HARMONY Semi-Solid Sock Yarn Club

Ravelry Group

2011-01-21T11:22:00.000-05:00

All future posts will be at the Ravelry group page. I find most people are over on Ravelry anyways so the blog ends up being double postings of everything...come on over there if you aren't already a member!

December's "Teaser"

2010-12-15T11:52:00.004-05:00

November's "Spoiler"

2010-12-07T12:02:00.001-05:00

Navy Spritz Colourway

Registrations Open!

2010-12-01T22:53:00.002-05:00

Now taking registrations for deliveries of yarn in January, February and March of 2011. Deadline to register is January 8, 2011 and we have two payment options available:

Look forward to having you along for the next round of the club!

November's "Teaser"

2010-11-15T13:53:00.003-05:00

Yarns ship today! Enjoy :)

October's "Spoiler"

2010-11-07T22:08:00.000-05:00

Bryophyte Colourway

(100% Superwash Merino)

September's "Spoiler" & Registrations Open!

2010-10-05T11:26:00.000-04:00

Handpainted on Bamboolicious yarn, this month's colourway is called Soft Shell - enjoy!

Registrations are currently open for the next round of the club for deliveries in October, November and December. If you'd like to join, we'd love to have you along - deadline to register is October 8, 2010. More details can be found by clicking here - we have full payment as well as monthly payment options.

August's "Spoiler"

2010-09-09T22:39:00.002-04:00

Handpainted on Bamboolicious yarn, this is a lovely, fresh, summery colourway that hopefully everyone is enjoying! The yarn was also chosen for it's appropriateness to summer.

August's "Teaser"

2010-08-13T22:48:00.002-04:00

A little hint of August's colourway - yarns ship on Monday the 16th!

July's "Spoiler"

2010-07-28T17:53:00.001-04:00

One of my favourite colours handpainted on 100% superwash merino! Enjoy!

July's "Teaser"

2010-07-16T10:47:00.002-04:00

A little teaser of this month's colourway - enjoy!

June's "Spoiler"

2010-07-08T11:23:00.000-04:00

This one is called "Summer Spruce" and is a lovely blending of blue/green handpainted on 100% superwash merino. Enjoy!

June's "Teaser"

2010-06-28T14:08:00.001-04:00

A fun colourway painted on 100% superwash merino...enjoy!

May's "Spoiler"

2010-06-09T11:23:00.003-04:00

Painted on 100% superwash merino, this colourway is a lovely bright red called "Geranium Red". It was really hard to capture the colour with digital camera that's for sure...reds can be tricky!

Enjoy!

May's "Teaser"

2010-05-18T12:13:00.001-04:00

I haven't dyed this colour for awhile for this club so it was a real treat! Enjoy! It was hard to capture in the photo too...having visions of shawlettes with this one :)

April's "Spoiler"

2010-05-03T21:27:00.000-04:00

I really pushed the boundaries while dyeing this one...it came out of the dye pots in a really fun way! Hope you enjoy knitting this one...it's called "Mish Mash" and it's a mix of several colours but still dyed in a semi-solid way. Enjoy!

April's "Teaser"

2010-04-15T17:18:00.001-04:00

A semi-solid that is a bit "out of the box" this month in that it's not a traditional one colour tonal semi-solid.

I like to mix it up a little so I hope you enjoy this colourway too...it will knit up in a really fun way!

All packages are in the mail already...woot!

March's "Spoiler"

2010-03-20T17:12:00.002-04:00

I'm a bit behind in posting so here we go with April's colourway Wine Valley. This one was painted on Sturdy Sock which is made up of 75% superwash merino/25% nylon. To achieve this colourway, I had to dye the yarns twice for saturation to be a bit deeper. I love me some reds! Enjoy!

February's "Spoiler"

2010-03-05T17:08:00.002-05:00

Painted on 100% superwash merino, this colourway is named Esmeraldus. I chose green for this month because Spring seemed to have already been arriving and not to mention, St. Patrick's day was quickly approaching so I thought it'd be fun to do a spring-themed colourway. Enjoy!

February's "Teaser"

2010-02-16T14:35:00.000-05:00

Time for another mailing! This month I did a colour I haven't done for awhile so I hope you enjoy it...it is a colourway that is for the season we're about to enter. Everything mails today.

January's "Spoiler"

2010-01-29T12:51:00.000-05:00

I really enjoyed painting this colourway for everyone! Browns happen to be one of my favourites up there with red so anything with brown in it makes my heart sing too. Hope you're enjoying this one! If anyone wants an extra skein, I happen to have a couple left over - if you'd like to combine shipping with your next shipment, just let me know so I can do a special order for you.

Enjoy!

January's "Teaser"

2010-01-15T14:12:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year everyone! Off we go again for the next 3 months of this club...woot! Here's a little teaser of the colourway without giving too much away...enjoy the yarn...I'm really pleased with this colourway this month and hope you like it!

December's "Spoiler"

2009-12-29T12:52:00.004-05:00

This month's colourway is a nice soft yellow with slight hints of light orange in it. I wanted to do something cheery for December since it's a winter month. Enjoy and Happy New Year everyone!

December's "Teaser"

2009-12-15T13:03:00.004-05:00

This month I can't even hint at the colour because if I do, it'll just totally give it away...LOL So although this doesn't show much it does show the lovely texture of the yarn. I know! The B&W teasers are much worse than the ones that hint at colour but this month, oh gosh, I can't or there will be no surprise at all. Enjoy!

November's "Spoiler" & Registrations Open

2009-12-12T22:37:00.004-05:00

Hello everyone...here's our spoiler for November's Carmine colourway handpainted on our Serenity Sock II yarn base which is made of merino, cashmere and nylon. Enjoy!

Registrations are open once again for the next 3-month round of this club which includes deliveries as follows:

January 15, 2010
February 15, 2010
March 15, 2010

Deadline to register is January 8, 2010. More details on registration are found here - we have both pay up front options and monthly payment options.

November's "Teaser"

2009-11-16T16:09:00.003-05:00

It's time for another mailing! This month's base yarn is a bit of a surprise and I hope everyone enjoys it :) It's imported from the UK and quite lovely. The colourway is a play on similar tones and all colours were applied using the semi-solid technique. These yarns should knit up in an interesting way for everyone! Have fun!

Also, if you'd like to follow through Facebook, ZYG now has a fan page - you're welcome to come on over and join :)

October's "Spoiler"

2009-11-05T23:54:00.002-05:00

This month's spoiler and handpainted on our BFL Nylon sock yarn made of 80% superwash BFL and 20% nylon. I love this yarn for its durability as it should make up some lovely hard-wearing socks. This colourway is called Burnt Umber and Mr. Zen said it reminded him of Fall leaves. Enjoy everyone!

October's "Teaser"

2009-10-20T08:54:00.002-04:00

A few of you have received your yarns already and I just remembered to get this up on the blog...LOL This is a lovely BFL Nylon sock yarn (imported from the UK) that is sure to be hard wearing if you decide on socks. I like how the colours come out slightly rustic on this base yarn. My DH said this colourway reminded him of Fall leaves. Enjoy!

September's "Spoiler"

2009-09-28T15:16:00.002-04:00

You really really have to look closely at this one or it looks like it's a black semi-solid...well, not quite! Look at it up close and under the light if you're a clubber - you'll see the hints of another colour underneath! Enjoy!

September's "Teaser"

2009-09-16T16:03:00.002-04:00

Here we go! It's time to mail out yet another semi-solid...woot! And this one is so deceiving I'm giggling...sure does look like a solid black from the teaser doesn't it? You may need to look at this one closely when you get the yarn and even under light to pick up the hidden nuances of the colourway. That's all I'm sayin'! Enjoy :)

August's "Spoiler"

2009-09-01T23:30:00.002-04:00

A little taste of summer in a lovely colourway called Tangerine for the month of August. Refreshing! Enjoy everyone and I hope you like this new base yarn too - it's a mix of superwash BFL and nylon which will knit up into lovely long-wearing socks if you so choose.

August's "Teaser"

2009-08-17T14:52:00.002-04:00

Something in the refreshing colourway range this month! Since it's so hot out there, all I could think about was doing something a bit on the cooler side. Enjoy!

The base yarn is a new blending that should be lovely and hard-wearing for socks. Hope everyone's having a wonderful summer...it's been super hot here in Ontario! I am anxious for September to get here so cool breezes can make for woolly dreams. I know I sure do love handling wool more in the cooler weather than when it's super hot out there.

July's "Spoiler"

2009-07-31T11:40:00.003-04:00

This month I branched out again to a two-colour semi-solid instead of the traditional one-colour semi-solid. This colourway should knit up in an interesting way as I dyed both colours onto the yarn using my semi-solid technique which I've tweaked to be able to use two colours. Very unique and should knit up a really interesting way - enjoy!

July's "Teaser"

2009-07-15T16:37:00.002-04:00

Earthy is the word to describe this month's colourway and again, it's an experimentation in 2 colour semi-solids which I hope everyone will enjoy :) I am really pleased with how it turned out and may just knit up a skein myself. Woot! Enjoy everyone - the packages are in the mail today.

June's "Spoiler"

2009-07-13T09:35:00.004-04:00

This month's yarn is a brand new style of semi-solid and uses 2 colours. It was a bit of an experiment but I really love the results and will do this again. The yarn looks variegated but it really isn't because both colours are applied using the semi-solid technique which means as this colourway is knit, the colours will knit semi-solid together. Hope everyone loves this one & enjoy!

Club Members Only

2009-07-03T14:49:00.002-04:00

Seems I've been accumulating club yarns over the last few months and instead of hanging onto them I thought it might be fun to put them up for sale for anyone who would like to purchase another if one of the extras was one of your favourites.

If you are a current club member or a past club member, you're entitled to purchase these skeins if you like. If you aren't a current or past member, you're welcome to join here and then purchase an extra. Any questions, don't hesitate to email me at zenyarngarden AT yahoo DOT com.

For the current month's yarns, these will appear about 2-3 weeks after mailing so watch for those too if this month is one of your favourites.

June's "Teaser"

2009-06-15T14:42:00.005-04:00

This month's colourway is a bit of an experiment in developing a contrasting 2-colour semi-solid! I've always been intrigued by "thinking outside the box" when it comes to colourways and instead of dyeing the traditional non-contrasting 1 colour semi-solid, I thought I'd experiment with a contrasting 2 colour semi-solid. Both colours were dyed onto the yarn using my 1 colour semi-solid technique which ended up producing a rather interesting result! Some yarns will have more of one colour and some more of the other. I'm really curious to see how these ones knit up. Enjoy!

May's "Spoiler"

2009-06-10T08:37:00.003-04:00

This colourway was a unique one for me as I've never dyed a colourway like this before! I hope everyone likes it - it reminded me of lime wedges so alas, I named the colourway Lime Wedge...LOL! It's a subtle colourway with hints of green and yellow in it and should knit up in an interesting and soft way. Enjoy!

May's "Teaser"

2009-05-15T11:55:00.002-04:00

A very refreshing colourway with hints of two colours in this semi-solid! I love playing with similar toned colours in semi-solids. Yum!

I used my 100% superwash merino this month that has a slightly tighter twist than our regular 100% superwash merino. It will yield nice stitch definition when knit with so I hope you like it! It is definitely squishy.

April's "Spoiler"

2009-05-15T11:52:00.003-04:00

Inspired by wanting to do a bit of purple for this month, a overtone/undertone colourway was born. This one should knit up into an interesting semi-solid with overtones of purple and undertones of pink. Enjoy!

April's "Teaser"

2009-04-22T19:23:00.004-04:00

These were in the mail on the 15th and a lot of you have received your yarns already but nevertheless, I better post the teaser before the next delivery is here...LOL

This month's colourway was painted on 100% superwash merino that is oh-so-squishy! Enjoy!

March's "Spoiler"

2009-04-14T13:41:00.004-04:00

Inspired by Spring and the sun starting to show itself a bit more often, this colourway was born with the hopes of it bringing a bit of cheer into the dreary days we've been having. Hope everyone enjoys it! I have visions of baby knitting for this colourway :-)

March's "Teaser" & Registrations Open!

2009-03-16T13:59:00.006-04:00

This month's colourway is definitely inspired by Spring! It's a softer version of this colour and I hope everyone likes it. This colour is always hard to do as people either love it or hate it - there doesn't seem to be any in between with it...LOL However, if you don't like socks with it, how about booties or a baby knit or something else entirely? Enjoy and Happy Spring!

Registrations are now open for another 3 and 6 month option beginning with April's shipment. If you are currently a member and are unsure if your term is expiring or not, please don't hesitate to email me to ask. Thank you everyone for your continuing support! Deadline to register is April 8, 2009 for April 15's shipment.

February's "Spoiler"

2009-03-16T09:53:00.002-04:00

As you can probably guess, February is Valentine's month so I was totally inspired to do a colourway based on my two favourite things for this month - chocolate and roses. In making a semi-solid to incorporate both these colours, I tried out a new dyeing technique and am quite happy with the results achieved. This technique gives me the opportunity to do a semi-solid with more than one colour tone. Anxious to see how this one knits up for everyone...hope you are enjoying it! The colourway is called "Be Mine" and the base yarn is our Serenity sock yarn made of 80% superwash merino, 10% cashmere and 10% nylon. Roses & chocolate definitely have to go with cashmere :-)

February's "Teaser"

2009-02-16T13:49:00.002-05:00

This month's colourway was a fun one! I got a chance to try out a new dyeing technique and I'm really pleased with the results. The colours I was inspired to do this month are themed on Valentine's Day and combine my favourites for this month - chocolate and roses. It does look like there are many colours in the skein from the teaser but they still are a semi-solid with a play on a few more colours than I usually do. Hope you like it! Everything mails today! :-)

January's "Spoiler"

2009-01-30T20:47:00.002-05:00

It was quite fun doing the "teaser" for this month...I giggled the entire time considering the colourway is a grey tone and the teaser had to be grayscale to "mask" the colour a little...LOL I hope everyone is enjoying this month's yarn too - it's a nice true fingering weight that's 4 ply so it'll knit up nicely to make a sock that should be long wearing and hard wearing.

Enjoy!

January's "Teaser"

2009-01-13T14:11:00.002-05:00

Happy 2009 everyone! It's so nice to be into a New Year already but I have the hardest time remembering where the time went! Here's this month's colourway teaser in b&w or grayscale as it's the only way I could "mask" the colour without giving it away! LOL

This month's colourway is very gender neutral so if you have the inclination to knit a pair of socks for a man in your life, this colourway would work well! I have also done the colourway on my Sturdy Sock Yarn base which will be hard wearing with it being a mix of superwash merino (75%) and nylon (25%). The yardage is really great on this yarn too! Enjoy!

December's "Spoiler"

2009-01-06T08:18:00.003-05:00

Oh green! A perfect colour for the month of Christmas given it's a month full of reds and greens. I decided to dye a saturated green with a bit of tonal change throughougt the colourway. Hope everyone is enjoying this one!

Happy 2009!

December's "Teaser" & Registrations Open

2008-12-15T14:21:00.004-05:00

This colourway is very seasonal! I hope everyone enjoys it. Everything ships today and in fact, I'm on my way out the door to the post office with all the packages!

Happy Holidays everyone and see you in the New Year!

Registrations are open again for 3 & 6 month memberships beginning in January of 2009. Please see the link in the right hand sidebar for more details or click on the link provided. Deadline to register is January 8, 2009.

November's "Spoiler"

2008-12-10T23:59:00.002-05:00

Oh gosh, I can't tell you how much I enjoyed dyeing November's colourway! Anything that neighbours in the vicinity of red makes my heart go pitter patter and this one was no exception! I didn't want something bright orange or bright red so I opted for something right in between. When it was finished drying, it reminded me a lot of red curry spice so that's where it got its name from. I hope everyone is enjoying this colourway!

December's colourway will be in the mail very soon and it's already dry and about ready to be shipped! It's a lovely colourway as well and reminiscent of the season.

Happy knitting everyone!

November's "Teaser"

2008-11-17T12:09:00.002-05:00

Here's the teaser for this month with the liquify effect. The base yarn this month is 100% superwash merino (springy & soft) and the colourway is Red Curry for one further hint to the colours of this yarn!

Enjoy everyone - this a very seasonal colourway and I hope you all enjoy it!

October's "Spoiler"

2008-11-07T14:39:00.003-05:00

Ah, here she is! A beautifully pink and girly colourway named "It's a Girl"! Quite fitting don't you think? :) I haven't done much of anything in the pink family and I thought this would be nice and cheery for the changing season. Hope everyone likes it! It's almost time for November's shipment!

October's "Teaser"

2008-10-15T12:19:00.001-04:00

Here's this month's yarn in teaser format! I found a cool new feature to use which makes the colours look liquefied....pretty cool don't you think? This is definitely a nice girly colour that I hope everyone enjoys! I thought a nice pair of soft socks in this colour to wear to bed would be nice and would match maybe a pair of PJs! This yarn, with the cashmere in it, should be treated a little more softly than the regular wear sock yarns even with the nylon in it. I have visions of soft sockies to wear to bed for the upcoming cool weather! Enjoy everyone!

September's "Spoiler"

2008-10-08T21:13:00.002-04:00

Wow, it's almost time for October's colourway so I thought I better post the spoiler for September! How's everyone doing? Hope you're having a great Fall season so far! I know I quite prefer this season just because it's much cooler for me when I'm dyeing the yarn and it's also turning to a season of colours that I just love! Enjoy! This colourway is called Beaujolais :)

September's "Teaser"

2008-09-15T10:46:00.002-04:00

Here's the little sneak peek teaser of this month's colourway! I hope everyone likes it :) I decided to do something darker and more saturated because this base yarn definitely looks much nicer when it's darker. Hope everyone's doing well and yet another month going in the mail today! Enjoy everyone :)

Registrations Re-Opened for October/2008

2008-09-14T11:26:00.001-04:00

I'm happy to re-open registrations for club memberships to start in October 2008 for 3 and 6 month terms. If you are currently a member and not sure when your current registration is ending, please don't hesitate to contact me by email at zenyarngarden [at] yahoo [dot] com and I'll be happy to look it up for you.

More details can be found in my store under "Yarn Clubs". Thanks everyone for your past support and future support - I am having a great time with this club!

Deadline to subscribe is October 7, 2008 for October 15, 2008's mailing.

August's "Spoiler"

2008-09-01T21:18:00.003-04:00

It's already September! Can you believe that? I'm so glad - I'm looking forward to Fall and Winter because these seasons definitely are conducive to knitting or any of the fibre arts we enjoy! I've recently taken up spinning so I'm looking forward to more time to spin the wheel too. Yay!

Hope everyone's enjoying this base yarn choice for August - isn't it just totally squishy and soft? I love it! I hope you guys do too!

August's "Teaser"

2008-08-13T14:08:00.002-04:00

I'm a bit early again this month which is just fine with me as I get to post a teaser photo a little early this time! This month a few suggested blue so I decided to go with it because I love blue as well and on my new yarn base of 80% superwash merino/20% bamboo it looks wonderful! I hope everyone enjoys this colourway this month and I don't know about you but I'm sure glad to see it's mid-August because the weather will be cooling soon and Fall will be around the corner! Summer is great but Fall is better for getting our knitting mojo back! Summer weather puts a damper on my dyeing mojo too so I'm happy to see it'll soon be cooling off and I can start dreaming about Fall colourways!

Everything mails on Friday or maybe even Thursday if I get the packages all together. Enjoy!

July's "Spoiler"

2008-07-31T08:49:00.003-04:00

Hope everyone's enjoying their summer and this colourway! Have you started a project with it yet? Don't forget to post right here on the blog too if you want to! I know we all love Ravelry but it's also nice to see the blog filled out with member posts too. Don't be shy :)

July's "Teaser"

2008-07-14T14:41:00.005-04:00

We're on track for this month's yarn to mail tomorrow and here's a little glimpse into the colourway! To give you further insight into the colours, I named this particular colourway "Honey Wheat". Why? Because it seems like that's all I see here in Ontario at the moment - farmers out gathering their wheat! I couldn't resist. I hope everyone enjoys!

Also a quick note about my dyeing for the new members. I use a particular technique when creating semi-solids which means there will be some variation from skein to skein with how light/dark each one is and also with how much of a tone each skein will have. So once the teaser is revealed and you think your skein is darker or lighter, don't worry - that was meant to happen! It's a by-product of the dyeing technique I use. My goal is to create yarns within the same tones which works out quite well each month and as an added bonus, everyone also gets a unique skein!

June's "Spoiler"

2008-06-29T13:36:00.002-04:00

Wheee, another month finished and I am hoping everyone is enjoying the Bling yarn who ordered it and for those that didn't, I am hoping you are enjoying the Gemilicious Fingering from Louet! Has everyone realized that ravissant is actually French and means ravishing in English? I thought it would be kind of chic to give a blingy yarn a French name! Enjoy everyone!

June's "Teaser"

2008-06-11T23:41:00.005-04:00

I am happy to say I'm a little ahead of schedule with this coming month's yarn so I have a teaser to show already! The Bling is coming along nicely and this teaser shows a bit of a hint but doesn't show some of the "undertone". You'll understand when you get the yarn...LOL A few variations came out of the same tone as well - some of them had the undertone predominant and some of them had the overtone predominant. Either way though the bling is quite blingy with these tones :) Enjoy everyone!

I will also post a teaser of the non-Bling yarn when it's ready to be photographed - DONE (on the left)! :)

Registrations Re-Opened for July/08

2008-06-09T00:10:00.003-04:00

I'm happy to re-open registrations for club memberships to start in July 2008 for 3 and 6 month terms. If you are currently a member and not sure when your current registration is ending, please don't hesitate to contact me by email at zenyarngarden [at] yahoo [dot] com and I'll be happy to look it up for you.

More details can be found in my store under "Yarn Clubs". Thanks everyone for your past support and future support - I am having a great time with this club!

Deadline to subscribe is July 7, 2008 for July 15, 2008's mailing.

May's "Spoiler"

2008-05-25T20:49:00.003-04:00

Oh gosh golly green....some love it, some hate it. I always have a heckuva time dyeing it because it is tricky to get a good tone and also tricky to get good saturation. I'm really pleased with how these turned out even though I had to dye them twice to get the colour I wanted...LOL Oh well, that's how it goes sometimes and I was glad I made the mailing date deadline given a bit of unforeseen circumstances :)

You may notice hints of gold or red in your skein - that's quite normal - it's from the colour pigments that make up green :) Enjoy everyone!

June's Bling Yarn :)

2008-05-17T11:28:00.006-04:00

Hello everyone...I thought I'd post this here too as I'm not sure we're all on Rav - I think we are but better to be safe than sorry...LOL

One of our clubbers made a special request for Bling yarn for the month of June which I'm happy to accommodate - I was going to do a special extra something to add in with your packages in June but this way, we'll do the special yarn instead! This works great because my regular pattern writer is taking a bit of a holiday and isn't available for June. The picture with this post is a sample of the Bling yarn - in case you aren't familiar with it. It's got silver strands in it! Here's the stats on it:

YARN DETAILS:
63% Superwash Merino/20% Silk/15% Nylon/2% Silver
Approx. 420 yards
Suggested Needle: 1-3 (US)
Fingering Weight

As I said in Rav, I'm fine with sending non-Bling yarn too - please email me at zenyarngarden AT yahoo DOT com and I'll make sure to send you the regular yarn combos we originally started the club with - merino, merino/nylon or merino/bamboo/nylon all in fingering weight. I do realize some of you may not prefer the Bling yarn and that's just fine with me...it's just a little record-keeping to make sure you get what you like :)

As for colour, please let me know if you have a preference - we are leaning toward a darker chocolate/purple in Rav and if you visit my photo sets of the Bling yarn in Flickr (linked above) you will notice that the darker colours really set off the silver strands compared to the lighter shades.

Hope everyone's having a wonderful Spring - it will be summer soon! :)

May's "Teaser"

2008-05-17T11:20:00.003-04:00

A little taste of this month's colour! I ended up with warmer tones and a few variations of them with this colour. I hope everyone likes it! It surely does remind me of Spring and all the colours that are becoming richer this time of the year.

This colour is always a tough one for me to do - not because it's not a good colour but because it's not one I do a lot of. I am envisioning men's socks with this colour or a nice scarf even. I'm sure you guys will find a great way to use it! Enjoy!

April's "Spoiler"

2008-04-25T11:35:00.003-04:00

I've been dieing to dye (pun intended LOL) a red/pink combo for awhile now so I thought April would be the perfect month for it! I hope everyone is enjoying this month's Rambling Rose colourway! It should knit up into a red/pink combo.

After taking a trip to Florida, I have a few ideas for next month's colourway already! It's good to be back :) Hope everyone's doing great and enjoying the warmer weather that seems to be coming around more lately!

April's "Teaser"

2008-04-10T11:50:00.004-04:00

Wow, it seems early to post this but as you know, I'm away next week so we're a bit early this month! I had no particular reason to dye the colourway this month other than I've been dieing to dye (LOL) a blend of these colours so I decided to kick off April with it! I hope everyone enjoys! The majority of you will receive my Squooshy Merino/Nylon blend yarn but a handful are getting my brand new Gemilicious Fingering (Louet Gems) base yarn as I had more join at the last minute than I expected! The colourway is the same on all yarns....Louet Gems is wonderful as a base yarn too...enjoy for those that do receive it this month! It's one I will be using again for another month :)

Hedera Socks WIP & April Sign-Ups Close Tomorrow!

2008-04-05T13:38:00.001-04:00

I keep forgetting to post my Hedera WIP from the Sun Kiss colourway so thought I would do that today and remind everyone that tomorrow is the last day to sign up for the next round of semi-solids. If you are interested in signing up, you will find more details here. I'm excited to get going again and welcome to all the new members who have signed up for the next round! Thank you also to all the members who have decided to continue on for the next round too :)

As for my sock, I'm almost to the toe now so I should have a finished sock to show soon too!

Everyone ready for April? Yarns will be coming out next Friday already!

April's Yarn Shipment

2008-04-03T13:07:00.003-04:00

Hello guys...hope everyone's doing well! I hope to see some of you using the wonderful pattern Alyson did for us too :)

Just to let you know, April's shipment will come out early this month (around the 11th) as I am heading out of town and won't be here on the 15th. I thought it better to get it out early to everyone rather than late.

Stay tuned!

Design & Dash!

2008-03-29T22:43:00.003-04:00

Hi! I'm Alyson, and I was delighted to design the "extra" that was included in the March shipment, the Ribs & Seeds pattern. These little drive-by posts (zoom!) are a great way for me to say hi, and to thank you all and Roxanne for giving me the opportunity to play and create along with you! I hope you like the pattern design - I'd been wanting for a while to do a cabled design on the back of a sock, and lately I've been kind of fixated on the look and feel of seed stitch. I don't normally do "resolutions" each year, we did decide at the first of the year, when evaluating our budget, to start eating out way less. In rediscovering how much I love cooking, I've been looking at tons of recipes - and since I like a little spice in my dishes, I use quite a few recipes that call for hot peppers. When I saw the phrase "ribs and seeds removed", I had a little revelation: Ribs! Seeds! Seeds...cables...ribs...seeded cables...seed rib...ha! Some of my favourite elements, all put together, with heat!

Often my patterns are inspired by something I see, like the cathedral that inspired the Reims stocking pattern, or maybe I'll see a clever stitch pattern that I can adapt or tinker with - this is the first pattern I've designed that came more from an idea, a simple phrase in a recipe, rather than from a visual. I had a lot of fun sketching this one up, and I was also trying to keep in mind something a bit more unisex, something with a little pizzazz but that my husband would wear. Not that he'll necessarily get the ones I made...but that's beside the point, right? It's the thought that counts! ;-)

I never get tired of working with Roxanne's yarns - I know you all love them every bit as much as I do! Thank you, Roxanne, for giving me the chance to work with you and your wonderful rich yarns once again. It's always such a treat!

Happy knitting!

March's "Spoiler"

2008-03-27T15:57:00.004-04:00

I hope most of you have received your March yarn! If not, don't click on the photo or you'll see the yarn up close and personal! I hope everyone's enjoying the Sun Kiss colourway - hopefully it'll make Spring hurry up and get here??!!! ;) No signs of Spring coming quite yet!

I've started a Hedera sock - what are your plans for this yarn?

March's "Teaser"

2008-03-17T10:31:00.003-04:00

Ahhhhhhh, Spring...it needs to get here soon! I couldn't resist doing something entirely different for the month of March - Spring is around the corner and it was time for a bit of a cheery colourway! I hope everyone enjoys this colour! I had to do a last minute sub on the yarn so this month is a surprise blend! My yarn supplier was late with my order by 3-4 weeks so I had to improvise so everyone didn't have to wait :) It's a lovely blend and it is just as cheery as the colourway this month. Enjoy everyone!

And a thread was started on Rav about yarn bleeding - just a quick note here as well - some colours have a tendency to run (blue and red being the two worst offenders) so if you see a bit of colour in the water when you're either blocking or washing, don't worry - it's excess dye coming out and your colours will be just fine. When I dye semi-solids there tends to be a lot of mixing of colours so blue and red can show up often :) With any brand spanking new yarn, it's just inevitable that some colour will come out - I have heat treated the yarns for 30-45 minutes so don't worry, colour will not bleed right out of your yarns. If you want to help the colourfastness last longer then I suggest a bit of vinegar in your wash and if you really want to be doubly sure, make your socks damp in a solution of a bit of vinegar and water and put your socks into the microwave on high for about 1-2 minutes. Remove them and let them cool off. Make sure they are damp so they don't get crispy :) This just doubles up on the heat setting treatment I've already applied to the yarns. Hope that helps for anyone who was wondering about this tendency for handpainted yarns.

Happy Spring everyone!

Registrations Open!

2008-02-28T15:09:00.002-05:00

I've opened up registrations again for 3-month and 6-month terms! If you'd like to register, please either register through my Etsy store (USA) or through my online store (USA, Canada & International).

Shipment dates for this new round of memberships will be:
April 15, 2008
May 15, 2008
June 15, 2008
July 15, 2008
August 15, 2008
September 15, 2008

If you are already registered for the next 3 months of April, May and June, please don't re-register now as I'll open the registrations up again in 3 months to give the opportunity for everyone to re-register if they like when your current term is over. Thanks and if you have questions, please email me at zenyarngarden AT yahoo DOT com.

February's "Spoiler"

2008-02-28T10:24:00.004-05:00

Hopefully it's been long enough for everyone to receive their yarns for February! Here's a little Aubergine spoiler for everyone. I had a lot of fun dyeing this colourway - I wanted something in the "red" family because it was Valentine's month after all but I didn't want to just do plain ol' red so this one is a multi-layered colourway with even a dash of chocolate in it - very Valentine's isn't it?! I can't wait to see this one knit up to see how the colours look when knit!

Enjoy everyone and can't wait to see your projects :)

March will be here very soon! I am going to open up 3-month and 6-month registrations again for April 15's mailing so if anyone's interested in continuing on for April and are just finishing up their 3 months, stay tuned! I also have a nice little surprise coming with March's shipment :)

February's "Teaser"

2008-02-14T15:00:00.002-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!! Hope you're all having a great day.

Yarns will go in the mail tomorrow and just to whet your appetite a little, here's a little sampling of what's to come! This semi-solid is a blending a few different tones of colours so I hope everyone enjoys it.

What inspired me this month? The month of February and Valentine's of course but I didn't want to dye a plain ol' red yarn so I did a bit of mixing and blending and got this colourway. If you are ever curious what colours went into the making of the colours, don't hesitate to ask! You might be surprised to know what I used for this one!

What's up for February?

2008-02-04T14:02:00.001-05:00

I'm dying with the suspense! :) The teaser gave me an idea of what to expect for January so I'm sort of glad we haven't seen February's yet....I love to be surprised but then again, I can't wait to know! LOL

January's "Spoiler"

2008-01-23T10:15:00.000-05:00

Yay, everyone seems to be receiving their yarns for this month! Here's my spoiler - don't click unless you want to see it up close and personal :) The colour is probably going to show more blue when you photo it as digital cameras tend to go to that end of the colour spectrum when they see blue-green. I have tweaked my photo as best I could with my monitor being optimized but it still may show differently on your monitor. Ahhhhhhhh, the joys of colour on monitors and how digital cameras pick them up....LOL Don't worry if yours photos more blue - it did for me too.

I can't wait until February...I have something a little different planned...this one soft, next month should be a little "bolder".

Can't wait to see your knitted items from this colourway...I find it very soothing :)

January's "Teaser"

2008-01-15T14:04:00.000-05:00

This colour was really hard to capture with the camera but I think I got it :) All yarns are being mailed today and I hope you find this colourway calming, cool and refreshing! It's done on a fingering weight merino/bamboo/nylon blend yarn which is one of my favourites - very soft and wonderful to work with! Enjoy everyone!

Here We Go!

2008-01-14T13:27:00.000-05:00

Wow, it's that time already! I really can't believe how quickly the dates come up for the clubs...and here we go with new 2008 colourways! I'm excited to get this yarn and this colour out to everyone!

For those who are new to the club, you will receive a Paypal notice of shipping tomorrow and airmail delivery time from Canada to the USA is 4-10 business days. In non-busy times it tends to average about 4 days but some packages will take just a wee bit longer. For our international clubbers, airmail delivery times is also 6-10 business days so hopefully about a week and you'll get your packages too! Those who are in Ontario, it's usually overnight service and if you're in another province in Canada, the wait can be a little longer depending on where you are but shouldn't be more than 7 days.

Here we goooooooo......

Just under the wire

2008-01-08T16:20:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone!

I read about this yarn club on someone's blog and was SO excited to join! I have so many "varied" colorways but not very many semi-solids! I can't wait to get the first shipment!

Happy New Year

2008-01-03T09:16:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year to everyone.
I am excited about joining the sock club.
This is my first club.
Can't wait to see the colours Roxanne has chosen.

New Year-New Yarn Colours

2008-01-02T11:32:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! I just signed up for another 3 months. :D I made gifts from Harmony Solids and Art Walk yarns. They all turned out lovely. My only regret is I did not take photos. I cannot wait for the next three colours. :)

I Finished One!

2007-12-06T19:49:00.000-05:00

I'm so pleased with having finished this sock! Not only because it's the lovely REIMS STOCKINGS pattern but also because I learnt how to do magic loop! Love the technique and I don't think I'll go back to DPNs...it's just "faster" with the circs. Now onto the second one :)

How's everyone doing? I'm looking forward to starting up again in January and if I don't post again before Christmas, here's to wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season.

Can't wait to see more of everyone's projects!

November's Midnight Rose Spoiler

2007-11-21T09:07:00.000-05:00

It looks like a good majority of you have your sock yarns already for November! I'm mighty impressed with the postal service this month - I surely hope this will keep up but maybe it's the approaching holiday season and the post office working overtime already?! It'll be nice if packages continue to move this quickly in the New Year too :)

Don't click the photo unless you want to see the yarn all big and in its glory :) I had a great time dyeing this one for everyone - it was an experiment in layered colouring. I can't wait to see some of your knitted items!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the USA! Me and DH are going to venture over the border this weekend and see what the sales are like - we figure we might get into some stores...maybe...if "Black Friday" is anything like our Boxing Day sales here in Canada after Christmas, we won't hold our breath...LOL

Welcome New Members!

2007-11-20T17:17:00.000-05:00

Welcome everyone who's recently joined! I'm really excited to get going and hope you enjoy the club as much as I enjoy dyeing the yarns for everyone. If you have any questions at all, don't ever hesitate to email me at zenyarngarden AT yahoo DOT com.

I have also invited all the new registrants to the blog and if for some reason you aren't receiving the invite or having troubles, please let me know that too so I can re-invite you. If you're an existing member and never got added to the blog, please let me know too as we all want to see your knitted items as you complete them :)

If you're on Ravelry, check the sidebar too as we also have a group there! Again, welcome and looking forward to getting started in the New Year :)

Still Magic Looping :)

2007-11-20T15:15:00.000-05:00

And my sock is coming along! I managed to figure out the gussett with magic loop and I am not sure I'll ever go back to DPNs...this is just easier I find! I'm really enjoying the Reims Stockings pattern too - it's producing a nice effect on the sock! Onto the toe very soon :)

2008 Membership Registrations

2007-11-17T10:48:00.000-05:00

All membership include shipping for the term that you choose and are in US dollars and payable through Paypal. Don't forget that you can also use a credit card through Paypal if you prefer not to use your Paypal account or don't have an account with Paypal. Deadline to register is January 8, 2008.

I've broken registrations down by country to make it a little bit easier. For international registrations, if you don't see your country listed, please contact me at zenyarngarden AT yahoo DOT com as I'm happy to do a special order for you!

***REGISTRATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED - WILL REOPEN IN MARCH, 2008 FOR 3 & 6 MONTH TERMS***

2008 Membership Details

2007-11-17T10:04:00.001-05:00

For 2008's sock club, I'm happy to offer 3-month and 6-month memberships so if you'd like to join for a bit longer, that would be awesome! Also, you'll realize about a 10% savings on the 6-month membership compared to the 3-month. I'm opening the registrations up here first before posting them into my stores so as to give everyone who's already a member a chance to join again if they like before opening up the club to new registrations.

For yarns this round, I've decided to focus on fingering weight as it seems that most of the intricate patterns call for this weight of yarn. This will mean 100% superwash merino in 2 and 3-ply, a lovely 3-ply superwash merino/nylon blend and a new yarn that I'm hoping to be able to get that's a 70% superwash merino/20% bamboo/10% nylon blend. It's different from the usual bamboo blend I carry as it's a true FW and really lovely - same twist as the merino/nylon I've used already in the sock club. So if you like that one, you're sure to like this one too - just like the merino/nylon but with a bit of a sheen to it with the bamboo :)

For now I'll focus on yarns so we can keep membership costs down but if we get enough interest in the club, I am planning on throwing in another exclusive pattern! Everyone responded so well to the Reims Stockings pattern that I thought it'd be nice to do a pattern again.

Okay, now I'm going to try the Paypal button option in the next post - stay tuned! For mailing dates, please see the information in the sidebar.

Deadline to join is January 8, 2008.

I'm Magic Looping :)

2007-11-12T13:42:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's true...I haven't before and I'm so excited to learn this technique! My sock seems to be going faster and I don't feel like I'm going to drop stitches. I am, however, using a size 2 instead of a size 1 needle for the Reims Stockings pattern and may end up with a slightly larger sock than anticipated but that's okay, I'm having too much fun to stop now and it feels like the size 2 is a good size to learn ML on.

It's not much sock yet but had to share :)

"Michigan" too

2007-11-10T14:51:00.001-05:00

While I like the surprise pattern that was included with this month's shipment, I decided to put it aside to use later with another yarn and this time to stick with the lake water theme. I spent 12 years living alongside Lake Michigan and often watched its waters slam into Lake Shore Drive on turbulent weather days; so I have some ideas of my own as to what Great Lake water in the colder months is all about: dark, icy, and even a bit threatening.

I decided to go with the Lacy Mock Cable Socks because I like the way the soft waves of the ripples and the little eyelets suggest churning water and give the pattern some movement. I downloaded this pattern from One Planet Yarn and Fiber because I'm always happy to support indie designers, but I'd imagine that it wouldn't be too hard to concoct a similar pattern on your own. This also marks my first toe-up sock, and while I'm okay with the method, I'm far from a convert.

Anyhow, here's one finished sock.

I really, really love the base yarn. It may be the softest yarn I've knit socks with, and the fuzziness gives the colorway a waterlike murkiness . I could see where this might not be the yarn for crisp colors, but I like the way it turned out for "Huron."

Just gotta knit the other. Can't wait to see what's coming up next. Thanks for this one, Roxanne, it's another winner.

Guess who's playing with colour soon?

2007-11-10T00:14:00.000-05:00

Yup, that'd be me! Yarn was delivered today and soon I'll be in the dye pot! I really haven't decided on colour yet like I did in the other two months but sometimes, as a dyer, I just like to get the yarn out, put it in the dye pot, line up my dye colours and let the colours speak to me. Funny how that works! Sometimes it's a colour I see "out there" but this time, it's going to be a spur of the moment inspiration. Be inspired! :) I can't wait!

Oh, I decided on the merino/nylon again for this month that was our first club yarn. Why you ask? When I polled the group early on, it was a clear majority for fingering weight yarns and as a dyer, I love how this yarn takes colour - it inspires me! Also, after seeing a couple of your FOs with this yarn, I'm more than pleased with it so I can't help but offer it to everyone again. It seems to be a very nice yarn base. Hopefully you are all enjoying it as much as I am!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Is it November already?

2007-11-03T19:32:00.000-04:00

Wow guys, I can't believe we're in November already! I have had semi-solid on the brain for a couple a days and I am just realizing this will be the 3rd of 3 shipments...man, did that go by quickly!! I'm just "getting into" the semi-solid dyeing too...darn it!! Okay, so I am going to re-start the club again in January after we get a chance to get through the Christmas holidays so if you'd like to join again, details will follow shortly after the last shipment goes out on the 15th.

How is everyone enjoying the pattern and the yarns? I love seeing everyone's creations here and on Ravelry. You guys rock the knitting!

Anyways, just wanted to drop you guys a quick note to let you know I'm thinking about the next yarn and hope you're all doing well! Have a great weekend!

Hi! I'm Your Friendly Neighbourhood Pattern Designer!

2007-10-23T11:28:00.000-04:00

Howdy! I'm Alyson, and I designed the Reims Stocking pattern that you received with your shipment this month! I wanted to drop in and post a little greeting and talk a bit about my inspiration for the pattern...and maybe gush a little about Roxanne's yarn (like y'all don't know.)

I'd not worked with Zen Yarn Garden before Roxanne contacted me about a pattern. (How had I missed this glorious stuff? Heaven only knows...) Once I had the yarn in my hands and had squeezed and squished it half to death, I spent some time thinking about all the elements there were to play with. I knew I wanted something that would look good in both a semi-solid (my favourite yarn to work with) and a variegated, so that it would be equally complimentary to all of Zen Yarn Garden's wonderful yarns. I also knew I wanted something that would fit in with the arts and that was a little "zen". I started perusing some of my books and in one, I spotted a lace pattern, called Gazebo Lace, that had an element that reminded me very much of the flying buttresses and architectural elements of the great cathedrals of Europe. (And I couldn't help thinking that few things were more "zen" then centuries-old cathedrals!) I even recalled a photo I'd seen of Reims Cathedral in France - and I was set, with all my elements satisfied! I was really excited about playing with the pattern - the bobble cast on creates peaks reminiscent of the peaks and spires of Reims, and is a fun alternative to the standard ribbed cuff. The heel flap even evokes the tall, grand doorways of the European cathedral!

I was even more excited when I saw that Roxanne was inspired by colours in nature that really played up to the Reims pattern, with a look that could almost seem marbled and like stone, just like that same cathedral I'd used as the inspiration!

It's been a real joy designing this pattern and working with Zen Yarn Garden (which is definitely one of my new favourites - both yarn and person!) I really look forward to seeing what you create, and if I can ever be of any assistance whatsoever with pattern support, please feel free to contact me. My email is alysonknitsATgmailDOTcom, my blog is The YoYo Knits, and my Ravelry name is YoYoKnits. I'd love to hear from you!

Happy knitting!

October's Yarn Spoiler

2007-10-22T21:09:00.000-04:00

I see a lot of you are receiving October's yarn so yay, I'm posting a spoiler. Do not click on the photo unless you want to see it larger! And as some of you have described the colour as "serene", I think I'll go with that description instead of "moody"...you guys say it so much better...thank you!

Are any of you going to use the surprise with your either of the colourways so far? I think I'm going to...I already have my skein in a cake waiting to be cast on when I'm ready! As an added bonus, we will have the sock pattern designer Alyson dropping by in the next day or so and writing a bit about the pattern and herself...how fun is that? If you have any questions at all for her, she will be available for pattern consultation too...yay!

Wow, November is coming quickly too and that'll be the 3rd of 3 shipments already! Time flies so quickly. I am planning on opening up the club again to begin for another 3-month membership in January of 2008. I hope you'll consider joining me again. More details will follow in November. In the meantime, looking forward to seeing all your creations!

October's Inspiration

2007-10-17T11:24:00.000-04:00

Some of you may have received the yarn already if you're in Canada but most of you should get it toward the end of this week. I thought I'd show you the inspiration for this month's colourway in the meantime. I don't think I'm giving away the colours - you just never know what I chose from this picture...LOL Ahhhh, so tranquil and so peaceful this picture.

Where we live in Ontario we are lucky enough to be very close a large body of water and it's just so beautiful! Can't wait to see how everyone likes this "moody" colourway and the surprise! :)

October's Colourway

2007-10-12T13:53:00.000-04:00

Everyone ready for October's shipment? It's on its way on Monday!

Just a little background on the colourway this month - it's an interesting one...LOL I found my inspiration in nature and most of you will know what it is when you see the colourway name but let me elaborate a little here. Last month I did tonal variations in the yarn with different colours that work in harmony with each other - for this month, I wanted to try a different idea when it comes to semi-solids so I chose a colour from my inspiration in nature and did various shades/blends of that colour. It produced an interesting effect that's for sure. Last month's yarn was "cheerful" and this month's yarn is "moody" as a result of the blending throughout the skein. I don't know about you but I think colours can evoke emotion so that's why I use these terms. I hope you like it!

I've used a new base yarn again this month and I'd love to hear your feedback on it - it has a nice sproingy-ness to it too.

Have a great weekend everyone and see you next week!

It's almost time for shipment #2!

2007-10-10T12:19:00.000-04:00

I can't believe how quickly the time flies but the yarns for October's shipment are being prepped and soon I'll be in the dye pot! I had a flash of inspiration for colour on the way across the border to Michigan just a week or two ago and said to DH - "that's definitely my colour for October's semi-solid club!"...he agreed it'd be cool too! Yay!

I also have a surprise in store for everyone with this shipment...I thought it wouldn't be until November but it's here early and well, yay! We'll have a guest on the blog to talk about it too...how fun and stay tuned!

FO

2007-10-09T17:10:00.000-04:00

Here are the finished cuffed socks from Favorite Socks modeled by my daughter and her dragon friend.

This was an easy knit. I modified the pattern to be toe up, used sz 1 Addis with magic loop.

Can't wait to see what the next shipment will bring!!!!

Keeping up (for now)

2007-10-08T18:39:00.000-04:00

Well, I've managed to finish my first pair of club socks before the second installment shows up. As far as I'm concerned, that counts as "stash" progress in some convoluted knitterly way of thinking.

Anyhow, here they are:

The pattern was very easy and works well with this yarn. If you decide to knit this one yourself, my only recommendations would be that you might want to take some time to figure out how you're going to do the last three leg decreases before you get to them and you might want to reconsider the toe. This toe is one of those spiral things (I'm too lazy to look up what it's called), and I don't think that type of toe fits as nicely or looks as finished as the traditional toe that you find in most sock patterns. Just my two cents. . .

Can't wait to see what all of you are doing with your yarn. I'm also looking forward to the next installment of the club. Thanks, Roxanne, for making this first skein such a winner.