Not sick of sock knitting. Nup

Foreground: Stranded Sock 100gm/360m superwash wool
spun for sock knitters

Greetings from Oz central, otherwise known as the place where 100gm hanks of superwash woolly goodness threaten to bury the inhabitants.

That's right -- Mr. Delivery D00D arrived this am with my much-anticipated boxes of socky fun. Only problem? It came un-dyed. I somehow forgot to clone myself in an alternate universe, dye it, then ship it to myself over here. Ah well.

In the midst of the wool pile, I'm immersed in some sock designs - what else would I be doing right now?

I was thinking as I unpacked boxes -- I tend to design in my head doing other things -- that it's the minutia of knitting stitches that attracts my attention. Tweak this, swap that, and suddenly, the whole thing looks different. As you can imagine, I spend a lot of time doing this.

So this week, I have in front of me 2 very different projects -- a completely natural sock (I like to work in un-dyed yarn as a change of pace) as well as a decidedly oceany blue sock.

Ravelry: thank you to everyone who has joined us at Oz Central on la Rav. Some of you very clever knitters are already taking advantage of the Thanks For Joining SIOz on Rav discount of 15% off your next order. This offer is only good on regularly-priced items and is a one-time only offer. No additional discounts apply. And yes, it's good on Namaste, Inc. products, thanks for asking.

Want to join the fun? Join Rav, the SIOz group, then email me at melissa AT strandedinoz DOT com and I'll send you the handy discount code. Most of the time I can figure out who you all are, but sometimes your fun Ravatar names don't immediately connect to your 'real' names.

Online, Really!

In the midst of deadlines, the usual Autumn yarn and design rush, I've been playing catchup on the online shop. Whew!

Unrelated to the workweek, above and below, please find a photo of my beloved hank of Bronze Goddess, spun by Vellan. I've now wound it into a ball and still can't bear to knit it yet. Sooo lovely.


The photos don't do the colour justice -- a bit of olives, bronzey rust, and a lighter shade of the same. It's organic merino -- simply fab.

BIG SIOz NEWS? Weeeelll, Adrienne T. in SA has won the 40% off voucher via a mystery mini-hank she received in her mail order! Well done Adrienne, who has recently been bitten by the toe up sock bug!

Still want some kewl discounts or fun prizes? There are a few mini-mystery hanks left and loaded online. Missed out for Easter at the Port? Clever crafters have asked, can I order online for the Port and still get my mystery hank? Yup -- just pop the mystery hank in your cart and choose Store Pickup for delivery option. :)).

I'll be posting shop updates on the shopblog later in the week-- In brief, the Nepal Handspun products have been updated and sorted for easier browsing. I've also loaded Tofutsies in the sock yarn category -- the stocks change frequently for that yarn at the Port, so I've been reluctant to load them -- just in case one sells while I'm vending offline, but I've loaded a safe amount on the webshop to make it easier to get your hands on this incredible sock yarn. There are some hand-painted Tofutsies hanks loaded as well.

In the meantime, if you're a RAVELRY fan, check out the new Stranded In Oz group -- started by spinner extraordinary, Vellan. Thank you V for the new group!

Admission: I'm a reluctant Raveler. Not because I have any feelings about social networks, it's just a lack of time on my part. I'd rather paint, spin and knit than read about it, so my time online, when it is available, is devoted to updating blogs, editing photos and corresponding with customers via my website.

When I've asked my customers about Ravelry many say they aren't interested in social networks. Perhaps it is a demographic issue, not sure. I look forward to hearing about, no matter the medium, what people do with the yarn and fibre once it leaves here. And judging from what I see every week, I must be doing something right, as the knitting and spinning is really inspiring. Thank you for that!

Inspirational KNITTER! Jenice came by last weekend -- it was lovely to meet her. After a diagnosis of Parkinson's as well as lung cancer surgery, Jenice decided it was TIME. Time for what? Time to get out of the house and buy SOCK YARN! Her visit was so inspiring. Talk about a dedicated sock knitter. Anyway, she's off knitting socks in new Infatuation and of course, couldn't resist the Tofutsies. I can't wait to see her socks. Whatever minor grumping I had going on in my head has completely vanished after meeting Jenice.

Plans are in the works for all sorts of activity SIOz-wise (new yarns, new patterns, and more). For now, it's back to the needles and dyework.

melissa