3-At-a-Time! Ideas, and Inspirations!
As noted in the previous post, I had started pulling bundles to be priced as discounted bundles.
I quickly realized this wouldn’t work because everyone has their own ideas what they want or find attractive. So, instead of heavy editing on the BRS page, I am pulling out 3-skein bundles as ideas and inspiration for your own selections. In some cases I have combined assorted monochrome fades; in others I have combined semi-solid/nearly-solid colors with multi-color variegated yarns.
There really is no limit to how my yarns can be combined, so I hope you allow these images to spark your own creativity. They’re all listed on the Blog Reader Specials page, some as single skeins and some still as Twinsets but you are welcome to split a Twinset. I’ve made sure the item numbers are shown clearly in each picture.
Mind you, my musings on these trios are entirely my own, intended only to spark your own imagination and inspiration. What do YOU see in these colors? I confess that sometimes while dyeing I would see pasta with red sauce and grated cheese, or the brilliant colors of a Mexican restaurant menu. Or melon balls of all colors. And I always swear I’m going to eat before dyeing. hahaha. Go with whatever comes to mind for you.
Every three skeins will be $66.00 for whatever trio you select (even less if you take yarns with pink labels). And, of course, you are welcome to pick out as many trios as you like — my combinations shown here are my own random selections. You are welcome to request group pictures of whatever three you are interested in so you can see them together. All the pictures on the BRS page were take outside in various daylight; all these trios shown here were taken indoors.
Visit the Blog Reader Specials page and let me know which ones you are interested in. And remember all the pink-labeled yarns are from 2024 and already marked down to $20 each.
A bold orange and purple skein; the orange is reflected in the middle skein, and the bottom skein includes both the orange and purple as well as the green.
Here we have three variations of a blue, pale burgundy/pink.
These have three different shades of pink, all of which should play nicely with the blue-purple of the first skein.
The yellow of the first skein is picked up in the middle skein and given a deeper gold version in the third, while all three have a beautiful spring forest green.
This trio starts with a deep blue that gets picked up in the middle skein along with several shades of red, which is then subdued in the third skein. 
Here we start with a rich green, which is slightly reflect in the blue variegated in the middle skein. The third skein picks up most of the blues without the green
Here is a trio of monochrome fades that will make an excellent shawl, either in narrow strips or bright “statement” bands to accent your autumn wardrobe.
While the blue is a multi-shade, it should still play nicely with the bold yellow and green. 
While not monochrome fades, as those shown above, these will also play well together.
Definitely a summertime combination here — poolside with the blues and greens, sunbathing on the lawn neatly edged with wildflowers.
Another trio of monochrome fades of a different sort. 
Starting with the bold green, you can see the green echoed in the multi-color skein in the middle — picture a meadow scene with grass in the front, mounds of wildflowers and a partly cloudy sky above.
Pile of Yarns
Well, I didn’t sell enough in June/July, so I’m going to be going through all these available yarns, about 6 skeins tall in the middle of this pile, . . .
and will be making various bundles of three. My main issue to do this is whether I should go by color groups, or by technique, or strong contrast. I’ll get it figured out today, and get pics tomorrow afternoon (have an appointment tomorrow morning).
Meanwhile, go to the Blog Reader Specials page and see if there’s a special combination you’d like to add to your stash for projects. Heck, make me an offer I can’t refuse. 🙂
Christmas Stocking Progress
I’ve posted progress pictures along the way, but I wanted to document it all in one place.
Several weeks ago I showed a couple cones of commercial yarn
and wondered what to do with it. I ended up starting a Christmas Stocking, with a patterned instep and straight vertical stripes up the sole. Here is where it stands so far.
Clearly I made the heel too deep, but I’m hoping fulling it will draw it up somewhat. The most difficult part for me was continuing up the leg after the heel, because the stitch count for the pattern wouldn’t properly fill the space. I solved the issue by removing 1 stitch at the center of the heel, giving me a 5-stitch center band going up the back.
This also provided a visual barrier instead of having a job where the pattern repeats step up a row. This way, the jog is still there, but not quite to obtrusive and visible. And, I as somehow magically able to work the peerie pattern from the instep up into the leg without a visual break.
The peerie pattern is 6 stitches wide and 4 rows tall. Super simple. You can use it for any sort of knitting, flat or in-the-round, but it needs to be a stitch count of a multiple of 6, plus 1 extra at the end
so that the last stitch of the row is the same as the first stitch of the row, like this:
I’m not going to write a formal pattern for this, as most sock knitters/stocking knitters already have their own favorite methods or techniques for forming toes and heels, and some people like working socks from the top down. I do not and will not, but others are free to use what suits them best.
What About a Mystery Yarn?
So, I’ve been pondering how to increase exposure and sales. I know, I know …. pondering sometimes leads to problems. But hear me out:
Most of my customers are quite familiar with my yarns, the colors I use, and so forth. Do you trust me enough to buy a blind skein once in a while? Like, a Mystery Skein?
I’m not sure exactly how I would set it up, whether to do a mystery yarn each week among the regular collection, or a whole week’s worth all as mystery skeins.
Obviously there would be a discount for pre-ordering a mystery skein or Twinset — like (just for example), one mystery skein for $22 or a matching mystery Twinset for $40.
What do you think? Comment below.
Brilliant New Color Combinations
Happy Sunday!
This is going out later than normal. We had a terrific little thunderstorm Friday night. One of the big trees in the back fell onto the neighbor’s property behind mine, on the next street over. The landlord was none too pleased, but he arranged for a crew to come, so now this morning I am being serenaded by the sound of chain saws and whatever they are doing back there. Their huge work truck and equipment trailer are just inches from my front porch where I normally hang and photograph the yarns. I hope to get pictures by this afternoon. Obviously this won’t go out until then, but I wanted to explain the delay from my normal routine.
Later – Okay, the tree workers gone done and cleared the way, but ran into the rail on my ramp (oh joy …. not!), then I had to dance between sunlight and rain, but I finally got the pictures!
I had a wonderful time playing with color last night and trying a different technique for applying dye onto the yarn. I hope you agree that these will create some amazing socks for kids going back to school, or perhaps contributing to any of the amazing shawl, scarf, and accessory patterns now available. Imagine combining these bright multi-colored yarns with one or more solids for textured stripes or two-stranded colorwork in your wardrobe accessories!
All of these are Phydlbitz Sock 2.0 (75/25 SW Merino/Nylon, 430+ yards), and are normally $27.50 each. For Sunday and Monday, however, visitors are invited to claim any two or more from this new collection (BRS25 – #557 – 580) for just $26.00 each.
To claim the ones you want, send me an email with your numbered requests. I’ll send a PayPal invoice, but if you don’t have a PayPal account you can still pay with your credit or debit card, no problem. Please do ensure that PayPal has your correct shipping address. If you are outside the U.S., please let me know so I can calculate correct shipping to your country. In most cases now, I will use USPS Ground Advantage for all packages, unless Priority mail is requested.
I expect to have these ready to ship on or about Thursday.
Available Yarns:
Rack 1 – 557, 558, 559, 560, 561, 562, 563, 564, 565, 566, 567, 568
Rack 2 – 569, 570, 571, 572, 573, 574, 575, 576, 577, 578, 579, 580
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Last Weekend of July
Last Weekend of July!
Leading into the last weekend of July and it is time to empty the bins of as much yarn as I can. So now through Saturday July 26, request as many skeins as you want and get at least 15% off your total invoice; claim four or more and get 20% off your total invoice!
Update: Through Saturday, all orders will be at least 20% off; four skeins or more will be invoiced at 25% off!
Here is the group shot of all the yarns not claimed from last weekend’s collection. They are all individually photographed and posted to the Blog Reader Specials page, so click through to see them all. And remember that all yarns from 2024 are already marked down to $20.00, so this Last Weekend of July discount offer makes it even better!
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Be Bold! Make a Statement!
Good morning, and Happy Saturday!
Last post I showed a box of new-to-me dyes that a fellow dyer shared with me. These dyes are from a company I had never heard of in all my years of dyeing. So I had no choice but to try them out, right?
Most of the ones I tried came out full and rich, but a few of them left little splotches here and there. (i know how to minimize this in the future — it has to do with how I prepared the dye solutions.) Fortunately, the little splotches are simply deeper saturations of the color intended, and are a mark of hand-dyeing, as opposed to what a large commercial operation would produce. It’s a good thing, but in the future I will try to avoid these issues.
I dyed the first batch using leftover double-mixed dyes from last week — combining dyes to create new colors and reduce the number of jars of leftover dyes. Like, for #533-534, I used the leftover charcoal color and then added an extra scoop of straight black dye. This Twinset came out as nearly-almost-pretty-close to black as I’ve done. Twinset #541-542 is the leftover mixed gold-yellow, but there was enough of that color that I supplemented with a scoop of chestnut to create #551-552. Twinset #555-556 is the leftover sky blue, while #247-248 is a blend of leftover teal and turquoise.
I dyed the second batch using mostly the new-to-me colors and used them straight without blending, except for the monochrome fade, which was a bit of new blue and leftover yellow. For example, Twinset #537-538 is Wine, which came out more purple-y than the burgundy dye I normally use. Twinset #543-544 is a color called Pearl Gray, but it looks very much like the gunmetal color I used many years ago — a sort of blue-ish cast on the gray. Twinset #535-536 is a color called Jade Green.
All of these solids would be perfect for some amazing lacework or textured knitting – shawls, scarves, etc. It’s never too early to start your gift-knitting for the holiday season, and because this is sock yarn, your items can be washed in the gentle cycle and laid out to dry without fear of major shrinkage as happens with non-superwash wools.
If fancy lacework isn’t your forte, you might consider combining any of these solids with some of the multi-colored yarns on the Blog Reader Specials page. Take any two or more from this week’s collection and add any number of previously shown Blog Reader Specials at the same discounted price. (Note: all of the 2024 yarns are already reduced to $20.00 each!)
All of these are on Phydlbitz Sock 2.0, 75/25 25-micron superwash Merino/Nylon, 430+ yards each, and are normally $27.50. For Saturday and Sunday, you may take any two or more skeins for just $26.00 each.
To claim the ones you want, please send me an email with your numbered requests. I’ll mark it off from the Available Yarns tally chart down below, and I’ll send you PayPal invoice.
Available Yarns:
Rack 1 – 533, 534, 535, 536, 537, 538, 539, 540, 541, 542, 543, 544
Rack 2 – 545, 546, 547, 548, 549, 550, 551, 552, 553, 554, 555, 556
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A different kind of Tuesday!
Several things I wanted to share:
Older BRS yarns
BRS yarns from 2024 (and one from 2023) have all been permanently marked down to $20.00 each skein. There were more than I thought there were; here is the whole spread of them together, but you can find them individually on the Blog Reader Specials page.
New-to-me Dyes
A fellow indie dyer has shut down her shop and surprised the dickens out of me by shipping me collection of her remaining dyes. These are from a different dye manufacturer, one that primarily supplies the garment industry, so these are apparently “work-horse” dyes. But she assures me these are acid-based dyes and function the same as the dyes I have been using; the difference is these perform better. I will be trying some of them out this weekend for the next batch of BRS yarns. As you can see, this is not a small collection nor an array of sample sizes. Yes, she packed them all very carefully, but I’ve opened some of the protective bagging to see what’s in the collection. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing the results. 🙂
Change in Shipping Options
This week I was shocked to discover that the cost for shipping in the USPS Priority flat-rate boxes has increased yet again. (As they say in the vernacular: “UGH!”) It had been about $16.00 and shot up to $18.50. But, thanks to the package of dyes my friend just sent me, I learned I can use a regular box just slightly larger than the USPS flat-rate boxes, and ship USPS Ground Advantage for about $15.50 for 12 skeins, based on actual weight and actual distance, and I won’t even need to vacuum pack such a full box of 12 skeins. I will need to order those boxes to fit the need similar in size to the flat-rate boxes, but as soon as I get those boxes I will begin using the less expensive option to save a few dollars for my customers.
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Reviving Older Colorways?
Update:
As of 17July2025, all of the UNclaimed yarns from this week’s collection have now been posted to the Blog Reader Specials page. Here is the group shot:
Happy Sunday!
I had a fun dye session yesterday. While flipping through my computer files of dye jobs long go, I cam across a sample knit of a colorway, taking colors from an interesting photo of Glacier Lace. There was a section of black-charcoal-gray fade, with a smaller section at one of the hank in sprinkle-smooshed teals.
This was originally done probably 15 years ago. I have changed my yarn base, my dyes, and my technique, so I could not exactly replicate it. But I did try with Twinset #531-532. I had originally done other colors in that original series that I tried to copy, including Glacier Honey (#508-509) and Glacier Berry (#517-518). Just like with Glacier Lake, my attempts last night aren’t exactly like what I did back then, but I still like these new versions.
There are two monochrome fades (#513-514 and 519-520). Many of you know I follow the “waste not, want not” principle; in this case, run-off dyes from one dye-job collect in a large bowl and mix into a single new color. I slowly dip a new Twinset pair into the run-off dyes, allowing the yarn to pick up as much of the collected dye as it can. Sometimes the collected dye isn’t enough for my taste so I’ll modify the blended color with another color and dip the other end of the hank, as I did on #529-530.
The cool part about these monochrome fades is that they are never a single straightforward dye, but a mix of whatever colors I used just prior. So they are usually compatible with other dye jobs of the same week’s collection. The monochrome fades are especially good for knitting or crocheting mitered squares — the undulating color creates directional lines, and when combined with several other monochrome fades can create amazing blankets, shawls, scarves, or even sweaters. Similarly these work well for any of the amazing ripples and chevrons. For me, I find it fascinating to let the color do the work rather than fuss with textures stitches, which are great for solid color yarns. This makes these yarns ideal for knitting while looking at TV or a movie, or relaxing outdoors — simple knitting for fantastic results!
All of these are dyed on Phydlbitz Sock 2.0 (75/25 Superwash 25-micron Merino/Nylon, 430+ yards) and are $27.50 each.
To claim the ones you want, just send me an email with your numbered requests. After marking them off below, I’ll send you a PayPal invoice. It’s okay if you don’t have a PayPal account — they will process your credit or debit card and collect your shipping information.
Available Yarns:
Rack 1 – 509, 510, 511, 512, 513, 514, 515, 516, 517, 518, 119, 520
Rack 2 – 521, 522, 523, 524, 525, 526, 527, 528, 529, 530, 531, 532
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