~ Sock Dreams ~

The association of Easter and fresh spring blooms makes this time of year all about pastels.  I love putting these seasonal colour wheels together, even when there’s barely any colour involved. 

Let’s start with pastel ruffles, for feet and a bit higher up . . .

clockwise from top: Textured Stripe Knee High in Pink, Micromesh Lace Ruffle Tanga Short in Light Blue, Puffy Chiffon Mini Petticoat in White w/Pink, Textured Stripe Knee High in White, Micromesh Lace Ruffle Tanga Short in Pink

More pretty pastels after the jump! Read more »

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Pretty much the go-to for bright striped tights, the Leg Avenue Striped Tights are a great, budget-friendly way to sass up your derby uniform, going out clothes, or every day wardrobe.  Though most of the colours are only offered in a “one size fits most” that fits waists up 35 inches around (with a couple more inches stretch in the hips), four colours come in two more sizes with an amazing range of fit.  The Black/Purple, Black/White, White/Red and Black/Red are also available in a “1x-2x” and a “3x-4x”.

You may notice in the image below that the red is a little different between sizes.  The “one size” is more of a tomato red and the 1x-2x is more of a lipstick red.  The other colours of the 1x-2x and 3x-4x aren’t as different when compared to their “one size” versions.

There are some other differences between the “one size” and the “plus” sizes.  Though it isn’t dependable that the stripes go all the way up to the waistband on the one size (which is why we love when you drop us a line to ask if the current batch do), both the 1x-2x and the 3x-4x sizes always have stripes that go all the way up.

“One size” on top, the 1x-2x below

And that’s true for the other end too.  The stripes go all the way to the toes on the 1x-2x and 3x-4x.

You’ll notice that the one size legs are longer than the plus size in the image below.  Don’t fret!  There is some magic stretch in the plus sizes of the Leg Avenue Striped Tights.  If you have a longer inseam and any curves, the 1x-2x size may be a better option.  Our tester with a 32 inch inseam found that the legs of the “one size” just fit—they maxed out the stretch of the “one size”, both hips and inseam.

More comparisons of the Leg Avenue Striped Tights sizes after the jump! Read more »

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Last week we showed you the basics for dyeing socks.  Once you start experimenting more with dyeing socks and fabric, you can also start looking into the wide world of dyes that are chemically formulated for specific fibers.  One of the best places around for dyes and dyeing info is Dharma Trading Company.  They’re a favourite with Dreamers who love to dye!

Even if you’re not ready for learning the scientific ins and outs of fancy dyes, you can expand your techniques and start playing around with ways to add colour.  I’ve got two simple approaches to show you.  The easiest (and my favourite) creates something between marbling and tie-dye.  Called “low water immersion” or “scrunch” dyeing, it’s always a beautiful surprise to see how it turns out which, for me, is part of the fun.

All you’ll need for this technique are:

• Dye •
• What you’re dying (the unevenly dyed sock half from last week for me!) •
• A container not too much bigger than what you’re dyeing, remember plastic will stain! •
(to see what would work best, scrunch up your sock and try fitting it into various jars and containers)
• A container to mix your dye in •

Not shown:

• Very hot water (like for brewing tea) •
• Optional: vinyl or rubber gloves to keep dye off your hands •

Not that many things, is it?  Join me after the jump for the simple run-down and one more easy way to play with dye! Read more »

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A little over a year ago on the Sock Journal we introduced our Crafty Bundle, a batch of five mis-matched socks to use as a catalyst for creation! Recently, as we have been rolling the bundles, we realized that there were a bevy of white and off-white socks, more than we could easily add to a bundle without overwhelming it.

Well, the logical thing to do is offer a white and off-white option of the Crafty Bundle, the Dyer’s Batch!  You still get five assorted socks, but they’re in easy-to-dye shades (and, since they’re all Dream Stockings and Dreamer Socks, easy to dye fibers too!).  What I’m especially excited about is that the Dyer’s Batch gives folks a chance to play with dyeing socks without the worry that they’ll ruin a favourite pair.  And, if the dye job turns out, it’s easy to whip them into something fun like arm warmers or any of the cool DIY sock ideas we’re pinning to Pinterest!

If you’ve never dyed socks before, don’t stress, it is super easy!  We’ll walk you through the basics, so you have the foundation to play to your heart’s content.

For just straight up dyeing cotton blends like the socks in our Crafty Bundles, something easy to get and use like RIT Dye works pretty well, especially if you’re just learning.  The common complaint with RIT is that you can’t get strong, vivid colour from it, so keep that in mind.  The RIT Dye site has lots of great tips and techniques that are worth checking out, no matter what dye you’re using.

You’ll need:

• A glass or plastic bowl or bucket that will easily hold what you’re dyeing •
(remember! Dye will stain plastic, so don’t use your favourite mixing bowl if it is plastic)
• Dye •
• What you’re dyeing! •
• Something to stir with •

Not shown here, because I am a space case:

• A smaller glass or plastic container to pre-mix your dye in •
• Hot water, think “as hot as tea”—doesn’t have to be boiling •
• Optional: gloves so you don’t stain your hands•

Once you’ve gathered your gear, meet me after the jump for the how-to! Read more »

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One thing that can be kind of difficult when writing the Sock Journal is that you end up having to talk about the same holidays a lot. I want to help you folks find St. Patrick’s day socks that are new and different, but I did too well showing off all our green socks last year, so now I don’t know what to show off!   Sure our St Paddy’s collection has your classics:

• Rugby Stripe OTK •
• Harajuku Arm Warmers •
• Sock It To Me Clover •

Plus there are green gradients in a lot of our tie dye styles:

• O Tie-Dyed in Marbled Tropical Forest •
• Tie Dyed Tights in Green Bananas •
• Tie Dyed Fingerless Gloves in Camo Greens •

It’s just that it is traditional to wear green to represent Ireland on St. Patrick’s day, and while we do have a few gorgeous new green styles:

• Vertical Stripe Printed Tights •
• Sabina Argyle •

There’s nothing new with clovers.  A couple of our St. Patrick’s day styles are even going away! Actually, I’m kind of taking a chance they’ll even still be in stock when this posts!

• Lucky Clover Thigh Highs •
• Shamrock Midcalves •
• Striped Thigh High with Buckle Top •

Well, we are seeing a lot of folks picking up rainbows for their St. Patrick’s day celebrations.  It’s a neat reinterpretation of Ireland and luck.  These three rainbows go great with your green especially:

• Checkered Neon Chaos OTKs •
• Over the Rainbow Thigh Highs •
• Rainbow Dreams •

Hmm, it looks like I was able to find some socks to share with you folks after all!  St Patrick’s day is next Saturday, the 17^th, so you’ve still got a week to get your green on!

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