Mostly Weighty Tones

Good Monday morning (or whatever time you are reading this)!

My first thoughts this morning are for those in Florida bracing  for Hurricane Milton’s expected landfall over the next few days.  With the region already ravaged by Hurricane Helene just a week ago, it seems unfair the area should have to deal with another storm so soon.  I can’t do much about the storm, but I hope all my friends and family anywhere near the storm are safe, well-stocked, and able to either evacuate or ride out the storm.

It wasn’t intentional (although maybe subconscious?) but this week’s colors are mostly more somber and subdued.  I promise next week I’ll lean more into the lighter-brighter color combinations.

You can make an ample pair of adult socks with just one skein of Phydlbitz Sock, and I should mention that while I label them at 430- yards, I actually make them closer to about 460 yards apiece.  Using both skeins of a pair you can make a pair of knee-highs.

Any of this week’s solids/near-solids (#747-748,  759-760, and 763-764) will work very well for contrasting heels and toes, combined with any of my multi-color skeins (including those on the Blog Reader Specials page), but they can also be used for larger-than-socks projects like shawls, scarves, and cowls.

These are all Phydlbitz Sock (75/25 Superwash Corriedale/Nylon, 430 yards each), all dyed as Twinsets.  There is no obligation to take both skeins of a Twinset.  Feel free to take only the ones you want.

Phydlbitz Sock is $27.50 per skein.  For Monday and Tuesday, you can claim any two or more skeins (matching or not) from this week’s collection (#745 – 768) for 25.50 each at Preview Pricing.

To claim the ones you want, just send me an email with your numbered requests.  I’ll mark them off the Available Yarns tally chart below and send out a PayPal invoice.

I hope to have these ready to ship on or about Thursday.

Available Yarns: 
Rack 1 – 745, 746, 747, 748, 749, 750, 751, 752, 753, 754, 755, 756
Rack 2 – 757, 758, 759, 760, 761, 762, 763, 764, 765, 766, 767, 768

click on images to view larger versions.Pictures of hand-dyed yarns drying on a rack.Pictures of hand-dyed yarns drying on a rack.

Has It Been 18 Years!?

On October 1, 2006, Knitivity became official.  So much has happened along the way, and I’m sure any MBA or sensible accountant would have told me to put it down, walk away, and forget it ever happened.  But I never claimed to be the smartest dude in the room, just stubborn as can be so here I am!

Many of you have been with me from the beginning, and even before it became official, back when I was just another knitter in New Orleans.  You knew me before Hurricane Katrina and heard about the changes in my life from that event.  Others have discovered me along the way.  But all of you are deeply appreciated, since without long-term friends and customers/clients, I wouldn’t be able to survive.

For this week until Friday (October 1-4), all yarns will be invoiced at 18% OFF.  No special codes or limits.  You can select from the unclaimed yarns from the most recent collection here on the Blog, or any available yarns on the Blog Reader Special page.

Just email your requests and I’ll get it taken care of for you.

What are all these colors?

Happy Monday.

Yarns didn’t arrive until Saturday,  so I couldn’t dye until yesterday.  This always seems to throw me off my routine, as I like to show new yarns on Friday or Saturday.

Earlier over the weekend I asked on Knitivity’s Facebook page for ideas and suggestions for this week’s dyeing, and got several wonderful images of color combinations.   I set out to try to do some of them and promptly screwed up my dye-mixing.  I put some dye powder into one of the jars and promptly got interrupted.  When I came back later I picked up a new dye jar and deposited a scoop of different dye into the jar I’d already put some dye into.  But I couldn’t remember which color I’d already put into that jar.  All I know is that I probably (?) mixed two different blues, since there were several blues on my workspace ready to mix, along with russet, brown, gold, and yellow

I’m not at all disappointed with any of these Twinsets, but only disappointed I didn’t end up actually replicating any of the ideas that were offered.

These are all Phydlbitz Sock (75/25 Superwash Corriedale/Nylon, 430 yards each), all dyed as Twinsets.   The last Twinset of the session (#743-744) is a true DumpDye, combining all the leftover blues and a bit of yellow.  Some of the other solids are combinations of two or more colors into the dipping vat for an over-all solid-looking dye.

Phydlbitz Sock is $27.50 per skein.  For Monday, you can claim any two or more skeins (matching or not) for at 10% off at Preview Pricing.

To claim the ones you want, just send me an email with your numbered requests.  I’ll mark them off the Available Yarns tally chart below and send out a PayPal invoice.

International Customers:  I mistaken thought I would safely send up to 8 skeins for the same shipping cost.  I was mistaken.  One bundle I recently sent out had 8 skeins, and the shipping company came back and charged me again for another full package worth because one of the packages was an ounce or so over their strict 2-pound limit.  BUT that still means you can get up to 7 skeins for one shipping rate, which is still a great deal.

I expect to have this week’s Blog Reader Special Collection processed and ready to ship Thursday or Friday.

Available Yarns:
1 –  721, 722, 723, 724, 725, 726, 727, 728, 729, 730, 731, 732
2 –  733, 734, 735, 736, 737, 738, 739, 740, 741, 742, 743, 744

Almost Autumn!

Happy Saturday!

Today is the last full day of summer; the autumnal equinox is tomorrow morning.  You’d think the weather would be nicer, but the last week or so we’ve been in the upper 90s!  Yesterday and the day before we hit 99!  YIKES!  And there’s a tropical storm brewing in Gulf, but it looks like it will head east.

I set out wanting at least one or two Twinsets leaning into autumnal colors — the golds, brown, oranges, and so forth, hinting at the turning of the leaves.   I think I succeeded on two Twinsets – #705-706 and #715-716.  Both Twinsets have a random sprinkling of the brown, golds, oranges, and yellow; the first one (#705-706) also has a bit of teal laid on light with a slap-and-schmear (a technical term within the industry – hahaha).

Most of the yarns this week have at least 2, and sometimes 3 colors applied in various ways — some sprinkled, some in more identifiable segments, and a few that came up appearing as solids.

These are all Phydlbitz Sock, and were dyed as Twinsets as a matter of convenience, but there is no obligation to take a matching pair. It is totally fine to request just one skein of a Twinset.  I have rotated one skein of each pair, and then twisted the lower ends of each skein so that you can see all the colors appearing on each skein.

Normally, Phydlbitz Sock is $27.50 per skein.  For Saturday and Sunday, you can claim any two or more for just $25.50 each at Preview Pricing.

To claim the ones you want, just send me an email and I’ll calculate your invoice with today’s Preview Pricing discount.  I will mark your requests off the Available Yarns tally chart below and then send a PayPal invoice.  You do NOT need a PayPal account, as you can pay your invoice with a credit or debit card, and PayPal will process your payment.

I expect to have this week’s collection to be ready to ship on or about Wednesday.

Available Yarns: 
1 – 697, 698, 699, 700, 701, 702, 703, 704, 705, 706, 707, 708
2 – 709, 710, 711, 712, 713, 714, 715, 716, 717, 718, 719, 720

Picture of yarns drying on the rack.Picture of yarns drying on the rack.

Merry Midweek!

Wednesday through Friday — everything on the Blog Reader Specials page will be invoiced at 15% off.  No special codes, no special math to get a better deal — just make your selections, email me what you want, and I’ll take care of it for you!

Also, I have discovered that I can ship up to TWO POUNDS (8 skeins) at First Class International rate for $37.50 if I ship through PayPal’s contracted deal with ShipStation.

Knowing that shipping costs are rising everywhere, I recognize the hesitation in ordering just a few skeins to ship outside the U.S.  when shipping costs almost as much as the yarn.

I’ll mention this again when I post the next collection of Blog Reader Specials over the weekend.

Unclaimed from “Casting Shadows”

Awwrighty, then! I’ve just posted all of the unclaimed Phydlbitz Sock yarn onto the Blog Reader Specials page. I dye as Twinsets, and I show them as Twinsets only as a matter of convenience, but I’m wondering — since I DO photograph individual skeins as well as the Twinsets, would it be easier for you, the customer, to see the individual skeins? Or do you prefer that I show them as Twinsets? A lot of people do request just one skein of a pair, which is totally fine, and there are many individual skeins posted and available as well. Which do you prefer — Twinsets when available or all individual skeins? Anyway, go visit the Blog Reader Specials and let me know which ones you want.
https://knitivity.com/index.php/blog-reader-specials/

 

Casting Shadows??

Happy Saturday!

I thought we were cooling down into more autumn-like weather.  Boy, was I fooled!  It got up to the upper 90s and I got wiped out with the heat until late in the evening.  But no matter — I got the dyeing done last night and got them all washed and rinsed this morning.  🙂

The afternoon started with a thought toward dyeing neutrals instead of the brighter colors I use more often.  I wanted to start with gray and add small tinges of various colors.  However, as they say, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.”  I started with the gray, but it quickly went to pot and I knew better than to fight where the colors insisted on going.

These were all dyed as Twinsets, and every Twinset has at least 3 colors applied, either in layers or splatters.  Many of them remind me of shadows passing over.   Twinsets #683-684 and 695-696 are both DumpDyes combining multiple colors except black.  I still have nearly the full jar of black remaining.   One of them is a combination of navy and purple with a little gray, the other is the final DumpDye at the end of the dye session, using all the remaining dyes.

Oddly, even holding out in the sunlight I cannot really tell which is the navy-purple-gray and which is the one with everything including those 3  plus all the other colors.   The cool thing about these two DumpDye Twinsets is that if you need a rather ambiguous dark contrast to highlight other brighter colors, either of these should work well.  For example, if you need contrasting heels and toes on your socks, or maybe you need a clear separator band on an otherwise bright stripe design, these would do just fine.

All of these are on Phydlbitz Sock (75/25 Superwash Corriedale/Nylon, 430 yards each) and are normally $27.50 each.  For Saturday and Sunday, each matching Twinset will be invoiced at $50.00 (i.e., $25.00 each).

To claim the ones you want just send me an email with your requested numbered items.  I’ll mark your requests off the Available Yarns tally chart below and send you a PayPal invoice.  If you are outside the U.S., please let me know so I can calculate your shipping charges correctly.

Available Yarns: 
Rack 1 – 673, 674, 675, 676, 677, 678, 679, 680, 681, 682, 683, 684
Rack 2 – 685, 686, 687, 688, 689, 690, 691, 692, 693, 694, 695, 696