just $112 you get to try our next 9 colors of our Splash Sock Yarn, a self patterning yarn that's addictive to knit and easy care. That's a 40% savings of normal retail pricing, just for enrolling in the club! That's a heck of a birthday deal, isn't it?

The first time we featured our Splash Sock Yarn in our fall club, it sold out fast and was our highest enrollment ever in a club in all our years. I was able to add 30% more space this time, so I hope I have enough room for everyone that wants to enroll. So feel free to share this link with friends or in your social media forums, because there should be enough time to sign up, unlike last time when it was closed in a couple days.

By enrolling and paying now, you will receive a special package of different three balls of self patterning sock yarn (approx 430 yards, 75% superwash merino, 25% nylon) in the middle of the month in July, August and September. Nine different balls total over three months. US shipping is included in the $112 price, which means that you're getting a super deal of around $10 per ball of premium self patterning yarn.
If you are ordering outside the US, please know that we might e-mail you when it's time to ship because we are still having problems shipping to some countries some of the time, and sometimes there's a small added cost if we can ship or a delay if we cannot. A few packages have had to wait nearly two months to ship b/c of logistics issues or triple the shipping cost that is out of our control. 

This is our second time doing a house brand club that self patterns. There's a wide array of colors and styles coming your way and I am positive that you'll enjoy knitting what you get, just as I did when we first released it last fall. We have had so many requests to offer SSYC Splash Sock in the shop on a regular basis, but we can't even keep up with demand for the club amounts, so we don't have enough to go around for normal sales in the shop yet. Here's hoping that we will be able to in the future though, because this really is super yarn (and an unbeatable value) and I really love the colors featured in this upcoming club.

This is one of the colors from the previous club that I used to make Henry some socks. It's not a color I would typically choose for myself, but Henry loved it. And isn't that the fun of joining clubs? We get to try new things?

Thank you for making our clubs fun and successful. I love seeing y'all re-enroll year after year, and I love getting feedback from newbies too! If you have questions, feel free to e-mail me, Allison at [email protected]. But since the weekend is nearly upon us and our big week-long birthday party starts in a few days, please don't wait for an email back from me to sign up b/c I don't want it to sell out before I get back to you in a day or two. It's a crazy good deal for premium yarn, afterall. And after the super feedback we got from our last Splash Sock Yarn Club, I expect this one to be even more popular.