Thank you all for an amazing year.  Until 11:59p.m. on Tuesday night, New Years Eve,  ALL yarns will be invoiced at just $20.24.  This includes the collection I just showed in the previous Blog post here and any previously posted yarns on the Blog Reader Specials page.

No special codes or other discounts for this One Day Special, just send me an email with the item numbers you want.

As for me, my living room and work space is all a-jumble with the repair of the wall in my living room, but I should be able to get orders packed and shipping on Thursday or Friday.

I have a new order of yarns that should be arriving on Thursday as well, which includes some DK Superwash Merino Nylon along with my regular Phydlbitz.

Wheeee!  What a year this has been, for so many of us!

We’re ending the year with some beautiful yarns that will combine wonderfully with  some of the previously posted solid and nearly-solid Blog Reader Specials.  Today’s preview pricing deal includes all previously posted BRS yarns.

Wednesday will be another postal holiday, so I will aim to have this week’s collection ready to ship by Thursday.  Supposedly tomorrow (Monday) my west-facing living room interior wall is supposed to be replaced (ongoing water damage from rains), and while I hope it is a one-day job I don’t expect miracles.  All my yarn-working equipment and other furniture is on or near that same west-facing wall, so my living room will be a cramped jumble until it is all put back together.  I will do my best to move the yarns out as quickly as possible.

Onward to this week’s collection!

These are all Phydlbitz Sock (75/25 Superwash Corriedale/Nylon, 430 yards each), all dyed as Twinsets.  I dye Twinsets side-by-side so they are “twins” (sometimes identical but more often fraternal twins), but when I show them drying on the racks (as shown here), I rotate one, and then twist the bottom ends so display as much of the coloring in each Twinset.  This allows you to see the color distribution on each one.

All of this week’s yarns were dyed with at least two colors, but most have three and a couple have four colors applied.   Some of the colors were applied individually onto the yarns, while others were created by blending dyes on the yarn.

One Twinset in particular (#984-985) is a blending of brown, spruce, and blended green, but one of the blues that I used to blend green didn’t dissolve fully until the yarns went into the steamer so there are amazing tiny little blue flecks all throughout the yarn.

I didn’t use any straight purple dye this week; the apparent purple on Twinset #978-979 is from process of blending dyes onto the yarn salmon, blues, and red, with a light ‘smoosh’ to mix the colors into the yarn.

Normally, Phydlbitz Sock is $27.50, but for Sunday and Monday, all Phydlbitz Sock can be claimed for $25.00 each, including any previously posted Blog Reader Specials.

To claim the ones you want, just send me an email (ray@knitivity.com) with your numbered selections.  I will mark your requests from the Available Yarns tally chart below, and then send a PayPal invoice.  It’s okay if you don’t have a PayPal account — they handle all credit/debit card payments for me as well and will collect your shipping address so your purchase is protected.

Available Yarns
Rack 1 – 974, 975, 976, 977, 978, 979, 980, 981, 982, 983, 984, 985
Rack 2 – 986, 987, 988, 989, 990, 991, 992, 993, 994, 995, 996, 997

Don’t need more yarn, but want to help support my work? You can always Buy Me A Coffee.  🙂  Zelle also works.  🙂

A good and chilly morning here in Houston.  And it is the Winter Solstice today, so now the daylight will last a little longer each day. Yaayyyy!  It was in the low 40s when I went out earlier this morning, before the sun peeked over the roofline to interfere with pictures.

I set out with a semi-congealed plan for the dyeing session — solids — and for the most part I think I did well.  A few Twinsets didn’t behave the way I expected, but they’re still really good yarns and will work up nicely in just about any project.

As these are all Phydlbitz Sock the will naturally make wonderful socks, but you wouldn’t go wrong to take a few solids to use as contrasting heels and toes for your multi-colored sock yarns.  And as solids, they will knit up into beautiful shawls and scarves.

Twinset #950-951 is a nice, rich navy; #964-965 is a navy fade made from the remainder dye used for #950-951.

Twinset #952-953 was a big surprise to me — a beautiful color I’ve seen most often labeled as Orchid.  As I mentioned on Facebook last night right after it happened, it was ” a total accident because it was just some combined leftover dyes from multiple recent dye sessions. I *think* there’s a smidge of pink, a touch of purple (?), a dash of magenta or fuchsia, and a healthy helping of sheer luck.”    I would be hard-pressed to come up with this amazing color on purpose, and would require several experiments and trials.

Twinset #954-955 is a basic brown; #956-957 is a medium blue with a turquoise overdye; #958-959 is a pure solid red; #960-961 is a pale turquoise dip into the remainder after doing 956-957.

Twinset #962-963 is a medium gray solid; #968-969 is a variant of straight black; not as blackety-black as I would like, but still a good matte black.  I think I need to change dye brands to get the kind of black I used to get.

Phydlbitz Sock is normally $27.50 each.   For Saturday and Sunday, you may claim any two or more skeins (matching or not) from this week’s collection #950 – 973 at Preview Pricing for just $25.50.

To claim the ones you want, send me an email with your selections.  These are all one-of-a-kind dye jobs, so what you see is what is available.  I will mark your selections off the Available Yarns tally chart below and send your PayPal invoice.

Because of the holiday and postal issues, I will aim to have these ready to ship on or about Thursday.

Available Yarns: 
Rack 1 – 950, 951, 952, 953, 954, 955, 956, 957, 958, 959, 960, 961
Rack 2 – 962, 963, 964, 965, 966, 967, 968, 969, 970, 971, 972, 973

Don’t need more yarn, but want to help support my work? You can always Buy Me A Coffee.  🙂

Happy Saturday!

First up — I’ve been having trouble with getting packages out this week. They were ready to go on Wednesday, as promised.  The issue is with the mail carrier not stopping to collect the packages after I put in a pick-up request.  I joked on Facebook this morning that I may have to set up Curb-Side Pick Up for yarns, but hardly any of my regular customers are  even inside Texas, so this may not be a useful service.

Anyway, I dyed up another batch of Phydlbitz Sock yesterday, and got them washed and rinsed this morning.  They are currently in the fan room to finish drying, since we’re likely getting rain this afternoon.

I got many surprises during this week’s dye session.  While most of the colors this week are obvious, some warrant extra comment.  Twinset #928-929 is a sort of rusty looking color, made with four parts chestnut and 1 part red.  Twinset #930-391 is what happens when I mix a medium silver gray with just a smidge of purple; not sure what I was expecting but it’s tending toward a lilac.  #932-933 is a two-tone teal and red, with some blending where the colors meet.  It’s hard to see in the picture but #936-937 is mostly a light navy over a pale teal base.

Down on the second rack, #938-939 is a two-tone with purple and navy, while #940-941 is a two-tone with pale purple-ish and pink (I think some young Prince or Princess will be thrilled to have sock or a springtime sweater with these colors.   It’s hard to tell in the picture but #942-943 is a two-tone with darkened red and navy; it’s quite dark in the picture,  but in person the knitted fabric will have an organic look rather than a commercial flat dye job.   #944-945 started with a splattering of the same reddened chestnut as #928-929, then a splattering of straight red, with an over all dip-dye in a bath of pink to soften it all together.    #948-949 is the silver gray with just a titch of navy as an overall dip dye.

And, of course, I can’t for #934-935 – a dump-dye blend of Kelly green and Bright yellow, mixed together.  I wasn’t expecting quite this sort of neon green, but I like it.

Phydlbitz Sock is normally $27.50 per skein, but for Saturday and Sunday you can claim any two or more skeins for just $25.00.

To claim the ones you want, just send me an email (ray@knitivity.com) with your numbered requests.  I’ll mark them off the Available Yarns chart below, then send your PayPal invoice.

I expect to have these ready to ship on or about Wednesday.

Available Yarns: 
Rack 1 – 926, 927, 928, 929, 930, 931, 932, 933, 934, 935, 936, 937
Rack 2 – 938, 939, 940, 941, 942, 943, 944, 945, 946, 947, 948, 949

Happy Weekend!

This rainy weather is throwing me off my routine.  I pulled hanks on Thursday, dyed yarns on Friday, and discovered it was to be raining all day yesterday.  Finally late in the afternoon there was a break and I was able to run the yarns outside, get pictures, and run them back into the fan room to finish drying.

Anyway, I hope this finds you well and excited for the projects you will create with this week’s offerings.   There are all on Phydlbitz Sock, an excellent yarn for socks of course, but also terrific for garments and accessories as well as things like baby blankets and booties.

There was a lot of leftover dye from last week, so I wanted to use up what I could; most of this week’s dyes are solid or nearly-solid with variations along the strand, but also a few sprinkled combinations.

Most of this week’s colors are clear, as I try to get pictures in outdoor daylight, the way you’d see them at an open market, without filters.   If you want a closer look at a particular yarn or Twinset please let me know Sunday or Monday before I reskein these.   A few Twinsets seem worth pointing out:

When Twinset #910-911 was wet, it looked like the most aubergine-like aubergine I’ve ever dyed, even better than blackened purple, but this Twinset started with a blue-modified red and then double-dipped in navy.  When it was wet it looked fabulously even, but as it dried it is easy to see the red undertones beneath the navy.   Even so, I think this pair is begging to be knit into a dramatic open-work shawl to be worn over a smart ivory or cream outfit.  Of course, your inspiration may be quite different.

Twinset #920 – 921 is more coral than pink, as it was made with pale red and pale orange, while #924-925 could be an Impressionist’s pond scene watercolor.

Twinset #906-907 was dyed a solid Olive — this is one of those dyes blending at the manufacturer that tends to break apart while dyeing.  It comes out looking like the colors of the late autumn leaves on the forest floor, all wet and clumping — it’s an amazing color, in my opinion, and would look good paired with an outfit in either lighter or darker neutrals.

All of these will be available on the Blog Reader Specials page at $27.50 apiece.   For Sunday and Monday, you can claim any matching Twinset of this new collection (#902-925) for just $50.00.

To claim the ones you want, just send me an email with your numbered requests.    I expect to have these ready to ship on or about Wednesday.

Available Yarns
Rack 1 – 902, 903, 904, 905, 906, 907, 908, 909, 910, 911, 912, 913
Rack 2 – 914, 915, 916, 917, 918, 919, 920, 921, 922, 923, 924, 925

Don’t need more yarn, but want to help support my work? You can always Buy Me A Coffee.  🙂

Happy Monday! And Happy December!

It’s been a wild time lately, and I’m having to make some adjustments in how I do things, especially with dyeing and yarn processing.  For quite a long time I’ve been getting morning pictures before the sun gets just high enough to glare into the lens and mess up the shots.  Today (I’m typing this on Sunday), I got afternoon pictures with the sun behind me, shining directly onto the yarns.  I’m not sure this is better or not.  My goal is to present the yarns as if you were viewing them at an open air market, rather than styled with props and sets in a formal photo shoot.

All of these are on Phydlbitz Sock (75/25 Superwash Corriedale/Nylon, 430 yards each), and as is my custom they are dyed as Twinsets.   Most of them are solid or nearly solid, but there are a couple of splatters – Twinset #884-885 is splattered with navy and overdyed with violet; #888-889 is splattered brown with an overlay of gold.   Twinset #892-893 is a tri-color blend of pale blue,  beach sand, and wet-sand tan, while #894-895 is a two-tone of brown and purple.

Twinset #878-879 is gray, #880-881 is spruce, #886-887 is a nearly solid brown but it looks more like a grayed-out brown rather than chocolate or woodsy brown for some reason.  It is still a handsome color, of course, and will work well to use as a dark contrast in combination with brighter colors, like a solid rich red or forest green.  (The current batch of brown dye seems to be an odd but interesting shade of brown; I seem to get a richer brown by mixing espresso bean and teddy bear.)

I didn’t mix any green this time, but Twinset #890-891 is a blend of yellow with a smidge of sky blue, if I remember correctly.   And #900-901 is visually purple from a distance, but up close you can catch a hint of the red and blue that were blended in the jar before applying.  Blending different dyes together can be fascinating — while wet and in the blending jar it appeared solidly burgundy-purple, but as it strikes on the fiber the individual dyes behave differently.  Personally, I like the effect with most combinations as it gives the effect of multiple layers of color.

Phydlbitz Sock is normally $27.50 per skein.  When you claim any two or more of this newest collection on Monday or Tuesday, they will be invoiced at $25.50 per skein.

To claim the ones you want you can send me an email with the numbered items you would like.   I’ll mark your requests off from the Available Yarns tally chart below and then send a PayPal invoice.  On payment I’ll pay and print your shipping label so I can ship as soon as the yarns are processed and ready to ship.

I expect this collection to ship on or about Thursday.

Available Yarns: 
Rack 1 – 878, 879, 880, 881, 882, 883, 884, 885, 886, 887, 888, 889
Rack 2 – 890, 891, 892, 893, 894, 895, 896, 897, 898, 899, 900, 901

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