On the Carpet

Magic Carpet Socks

What's the process for creating an exclusive sock kit? Where do you start? (Just to be clear, "Exclusive" means that the yarn has been dyed just for you and the pattern is licensed to you for an extended period of time.)

It was always our intention to try and work with as many local folks that we knew. I mean, if Portland is the "Epicenter" of the fiber-arts world (which I happen to believe it is) than why the heck not?

I met Susan of Abstract Fiber about a year ago. She comes to my spinning group and her yarn is in our LYS. There's something about the depth and saturation of her colors that has always impressed me. When we talked about a theme for a yarn, the first thing that jumped out of me was an Oriental Carpet. Those aren't colors that are easy to reproduce in a yarn, I think. I had never seen a yarn that really went there. But, I knew if someone could pull it off, it would be Susan.

Susan gave us two sample skeins to choose from and then it was all about finding the designer. Right off, Susan herself gave us a recommendation, but we really hadn't seen any of that designer's socks, so we waited and looked elsewhere.

It's a good thing that all the sock designers that I wanted were booked up and working hard. It's amazing when you think of it, really! It wasn't long before it all came together with Mary's book coming out, our seeing her amazing designs everywhere (now that we were looking) and connecting with her through Susan.

Mary Scott Huff wastes no time in getting a pattern done. The woman's a whirlwind! In her blog, she talks about her sudden urge to play with yarn and how the design happened rather quickly! Since then she's knit them in yet another yarn and wow, they look great in that too!

Lastly, we love Laurel Hill needles and we have always believed that the way add something special to a sock kit is to offer some really fabulous needles that you night not buy for yourself. We're honestly convinced that once you start working with their needles and hooks, you won't look back. Also local, the fellas at Laurel Hill are in Eugene and you can see their products in many of our other kits.

If you're on Ravelry, join our group, get a free gift and get some hands on help with your Krafti kits. We're looking forward to seeing all your "Magic Carpet" socks!