Simply Socks Yarn Co. Blog

Magner Co. Totes are Back! + A contest!

I'm so happy to share that Magner Co. bags are back in the shop! Casey makes his wonderful bags from the highest quality waxed canvas and leather details from Wicket & Craig Tannery in PA. These totes are not for the faint of heart. Definitely swoon worthy.

Want a chance to win a tote of your own? Then get to Instagram or Facebook today to enter the contest on the post that has the picture below. I'll randomly choose one person to win this beautiful Olive tote.

I love mine. I use it a lot, not just for knitting, but as a carry all. There are five pockets, one zippered, and three vertical slots to hold needles or pens. There are also grommets if you like to secure your yarn that way. It holds my stuff plus random kid things (like Pokemon cards and legos) and the waxed canvas repels all those kid spills. Oh, who am I kidding? I spill coffee more than they spill anything. But you get the idea. It's a dream bag for a busy, slightly messy person like me.

The free project bag we are gifting you this week even fits all nice and tidy inside. Yep, that's right. You get our free Socktober bag with your Magner bag this week. Two bags for one!

There are several new colors that we haven't had before, including Hibiscus Pink (above) and Seafoam. And some of these colors like Ocean Blue haven't been around for a couple years because fabric has been one of those things that's hard to get during the pandemic.

Heather's holding the Nautical Red color. I think this photo shows how roomy the bag is - it's quite a nice size.

We only get one or two batches of these bags a year, our last one was in March. So please don't hesitate if you'd really like a certain one. I thought that that waxed-canvas-weathered-nature of these bags would mean that the more natural or subdued colors would go the fastest. But the bright ones like Red and Purple always seem to go first. And this time we have some really vivid hues. Here's a short video Casey made about his process, if you want to see.

Free Bag w/ Purchase this week!

It's Socktober, friends! Socktober is a month long celebration of all things sock knitting and we're doing it up big again this year at SSYC with gifts-with-purchase, contests, limited Halloween goodies and Knit Kits, sales and more! It's a fun time of year where I get to treat our supporters of 16 years to treats all month long.

What's this week's Socktober Surprise? Place your online order Monday through Friday this week (through Sunday if we have enough left) and we'll automatically include one of these in your package before we ship it out to you. You don't need to e-mail to request it or add it to your cart in any way. Just place your online order as usual and we'll tuck one in your parcel before we seal it up. Yes, you can get this with Contactless Pickup too if you're local. One bag per person, please, even if you place multiple orders throughout the week. We want to make sure there's enough to go around.

What might you like to purchase this week to receive your gift? We're nearing gift giving season, so let's talk about how we can make a stunning impression for those we love (which might include yourself!). I'm betting we've all heard/read about supply chain issues and how holiday gifts might not arrive in time for Christmas. But if you knit or crochet, you don't have to worry about that, do you? Because we can all create amazing gifts in days, especially if we're knitting up a heavier weight yarn. And for the first time in 16 years, we have a super bulky yarn for you in Malabrigo Rasta. Yes, we have specialized in fingering weight goodies for well over a decade. But when you tell me you want something, I go all in and make it happen. 

Rasta shown above in Cherry Vanilla and below in Bahamas Green.

Rasta is great for creating a hat or mittens in mere hours. Lotus Flower Beanie is a popular choice for two colors. As is this one. This one's cute too. Or this for a single hued hat with cozy cables. Of course, we have the poms to go with the hats too (and yes, you'd get the free bag with the purchase of just a pom). Want a head band? What about this one?

Rios shown in our exclusive holiday color, Las Fiestas

Want worsted weight yarn for a cozy winter sweater? How about Malabrigo Rios or Madelinetosh Vintage? We have a couple hundred colors between the two of those. And matching lots for sweater quantities too.

Want to knit up a pair of socks quicker than usual? How about the newest Regia 8ply sock yarn? These will knit up twice as fast as typical fingering weight socks. 

Want something addictive? I'm smitten with these Zauberperlen sets of 7 mini cakes. These would make a stunning gift in the Quadra Cowl, Batad (paired with a solid),

Blossom Gradient in color 03-King Protea

Do you love a yarn that does the work for you? Have you checked out the Blossom Gradients from Wonderland Yarns? These 425 yard cakes graduate through a spectrum of colors and create a gorgeous effect with minimal effort. I'd knit up the Myndie shawlette with any of these colors and I'm betting if I have several people in mind who would gasp when they opened a gift of this. Ok, I think I just may cast on tonight. Other yarn ideas for the Myndie pattern are Fiberstory's mini sets, Sweet Georgia's mini sets or the Zauberperlen mentioned earlier.

How about gifting yourself to a gorgeous knit like the Little Women inspired mini skein set from Six and Seven Fibers with this cowl. The knit itself would be such a treat, and then if you decided you wanted to gift it to someone, you could. 

We have this beautiful sock set from Dream in Color. A full sized skein plus a mini of Smooshy. Plus oh-so-much Smooshy with Cashmere in stock right now for all the luxury socks and shawls and sweaters you might like to make. Who doesn't want cashmere in their sock drawer??

Juliet sock in Candy Corn

Want a Halloween goodie? We have a few options left from our Halloween event. Skeins, kits, stitch markers.... all cute and spooky options.

I'll share more goodies later this week here on the blog.... and some contests too.  After all, we have over 16 tons of yarn to share with you online and in person, so of course there will be goods galore arriving all week long!

Shown here, just a bit of our 2 tons of Madelinetosh

Shopping vs Making this Holiday

Have you been reading/hearing about all the supply chain issues in the world right now? And specifically how it relates to all that holiday gift giving? I have, and while I'm not at all surprised by it because of what I do for a living and what I've had to do differently over the past year to make sure I have goods, I am not really worried about it at all because as far as gift giving goes, I'm a knitter. I can make things for people.

Are you thinking the same thing? That because we can knit awesome gifts for the people in our lives we don't have the society-imposed-stress of shopping early just in case things get stuck places? That's exactly where I am. I'm not worried at all about getting the right gifts in time for Christmas. I'm not out at Target trying to find things or frantically ordering on Amazon. I'm good.

I'm also a pretty good craft person and maker in general. I've made beer, wine, taken a class on barrel aging liquors, I've done stained glass, and I'm sure a myriad of other things I'm forgetting. I can make a mean ginger pear butter or bourbon apple butter and can that. And people always love gift cards. And I can still support my local places or fave online shops with gift cards.

And really, in general, I haven't bought a lot of things for my kids the past couple years. We do a big gift and a few littler ones, and I think maybe this year we may splurge on a vacation instead of presents. Last year, for my whole extended family that's what we did- spent a day outside together doing something special (all 18 of us) instead of buying gifts for anyone. And this summer we spent a week at the lake together. I'm really enjoying buying "experiences" instead of things.

Is there something that you or someone in you life really want for Christmas that you're worried about getting? I would love to be able to find a PS5 for my kids, but that's one of those chip-related-issues and we can't find one (at a reasonable/retail price) anywhere and so gave up. So I'm thinking maybe the fam and I will go to a basketball game in Indy or a comedy show or something instead of more gifts. How about you? Are you buying or making this year?

And in case you're wondering, we have definitely experienced changes in what is available, how long it takes to get here and how much it costs. But I've worked pretty hard and smart to get what we need, or replace it with something even better. So I hope you haven't noticed a lack of anything at SSYC.

SSYC Winter Hat Set

We've been doing some really fun sock sets (full sized skeins + contrasting minis for toes and heels) for the past year and they have been so popular that they typically sell out in a couple days when we release them the first week of the month. So I decided to design another curated option, Hat Sets!

Curious Harvest Hat Set

Sock Sets will still be released the beginning of the month, and these Hat Sets will be released mid-month this fall and winter as well. All at the Kits & Clubs link. Each set includes a full sized skein of yarn (all worsted weight this month) and a hand made, beautifully coordinated pom pom. So if you want a project where you don't have to make any color decisions and my dyers and makers have done all the work for you, these are for you.

Mermaid Song Hat Set

All the SSYC Hat Sets will be in the Kits & Clubs section like the Sock Sets are. They will just be listed at different times during the month. Early month for Sock Sets, mid-month for Hat Sets.

Startling Starling Hat Set

These have been super fun to put together. The pom colors really do bring out the best in the skeins. All you have to do is choose a pattern and of course I have suggestions for those too. This month, take a look at Shilling Hat, Citrus Hat and Declan's Hat.

Saltwater Taffy Hat Set

October's Hat Sets feature the work of Madelinetosh (Tosh Vintage) and Dream in Color (Classy Cashmere). And the poms are made by our pom pom artisan. Curating heavier weight yarn kits is new for us, as we typically focus on sock weight goods for our clubs and kits, so I'm unsure how fast these will sell. There are 6 options in the Kits & Clubs section now, so if you don't see something you wanted, that means it sold out already. 

Speckled Storm Hat Set

Please do feel free to e-mail me, Allison, at service@simplysockyarn.com if you really wanted one that you don't see there because I may be able to get some of the options again later in the winter for you. I love all of these, but only snagged one for myself in this round, so you'd kind of be doing me a favor too, "forcing" me to remake some of these. But there will be 6 new options next month too.... and the following month.... and on throughout the cold season. There will be other featured dyers too.

Splashy Birch Hat Set

All the pom poms were made specially for the sets, so we don't have these colors in our Pom section right now. They are so gorgeous that I'll try and offer them later. Plus we have a big pom restock coming in less than a month of popular and new hues. And if the poms look big in the pictures, they are the large size, so 5-6 inches. Not too large, but perfect for an adult hat (and adorably big for a kid's hat). Because the poms are closer to the camera than the yarn, the perception is that they are slightly larger than they really are in person.

*Remember, faux fur pom poms are not washable like your knitted hats. You need to untie the poms from your hat before washing the hat. If you haven't affixed a pom to a hat before, it's simple- you just loop the strings on the pom through the top of your hat and tie it into a bow on the inside of the hat. Some people put a large button on the inside of the hat and loop the strings through that so that the tension isn't distributed over just a few stitches. But I don't find that's necessary.

New this Week + Sale on a Sale!

Happy Socktober! It's the second week of our Socktober celebration and so today we're giving you our second Socktober Surprise! If you enter coupon code SockSale at Check Out (or in the coupon code field of your Cart if you don't want to forget), you'll get an additional 10% off our already reduced Sale Section! This means you'll be getting more than 50% off Regia and other lines that are there. We have 200 options in our Sale Section right now - there are self patterning options, Polwarth wool skeins (that are already marked $10 less than their $28 merino counterparts from the same dyer, LYC), super sized Colossal skeins from Dream in Color (DIC), and beautiful painted options from Cascade (CY) that even have silk. Don't forget to enter coupon code SockSale to get your discount.

This is Urth Yarn's striping DK yarn in color 6019 in the Sale Section (at the bottom of the 2nd page are all the other colors too). It's perfect for a simple cowl for holiday gifts. Maybe this one?

Malabrigo Rasta in Aniversario

What's new this week? Malabrigo Rasta! This is the first time in our 16 years that we have offered a super bulky yarn, but we offer so much Malabrigo and you all asked for it, so I'm happy to oblige! We may have started our journey16 years ago with only sock yarn, but your requests and guidance have helped us offer oh-so-much more. We will typically stick to easy care goods, but I just couldn't resist your urging to offer Rasta, so while it's not machine washable, the price and quality are so great that I couldn't resist. Each skein is 150g so plenty for a hat. But many of the more popular patterns call for two colors to do some colorwork. But this one is likely to be the first on my needles. I think it will help keel me warm (and hopefully cute!) this winter. Need larger needles for Rasta? I'll soon have them on the website too from Addi and HiyaHiya.

Malabrigo Rasta in Carousel

And you know that when we offer a line, we go all in. So you'll be able to see ALL the Rasta colors at SSYC. We have 75% of them today, and the rest are of course in a container out in the middle of somewhere waiting to get here. Such is pandemic importing. But we'll soon have them all so that you can knit all the things.

What else is coming this week? I hinted on Instagram earlier this morning that our SSYC Sock Sets (released at the beginning of the month here) have been so popular that we are going to do some cold weather Hat Sets as well! These are full sized skeins from some of your fave dyers paired with our hand made pom poms. This is a great way to pick a set and have a lovely result without ever wondering "Does this pom go with this yarn?" Yep. It does. And the result will be fabulous. These will be in the Kits & Clubs section.

I hope to have 6 options per month for you this fall/winter, and they will be released mid-month (instead of the beginning of the month for the Sock Sets). I'm super excited about these and hope to have them all up on the website for you at our Kits & Clubs section Tuesday.

Our yarn companies are starting to release their heavier weight sock options, and the first we will have for you (again likely on Tuesday) is Regia's 8ply Snow Color set. This is great for thicker socks and b/c it's a light worsted weight it knits up faster. Really nice for when you want something awesome for a gift and you're in a time crunch too.

I'm sure there's more as well, but this is what's on my mind this Monday morning. I hope you see something that inspires you! Check the blog next week as well to see what our next Socktober Surprise is.

Ask the Knitters

Dear Knitters,

Can you recommend a sock pattern for dummies?? One that is REALLY easy to follow without a teacher?? I've never made socks and I really want to learn! What better time than Socktober?!

Chrissy-the-Future-Sock-Knitter

*                    *                    *

Help a knitter out and leave your advice in the comments section below.  Have a question you'd like to see answered here?  Simply title an e-mail Ask the Knitters and send it on to service@simplysockyarn.com . Your question could be chosen for this series.

Grab Your Halloween Goodies Today!

It's time to snag some Halloween treats! It might also be time to grab a mug of hot tea and settle in because this is a looooooong post. Most of these will be at the Kits & Clubs link. If I've pictured/listed normal colors that dyers make that are simply Halloween themed, I've tried to list them all at the Kits & Clubs link but I've also left direct links to them below. Things often do sell fast, so if you have questions about anything that you can't find, please do feel free to e-mail me, Allison, at service@simplysockyarn.com.

And with any purchase through the 7th you get these two free patterns! I just e-mail them to you within three days of your order (you don't need to put them in your cart or ask for them, it's automatic). Happy Socktober!

SSYC's Boolicious Knit Kit is super fun, if I do say so myself. This Knit Kit features a full sized skein and mini in Fiberstory's Fave Sock (I'm totally addicted to stashing these minis). I originally hadn't thought of adding a mini with the full sized skein, but Sarah showed me that a charcoal skein that's very slightly sprinkled with the coordinating yellow and orange would just put this over the top and I'm so glad we added it. The bag is super cute, right? Ghoulish little cupcakes adorn this sock project bag made by Mommy Sews. The kit is finished by these faux leather (washable) Hand Made tags to stitch onto your project. And we all need more tapestry needles, right? That's the one thing I'm always searching for in my knitting cabinet.

Limited Edition Nightmare colorway from Madelinetosh (+ four free stitch markers)

I worked with Madelinetosh this summer to develop the above color - this tangy, eerie colorway that we call Nightmare. It's a bright oddity that reminds me of what melted Nerd candy would look like and it's so outside my color wheel that I, of course, snagged one for my stash. That seems to be what's making me dive all in lately- things I wouldn't usually choose. I've paired it with little Nerd candy stitch markers so you can add even more color to your needles - and the markers are just a little gift from me to you. I couldn't resist giving you even more incentive to try something outside your color wheel, like I am.

Spooky Stars available on Twist Light sock and Tosh Sock (Twist Light has nylon, Tosh Sock does not) and Vintage (worsted weight)

Monster Mash, available on Twist Light and Tosh Sock

Slimer, available on Twist Light and Tosh Sock

Swamp Thing available on Tosh Sock and Pashmina

Want more Madelinetosh? I have restocks of their Halloween hues like Monster Mash, Spooky Stars, Slimer, and Swamp Thing on Tosh Sock and Twist Light Sock (100% merino and merino/nylon, respectively). All shown above on Tosh Sock. There are direct links to the colors above with the pictures.

Yarn Love's Boo-Ya Sock Set + Stitch Markers (I definitely grabbed one of these for myself, and I may be able to offer this as a preorder. So if you want one, and they sell out, check back at that link and see if I'm now offering it as a preorder that we will have dyed just for you).

Yarn Love's Juliet Sock in Frankenstein

Yarn Love's Juliet Sock in Candy Corn

Yarn Love's Juliet Sock in Monster Mash

Yarn Love's Juliet Sock in Gimme Candy

Yarn Love's Juliet Sock in Polyjuice Potion

Yarn Love's Happy Jack Sock Kit (yarn and pattern)

Katie at Yarn Love is serving up all the cute creepy vibes with Yarn Love Mini Sets, skeins of her Juliet Sock and this adorable Sock Set that comes with a a big and mini skein and these four stitch markers. Can these get any cuter? Above are the Juliet skeins in Frankenstein, Candy Corn, Moster Mash and Gimme Candy plus the Happy Jack Sock Kit (comes with the pattern if you just e-mail me after asking for it). Below are the mini sets.

Yarn Love's Polyjuice Potion Mini Set

Yarn Love's Spooky Stripes Mini Set - this is great if you want mini skeins to go with any of the full sized Juliet skeins. Or to make your own striped socks with the minis.

Yarn Love's Black Purl Mini Set

Yarn Love's Pumpkin Carving Mini Set

What about other knitworthy Halloween colorways? Spun Right Round has those for you with Monster Mash, Bitten, Ectoplasm and Haunts all shown on Singles. I love these complicated colors with a simple pattern like the Sockhead Cowl or Sockhead Hat. Or get addicted to the Free For All Cowl and make it for all your holiday gifts. Want an added treat? Use the coupon code SRR20 to get 20% off all Spun Right Round yarn through Friday! Just another Socktober Treat from me to you.

Want a bag with your yarn? I have two options for you, this cute skeleton bag, or charming little Vlady Warhol.

If you want a snarky, fun bag for your goodies, I have more of these too. 

Want sweet skull stitch markers? I have these from Katrinkles.

This is the October Sock-It Set from Dream in Color and it's inspired by a haunted statue in Chicago's Graceland Cemetery called Eternal Silence (read about it on this earlier blog post). This was released just a few days ago and I have less than half of them left. Each month has sold out within a couple weeks so far. They are super popular.

Want basic orange and black so that you can make your own Halloween striped socks? I have basic black and orange for you in Opal Unisolids, Trekking XXL Solids and Cascade Heritage. All are fingering weight, machine washable wool/nylon blends that make wonderful socks or mitts.

Miss Babs makes some awesome zombie themed colorways and I especially like Zombie Games on the Estrellita sparkle base.

Zombie Honeymoon is pretty spectacular too. I have it on Estrellita, Tarte Sock (which has a little bit of Tencel to give it even greater durability and a bit of sheen), Yowza DK and Yummy 2ply.

And Biker Chick is always a Halloween fave- and I just happen to have it at the right time of year (it usually sells fast and I just happened to get some recently). I have it for you on Yowza DK, shown below, Estrellita sparkle, Putnam Sock (their newer sock base) Tarte Sock and Yummy 2ply (merino, no nylon). This is a classic Halloween color, right?

I highly recommend making a Halloween cowl out of one of these fingering weigh Biker Chick skeins (Yowza is the only DK) and the Free For All Cowl pattern. Like using the Putnam Sock below.

And our first Socktober Surprise is still valid through October 7 - if you order before then I'll also e-mail you these two patterns from This Handmade Life. We have more Socktober Surprises coming too as the month progresses so please do come back to the blog for details as I have them.

Want a nice variegated orange for a sweater, socks or cowl? What about one of these?

Pumpkin Juice from Six & Seven Fibres available on Barley Singles or luxurious Alfalfa MCN (merino/cashmere/nylon) Sock

Swift Yarn (NY based studio) has Pumpkin Spice on Bliss Sock (MCN) and Tender sock (merino/nylon)

And isn't it funny that Madelinetosh has a Pumpkin Spice as well (on Twist Light and Pashmina) but it looks very different than any other dyer who makes a color with that name? It's mostly buttery yellow with speckles. Oh, and if you need a good pattern for Pashmina, I keep meaning to start a Tell the Bees. Do give it a look.

I also like the idea of some tweed in the orange. So maybe some Hue Loco Tweed Sock in Pumpkin?

Or Less Traveled Yarn's Tweed Me Sock in Pumpkin Spice?

I'm sure there are many more pumpkin inspired knits in the shop right now too, but I have to stop somewhere, right? Maybe at Pumpkin color poms. That's where I'll stop. I hope you enjoyed a tasty hot beverage like I'm about too, now that I've finished one of the lengthiest posts I've done. And you know I'll probably do another more fall-color inspired post in a week or two as well.

Thank you for indulging me in my quest for all things Halloweeny! I appreciate your support of our fun creative endeavors - for pushing me to curate some unique kits and our dyers into really coloring outside the lines. As always, our limited edition goods tend to sell fast and while I'd love to have enough for everyone, some things do sell out fast- often within hours. Just know that I have some more awesome kits and skeins planned for later this fall and into the Christmas holiday season. There's always something colorful on the horizon here!

Please note that on busy days like this, we are unlikely to be able to combine several order into one to save you on shipping. On normal days, we often see notes like "I just placed an order two hours ago. Please combine and save me shipping if you can." And we're happy to do so if it's noticed. But on days like this we are too busy to see these notes in time (one order ships before we even look at the next stack of orders), so please expect orders to ship as you make them.

Preview of Tomorrow's Halloween Treats!

Tuesday mid-morning (typically 10am-11am) is when you'll find all the spooky and adorable Halloween knits so you can knit all October long! Here's what you'll find at the Kits & Clubs link tomorrow.

SSYC's Boolicious Knit Kit. This Knit Kit features a full sized skein and mini in Fiberstory's Fave Sock (I'm totally addicted to stashing these minis). I originally hadn't thought of adding a mini with the full sized skein, but Sarah showed me that a charcoal skein that's very slightly sprinkled with the coordinating yellow and orange would just put this over the top and I'm so glad we added it. The bag is super cute, right? Ghoulish little cupcakes adorn this sock project bag made by Mommy Sews. The kit is finished by these faux leather (washable) Hand Made tags to stitch onto your project. And we all need more tapestry needles, right? That's the one thing I'm always searching for in my knitting cabinet.

I worked with Madelinetosh this summer to develop this tangy, eerie colorway that we call Nightmare. It's a bright oddity that reminds me of what melted Nerd candy would look like and it's so outside my color wheel that I, of course, snagged one for my stash. That seems to be what's making me dive all in lately- things I wouldn't usually choose. I've paired it with little Nerd candy stitch markers so you can add even more color to your needles - and the markers are just a little gift from me to you.

Want more Madelinetosh? I have restocks of their Halloween hues like Monster Mash, Spooky Stars, Slimer, and Swamp Thing on Tosh Sock and Twist Light Sock (100% merino and merino/nylon, respectively). All shown above on Tosh Sock.

Katie at Yarn Love is serving up all the cute creepy vibes with Yarn Love Mini Sets, skeins of her Juliet Sock and this adorable Sock Set that comes with a a big and mini skein and these four stitch markers. Can these get any cuter? Above are the Juliet skeins in Frankenstein, Candy Corn, Moster Mash and Gimme Candy plus the Happy Jack Sock Kit (comes with the pattern if you just e-mail me after asking for it). Below are the mini sets.

What about more knitworthy Halloween colorways?  Spun Right Round has those for you with Monster Mash, Bitten, Ectoplasm and Haunts. I love these complicated colors with a simple pattern like the Sockhead Cowl or Sockhead Hat. Want an added treat? Use the coupon code SRR20 to get 20% off all Spun Right Round yarn through Friday! Just another Socktober Treat from me to you.

Want a bag with your yarn? I have two options for you, this cute skeleton bag, or charming little Vlady Warhol.

If you want a snarky, fun bag for your goodies, I have more of these too. 

Want cute stitch markers? I have these from Katrinkles.

I do think there's some things that I'm missing, but you'll find everything at the Kits and Clubs link tomorrow. The Spun Right Round and the Madelinetosh colors will be listed in their normal categories, as linked above. 

And our first Socktober Surprise is still valid through October 7 - if you order before then I'll also e-mail you these two patterns from This Handmade Life. We have more Socktober Surprises coming too as the month progresses so please do come back to the blog for details as I have them.

Please note that on busy days like this, we are unlikely to be able to combine several order into one to save you on shipping. On normal days, we often see notes like "I just placed an order two hours ago. Please combine and save me shipping if you can." And we're happy to do so if we can. But on days like this we are too busy to see these notes in time, so please expect orders to ship as you order them.

It's Socktober!! Let's CELEBRATE! + A Contest

It's Socktober, friends! Socktober is a month long celebration of all things sock knitting and we're doing it up big again this year at SSYC with gifts-with-purchase, contests, limited Halloween goodies and Knit Kits, sales and more! I really do love this time of year - it's so fun to treat others to yarn and goodies that make us smile, all leading up to a time of candy and costumes and then holiday festivities! Come join us here on the blog whenever you want to see what's new in the shop, what tokens we're giving you, and how you can win prizes. We'll have something new going on each week this month. Do bookmark the blog!

What's this week's Socktober Surprise? Two gifts!! Just order online today through October 7 and I'll gift you not one but TWO sock patterns from This Handmade Life! I'm a big fan of Olivia's patterns, so she and I have chosen two patterns that we both think you'll appreciate. St. Mary Mead (above) is addictively simple and Kelpie (below) is a bit more tangy and I'll e-mail them to you after your online order (those link to the Ravelry pages so you can see more). You don't have to e-mail to request them or add them to your cart or anything. I'll automatically send you the patterns via e-mail within 3 days of your order (if you don't get them four days after your order, just e-mail service@simplysockyarn.com to ask). After you get your e-mailed order receipt, please add us to your Contacts just in case so the pattern e-mail doesn't go to spam. 

This is just one way I'll be showing you my thanks over the month as we celebrate our 16th Socktober at Simply Socks Yarn Co! What else can you expect this month? Well, next week is our big online Halloween Event where we release the ghoulish goodies we have for you this year - a Knit Kit, limited edition skeins, bags, stitch markers and more. I'll preview all these on Monday, and my hope is to have everything go live on Tuesday at the Kits & Clubs link.

So what might you like to purchase to get your free patterns this week? How about the new holiday color
from West Yorkshire Spinners? These always go fast and Vintage Tinsel can be found here along with their other holiday colors that I have restocked. Silent Night sparkle is last year's color that I've been able to get more of too.

I also have for you the Dream in Color Sock-It-Set for October, which is inspired by graveyard gardens. And we have a huge amount of Smooshy and Smooshy with Cashmere for all the things.

We have a full restock of all our Madelinetosh, and Tosh Sock would be perfect to use for the patterns I'm gifting you. We have over 300 colors in several Tosh base yarns, above with Joan showing it off, and we stock every color of Malabrigo too. And I'm even adding super bulky Malabrigo Rasta to our offerings very soon - it has arrived, but takes quite a while to photograph it all. As you may know, we photograph all our yarn when it gets here instead of using stock photos so that you get the best idea you can about what your hand dyed skeins will actually look like.

We have the two newest Opal Yarn Collections, 25 Years of Opal and Rainforest 17. Can you believe they've been doing the Rainforest collection for 17 years now?!

And if you want a fab deal on yarn for your gift socks, take a look at our Sale Section. Page 2 has dozens of Regia options for 50% off. This stuff is fun to knit and is easy care, which is perfect when you're gifting socks to someone this Christmas.

Want to try a wool other than merino? I have a Polwarth wool sock yarn in our Sale Section from Laneras Yarn Co (LYC) for only $18 a skein. Gorgeous Uruguayan milled yarn.

Finally, we just received a fresh batch of our exclusive yarn from Dream in Color (DIC), Colossal Sock. This yarn has 50% more than a typical skein and it's just $21. You can find dozens of colors in the Sale Section. We get this yarn every 5-6 weeks and it always goes fast.

And if you've made it all the way to the bottom of this lengthy blog post, you deserve the chance at at treat! I'm giving away two $50 gift certificates to the shop and you can enter to win simply by telling me in the comments what you love about fall. I'll randomly choose two winners by noon EST on October 5 and e-mail you.

What do I love about fall? LOTS. Knitting at my boys' soccer games without sweating in the hot sun, decorating my fireplace mantle with whatever Halloween craft we make (like this cute paper garland), the smell of the crisp fall air, hiking in the falling leaves (though I won't be doing that this year with this torn Achilles), knitting under a crocheted blanket, making applesauce.... there's much to look forward to this fall!

Want to see more yarny goodness? If you haven't seen SSYC and our  , you can view this interview and tour by Krissy Glass. She came to visit earlier this summer and did an interview and shop tour. Do watch!

Dream in Color Sock It Set, October 2021

It’s spooky October and this month’s Dream in Color Sock It Set is inspired by the haunted statue in Chicago's Graceland Cemetery called Eternal Silence. How's that for gorgeous ghoulishness?

Veronica has this to say about this month's creation:

    You might think that a cemetery breaks with my garden theme. I know that not everyone thinks of cemeteries as “gardens” but some of the best heirloom roses, azaleas, lilacs and hydrangea’s can be found there. If you go visit one bring your garden shears to get some cutting to propagate. 

    Almost every city has a beautiful cemetery and I’ve been to more than my fair share… I went through a “cemetery phase” where I visited one in just about every city I went to. My list of favorites include Pere Lachaise in Paris, Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond VA, St Louis Cemetery in New Orleans and Graceland Cemetery in Chicago. Do you have a favorite cemetery? Does your town need to be on my list? 

This combo is right in my wheelhouse/colorwheel. I love deep hues like the navy/violet of the mini skein, and the murky teal (like oxidized copper) with floral hues makes an uncommon combo that could easily end up muddy if it wasn't dyed by someone with 15 years experience. I especially like the single yellow/gold stitches that remind me of an anther of a flower's stamen - the little part inside that holds all the pollen. This attention to detail is exactly what I love about Veronica's work. I hope you can grab one of these sets while we have them!

Fall Batch of Colossal Sock

I have a stunning batch of Dream in Color's Colossal Sock for you today in the Sale Section. We've had this base for over a year now (it's exclusive to us to celebrate our 15th anniversary and is a super price) and this batch to particularly beautiful. So much so, that I just have to show it off to you in detail.

I love the fall hues like Lafayette, Burr and Pop Up Skein Sept 2021

Then we have other fall-ish hues like Element 79, Catching Stars, and Ginger Ninja

In the mood for awesome but not particularly seasonal? I'm loving Whetstone, Uptown Electric, and Floral Latte.

Love blues, greens and vivid water hues or island notes? Brilliant, Jessamyn and Island are the way to go.

These are just a few of the stashworthy skeins I have for you. Colossal Sock (found in our sale section) is a bit more rustic feeling than some sock yarns. It feels like Smooshy Sock Yarn used to, 15 years ago when it first came out. Smooshy has been reworked over the years to be a bit more smooth, and I do offer that too if you love these colors and want that. I also have many of these in Smooshy with Cashmere, which is about the softest sock yarn you'll ever feel. There's definitely something for everyone with Dream in Color, that's for sure. And tomorrow, I'll share with you October's Sock It Set. It's right up my alley/colorwheel!!!

Laneras Yarn Co. - Barefoot Sock

We've been asked for lots of input over the past few weeks on colors for the upcoming Stephen West MKAL. I've shared a few ideas on Instagram and the recent batch of Barefoot Sock from Laneras Yarn Co. inspired me to share a few color ideas that I like together. 

These colors can all be found in the Sale Section because the price of this beautiful Polwarth wool sock yarn is $10 less than comparable merino skeins. It's a superb deal. You can find all the merino blends under Lanera's former name Vrinda Yarn on our website (they changed their name earlier this year).

I hope this inspires you a bit to combine hues for this shawl. If you are looking for other color ideas or help making sure the colors you like together look as good in person as you hope, just e-mail me at service@simplysockyarn.com.

 

What's coming this week

Many of you are waiting for the Cascade 220 Superwash restock so you can get the rest of your colors for the Blanket of Many Stitches MKAL and you'll now find all those colors here. Please note that a few colors were backordered so we can help you sub something similar if you e-mail me at service@simplysockyarn.com. Please don't hesitate if there's a color you want. And if you want the details of the MKAL, you'll find them all here on the initial blog post.

I also have the awesome 2021 holiday color from West Yorkshire Spinners, Vintage Tinsel. It's a super cute stripe with glitter, and it comes with a free pattern that I'll e-mail back to you if you simply respond to your e-mailed receipt and ask me for it.

I'm photographing our restock of Emma's Yarn this week and so I'll have that up for you. Also restocks of the Laneras Yarn Barefoot Sock, which is the only Polwarth wool sock yarn I have. You'll find it in the Sale Section for $19, which is $10 less than comparable merino blends. You're getting a fab deal for a different type of wool. And it's soft and takes the dye beautifully.

I'm sure there will be more too!

 

Just a Tease

You know, just a tease of things to come. Like I do.

Above, the Vintage Christmas 2021 Holiday Color from West Yorkshire Spinners (comes with pattern too). Coming next week. Below, the yarn for the upcoming Boolicious Knit Kit coming the first week of October (there's a bag and accessories too).

I'm super excited about Halloween and Christmas this year. I have some really creative colors, kits and a special SSYC exclusive holiday/winter themed countdown package that I can't wait to share. So. Much!

Colorful New Goodies in the Shop This Week!

I have some really fun things for you this week and more in the coming weeks!

A first for us, a New Year Countdown from Stitch Together Studios! This awesome set is preordered now for early December delivery (please order it alone without other items on the order). We have a limited amount of these sets coming, so if you love deep, brooding color, magic and snarky humor (with a bit of cussing), then please do sign up. You pay now to save your space for December delivery so you can count your way to an awesome 2022 in fiber. 

Also available today is the first of several of our Halloween offerings! Madelinetosh has created their first Halloween set, the Crack the Glowsticks Bundle, and it's here and ready to ship today! It comes with their newest color, Crack the Glowsticks, a fluorescent yellow/green dyed on their holo glitter, which is their Tosh Merino Light with a little bit of iridescent glitter plied in. You'll also find a black waxed canvas project bag with leather loop, and little accessories like a notebook, pencil, leather tag and tapestry needle. And as token of appreciation from SSYC to you, we're gifting you a little glow-in-the-dark-star accessory pouch. The pouch doesn't come with this kit from other sources, it's just a gift from me. Supplies are limited but we'll have other awesome Halloween yarns and kits in a few weeks for you. It's just the start of the season!

If you'd like to use your skein of Crack the Glowstick with another color or two, here are the ones that Heather suggests to use with them. You know she's our color diva. Pair Crack the Glowsticks with Magic, LYS, Maiyet, Lamplight, Bone Coral, Beta, It's Lit or Hydroponic. My personal faves are the Bone Coral, Beta and It's Lit.

Opal Yarn has sent us two new collections, the Rainforest 17 collection and 25 Years of Opal. Can you believe that Opal's been around that long? Hundreds of awesome collections and millions of hours of addictive knitting have come from this German company and I'm so glad to have offered them now for 16 years.

We also have restocks of the Joy collection (I'm knitting this one) and solids.

And for those of you waiting on colors of Cascade 220 Superwash so you can amass the four colors you want for your blanket, I expect to have those here Monday or Tuesday of this coming week. There are three colors (of there 100+ selection) that are unavailable, so if you need help with subs once you look at the website next week, just let me know and we're happy to color compare for you and find you something awesome. And if you haven't yet joined in the MKAL, full details are available here on the blog.

Flock Fibres

We have a rare batch of yarny goodies from the edge of the Canadian Rockies - it's Flock Fibres!

We expected this yarn in time for the Christmas in July event over a month ago, but as I've shared here before you can do months of planning and waiting and getting imported goods is still a crapshoot. Dyers have a hard time getting base yarn, certain dye powder or hands on help. Then there are issues with shipping and importing on both ends. Such is pandemic life. You think it's going to start getting better and then you realize, nope, we're still in the thick of it.

So what I have for you is a complete restock of Take a Hike sock yarn, Lone Pine Singles, and Flock Sock Sets. We also have skein of some of the newer holiday hues that we haven't had before. 

Here are the holiday sock sets I have for you. I also have just the skeins too, if you don't want a mini or want several skeins for a larger project.

Holly Days

Yule Ball

Winter Lights

Gingerbread Party

One Foggy Christmas Eve

All I Want for Christmas is Ewe

And if you wanted to make the Sweet & Tartan socks by Tracie Millar, we have those three color options again too. The one below is S&T set no. 1.

Photo courtesy of Tracie Millar

Many of you are asking for help assembling colors for Stephen West's upcoming MKAL, and Flock Fibres is perfect for that. Kim's colors look so great together, so get to lookin' and if you have questions about whether or not the color's you're choosing look as good together as you hope, just e-mail me at service@simplysockyarn.com.

Cascade Yarn - Blanket of Many Stitches Knitalong

Cascade Yarns is hosting a blanket KAL and I know that many of you participated in it last time, so I wanted to share this one with you. Details can be found here at this PDF, which also includes many color ideas. If you see a four color combo there and you don't see one of the hues on our website, I'm happy to help you find a sub for it, as we do carry all the colors of Cascade 220 Superwash. It could be that someone simply purchased the last of a color you want and it's coming soon, or that we could find you a nice sub. They have so many great colors that it's easy to sub things here and there and come up with a stunning result.

If you do want something particular and we don't have the quantity in stock right now, just e-mail me at service@simplysockyarn.com and I'll put in an order at the end of the week to get you what you need. The KAL doesn't start until the end of the month, so it gives us plenty of time to get the yarn here and into your hands.

There are several pages of colors ideas at this link. And, again, if you want something you don't see on our website, just e-mail me, Allison, at service@simplysockyarn.com and we can do a special order and have it to you in a couple weeks. The pattern calls for 17 balls of yarn, so obviously qualifies for free US shipping too.

Cascade 220 Superwash is the yarn that I use for all the baby blankets I make for friends. While it's soft and holds up well to washing, I'll admit that my favorite thing about this yarn is the wide array of colors. There's nothing quite like standing at our back wall and seeing 150+ colors all lined up and being able to imagine the possibilities.

I've noticed that KALs (knitalongs) have gained popularity since the pandemic. Since we all can't get out and about with our friends like we used to, it's a great way to share with others, get inspired by someone else's color ideas and creativity, and feel like we're doing a bit of adventuring. It's a fun chance of pace, if you're not used to doing one. Do join!

To make it super easy, here's what you do in three steps:

1. Go here to sign up for Cascade's newsletter so you get the clues to the mystery pattern when they are released on Sept. 29.
2. Read this so you have the details and can choose your colors.
3. Go to the Cascade 220 Superwash section to purchase your yarn. Don't see the color/s you want in the quantities you need? E-mail me, Allison, at service@simplysockyarn.com and ask to do a special order that we'll order for you at the end of the week so that we can get your yarn to you before the Mystery KAL begins at the end of the month. Several of you have already e-mailed today asking for colors that sold out fast and we'll make that happen.
4. Want to shop for your colors in person? Come visit us this Saturday or Tuesday! Our full schedule of open days is here and we're located in Fort Wayne, IN.

Checking In

Well, goodness friends. Life has been.... Life, lately. It's not amazing, it's not awful. It's just been quite overwhelming, and underwhelming? Is that possible to have both? I think so. Especially since what we were told would be a two-week-stay-in-place has turned into a year and a half of turmoil, anxiety filled sadness and disheartening stories.

Let's start with the good things. The shop is awesome. It's so well put together, we're on top of everything, we are busy, and it's just really so nice to see and experience. Especially after a year and a half of really anxious and difficult times with lots of juggling. It's like a big exhale and a bright spot to see, and my staff is so great at what they do. Plus it's been just refreshing to see people in the shop again, everyone is nice about wearing masks all the time, and we have all remained healthy and as safe as possible. We get a lot of appreciative feedback from in-person shoppers about how happy they are with being able to shop safely, and how nice it is to see/touch/experience the shop as usual, and it makes me happy.

Another great thing? My kids are back in school (I didn't even get a photo of the first day b/c I am not mobile - details below). It's been a full week now and they are both really enjoying it. James is starting fall soccer this week with practices and games outdoors, and Henry gets to be in his school's choir for the first time. He could have joined last year as a second grader, but they canceled choir because of the pandemic. This year, at least so far, it's going to happen and I can't wait to hear his sweet little voice singing along with his friends.

One thing that's making life hard is the constant gloom of the looming pandemic. COVID-19 rates are getting higher where we are, I wonder when my kids' school experience will be interrupted again by a quarantine of some sort, Henry is too young to be vaccinated, and I worry about my family's health, my staff's health, and the general public. I worry that I could be doing something different/more to make things better. I worry that the issues importing and getting certain things will continue or (gasp) get worse. I worry that even if I do my best, it might not be enough to make people happy. I don't share much about the intricacies of running a small business during a pandemic, but the struggle is real. Every day is something new to tackle.

Another hardship.... I tore my Achilles tendon. I can't walk, I can't drive, I can't stand - well, I started moving more today at least, so I'm feeling some hope. I can't function normally. I completely rely on others for nearly everything. It really sucks for me, as I'm not only used to doing things myself, but I tend to juggle a lot and that's difficult right now. We'll see if booting it for two months has solved it, or if I need surgical intervention. I'm not willing to allow a partial recovery because I lead a very active and sporty life, and I want to continue in that for a long time. This is a different injury than I had this spring (and the other foot).

But I did learn a lesson in my injury. That post-pandemic (if that's what you'd even call this time, which doesn't seem correct), or at least post-lockdown, I can't expect to go back to normal immediately. Not mentally or physically. That I have to allow myself some grace. A slow build up of mind, of muscle. A loss of anxiety and weight. And I should forgive myself for not being the same person I was 2 years ago. I won't be winning any sand volleyball tournaments this summer. I won't be hiking this fall like I enjoyed last fall. I won't be attending birthday parties or group events. These things I just can't do physically or mentally right now. I'll get there. But I'm going to get there slowly, and that's going to have to be fine.

Are you with me on this? Do you have similar feelings? Like now that we are vaccinated we should be of more service, connecting with all the people we missed, getting our kids back together with their groups/friends? Do you feel an odd guilt for not really wanting to do these things again? I do. I feel like I stayed healthy and I should be getting back to things, but I don't yet feel ready to do them. I'm not going to push myself to feel differently yet. Instead, I'm going to ease myself back into "normalcy." Whatever that looks like.

If you have found a solution to this mindset, what is it? Do you meditate? Or are you in a job/life where you can't allow yourself this grace, so dealing with it all just seems normal? I'd love to know where you are at with this.

My staff and I are all taking this holiday weekend off, so online orders will ship starting Tuesday. And if you want to pick up at the Contactless Pickup box, the first day that would be available will be Wednesday, 11am-1pm. Happy Labor Day weekend, y'all!

Free Shipping thru Thursday!

We are doing one last free shipping coupon for our Sweet Soxteen Summer Celebration! If you'd like to treat yourself to a bit of fibery goodness this week, just enter coupon code FreeShip at Check Out and you'll see that your US shipping is free through Thursday, Sept. 2! What might you like to purchase this week?

Beach Bash is the only color I have available from our summer Sweet Soxteen celebration, where four dyers created birthday inspired colors to celebrate our 16th. It's a super fun and vibrant color and would look great with the Slip Away sock pattern. It comes with some cute beach ball stitch markers too!

I'm super proud to share that for the first time I have over 300 colors of Madelinetosh in stock in Tosh Sock and Tosh Merino Light (one ply for sweaters, shawls, accessories). I don't think I've ever walked into a yarn shop and see THREE HUNDRED colors of anything before. It's a lot. Many of these are formerly retired hues that the new owner (well, two years in now) have been slowing bringing back. And, of course I ordered more Amnesia because I'm knitting that myself right now into my Picnic Blanket socks. I now have one sock finished and the cuff of the second one going.

We also have a stunner of a batch of Dream in Color. So many lovely hand dyed hues. Plus we have the September Sock-It Set shown above. 

Love Malabrigo? We all do. I have all the new colors of Sock and Mechita, plus restocks. Consider a pair of socks in the Life's a Peach pattern. Or an Emerger Cowl. Shown below new color in Under the Sea.

Want more minis? These sets, shown above, from Fiberstory are divine. I also have minis from Wonderland Yarns, Sweet Georgia, Stitch Together Studios and Six and Seven Fibers. And the Opal Yarn mini ball sets are always loved.

For those of you who are feeling sad about missing fall fiber festivals for the second year in a row, I have for you a fresh batch from Miss Babs! Her booth is always one that people make a bee line for, and the line can go on seemingly forever. If you are missing that feeling of snagging something unique and awesome, then head to the Babs section as I have five bases in stock. Yowza DK (twice the yarn!) and Yummy 2ply Fingering are the most popular, and Putnam is her newest sock yarn base. And if you like a rare sparkly sock yarn, try Estrellita.

Other new goodies and restocks? Check out Cascade 220 Superwash, Heritage Sock, Heritage Silk and Heritage Prints (color 89- Mod) shown above. I have ALL the colors. Also new colors of the more rustic feeling sock yarn Tenderfoot and the dynamic sport weight gradients from Queensland, shown below.

Appreciate a fab deal? Check Out the Sale Section for the best discounts we've found in over a year, like this worsted weight sock yarn - great for thicker winter socks. Or get several balls of the Regia Silk or Regia Alpaca to make a simple, lightweight sweater. It's soft, luxurious and machine washable!

We have some super goodies coming for fall - new Opal Yarn and Regia collections, a rare batch of Flock Fibre, and some super cool surprises. As always, you can learn about these things first here on the blog, or get news directly to your Inbox by signing up for our e-newsletter at the bottom of our website.

Thank you for helping us celebrate our 16th anniversary this summer! It's been a blast and we greatly appreciate your support and loyalty over the years. Whether you shop with us online or in person, or you haven't shopped with us yet, we appreciate you. Oh, and if you haven't been to the shop in person before or lately, check out this recent interview and shop tour from Krissy Glass. It's a fun way to see the shop!

New this week!

Just a quick note to let you in on this week's bit of awesome. We have a super colorful restock of all things Dream in Color, including Smooshy with Cashmere shown below. We even have a contest going on that you can enter on Instagram or Facebook to win two skeins of your own.

We also have new gradient hues of Queensland's Rainbow Beach, a lovely sport weight gradient that I can't wait to knit up some Christmas presents in.

Also, Tenderfoot in restocks and new pastels. This is the more toothy/rustic sock yarn that I found for us when many of you asked for a less smooth texture. It's been super popular not only b/c of the texture and price, but because all the colors look so good together.

We also have a restock of Madelinetosh that I'll have more details on soon.... which includes a new hue and about a dozen colors that were formerly retired under the previous owners, and brought back with the new (two-ish years ago) owners. Super happy about these.

But I'll leave you for the week and hope to see you in the shop this Saturday and Tuesday during our shop-in-person hours. I do want to share that COVID-19 rates in Indiana are really on the rise and it could be that we suspend in-person shopping again if it continues. I'm hoping that's not the case, as I've really enjoyed connecting with you in person since we reopened a few months ago. But we will continue to ship safely (and still offer Contactless Pickup) if we are compelled to shut down to in-person shoppers. Please do come in soon if you haven't yet or need to just in case we do. And please bring your mask, as usual. As I did before, I’ll post on our Shop in Person page if we change things.