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The International Day of The Sock is a day for rocking your favourite socks (even more than usual)! The socks we want to rock this time around are the ones made right here in the USA. Our collection of American made styles is full of fantastic delights from two dozen suppliers.
Our two house brands, DreaM Stockings and Dreamer Socks are made for us right here in the States, out of recycled and regenerated fibers. They’ve got some beautiful basics,
• O Woolies •
• Extraordinary Thigh Highs •
• OTK Tubes •
And of course, pretty patterns.
•Jacquard Flowering Vine OTK •
• Fast Lane OTK •
• Bamboo OTK •
But far more than our fabulous house brands are made in the USA. Why, did you know that from B.Ella we offer over forty USA-made styles? Only about a third of their styles we carry are made in Italy and the rest of these gorgeous, luxury offerings are home-grown.
• Adie Pima Cotton Ghost Footies •
• Nicolo Rugby Stripe Midcalf •
• Liza Polka Dot Knee Socks •
And ALL of the Gumball Poodle styles are made in the USA. Stretchy and sassy, we even offer two styles that name-check the Pacific Northwest and one that honours our local Roller Derby team!
• Seattle Knee Highs •
• Portland Knee Highs •
• I Love RCR Knee Highs •
Speaking of local, Una arm warmers are made up in Seattle, Washington—and Polonova styles are made right here in Portland, Oregon!
• Geoweb Arm Cozies •
• Polonova Floral Lace Trouser Socks •
• Polonova Longer Velvet Wrist Warmers •
There are so many more made in the USA offerings! Just join me after the jump for a quick list (and links and Advanced Searches for) of USA-made styles.
by Brenna
February 1st, 2013
We’re almost through the first month of the year! And I thought February was supposed to be the short month. But January is always full and busy as we sort out what we’re doing over the next year. In the sock world, that means saying goodbye to some styles to make room for new favourites. You might have seen Jess’ post in Latest News about a bunch of Leg Avenue we’ll be seeing the last of, but I thought it might be good to show you more ways to work the Zap! category. And it’s kind of fun to be able to look back on posts like this (like this one from 2010) and see styles we’ve forgotten about, like a sad time machine.
If you’re not familiar with our Zap! category, it’s sort of like a train station platform where we can wave goodbye to styles as they go away. This time of year our Zap! category swells as we find out what styles are being discontinued, what newer or better styles are coming out in the spring and just from general housecleaning. At this moment there are over 100 styles in Zap! I feel like I should add an extra exclamation mark, since the category name already has one. Heck, let’s do three!!!
But because we’re saying goodbye to these socks means you get to say hello. So here are a few styles that you might want to grab a pair of before they’re gone for good. Now, I’m trying to pick styles there are still plenty of, but be aware that some might be gone before you get there!
Almost a quarter of the styles in Zap! are knee highs, and a lot are super fun. I think almost every closet needs one pair of knee highs that make you smile or feel fancy.
• Sock It To Me Bunny Stripes •
• Five Toed Sheer Knee Highs •
• Faux High Top Knee High •
Moving on up the leg, here are some over the knee and higher treats that we won’t have around much longer.
• Marbled Scrunchy Socks •
• Acrylic Striped Thigh Highs •
• Asel Over the Knee •
Some favourite tights are going away and I know several Dreamers have stocked up on their favourite pairs!
• Kalana Wool Crochet Tights •
• Eyelash Web Tights •
• Wool Cable Stripe Tights •
Of course, there is a sweet silver lining to styles going away and that’s when they go on sale! There are a lot of luscious choices with marked down prices that mean you get a pair before they disappear and feel smart for waiting because now you’re paying less.
• Shadow Brocade Over the Knees •
• Fifi Marled Ghost Anklets •
• Polonova Vines Trouser Socks •
There are a lot of reasons (most of them being whether or not we can still get a style) that a sock might go away and as sad as it is, it does mean that we’re busy picking out new things to take its place. So dig into the Zap! category or use our advanced search to pick through all these styles that are just waiting for a home—you’re helping us make room for some new favourite styles.
by Brenna
January 25th, 2013
I really love doing colour wheels. Maybe it’s the sorting, maybe it’s that they’re pure fun, but mostly I think it’s because we have some pretty luscious socks and this is a great way to show them off. I’d almost say that each one of our styles is as unique as a . . . snowflake. So let the cozy, cuddly, warm and snuggly winter wheels begin!
Arm warmers and fingerless gloves do wonders in keeping you warm!
Clockwise, from top: Harajuku Arm Warmers in Navy, Fingerless Arm Cozy in Denim Blue, Alpaca Cable Hand Warmers in Steel Blue, Wool Fingerless Gloves in Robin’s Egg, Acrylic Fingerless Shorties in Peacock, Orkney Angora Wrist Warmers in Azure.
Taller socks are a wonderful layer, over tights or under pants, for that extra level of cozy!
Clockwise, from top: Long Cuffable Scrunchable Socks in Royal, Orkney Angora Over the Knees in Azure, Kimi Wool Blend OTKs in Dark Royal, OTK Tube Socks in Royal, Long Cuffable Scrunchable Socks in Navy, Faux Fur Cuff Knee Highs in Sapphire.
Shorter socks can keep your toes snug, with warm wool and fabulous fuzzies!
Clockwise, from top: Gregorio Wool Bootsocks in Denim, Rainbow Striped Wooly Socks in Jean, M Bootsocks in Navy, New Zealand Bed Socks in Navy, ToeToe Walking Socks in Navy & Grey, Dahlgren Hiking Midcalf in Atmosphere.
Even tiny toes can be spared from the cold!
Clockwise, from top: B.Ella Stimolo Baby Bootie in Light Blue & White, B.Ella Baby Teddy Booties in Blue Marl, B.Ella Katy Striped Wool Baby Socks in Denim, Baby Wool Socks in Navy, Argyle Baby Booties in Denim, Dottie Polka Dot Baby Socks in Light Blue with White Dots.
There’s no need for fingers and toes to go blue from the cold, not when lots of toasty options exist already in those shades.
by Brenna
January 4th, 2013
Something is up in the state of Denmark, where the fabulous MP brand is from. To get to the bad news quick, we were informed that MP will no longer be producing goods for import to the USA, so we won’t be able to restock their items when we run out. It’s a very sad Zap! section right now, just full of MP styles we won’t see again.
This is a huge bummer, especially now that we’re officially into winter, because MP made some of our most favourite cozy styles. Since the stock we have now is the last we’ll be seeing of them, if you’ve been wanting an MP style and have been hesitating, now’s the time to treat yourself. And if you haven’t been coveting an MP style? Then let me explain just how wonderful they are.
The cornerstone of our love of MP is their cotton-lined wool. Comfy cotton on the inside and superwash wool on the outside, they are some of our warmest styles. Plus, the superwash wool is pre-shrunk, and the label suggests washing warm or hot. With wool! Of course, for best results, wash inside out in cool water & hang to dry. Taken care of well, these sturdy and well-made cotton-lined wool styles could be solid staples of your wardrobe for a long time.
• Cotton-Lined Wool Tights •
• Cotton-Lined Wool Knee Highs •
• Wide Stripe Cotton-Lined Wool Tights •
MP offers some great wool knee highs but the one true love of most Dreamers are the Coarse Knit Knee Highs. They’re thick and scrumptious, but probably not too thick for your favourite winter shoes. And they’re long enough to reach the knees of most legs who try them! Available in two sizes and three colours, the Coarse Knit Knee Highs are one style that I think all of us are trying to get a pair of before they go away.
Even the littlest ones can get cozy with MP. The terry loops of the Baby Wool Socks keep tiny toes cozy and the Cotton-Lined Wool Knee Highs go down in size to a kid’s US 3.5-5.5.
• Cotton-Lined Wool Knee Highs •
• Baby Wool Socks •
Not all colours are available in tiny sizes, so use the drop-down menu to choose the size you’re interested in first, then pick the colours that show up as available (not greyed out).
Of course, MP isn’t all about the cozy, they also have some light, weight warm weather styles that are equally as fabulous. Sure, it may be pretty dang cold right now, but these styles probably won’t be here when warm weather comes back. Future you will be forever thankful.
• Check Pattern Footies •
• Flower Rib Leggings •
• Lace Crew •
These are just a few of all the MP styles we have left! Before you say your goodbyes to MP by getting something to remember them by, check out the MP sock sizing guide after the jump—with basic sizing ranges and what styles we carry in each size.
by Brenna
December 28th, 2012
Last week our socks danced the first half of The Nutcracker ballet for you. After a brief intermission, the classic tale finishes this week—remember, if any of the principal players strike your fancy, links to the styles are scattered throughout the narration. Now, shhhh, the lights are dimming and the performers are coming out . . .
Traditionally, the nutcracker turns into a human prince after Marie helps defeat the mouse army. But Marie likes the nutcracker the way he is, so he stays the way he looks, but has a more royal bearing now. They romantically dance in the snow.
The nutcracker and Marie take a nutshell boat pulled by sharks across a sea to the Land of Sweet Socks.
When they reach shore they go to the Sugarplum Fairy who was keeping an eye on things until Prince Nutcracker returned. They tell the Sugarplum Fairy all about how Marie helped defeat the mouse king.
The Sugarplum Fairy is impressed and puts on a show for Marie and Prince Nutcracker. First, cozy chocolate coloured socks and arm warmers dance with a capital “D.”
Then coffee stripes wrestle a little bit, because they’re kind of wound up on caffeine.
Candy cane-coloured red and white stripes twist about.
Floral socks, sheer and woolly put on a fashion show with some garters.
From under Mother Gigogne’s skirts dance her wee little children.
For the finale, the Sugarplum Fairy dances with her cavalier.
Full of joy, everyone dances together as Marie and the nutcracker watch.
But the dancers begin disappearing . . .
And even the Nutcracker Prince leaves Marie.
And Marie is all alone.
She wakes up at the foot of the Christmas tree, next to the still broken nutcracker.
With determination, Marie goes back to sleep, back to the Land of Sweet Socks. If it was all a dream, what a sweet, sock dream it was!
by Brenna
December 14th, 2012
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