Simply Socks Yarn Co. Blog

SSYC's Socktober Quirky Sock Yarn Club is LIVE!

It's time to celebrate Socktober with a heck of a deal on our next three month Sock Yarn Club!

SSYC's Socktober "Quirky Sock Yarn" Club features a super Socktober 40% off deal on our new Quirky Sock, which is a fingering weight marled yarn. What is marled? It means that each ply or strand is a different color before being plied or twisted together in a yarn. Think Trekking XXL from 15 years ago - you know, the yarn that we all wish would come back. Also very similar to Opal's Black Dragon Cascade's Heritage Wave.... but ours are more varied in color instead of focusing on one color idea (like just blue or green or red, etc), like Cascade does.

This club features not one but TWO 100g balls (so enough for two pairs socks each month) of our new Quirky Sock Yarn each month, mid month November-December-January. And the price is just $74, which includes all six balls of yarn plus the cost of shipping for two months - our normal $6 shipping fee is added to your order, and that counts as your third month shipping fee. It's a super Socktober deal of around 40% off regular retail price. Trekking XXL is $18 a ball, so this is a huge savings over retail price and shipping of around $120 just for trying out our first foray into our shop's new sock yarn. After checking out today, you need do nothing else but wait to receive the "Club has Shipped!" e-mail around the 15th of each month that includes pattern ideas and a coupon code.

Here are a few examples of marled yarn. Each of the 6 different colors in the club is a surprise until you open your parcel and see which two you got that month.

So, it's kinda like a hand spun look. But with the durability of a superwash merino/nylon commercially made yarn. I've also heard it described as how they expect traditional hand knit socks to look - kind of heathered and marled. Highly coveted look, but not made much anymore because it is more labor intensive. Make sense?

Want more info? It's all fingering weight. Machine wash and dry (though I only recommend machine drying any sock yarn on warm til it's 80-90% dry). Superwash merino/nylon. Well over 400 yards, so plenty for my size 11 feet. And if you're doing larger socks, just add a solid like this to it for toes and heels. Yes, you can order more than one club if you want more than one ball of each color. Yes, it would be great for shawls, baby sweaters and other accessories too. It's quite soft to the touch but durable. Think of how traditional German yarns are nice and tightly plied.

Have other questions? Feel free to leave comments here or email me, Allison, at [email protected].

Those who are outside of the US and have joined us before know that the price of shipping is quite high internationally now, and so most of you have been choosing to have all three months of your club shipped at once rather than pay more for shipping- we contact international customers about the actual shipping rate, which can sometimes add another $30-50 to the cost if you choose to get yours in three shipments instead of one.

Our last club got such fab feedback and the largest enrollment we've ever done for our clubs. This is great yarn to stash and keep on hand if you want a few balls of great stuff to knit up without breaking the bank. And it's so fun to open your parcel each month and see a surprise. It can make you think outside your normal crayon-box-of-colors, and help you have yarn on hand for different people who like different things. I do hope you'll join us!

In the past, I try and keep our clubs open for around two weeks. Last year's Socktober club sold out in just three days and the one before that solid out in under 48 hours. This is the least expensive club we've ever offered in our 18 years, so I don't recommend waiting too long to decide. Clubs aren't eligible for our typical return policy, so once you complete your order, you're subscribed/paid for three months. 

What else do we have planned for Socktober? Take a look above and below at some of the goodies that will go live next week. Tuesday we will be releasing our Fall and Halloween themed goodies- kits and sock set and stitch markers and more! Then each week of Socktober we'll be celebrating with a different perk - our Great Socktober Sale, a free shipping week, contests and more! Socktober is the month for all things sock knitting! 

Living Vicarious Through Your Knits

Today I'm continuing with my week long (so far) theme of sharing some of your projects leading up to the start of month-of-the-sock-knitter, Socktober!  I'm sharing some knits of Brenda, someone who I love to live vicariously through when she comes to the shop. Whether it's planning colors for her next project (like this one or this one) or seeing her show-and-tells, I love seeing color through her eyes.

Here are a few things that Brenda brought into the shop this past Saturday to share with you.

This is her Rebel. A lovely shawlette and she chose Madelinetosh TML+Copper.... I believe in Cherry and Calligraphy. I recall that she even started in in another solid, but the contrast wasn't as great as was hoped, so she started it over to make it right. I love when we have no fear about tearing out and starting over!

Then Brenda made great use of Urth Yarn Uneek Fingering (which stripes) and Monokrom to make her Vacation Butterfly. Gorgeous, right?

She also brought in her La Mondiola wrap, which was part of the Malabrigo Arroyo KAL last year. 

Last year during the KAL we shared other color ideas in sport weight Arroyo, should you want to make one for yourself. If you hover over the images, you'll see the color numbers in the file names.

I hope this gives you a bit of inspiration on what you might put on your needles next!

Kendra's Weekender

I mean. COME ON. Is this not the best? The pattern, the yarn choice, the smile?

Kendra wore this into the shop on Saturday, and I'm so glad I spied her at the check out, because otherwise I would have completely missed this perfection of a sweater.

Now, we know I don't have the patience for a sweater. I've tried. And failed. But this one? If I thought I had grown patience in the past five years since I last tried, I would make this is exact one. A Weekender  in Tosh DK color Umbrella Sky Grunge. 

Have you seen or made a sweater lately that you just can't get over how perfect it is? Do email me pictures! I'll be showing off all your projects this week as we lead up to our happiest month of the year, Socktober!

And just because I feel like sharing, here is another one of my fave combos from a couple years back, Diana's Salted in Hedgehog FIbres Merino DK color Fools Gold. There's just something about this combo that I love. That she put a variegated color with a bit of lace at the top. And that the color shifts in an unexpected way across the entire sweater. We'll be getting A LOT of Hedgehog Fibres imported from Ireland in about a month, so if you've been waiting for something, that would be the time.

Ann's Teroldego Shawl

Below is an inspiring shawl that club member Ann knit. It's the Teroldego pattern and she combined one of July's colors with solids she had stashed at home (several are from this line) to make this stunning piece.

And she's using two teal-y ones from the club and a solid for this one next.

And for those who have been asking about if we are doing a Socktober club again.... why yes we are! It will go up for sale a week from today and it's priced under $75 for three months of a special new yarn! I'm so excited about this one. It's a new sock yarn line for us, a house brand called SSYC Quirky Sock, and it reminds me of how Trekking XXL used to be - it's a marled yarn so each ply in the strand is a different color and looks kinda like hand spun but the durability of a Trekking XXL or other high quality sock yarn. It would also make amazing additions to shawls with solids like the above. I'll share details on Insta and FB and here a few days from now. I can't wait to share this with you!

Loose Ends Project

Recently I heard from Masey Kaplan, founder of Loose Ends Project, which aims to ease grief, create community, and inspire generosity by matching volunteer handwork finishers with projects people have left unfinished due to death or disability. The idea for Loose Ends came about when the founders, Jennifer Simonic and Masey Kaplan, both avid knitters, realized that they had a shared experience: Friends would often ask them to finish blankets, sweaters, or other projects left undone by deceased loved ones. They always do so enthusiastically, understanding what it feels like to wear something a loved one has made. 

They began this effort last September and it's quickly grown to include nearly 17,000 volunteer finishers from 60 countries. There is no charge to have projects finished. They have matched more than 1200 projects to volunteer finishers in the first year.

If you think this is something you might like to participate in sometime, or keep info about just in case, here's their flyer. You can also visit their website. I love the idea of this and thought there are many of you that would like to know more too.

Jan's Bring Me Sunshine Shawl

Through the end of the month, I'll be featuring some projects that y'all are sharing with me. You all make such inspirational things, and leading up to Socktober I wanted to share many of them!

Take a look at the Bring Me Sunshine Shawl that Jan F. made!

She knit this using some prize yarn she won in our 12 Days of Sock Yarn last year. She used a ball of Cascade Heritage Prints in the 125-Lisa color. Just more proof that yarns labeled as "sock yarn" can be used for so much more, right?

Do you have favorite shawlette patterns that you make with sock yarn? Sockhead Cowl is always my go-to. And the Free for All and Willow cowls seem to be a faves in the shop. But I'd totally like to branch out with your ideas. Especially ideas for all the self patterning yarns I have.

August Honey Sock

A couple weeks ago we gave away some goodies with your purchases. One of those was the August Honey pattern from This Handmade Life. Today I'm sharing what I think is just a perfect combo of yarn and pattern using Qing Fibre's Super Soft Sock in Biscuit.

Isn't this divine? Julie S. knit these and said "It is the perfect marriage of yarn and pattern. I’ve made many things, and these are among my most proud moments!"

She also said that "The yarn was a dream to work with! Biggest issue was trying to find a cable needle small enough. Would certainly recommend the yarn base!" How do you solve the issue of needing a specific size of cable needle? Just use a DP in its place to hold stitches? Other ideas?

We have a really wide array of colors in Qing's Super Soft Sock right now, so if you wanted to do something similar, now's the time. I like that this pattern looks super with solids but would also look great with speckles and more varied colors too. I like the idea of using Time Traveler, below.

Do you have a project you'd like to share on the blog? I'll be sharing lots of projects throughout the rest of the month as we lead up to Socktober. So please do email me at [email protected] if you'd like me to share some of your inspiration!

Malabrigo KAL Progress - Week 2

I started my Malabrigo KAL project last weekend, and I'm really pleased with the progress I've made so far! 

I knit it Saturday at a family baby shower.

I knit it Sunday while having a lazy day and enjoying episodes of The Pioneer Woman.

I knit so much that I am now on something I would equate to the feeling of "sleeve island" where you knit and knit and knit for hours and barely see progress. That's because I have 310 stitches on the needles and am knitting stockinette for 22 rows. A LONG TIME.

Shop Manager Heather, on the other hand IS FINISHED WITH HERS ALREADY.

HOLY WOW. This is the picture she texted me around 10:00 last night as it was being blocked. We'll get better ones later but I just couldn't resist sharing. Now, keep in mind that Heather received the pattern over a month ago and even passed along some editing help to Malabrigo, and she really started knitting a lot on hers about 2-3 weeks ago. So she was much farther than the rest of us before the KAL even started. But even knowing that, isn't this impressive? She's a total pro.

Are you knitting this project? The pattern is available here if you want to join. We are happy to help you come up with your chosen colors if you are unsure. You need two skeins of Ultimate Sock and three skeins of Mohair. Some are choosing two different colors like Heather who chose Pocion in Ultimate Sock and Tigers Eye in Mohair. I chose two skeins of the same color, Indiecita. I do love the watery greens. Find combos suggestions here on last week's blog.

If you'd like to email me at [email protected] with your project photos or links to your Ravelry page, I'd love to show them off here on the blog. I'll be blogging throughout the rest of this month sharing all sorts of projects that you've made recently, so please do reach out if you'd like to share any of yours with the blog readers! You all have emailed me some great photos recently, so I'll be sharing some of those this week and next as we lead up to Socktober.

Stash Up! 20% off Coupon Code on Select Lines

We are saying good bye to several collections we offer at SSYC. Some have closed up shop (Kenyarn, Wooly Wonka, Less Traveled, Olann, Trekking XXL), some are taking long breaks, others we will welcome back later. Now's your chance to get a fab deal on these and enhance your stash in the process! Use coupon code Stash20 to see 20% come off these lines:

Kenyarn

Less Traveled Yarn

Dream in Color, Jilly

Fleece Artist, Merino Sock

Fiberstory Mini Sets

Skein Yarn

Olann of Ireland

Wooly Wonka Fibers

Zitron, Trekking XXL

Mommy Sews for SSYC

Again, most of these will not come back to SSYC so if you adore these dyers, it's a great time to snag them. These are super yarns, and have been a wonderful part of our shop, but it's time to let them go and make room for others (and boy, are we adding some fab things this winter). We expect to be quite busy, so please do allow us a day or two to ship your order, rather than the same day shipping we often provide.

All items purchased with the coupon code are Final Sale and not eligible for our return policy, and the coupon code can not be applied on purchases before today. Some of the fast-checkout options (Paypal and ApplePay) breeze you through the coupon code portion, so if you miss applying it at Check Out, just respond to your emailed receipt and as me to apply it for you.

We don't offer coupon codes on our yarns very often, and this is a considerable array of goods. I hope you enjoy this opportunity to try something new, fill out your stash with colors or fibers that you don't have on hand, or purchase a gift for a friend. Enjoy!

Cascade Yarn Mosaic Options Mystery KAL

Want to knit along with Cascade Yarns in their newest fall knitalong? Many of you have come to us for yarn for the past several years to participate - not only do we offer EVERY color of Cascade 220 Superwash, but we also ship very fast. And if we don't have the colors/quantities you need, you just email us at [email protected] and we add it to our next order and get it to you in about 10 days. Really, it can be that fast. And that's plenty of time, since the KAL doesn't even start for another three weeks. Want more details? 

Well, as I have it right now, this pattern uses the mosaic technique, which is a great way to get the look of fancy colorwork without the complication. Basically, just by slipping different stitches, you get cool designs like you see in patterns like this one. It's my understanding that like their KALs in the past, Cascade will email you once a week with the latest "clue" or part of the pattern, and you can complete each week then as you like, or whenever you like! No stress! I don't have the pattern, This is all handled by Cascade after you sign up here

What's the pattern? Well, as the title says, there are "options." Find the details here and sign up. But basically you can choose a shawl or blanket or scarf size or whatever you choose.  The pattern can be adjusted in 24 stitch increments so you can knit a scarf that takes 2 balls (1 each of two contrasting colors), a wrap that takes 8 skeins (4 light and 4 dark), or 18 skeins for the blanket (9 light and 9 dark). US 7 needles.

Here are some of Cascade's color suggestions below. Click on the image if you need to make it bigger.

As you can see, we have A LOT of Cascade 220 Superwash. Every color on a huge, long wall in our shop. It's beautiful. And if we don't have the quantity you need, which is likely because if you need 9, that's a whole bag and someone might have already purchased what we have, just email me (Allison) at [email protected] and i'll order some for you asap.  We are also happy to help you come up with a combo that you like. Just email and we'll be your personal shoppers from Indiana. After 18 years, we've gotten pretty darn good at helping from afar, and we like it too!

And if you want to come shop in person at our shop in Fort Wayne, Indiana, please do! Our open days/hours are listed here.

Malabrigo Ultimate+Mohair KAL

Last week I shared that Shop Manager Heather and I are participating in the newest Malabrigo KAL (knitalong). You can participate too by going to their blog to sign up. They will send you the pattern, and then you can purchase your two skeins of Ultimate Sock and three skeins of Mohair from us for the knitalong and enter their contests if you want, or participate in the Ravelry group or join the group in a myriad of ways.

 

Today I'm finally going to force myself to choose my colors. I like the idea of something light and airy, but I typically go for bold hues. Here are some that Heather set aside that she thought would make nice combos (see others from Malabrigo above). The color names are all shown in the picture. Ultimate Sock (two skeins needed) and Mohair (three skeins needed).

If you want to participate and aren't sure if your colors look great together, feel free to email me (Allison) at [email protected] before you place your order online and we'll take a look in person and let you know. Our photos are accurate for the lots we have, so it's pretty darn easy to see online if they will go together. But we are always happy to be your personal shoppers and reassure you or tweek your color choices a bit if needed.

So are you in with us? Are you going bold? Or are you going neutral or more subdued? Do tell!