Simply Socks Yarn Co. Blog

Opal Yarn, Winter Editions

The latest Opal Yarns have started to trickle through Customs and I'm happy to share that we expect that by the end of the week we'll have all these new collections to share with you!

First, the new Schafpate collection. This is the 16th year for this sheep-to-shop completely German produced yarn.

It's named the "Portrait Series" and each color is named after one of the sponsored sheep. Cute, right?

The next 4ply collection is named Favorite Place. Each color inspired by what might be your favorite place to knit, relax or explore.

Then there's the newest 6ply DK collection named Festival. I features bright, addictive self patterns on the yarn base that's 50% thicker than the normal 4 ply. And it comes in 150g balls, so there's still over 400 yards, which is perfect for large feet like mine.

Even though it's been nearly 50 degrees here in Indiana, I just can't seem to get warm, so I'm in great need of this next collection.... the rare 8ply worsted weight sock yarn. I really, really like these colors and I can't wait to see 11431 and 11435 in person. I love the colors in 11431, but I love the gradient rainbow stripes of 11435. I hope they are as vivid in color as these posters show!

I do hope these arrive by the end of the week, because I would love to spend the first weekend of the new year knitting one of these. Wouldn't you?

On the Twelfth Day of Sock Yarn, Simply Sock Yarn gave to meeeeeeeee......

A $100 Gift Certificate to SSYC!

To have a chance at being one of two winners to get $100 to spend on whatever you'd like in our shop, simply answer the following question in the comments below:

What will you be working on for the next two days? Will you be making a new pair of socks for yourself because you are all done with your holiday gifts? Will you, like me, still be working on gifts? Will you not be knitting or crocheting anything because your family will be descending upon your home and you'll be cooking and drinking and hanging out? Do tell!

I will be finishing up the socks I'm knitting for my sister in law in the Hundertwasser color I shared here a couple days ago. I also hope to finish some more mitts for people, but if I do have the time I plan on making them in LITLG DK Tweed because it's just SO COOL. Thankfully, our Christmas here is low key with the kids until my entire family comes to my house later this month for our big celebration. So I have a few more days to knit and cook and prepare. Much needed extra time, for sure!

I hope you all have a lovely holiday and happy new year! You've made 2024 a busy year for us here in the shop, when many small retail businesses can't say the same. It's been a heck of a year full of setbacks, growth, surprises, hard work and beautiful color. I really appreciate each and every one of you that orders from us, shares us with your friends, and has helped us grow for nearly 20 years. You are all some of my favorite people, and it's been a pleasure serving you for so long. Thank you for it all!

It typically takes me about a month to draw winners, email them and finally compile the email sharing the winners with you all. Thank you for your patience!

Eleventh Day of Sock Yarn

On the Eleventh Day of Sock Yarn, Simply Sock Yarn gave to meeeeeeeee......

Three skeins of Dream in Color Yarn & 1 Mini Minder from Lemonwood Fiber Tools!

To have a chance at 4 skeins of your choice of Dream in Color yarn from our shop, simply answer the following question in the comments below:

What is the job you loved the most or was the most interesting? Have you worked a a really cool cafe with great people? Was it your first job out of college? Perhaps you nannied for some awesome people that you still keep up with? Do let us live vicariously through your experience!

I've done some memorable jobs - I took people on kayak trips through the wetlands out east, and I've met lifelong friends at a local coffee shop job. But my favorite job is the one I currently have, owning and running a yarn shop. Having my own business for the past 19 years has allowed me to meet some of the best people, be of service to others in a way that makes them happy, and focus on raising my family. Yes, I work a lot. And I do mean A LOT. But I can do it when my kids were/are napping/in bed/in school. And what I do is different every day; some days I'm photographing yarn, some days I'm importing goods, some I'm working in person with customers. It's definitely different than I thought it would be when I first opened the shop, but I can't recall a day that I hated.

Dream in Color is one of the first hand dyed yarns I carried in the shop. First I offered Fleece Artist (still do!), then Schaefer Yarns (back in the day, Schaefer Anne was The Thing, but they've been out for about 15 years), and then Dream in Color. I remember first chatting with Veronica when she called me about her new venture - she was dyeing yarn for her own yarn shop in the back of their space because she wanted a particular type of dyeing. All the other dyers were dyeing across the skein (laying down the yarn on a table or in a pan and spreading the liquid across the skein in big sections) and her customers wanted yarn that didn't pool or landscape, but instead randomly dappled. So she came up with a method of dyeing she called veil-dyeing that would layer bits of color so that the resulting knit project created a fabric that didn't have those big pools/stripes of color. I loved the idea of what she was describing so I tested it and loved it and I've offered her yarn ever since. She switched her Smooshy base yarn years ago to a different one, but if you've tried our exclusive Colossal Sock that's at the top in the Sale Yarn section, it's very similar. And a super price for a 50% larger skein.

A year ago Veronica sold Dream in Color to Madelinetosh, and they have dedicated dyers that still dye the way Veronica did so that the colors look just as amazing as they did when Veronica herself was doing it. And now Veronica and her family focus on their new venture, Lemonwood Fiber Tools. Today you have a chance to win something from both of Veronica's ventures!

We have 1 more Days of Sock Yarn coming up, so do stop here at the SSYC blog (the shop journal - I've been writing/sharing shop and life stuff here for 20 years this May) every day until Dec 24 so you can win. Full details of th contest can be found at the top of this post. If you have any trouble entering the contest, just e-mail [email protected] with your comments and I'll add you to the contests when it's time to randomly choose the winners.

Tenth Day of Sock Yarn

On the Tenth Day of Sock Yarn, Simply Sock Yarn gave to meeeeeeeee......

A $100 Gift Certificate to SSYC!

To have a chance at $100 to spend on whatever you'd like in our shop, simply answer the following question in the comments below:

Tell us something/s about yourself! Something interesting or boring. A fun thing you did with your hair last year. Have you hosted an exchange student? What's your favorite hot beverage? What's something that makes you stand out or something that makes you fit right in. Anything will do!

I prefer coffee very much over tea. Though this past month I've started drinking a strong black tea with a squeeze of lemon and a tad bit of sugar. I really enjoy it! I love Star Trek. My favorite color is green, but I have no greens wall in my house and I tend to choose pinks and purples in my knitting projects over greens. No clue why. I love putting up Christmas decorations, but I dislike taking them down, so they are usually up through January. There! That's several things! Do share!

Another interesting thing - today I knit Opal Hundertwasser while wearing Opal Hundertwasser! Wearing 2102-686, knitting 4055-970. Opal Yarn is my go-to. If you haven't tried it before, it's so fun to knit and hold up to washing and wearing for years. Do try it!

We sell a decent amount of Gift Certificates this time of year. I hear from other types of shop owners that gift certificates are a good sale b/c people only use around 80% of them. That's why so many restaurants can give a free $20 when you buy $100 and such. But that's not the case with our shop. People USE them. They often use them within 2 days, or save them until they make a trek to the shop and use them in person. But they definitely don't sit around unused here.

We have 2 more Days of Sock Yarn coming up, so do stop here at the SSYC blog (the shop journal - I've been writing/sharing shop and life stuff here for 20 years this May) every day until Dec 24 so you can win. Full details of th contest can be found at the top of this post. If you have any trouble entering the contest, just e-mail [email protected] with your comments and I'll add you to the contests when it's time to randomly choose the winners.

Ninth Day of Sock Yarn

On the Ninth Day of Sock Yarn, Simply Sock Yarn gave to meeeeeeeee......

Emmas Yarn Minis & Skeins!

To have a chance at your choice of a mini skein set and two skeins of Emma's Sock, simply answer the following question in the comments below:

What kind of mistakes did you make this year in your knitting or crochet? Did you make a sweater that didn't fit? Did you make socks that you couldn't even get past the gusset onto your foot? How about no gauge swatch when you should have? Do tell so we can all feel better about our own mistakes.... and perhaps tell us how you fixed it.

This year I dropped more stitches than I ever have. Sock after sock after sock I dropped stitches. I carried a stitch up 20 rows to fix. I found a stitch in a finished sock I'd washed and wore twice (below). And who am I kidding? The dropped stitch issues weren't confined to socks. I also dropped stitches in mitts and shawls.

I posted these on Insta and FB and you all commiserated and shared your own similar faux pas. I think it's because I rarely had dedicated "knitting time" but instead knit while focusing on my kids' tennis matches, basketball games, choir concerts, etc. 

Mini Skein Set in Dream Come True

Today's prize of a mini set and full sized skeins is my fave, I think. I love possibilities, and mini skeins are the epitome of that. You could use the most or all the mini skein set for one of the amazing Paper Daisy Creation shawls like Perennial, or Step into Christmas. You could combine some minis and full sized skein for the Coloring Lines (shown below, photo courtesy of Paper Daisy Creations). Or just break everything up to make several pairs of socks with contrasting toes and heels. I love having mini sets in my stash just so I can take them apart and use them however I want whenever I want. They are a perfect stash enhancement.

We have 3 more Days of Sock Yarn coming up, so do stop here at the SSYC blog (the shop journal - I've been writing/sharing shop and life stuff here for 20 years this May) every day until Dec 24 so you can win. Full details of th contest can be found at the top of this post. If you have any trouble entering the contest, just e-mail [email protected] with your comments and I'll add you to the contests when it's time to randomly choose the winners.

Eighth Day of Sock Yarn

On the Eighth Day of Sock Yarn, Simply Sock Yarn gave to meeeeeeeee......

4 skeins of Madelinetosh yarn!

To have a chance to win whatever 4 skeins of Madelinetosh you might like, simply answer the following question below:

What is your view today? Is it snowing where you are? Perhaps it's warm and sunny? Do tell us so we can live vicariously!

My view this early morning is this exact picture that I just shot. My lit Christmas tree, the snow is falling softly outside, and it's quite picturesque. In a few hours I'll be picking up my son and friends from their school's early noon dismissal before winter break and my view will change drastically to a bunch of nearly-teenage boys running around making noise and perhaps going outside in the snow. All the quiet, serene morning to get work done will be gone LOL! (I joke, but I love it.)

Did you know that we stock over 400 colors of Madelinetosh? Like, actually in the shop ready to ship right out to you? We are basically a Tosh Library. I don't think I've ever seen the kind of collection of Madelinetosh that we have in any other store in person ever. It's right at the front of the shop, so when you walk in, it's right there. It's quite a heady experience and we often hear gasps when people see it all for the first time. If you want to see it all in person, come see us during our shop days/times! We ship 6 days a week and are open to the public one day each week. This is the view you would have seen on Tuesday when we were last open.

Nearly 20 years ago when we started, yes, we only offered sock yarn. But now we offer all weights of easy care wool blend yarns and that includes Madelinetosh. We offer Tosh Sock (100% superwash merino), Tosh Merino Light (same but 1 ply), Twist Light (superwash merino/nylon for those that require nylon in their socks), Pashmina (sport weight luxury with merino/cashmere/silk), Tosh DK (super popular 100% merino DK), and Tosh Vintage (worsted weight). We even have their mini skeins, some glitter yarns (which they aren't making right now), and some Unwind DK - yarn that is dyed in strips so you pull it apart as you knit. So if you win today's prize you literally have TONS to choose from, 4-5 tons on any given day.

We have 4 more Days of Sock Yarn coming up, so do stop here at the SSYC blog (the shop journal - I've been writing/sharing shop and life stuff here for 20 years this May) every day until Dec 24 so you can win. Full details of th contest can be found at the top of this post. If you have any trouble entering the contest, just e-mail [email protected] with your comments and I'll add you to the contests when it's time to randomly choose the winners.

Seventh Day of Sock Yarn

 

On the Seventh Day of Sock Yarn, Simply Sock Yarn gave to meeeeeeeee......

A $100 Gift Certificate to SSYC!

To have a chance at $100 to spend on whatever you'd like in our shop, simply answer the following question in the comments below:

What's your favorite holiday get together? Is it a big holiday party that your work puts on? Is it a big knitting group that does a White Elephant exchange with a small knitted item? Is it simply Christmas morning? Do tell!

My favorite day is a few days after Christmas when my whole family comes to visit. We started doing this 7 or 8 years ago. My sister flies in, my brother and his kids and their kids come in, and my mom comes over (she lives like 4 minutes away), and we all spend two or three days together. My house is crammed with people of all ages, and it's amazing. Two years ago, all my siblings stayed at my house overnight and it was the first time that we all woke together on Christmas morning in three decades. 

We will usually do a White Elephant/Dirty Santa type gift exchange, play euchre or other games, and we just eat and watch Star Trek and/or football or basketball all day. Thankfully, my house has a big comfy basement so everyone can spread out. This year we will have ages ranging from 1-78, which is a first for us! We haven't had a baby at Christmas for 11 years! Very exciting for us all.

 

What might you like to get if you win the $100? Well, we just posted a fresh batch of our exclusive deal from Dream in Color, Colossal Sock in the Sale Yarn section which is a 50% larger skein for 45% off. We get this in stock every few months and it tends to go fast. It's quite popular because it's on the thicker side of fingering weight, is a bit less slick/smooth than some hand dyed yarns, and just takes the dye so beautifully. It's a wonderful yarn at a super price. We've been offering it now for about 5 years I think, and it's our exclusive yarn from Dream in Color and always a deal.

We even have new colors that we haven't had before on this base like Mystic Prism, Petrichor, Tart and Skyrocket. Do grab some while we have it because it may be March before we get more.

We have 5 more Days of Sock Yarn coming up, so do stop here at the SSYC blog (the shop journal - I've been writing/sharing shop and life stuff here for 20 years this May) every day until Dec 24 so you can win. Full details of th contest can be found at the top of this post. If you have any trouble entering the contest, just e-mail [email protected] with your comments and I'll add you to the contests when it's time to randomly choose the winners.

Sixth Day of Sock Yarn

On the Sixth Day of Sock Yarn, Simply Sock Yarn gave to meeeeeeeee......

A $75 Gift Certificate to SSYC!

To have a chance at $75 to spend on whatever you'd like in our shop, simply answer the following question in the comments below:

Do you tend to knit or crochet the same type of project over and over? For example socks or hats, or are you always looking for something new to knit or crochet to stretch your creative muscles?

For me, knitting is my calm and easy. I tend to just knit socks, and often Opal Yarn socks because they do the color work for me. Sometimes I get on a kick where I'll knit another project over and over like the Cozy Cuffed Mitts I'm trying to crank out for Christmas gifts. Sometimes I'll make a shawl here and there, maybe one or two a year. But socks are my go-to project. I always have at least one pair on the needles, sometimes two. At least one of those will be and Opal Yarn sock - sometimes both of them. I can't wait for the winter Opal Yarn collections to finally arrive from Germany. Imports always take SO long this time of year!

My mitts I recently finished - use Vintage or LITLG DK or DK Tweed for similar looks

I really want to cast on a pair of socks in this yarn or this yarn from Emma's soon though. Perhaps with this pattern. I really need some fancy socks to wear on Christmas morning!

We have 6 more Days of Sock Yarn coming up, so do stop here at the SSYC blog (the shop journal - I've been writing/sharing shop and life stuff here for 20 years this May) every day until Dec 24 so you can win. Full details of th contest can be found at the top of this post. If you have any trouble entering the contest, just e-mail [email protected] with your comments and I'll add you to the contests when it's time to randomly choose the winners.

Fifth Day of Sock Yarn

On the Fifth Day of Sock Yarn, Simply Sock Yarn gave to meeeeeeeee......

3 skeins of The Sheepy Shire yarn!

To have your choice of 3 skeins of The Sheepy Shire yarn, one each of Staple Sock, Meadow Sport and Dandelion Mohair (so you can try them all!) answer the following question in the comments below:

What is one of your favorite holiday recipes? Is there a certain cookie recipe you make every year? Or one that you love that your mom or favorite aunt makes? Do tell! I'd love a link in the comments if you have one, or leave the recipe if you want. Or simply tell us what it is. Anything you want to share is great!

The Sheepy Shire has been a delight to have the shop. They make lovely colors, often provide knitted swatches, and their holiday colors are so fun. The fam just had a baby this year so things went a bit slower than usual, but they're back at it and you'll see a lot of their holiday hues in stock here.

Each year I make these cinnamon rolls. We have them on Christmas morning along with bacon and fruit. Most years we swap a tray of rolls with our neighbors for whatever egg dish they make. We also make and eat an insane amount of Chex Mix. I modify the normal recipe quite a bit by using just Corn and Rice Chex, adding Cheerios (3 cups instead of 3 cups of Wheat Chex, but add the Cheerios after you mix everything together b/c otherwise it sucks up all the sauce first), adding goldfish crackers or Cheeze-Its instead of bagel chips, using the Deluxe Mixed Nuts (no peanuts), using 50% more butter/spice combo, and adding a heavy dose of Tabasco sauce. I'm betting there's other things I do too. But it varies each year depending on what the kids want and who is helping me measure.

I also make a Texas chocolate sheet cake similar to this. We often have soup, and it will likely be this one, but with NO celery and for the cheese I do half cheddar, half american. We have several celebrations over the course of the week with various family and friends, so there's lots of cooking and eating together. Your ideas are always super helpful!

We have 7 more Days of Sock Yarn coming up, so do stop here at the SSYC blog (the shop journal - I've been writing/sharing shop and life stuff here for 20 years this May) every day until Dec 24 so you can win. Full details of th contest can be found at the top of this post. If you have any trouble entering the contest, just e-mail [email protected] with your comments and I'll add you to the contests when it's time to randomly choose the winners.

Fourth Day of Sock Yarn

On the Fourth Day of Sock Yarn, Simply Sock Yarn gave to meeeeeeeee......

4 skeins of Life in the Long Grass DK!

To have your choice of 4 skeins of your choice of the the ridiculously gorgeous restock we got of either DK Twist or DK Tweed from Irish dyer Life in the Long Grass to knit your Cozy Cuffed Mitts, answer the following question in the comments below:

Did you try a new-to-you yarn this year? Perhaps you saw something in our shop that you didn't know about before and had to grab from our holiday selection? Perhaps you couldn't resist small dyer Frog It Yarns when you saw them at a fiber fair or festival? Do tell what you couldn't resist trying this year, whether it's from us or elsewhere!

Going toward our 20th year, we added a lot of new yarn to our shop, and two of those were La Bien Aimée and Laines du Nord. And I couldn't resist casting on both. La Bien Aimeé is a Parisienne dyer that I've seen over the years at Vogue Knitting Live in NYC but they didn't have room in their dye schedule for our large orders until this past year. I'm so glad to have added their gorgeous skeins to our lineup and we'll be getting LOTS more from them in 2025. They are wonderful to work with and make inspiring hues that are worth of a crafters time and money.

I made the Monkey socks out of this earlier this year and it's a fab combo.

Laines du Nord is an Italian family owned company that offers come really great sock yarns that are colorful and addictive. They also give you two matching socks, because halfway through the ball, the exact same color pattern starts over. I'm not one who needs perfectly matching socks, as fraternal twins are fine with me, but it is cool to know that they work up that way if you want them to. We just got in the new Art Sock collection shown above, and we have several other collections too. Some produce Monet-like gradients, some give you fades and stripes. All are beautifully addictive.

My Laines du Nord, Eclectic Sock color 03

We have 8 more Days of Sock Yarn coming up, so do stop here at the SSYC blog (the shop journal - I've been writing/sharing shop and life stuff here for 20 years this May) every day until Dec 24 so you can win. Full details of th contest can be found at the top of this post. If you have any trouble entering the contest, just e-mail [email protected] with your comments and I'll add you to the contests when it's time to randomly choose the winners.

And I just have to share more of the beautiful photos that Laines du Nord shared with me of these socks. Wow, I want to knit them all!

Above is Art Sock in color 11, below in colors 02 and 11.

Above is Eclectic Sock colors 02 and 04, below is 06.

Above is Infinity color 18, below is Paint Gradient color 18. Aren't these all just gorgeous? And you get two perfectly matching socks from one ball!

Third Day of Sock Yarn

On the Third Day of Sock Yarn, Simply Sock Yarn gave to meeeeeeeee......

 5 balls of Opal Yarn of your choice!

To have a chance at winning 5 balls of Opal Yarn, simply answer the following question in the comments below:

Do you send out holiday cards? Or did you in the past? Tell us about what makes a great holiday card to send or receive, or tell us about ones that you really enjoy that you have seen. Just share anything in general about your experience with holiday cards.

I do send out Christmas cards every year. I think I've done photo cards for the past 10 years at least. Before that, I bought snarky Hallmark cards and even hand made mine when my list of recipients was small. I love receiving them too. I keep many of the photo cards we receive, and I hang them up by big ribbons in our dining room each year so I can see the changes in our friends and family over the years. Have I gotten my Christmas cards out yet? No. And since they won't even arrive for another week, they'll be called After-Christmas cards LOL.

Here are a few we've done over the years

Can I share how much joy I get from knitting Opal Yarn? We are one of the few shops in the US that continues to import all the collections from Germany. It's such a pleasure to see the colors develop as I knit in the round. Making socks, mitts, hats, whatever. It's just so fun to see the colors develop as I go along. Just in the past few months I've knit at least three pairs of Opal socks, and I'm working on a new pair right now. I knit two Hundertwasser pairs and started a third last week. And I knit some Tiger socks as soon as Opal remade those this fall. Seriously, don't sleep on stashing some of the reintroduced 20th Anniversary of the Rainforest colors. Ladybug, Flamingo, Zebra.... all of them are just fab and they have them in 6ply/Dk weight too! I really feel like the DK will be cast on soon. Maybe Ladybug. They would be cute with a green toe and heel as Christmas socks!

Opal Rainforest

We have 9 more Days of Sock Yarn coming up, so do stop here at the SSYC blog (the shop journal - I've been writing/sharing shop and life stuff here for 20 years this May) every day until Dec 24 so you can win. Full details of th contest can be found at the top of this post. If you have any trouble entering the contest, just e-mail [email protected] with your comments and I'll add you to the contests when it's time to randomly choose the winners.

Opal Hundertwasser

Second Day of Sock Yarn

On the Second Day of Sock Yarn, Simply Sock Yarn gave to meeeeeeeee......

a $50 Gift Certificate to SSYC!

To have a chance at winning a $50 Gift Certificate to SSYC..... let's double it and give TWO winners $50.... simply answer the following question in the comments below:

Are there certain games you like to play with your family and friends during the holidays or get togethers? Perhaps a particular card game, or Pictionary or something else? Do share!

My family and I play a lot of euchre. It's the Indiana game for sure. Terry and I go to and host euchre parties, and we meet friends several times a month to play. My boys even know how to play, taught over the summers by my mom. I don't know anyone who grew up here who doesn't know how to play euchre. We also play a decent amount of Rummy, at least a couple times a month, whenever we're waiting anywhere, like above with Henry when we're waiting for food in a restaurant. I always have a deck of cards in my purse and one in my car. We've played dice a couple times too, and now that I'm thinking about it I might like to play this weekend.

For our big family get together right after Christmas, we'll definitely be playing euchre, but some of us might also play Apples to Apples or Cards Against Humanity (with all the expansion packs). After we open our Christmas gifts, my family (mom, siblings, nephews) sits around with our snacks and drinks and we play the saran wrap ball game. We do it similar to this, only we also wear oven mitts to make it harder. It's darn fun and there's always lots of laughter.

Please do share what games you enjoy, and you might win one of these two gift certificates! And if you have someone in your life who is unsure what to get you for Christmas, our gift certificates are the way to go. I can't think of anything I want to treat myself to more than yarn. If you are giving the gift of yarn, it's super fast and easy. As soon as you Check Out, the online gift certificates are immediately emailed to the person you choose. Or if you want to print out the code and put it in a card, you can simply put your email in the recipient field and it will come to you so you can print it out. Easy peasy. Plus, purchasing a gift certificate is a wonderful way to support a small business when you don't need something right now, but want to support them anyway.

We have 10 more Days of Sock Yarn coming up, so do stop here at the SSYC blog (the shop journal - I've been writing/sharing shop and life stuff here for 20 years this May) every day until Dec 24 so you can win. Full details of th contest can be found at the top of this post. If you have any trouble entering the contest, just e-mail [email protected] with your comments and I'll add you to the contests when it's time to randomly choose the winners.

First Day of Sock Yarn

For the 15th year, we're celebrating our exclusive holiday at Simply Socks Yarn Company! From Dec 13-24 you have a chance on this blog to win a special knitterly gift each day. Could be yarn, could be knitterly goodies, and it will definitely be awesome. There's a wide variety of things to be won, from special skeins, sock sets..... even some gift certificates. We're making it a celebration to remember, as usual! 

How can you join in? Simply visit the SSYC Blog every day from Dec. 13-24 and answer the question in the comments section before the following day's question is revealed (the comments will be closed on the previous post once the next day is up). You'll automatically be entered to win the gift shown for that day. If you participate each day, you'll have a dozen chances to win (one chance each day). And yes, you can win more than one day! It has happened before.

You don't have to participate in any particular holiday to win anything- you just have to want some awesome free yarn or goodies. Over the years because of this event, I've incorporated new traditions (like buying my kids holiday PJs to open Christmas Eve so they have cute new ones on actual day for photos!), recipes (great cookies) and projects into my life that I wouldn't have learned of otherwise. And I've read some heart warming stories and gotten to know a lot of you better than I did before (it was especially nice in 2020 when we were still distancing b/c of COVID - wow, that seems so far off now). I'll post the randomly chosen winners in January, and you'll also get an e-mail if you've won a prize.

Thanks for sharing this with your fiber friends and joining us for another year of fun! This really is a great time of year for me, and from the e-mails I get, you all enjoy it a lot too. It really is worth it to read through the comments if you want pattern or holiday inspiration. I like reading the comments during my lunch break.

So let's get started with the First Day!

On the First Day of Sock Yarn, Simply Sock Yarn gave to meeeeeeeee......

Three skeins of gorgeous, luxurious imported silk/merino yarn from Life in the Long Grass!

To have a chance at winning three skeins of this Silk Merino yarn of your choice, including the new colors we received from Ireland this week, simply answer the following question in the comments below:

Where is one of your favorite places to knit or crochet? Do you have a special "knitting chair" or do you like catching up with friend and crocheting at a certain cafe? Do tell!

This year, my fave place to catch up on my knitting is my son's choir concerts. I sit there and quietly tink away while my youngest son and his friends sing and play their instruments. The holiday concerts this year have been particularly nice and knitting really enhances my experience. Since most of these concerts happen 3-4 times for the same music, and since my son is really on stage for just 15 minutes out of 2 hours, I could see this as drudgery..... just sitting there listening to someone else's 12 year old try and play Hot Cross Buns on their euphonium for the third time this week. But instead, with my knitting I see it as my own precious concert. I get to enjoy my knitting and be serenaded! During this week's holiday concerts I've been working on the mitts below that I'll be gifting to Henry's choir teacher (she's also a knitter and customer and I'm hoping she's not reading this right now LOL!). I feel like the music she and her students created kind of imbued the project, and I think it's perfect to give this to her. Plus, knitters always are so generous to others and so rarely get knitted gifts themselves!

Pattern is this. Yarn is discontinued from my stash, but this is a perfect sub. I did go down one needle size from the pattern.

We have 11 more Days of Sock Yarn coming up, so do stop here at the SSYC blog (the shop journal - I've been writing/sharing shop and life stuff here for 20 years this May) every day until Dec 24 so you can win. Full details of th contest can be found at the top of this post. If you have any trouble entering the contest, just e-mail [email protected] with your comments and I'll add you to the contests when it's time to randomly choose the winners.

Comments are now closed for this post as this day's contest has expired. Try today's post!

Spreading Holiday Cheer & a Contest!

Last week was our big Holly Jolly Holiday Open House, a week long party at our shop in Fort Wayne, Indiana. We offered contests deals, gifts and plenty of yarny cheer. We also gave our online customers gifts last week, and this week we're offering our online friends similar deals and contests too!

Dream in Color, Smooshy Sock in Howliday Cheer

Use coupon code HolidayCheer today through Thursday to get 15% off the following yarn lines: Dream in Color , La Bien Aimee, Opal Yarn, Laneras Yarn, Hue Loco, and Uschitita Fibres. There's such a wide array of yarn to choose from!

Dream in Color, Smooshy Sock in Looking Up. A great colorway for someone who likes subdued hues. Would be great with the Hedgerow Sock pattern. 

Dream in Color is quite wonderful for vivid, art and nature inspired hues on their Smooshy and Smooshy Cashmere. If you have someone in your life who deserves a bit of luxury, and will also not throw their socks in the dryer, do give them Smooshy Cashmere - it's Dream in Color's most popular yarn for a reason.

We've just added French dye studio La Bien Aimee this year to the shop, so the deal on this one is extra special. We have their fab colors on Sock, Cashmerino Sock, and Merino DK. I knit the PB&J colorway into some Monkey Socks this year and LOVE them.

Don't sleep on the 20th Anniversary Rainforest collection - you can get colors that haven't been made for a decade! AND now in 6ply-DK too!

Opal Yarn is one of my faves of all time. I knit several pairs of this each year. This fall alone I knit three pairs - two Hundertwasser colors and one Rainforest (tiger) and I'm about to start on a Rainforest 6ply color for sock thicker, quicker knit socks.

Bambolina, on Laneras Secretos Sock. Try with the Hedera pattern.

Laneras Yarn Co is a US dyeing family known for using the opposing ply method - one ply is twisted in the opposite direction of the others before they are plied together. This gives the yarn greater strength (as opposed to using nylon) and you can see the barber pole effect in the finished yarn b/c that ply takes the dye slightly differently. They have two different fingering weight options and one DK.

Stunning minis, right? Perhaps with this shawl pattern?

Hue Loco is known for inventive hues, especially nice on their Tweed Sock, as well as sock sets based on heirloom chickens and mini sets. If you're looking to knit outside your normal color wheel, this one's for you.

Uschitita Fibre Arts is our only dyer from the Netherlands. Steph and Juergen have fab colors in Singles and Sock. Above are Holly Poppy and Americana, the two limited edition colors they made just for us to celebrate Christmas and our 19th anniversary this year. Both these colors would look amazing with the Woodsmoke Socks or the Cozy Autumn Socks.

I also want to share that we have the new December 2024 color from Emma's Yarn, and it definitely says "holidays" to me. Kind of Hawaiian Holidays, don't you think? I just love it. If you want to do mini skeins for toes in heels in your mini DK or mini fingering weight (we have minis in both!), I like it with Stiletto, Cactus Flower, Poppin, Oops I Did It Again, Freshly Cut, Zuni and Trendy AF. And if you want to browse more holiday options, I have them all here.

Next week, I hope to share our newest batch of yarn from Irish dyer Life in the long Grass. We also have new Opal Yarn winter collections coming soon - imports definitely take their time this time of year. So let's hope they are here the first week of January. Hard to believe we are so close to the end of the year!

If you made it to the end of this post, how about a chance at a treat? Malabrigo has given us one of their wonderful Holiday Cowl Kits to celebrate the holidays with you! Just tell me in the comments below what your go-to project is this year for holiday gifts, and I'll choose one winner after noon EST this Friday. Please comment just once per person. And if you don't have a go-to project for gifts this year like I do, perhaps just tell us what you're working on this week? My go-to project this year is these mitts. I can make one in an evening with Madelinetosh Vintage worsted weight or Tosh DK (I go down one needle size for the DK). If I make the pattern exactly as written, it's for larger hands like mine. For smaller/medium sized women's hands, I go down one needle size and use DK. I'm on my fifth pair in the past month! Here they are, so far. I've gifted one pair already. The others are below knit in Tosh DK Bloom Baby Bloom, stashed Less Traveled Yarn (no longer being made but you could use this as a DK Tweed instead), Cascade 220 Superwash Paints 1017, and Tosh Vintage Electromagic with stripes of Beta Crucis left over from these mitts.

Cyber Week = Stitcher Week @ SSYC with Gifts!

This marks our 20th holiday season at Simply Socks Yarn Co! It's hard to believe sometimes, and the feelings of gratitude that I have for you all can't be expressed one paragraph. I hope the way we do business at SSYC shows how we value you and this industry. Every part of what we sell and what we do is affected directly by human hands and hearts, and I can tell by your support over the past two decades that you get it. That's why I like to celebrate "Stitcher Monday" and "Stitcher Week" over "Cyber Monday" and "Cyber Week." Because we all appreciate the time and effort and love we put into what we do- from making the yarn, dyeing it and then creating something out of it, it all means so much.

My family and I have spent the past couple weeks putting together little stitch marker sets as a gift from us to you. They include a handmade holiday stitch marker (polymer clay pieces of art, really, made by our own artisan), some large and small 3d printed circle markers that 17-year-old James makes, and some locking ones for crocheters or those that prefer those. A little smattering of useful goods that we put together as a holiday gift from us to you. Your don't have to do anything special, like add them to your cart or ask for them (though we do like your kind notes at Check Out!) we'll just automatically tuck them inside your parcel before it leaves here Monday-Friday.

We may not be able to offer you the BIG 70% OFF!!! deals that the big box stores can, but we can give you a treat we put together. Sidenote - how much are the goods marked up if they can be sold at 70% off.... also, how much are you paying the people who make the $6 sweater??? Jeez.

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I look forward to seeing how we all grow and change over the next 20 holiday seasons. My family and SSYC have seen so much growth in the past two decades, and I know you see that in your own lives as well. Isn't it great to know that our craft will be there for us as we our lives change? It's a wonderful constant that I greatly appreciate, and if you're reading this today, I'm betting we have that and a lot more in common.

Holiday hues of Madelinetosh - Mint Condition, Caroling, What's Your Poinsettia and Jollyville here.

What might you like to purchase this week to get your gift Monday through Friday? We have a lot of options of all weights and fibers in our Sale Yarn section right now. We have holiday goods galore here. Opal Hundertwasser and Rainforest have been super popular this fall for socks, and Malabrigo Rios and Rasta for fast hats. And we have SO many colors of Tosh Vintage (worsted weight) and Tosh DK to make these cozy mitts for last minute gifts. Everyone wants mitts b/c they keep your hands warm and your fingers exposed so you can use your phone and type on your computer. They are perfect from everyone from college students to deer hunters.

Happy holidays from my family and team to you and yours! We've been decorating the shop the past week to get ready for the party, as you can see from all these photos. We will continue to celebrate the holidays online in December with little sales, contests and then our 12 Days of Sock Yarn contest from mid-month until Christmas. It's a wonderful way to learn and share with others here on the blog everyday, and also win some awesome goodies. So please do check back here on December 13 to join in each day til Christmas Eve.