Happy Tuesday!

I hope this finds everyone well and healthy.  On Sunday, two of my granddaughters (cousins) took me out to lunch, and it was 90º so we sat at an outside table.  This morning when I woke it was 57º and still only 60º right now at noon, and I’m regretting I haven’t already refreshed my winter caps, scarves, and jackets.  This condition will be corrected in short order!  🙂

I’m still on a bit of a journey experimenting with better ways to show off yarn on the preview racks while they dry.  I appreciate the feedback I received last week.  🙂

This week’s collection of Phydlbitz Sock were dyed in a variety of techniques, some with a soft-hued tricolor combination and some with a heavier saturation with direct dye application.  Because of the coloring  I have rotated the skeins of each Twinset so all the colors are visible for each pair.  Each Twinset was dyed side-by-side and sealed in their pouches for steaming so the coloring is fairly equal on each pair.

The average pair of socks only needs one skein, of course, so no worries about pooling, but for larger-than-socks projects like scarves or baby blankets it is good to alternate skeins of a Twinset. I always recommend that if you plan to use both skeins of a Twinset in a project it works better if you alternate skeins (balls) every 2-3 rows to avoid unwanted color pooling and the inevitable ‘shift’ in color sequencing and pooling that occurs when knitting all of one skein and then starting a new skein.

Many of the popular commercial brands of sock yarn are sold in 1.75oz/50gram balls (about 150-200 yards), and are designed to make “identical twins”.  Phydlbitz Sock yarn is hand-dyed and is sold at 4oz/113gram balls of 430 yards or 113 grams and usually knits up as ‘fraternal twins.’  I don’t have the computerized accuracy to make hundreds or thousands of identical yarns, but I consider this a feature rather than a flaw.

If you are new to Knitivity, Phydlbitz is my primary yarn, pronounced “Fiddle Bits.”   It was so named after a very rough patch early on and I had to switch suppliers and I ended up finding a superior sock yarn.  The name stands for Positively Helping Your Dyer Land Back In The Zone.

Phydlbitz Sock is normally $27.50 each; but for Tuesday and Wednesday this week, you can have a preview price of $25.50 each.   I expect this week’s collection to be finished and ready to ship on or about Friday.

To claim the ones you want, just send me an email (ray@knitivity.com) with your numbered selections.  If you are outside the U.S., please let me know so I can calculate the international shipping rate to your country; for international shipping, I will mark your request as claimed as soon as I get your request, but I will tell you the shipping rate so you can accept or decline before I actually prepare your invoice.

Available Yarns: 
Rack 1 – 848, 849, 850, 851, 852, 853, 854, 855, 856, 857, 858, 859
Rack 2 – 860, 861, 862, 863, 864, 865, 866, 867, 868, 869, 870, 871

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