I’ve been to sock yarn heaven and lived to post about it! Oh. My. Gosh. Our little hometown is on the sock knitting map! Look at this adorable storefront:
Have any of you ever heard of Simply Socks Yarn Company? It’s a BIG on-line sock yarn company and she is local. Who knew? Two weeks ago, my quilty friend Gurney sent us peeps an e-mail to let us know that the on-line company would be opening a real-life store front. (Thanks for the awesome tip Gurney!) Allison is the owner and she had her grand opening on Saturday. All week long, that’s all I could think about (well, that and the Children LOL) ! This is the view just as you enter the front door. I LOVE that checkered floor. Not to mention ALL that sock yarn! (Please ignore the finger — I was too excited to pay any attention to the location of my appendages.)
I’ve never seen so much sock yarn in one place. Holy. Cow. Just look at all the solid colors.
I was particularly interested in the solid colors ’cause I’ll admit it. I saw these socks on Allison’s blog and they’re what drew me in (among other things).
ANNE!!! LOOK!!! IT’S SHEEPIES!!!! I’m sorry. I AM screaming! It’s SHEEPIES! How perfect for a pair of socks. The pattern is free on Allison’s blog and you know that yarn had to come home with me. I would have been haunted for weeks if I’d left it there at the shop. (Oooh, I got a color card too — I forgot to take a picture of it.)
The grand opening was really fun. Allison was just as sweet and helpful as could be. She greeted me when I entered the shop (in spite of many other customers) and helped me find those sheepies right away. After that, I took a look around. Look at this awesome idea — a table where you can try several different yarns and see if you like them. (Or maybe Allison is brilliant and this is a way to get some socks knitted LOL!)
There was so much yarn everywhere and there are several pictures that I didn’t get. I missed the food tables. Lots of yummy looking cakes and cookies. But really. Who can think about food when faced with such a fab selection of yarn? Look at these cute things. You buy the gradiated (methinks that’s not a word) yarn in groups…
so you can knit something like this. Yummmmmy.
Lots more yarn that caught my eye. I’m looking forward to visiting the shop again.
Simply Sock Yarn Company is still primarily an internet business and she has pretty limited store hours, so if you decide you need a little road trip, be sure and check the hours on her blog. It’s WELLLLL worth the trip. (Plus there’s a bakery and chocolate shop in the same neighborhood and two other yarn shops in town. And, well, Jenny and I are here — what more could you ask for??? If only we had a quilt shop, we’d be THE destination!!!)
Ok, one last thing — I suppose you’d like to know who won the Children at Play giveaway??? I made TheRandomManoftheHouseGenerator a good dinner tonight, so he faithfully performed his duties and burped up 27.
WooHoo — Ms. Periwinkle, Come On Down!!!! (Haha, maybe it was the dinner that made him pick a number from the UK.)
Have a good week!
XOXO,
Anna
Anna, you crack me up! I’m really sorry I don’t knit, and really glad you’ve found a good local place to feed your sock yarn hunger! Yippeee!
You make me want to take up knitting. Something I haven’t tried since I was a child. I love all those beautiful colors.
Oh my goodness! I’ve bought from Allison online and I can’t wait to make a road trip from Cincinnati to her shop. It looks like heaven! I adore sock yarn as much as I adore fabric – all my vices are full of fiber, and isn’t fiber a good thing??? LOL
Wow, this ALMOST makes me want to go back to learning how to knit! Such beautiful colors and those sheepy socks are adorable!
where is this place? reminds me of a place that used to be a Post Office…
that yarn store almost makes me want to try knitting again. almost! i will leave it to the experts like yourself. sewing is my go-to craft!
it’s good to know you have some of the children at play prints. i will be sure to send people your way if they ask for balloons or pinwheels. those were super popular!
OMG! you are going to have another Aussie visitor soon! Miss Twenty One and I order from Simply Socks, we’ve just received our latest package full of yarny type goodness, I can’t believe that they are near you! squeee! toni xxx
How beautiful. I’d just stand there and look at all the pretty colours – I’m not brave enough to try knitting socks ;)
Is sock yarn different in some way than regular old yarn? Those sheepies are adorable. They’d look really nice gamboling around my ankles this winter….But who has the time to start knitting when I’m out of my depth already in quilt UFOs? It’s just as well I don’t have a yarn store nearby. All it would take would be an up close and personal encounter with the likes of those sheepies…….
So, hang on … uber-sock yarn shop, two other yarn shops, a chocolatier, a bakery AND you all in one lil neighbourhood? Now where did I put my passport?
Ohhh you are tempting me!!!! How can I fit in quilting and knitting into the number hours I have in each day?????
I have never knitted socks!
Cakes and chocolate!!! Wish I lived closer! Lol
I’M SCREAMING TOO – SHEEPIES!! I’ve already popped over and downloaded the pattern – thanks for the link. What a fabulous sock yarn shop – I have never seen so much all in one place (you definitely do everything bigger over there!!) I couldn’t believe the screen for the draw – mine was the comment above the winner!!
Holy Cow is right Anna, you’re lucky to be so close. Beautiful yarn and adorable socks!! Thanks for the link.
Wow what an amazing shop…as you know I don’t knit but DD1 does and I think wants to run away to visit that shop! :o)
*LOVE* the sheepies on the socks! I’m dropping BIG hints to DD1 for a pair! :o)
this yarn shop makes me want to start to knit again…the color palette seems enormous…what fun!
oh…congrats to perwinkle!!
I think I may just start knitting so that I can have some of that beautiful yarn…
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Can you believe I’ve never made a pair of socks?!! Those “sheepies” are making me want to give it a go!
Road trip!!!!!
Yeah for new stores. Have you heard Indy has a new fabric shop on Mass. Ave.? Crimson Tate. I’ve dearly missed Clementine’s and can’t wait to get downtown.
I’m not a knitter, but looking at that shop makes me wish I was.
I can’t knit. My mom can. My sister can. I can’t. Good thing too. Can you imagine my house if I was a fabric hoarder AND a yarn hoarder! Yikes!
OH! that store is so fun and fresh. I love the sheep or lamby socks – adorable!!!
I have made many socks but alas, no one wants to wear them, so I retired. This post almost makes me go looking for my double-ended needles – almost.
Have fun!
I don’t knit or crochet(because my best girlfriend hasn’t taught me yet). However, I loved looking at all that beautiful yarn! And the sheep??!! Yes, the sheep!! ;0
I had to hop over and get that sheep sock pattern. I splurged and bought two skeins of some yummy sock yarn while in San Francisco last week. That only makes two pair that I am behing in making now. How nice to have such a great yarn store close by. Hurry and knit up a pair and post. Can’t wait to see them.
SOMEONE TEACH ME HOW TO KNIT SOCKS!!!!! Yes, I am shouting because I LOVE those pink to yellow to green socks! I neeeed them!
So…I had to hurry over here to see why you were screaming at Anne, and now I totally understand your exuberance! I love those socks. I’ve been trying to be on a yarn diet, but I’m going to have to break it
Oh, and I’m very jealous of your local yarn store. I would be in heaven.
Must learn to knit. That’s all.
xoxo~Cassie
LOL, well since I can only knit (and not purl) there are no socks in my future! But I just bought a pile of fabric , cause I really, really needed it so I’m sure I can find something to do instead of knit!
oh my that store is gorgeous..and I LOVE those yellow and orange socks!!! lucky you!!!!
What a heavenly shop, it’d make me learn to knit socks. The sheepies are very squeelworthy I must say. Apart from all that the colours are inspiring.
I’m not even a knitter and I’m drooling…..
Thanks so much for posting such adorable pictures of my store! The Grand Opening was such a fun day for me- definitely a highlight of the 6+ years so far. I look forward to many more years feeding our sock yarn monsters…
I’ve been following Simply Socks store opening and I so wanted to go to the grand opening, but wasn’t able to. But I’m very much looking forward to seeing all that beautiful sock yarn in person one of these days. :)
I am always amazed at you who makes socks and I am so intrigued by these sheepies. I can’t wrap my mind around the how you do it but I sure do think they could entice me to learn.
Very interesting points. Thanks!
My site:
DSL Anbieter http://www.dslvergleichdsl.com
Yeeeee ha , thank you so much Anna you really have made my day , now to get off my backside and start planning :-D .. Those sheepies really are the best socks ever. I’ve only ever knit one pair for Milo and those were on two needles, they are now two small and he’s asked for another pair– looks like I’m going to be a busy girl … xx
YOU LUCKY DUCK!! Wow am I ever jealous, I didn’t realize that store was in your town, plus you have 2 other yarn shops? NICE!
Great. Now I reeeeally want to learn how to knit socks! I’ll just add it to my ever-growing list of things that I must accomplish before I get old. er.
:)
I like the ‘gradiated’ idea, I haven’t seen a kit like that before. Good luck with the sheep!!
OMG, the sheep are adorable, but not enough to get me to pick up knitting needles. I have to figure out how to sew some socks!
Oh my gosh, love their yarn. You lucky duck. I would have been in heaven too xoxo CLarice
Great finds and thanks for sharing them with us. That spread sounds like something I would like too.
I’ve gotta show this post to Shelbie. She will flip over the yarn.