Simply Socks Yarn Co. Blog

New colors from Dream in Color

A few weeks ago I shared that I'm expecting new semi-solid colors from Dream in Color, but I now am able to show you pictures!  Veronica sent me pictures awhile back, but it pained me b/c I wasn't to share them quite yet.  So the new colors are below (listed right to left in picture to the left):

01-Crying Dove, 02-Black Pearl, 03-Grey Tabby, 04-Tea Party, 05 Absolute Magenta, 06-Purple Rain, 07-Romeo Blue, 08 Bermuda Teal, 09-Shiny Moss, 10-Gold Experience, 11-Cinnamon Girl

The below picture doesn't show the yarn in any particular order b/c it's from Veronica several weeks ago.  But I think that the white background shows off the colors nicely.

 

I'll let you know as soon as the new colors arrive in Smooshy, Baby and Classy yarns.

Flat Feet sock yarn by Conjoined Creations

Alright... you can now stop e-mailing me and asking if I'm going to carry Flat Feet sock yarn b/c it's finally here!  To learn more about this unique sock yarn, keep on reading.  Or just check it out as I'm offering an Introductory Price of $22.50 a flat (that's 10% off) for the next week.

Flat Feet is a new concept in sock knitting, in that instead of putting up the yarn in skeins or center-pull balls, Mary and her Conjoined Creations associates put it up into flats.  By machine knitting the undyed yarn into rectangles, Mary can apply color in strips, squiggles, dots, splotches, or any combination of these, thus producing what looks like a wild flat, but knits up into a beautifully unique pair of socks.  How the yarn looks on the flat only indicates the colors you'll find in the final socks- not how the colors will lay once knitted up.

The flats are available in 12 color schemes.  Colorways are: Cool, Warm, Neutral or Kaleidoscope.  And within each of those there are three (only two in Kaleidoscope) variations in the intensity of the colors: Pale, Subdued and Bright.  There is also a Camo color, which is really cool splotches of bold color on a pastel background (shown at left).

Flat Feet's even going to be part of the next SSYC Sock Yarn Club.. oh wait.. did I just reveal something?  That's right, the next series of the SSYC Sock Yarn Club is all ready to sell and will likely be available next week.  I'll post here and also send out a short e-mail to those of you on the newsletter list (and those who have been in previous clubs).  This 3-month club is focusing on solid and semi-solid colorways, all hand dyed.  If you haven't participated in a SSYC club before, they sell quickly.  I'm going to add a few more spaces for the club so that it will likely stay open for about a week before selling out.  B/c they yarns are hand dyed (and special edition colors) I can't impose on my dyers for hundreds and hundreds of skeins so I have to keep the numbers somewhat low- usually somewhat in the 150 members range.

*Check out new additions to the sale section (like the Lexie Barnes needle case shown here), more Fleece Artist BFL and Casbah, and the sale I'm having on CTH Organic sock yarn- 30% off!

Yarn, yarn everywhere

I'm really gearing up for all your holiday needs, and so much yarn has made an appearance this week that I'm having a hard time finding time to blog!  But I did promise pics of James as Darth Vader, and that's something I'm happy to show off.  Of course, he looks like he's wearing a dorky black sweatsuit b/c he refused to wear the felt "helmet."

(Take a look at the sale section, b/c there are some more great deals there right now.  Also CTH organic yarn is on sale 30% off.  More new yarn later this week.)

James shows those leaves who has "the force."

 

James gives us "pretty eyes" for more chocolate after throwing the helmet on the floor.

Opal Rainforest 4, Harry Potter and EVEN MORE YARN

As if last week's Malabrigo sock yarn shipment didn't keep me enough on my toes, this morning the UPS man brought 8 huges boxes of the spankin' new Opal Rainforest 4 sock yarn, and the newest shipment of the Opal Harry Potter sock yarn.  Both the new Rainforest and Harry Potter yarns have been greatly anticipated, so I'm happy that it's all finally here and will make many sock knitters happy! 

The previous 3 collections of Opal Rainforest were so well loved that a new Rainforest collection is now available, featuring the 8 self patterning colorways shown below.  Want a closer look?  Take a look at the store, or click on the image below to enlarge it.

 

Also new?  This month's Special Edition colorway from Cherry Tree Hill, Pilgrims Progress.  It's a lovely combination of muted jewel tones, and it coordinates with the Special Edition solid Fig. What do you think?

Finally, I received a couple shipments from Fleece Artist, and I hope to have them up on the website Tuesday or Wednesday.  These shipments include a restock of the popular Casbah (wool/cashmere/nylon) sock yarn and our second shipment of the new BFL sock yarn.  Most of the BFL sock colors sold out quickly when it was first in stock, so I ordered a bunch more this time.

Am lagging a bit....

Thank you so much for all the orders you've placed over the past two days!  It's a good thing that I ordered so much of the new Malabrigo sock yarn, b/c boy is that leaving here fast- and my energy level is leaving with it.  There are so many hundreds of orders for it (and the Monica Knits patterns) that I won't have the time to blog more this week.  I just wanted to THANK YOU!  A couple colors have sold out, and it's likely that you'll see others disappear in the next few days as they sell.  But I have an order already on its way here to replenish my stock.

I do realize that I haven't posted a picture of James as mini-Darth Vader yet, but I do plan on doing so next week!  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  I want to live vicariously, so if there's something you are going to do with this unseasonably warm weather we are having (at least here in Indiana) leave me a comment.

Malabrigo Sock Yarn, OMG is gorgeous

Yes, the Malabrigo sock yarn is now in stock.  It's gorgeous and well priced at just $18.50 a skein!  I have all 24 colors in stock (at the time of this post), and I have alot of each of them.  I even have a second order already on its way here, should some of the colors sell quickly.

I think I tested my double-tasking to the limit today.  Waited in line and then voted with a rambunctious 16 month old in tow.  (Note to new mamas- a toddler will stay in place for a long time if he can keep reaching in your purse for Goldfish crackers.)  Then photoed and put all the new Malabrigo on the site while trying to devote myself to listening to CNN.  I think that any one of these things would take all your undivided attention, but I seem to have succeeded in getting all done.  Now let's just hope the website doesn't crash....

Country livin'

I am really enjoying reading all of your responses to my last post!  I find myself identifying with many of you- wanting my natural food store and coffee shop close by, yet wanted solitude and a quite landscape.  Unfortunately, the town I live in doesn't have a natural food store or a nice coffee shop.  Though we do have Bob's (home of great pie and some very tasty mac and cheese) and a wonderful new library, I find myself hoping that someone will open a cafe with amazing omelets, or a small grocer with fresh, organic fruits.  I am lucky that there are so many Amish farms very close by where I can find great seasonal fruits and veggies, an organic eggs year round.  And Fort Wayne really is just a 10 minute drive away with all the big stores close enough for everything.  And Target, oh Target, is just 17 minutes.  Yes, I know exactly how long it takes.

If you haven't had a chance to read through the comments, you might like to take the time to do so (and enter the contest).  It's so nice to read how others live and what you enjoy (or don't) about where you live.  What you hope to change in the future, or what you wouldn't change at all.  And, Carolyn you live in a city with 22 lakes? I'm not going to tell Joe about that b/c he's afisherman and would want to move again.  And, Janet, living in Billings sounds like the perfect mix to me.  And Sarah?  I want a small, local theater too.  Something that doesn't have the work "plex" in it.  But I know that if there is demand for a theater, that there are so many people in the area that I've likely lost all my solitude.

One of the reason I didn't want to move out of the city is b/c I didn't want to have to drive my kids (assuming we get to have more than one) all over creation just to see their friends/go to ballgames/get to school.  I guess I'll tackle that when I get there.  I'm also thinking about preschool, should we send James to one.  Since I work from home, I don't know if I'll be sending James to a preschool, but I kind of assume that it would be a good thing for him to get out a couple days a week once he's 3 or 4.  I have several friends who I see once a week or so and they have kid/s James' age, but I bet a preschool would be a good idea eventually.  Obviously I haven't thought too much about it though.  What do you think about preschool?  Have you sent your kids to one, even if you are a SAHM?  When did your kids start?

Malabrigo Update: I expect the Malabrigo Sock yarn to arrive this week.  So keep your eyes peeled to the blog, or your Inbox, as I'll send out a newsletter when all 24 of those gorgeous colors arrive.  As this is a completely new yarn, I really don't know how quickly it will sell out, but I bought lots for us.

Country Girl at Heart?

Joe and I have been married for almost 6 years now, and for that entire time he worked on me about where we should ultimately reside.  See, Joe grew up in "the country."  For me, this means that you can't see your neighbors without binoculars, you don't have much road traffic, and you have to walk quite a ways down your drive to get your mail every day.  You likely have a barn or building of some sort (or two or three) and your garden is just about as big the land your house takes up.  To me, it sounded quite boring.

I, on the other hand, grew up in "the city."  Where the library is a short walk away, you just walk out your front door to Trick-or-Treat, no horse-and-buggy ever comes past your house, and a Target is just a 7 minute drive away.  A city or municipality sells you your water and sewer service, and if you want fresh roasted coffee, you can walk to the roaster in 4 minutes.

Joe and I bought our first home in the city, and while it wasn't my ideal home, it really was conveniently located, our neighbors turned out to be some of our closest friends, and I would have gladly bought another (larger) home in the immediate area.  But Joe had a different idea of what he wanted, and I'm very glad to say that he was right.  He wanted land, peace, and space.  I said that sounded isolating.  Boy, have I come to eat my words.  Yes, I'm admitting I was wrong.  I really like living in "the country."  It's relaxing, quiet, and my son has plenty of room to run and play.  And ultimately, it's cheaper to live here!  We had a huge garden that we are still eating from, we provide our own water and sewer service, and I spend less money b/c I don't go out as much as spend small sums of cash frivolously.

So my question to you is this: Are you a country girl/boy?  Or a city girl/boy?  If you have lived in both areas, which did you like best and why?

Oh, let's make this a contest.  Leave your answer in the comments section below my Nov. 5, and I'll randomly select someone to win a skein of Seacoast Merino/Tencel in your choice of colors. 

More Fleece Artist Trail Sock

Simply Socks Yarn Co. has received our second shipment of Fleece Artist's Trail Sock yarn.  We first got this in about 2 months ago and it's sold quickly.  Not only is it available in some gorgous colors, but it's a good combo of merino and nylon, making it work well for more durable socks... and it's priced really well under $16 a skein.  I have several of the colors that sold quickly last time, including Victoria (shown here) and Ebony, as well as some new colors like Apple Blossom and Flirt.

I also have the brand new colors of Alpaca Sox yarn in stock!  Not only are there a few new solid (Celadon and Amethyst) and multi colors (Mixed Berry, Red Riot and Camo), but there is a new line of Kettle Dyed colors as well.  These are somewhat solid colors that really have some depth to them.  If you haven't knit socks with this yarn yet, give it a go.  Or, like me and many others, you can knit the Lace Ribbon Scarf as your go-to holiday gift. Sky is the color called for in the pattern, but Anne used Granny Smith and I think hers turned out beautifully, don't you?  I'm considering one of the colors for myself.

I have a few things arriving soon.  A new sock yarn from Crystal Palace called Panda Soy.  This yarn is wool free like Panda Cotton, except the fibers you'll find in Panda Soy are bamboo, soy and nylon. It's another good option for those who don't want wool in their sock yarn.

Finally, Dream in Color is coming out with several new colors in Smooshy, Baby and Classy.  These colors are solid (semi-solid is a better description), instead of multicolored like the 32 colors already available.  Veronica at Dream in Color says that many of the colors are "traditional fairisle colors" so that we can do some great colorwork with the yarn.  I already have all the new colors on order in Baby, Smooshy and Classy, so you'll find them at Simply Socks as soon as they're available.  Sorry, no picture to post right now.

Did you see that we got a new shipment of the Trekking 126-Brach's Candy sock yarn?  This keeps selling out, and I will continue to keep it as long as it's available in the US.  I'm almost done with my pair of socks in this yarn in a 3x1 rib.  I can't wait to put them on my feet!

The Votes are In...

I'm almost sold out of all the Schaefer Yarn Sock the Vote colors, with the exception of Cindy.  Seems that colorway is the least popular, not only at Simply Socks, but in overall Schaefer sales as well!

Schaefer shared their sales with me, and the breakdown of the sales of the 1300 skeins they dyed (10% of which came to Simply Socks) is as follows:

Michelle..... 29%

Hillary...... 26%

Sarah..... 24%

Cindy..... 21%

Seems that country wide, Michelle's color has won out, with Hillary's and Sarah's not too far behind.

I've found all your e-mails about this yarn to be pretty entertaining.  The ladies at Schaefer and I have been trading your stories back-and-forth over the past few weeks, and I've found that most of you have bought the color you like, and not necessarily according to your political affiliations.  Most of the e-mails I've gotten have been, for example, "I can't believe I just bought a yarn named Hillary (or other name), but I just had to b/c I love the color!" Or "Good thing the colors I like match the women I admire!"  And one of you went to school with Hillary and is considering knitting her a pair of socks in her color and gifting them to her at your next reunion.  Cool, eh?  If you have a story or got a giggle with this yarn, do share in the comments below.

You've really provided me and the ladies at Schaefer with some much-needed giggles over the past few weeks.  I don't know about you, but I'm so sick of being bombarded with political messages that I'm ready to elect someone and move on.  I've known all along who I would vote for, so all this back and forth and 8000 commercial messages a day is becoming tiresome.