A Year of Colour and Contrast: Farewell to Socks Club, Hello to 2026!

We are currently packing up November's Monthly Socks Club boxes. The pattern has been written and tested, the yarn has been dyed, and these little packages are waiting patiently to be sent to their new homes. It's always a relief when we get to this stage.

Running the Monthly Socks Club throughout 2025 has been a brilliant creative outlet and lots of fun! As the year comes to a close, I've started to think about what might be next for our monthly subscription club. I want to do something different.

But before I go into that, here are my thoughts about the Socks Club and how I hope to carry the magic into next year.

A purple sock with golden detailing on the leg and cuff

2025 - the year of the sock!

12 socks in 12 months - 10 socks released so far! What fun!

Each month throughout 2025, I have worked with a different knitwear designer who has designed a sock pattern specifically for the Club. For each sock, I dyed yarn to match the designer's vision and vibe as well as highlighted the yarn base they chose to work with. It's truly been a unique and bespoke project.

It has been a year of collaboration! And what a joy it's been sharing this with you all.

We've had almost 50 subscribers across the year and these are just some of the things members have said:

• "I usually open [the box] at the post office because I can't wait, and the girls in the post office seem to be as excited as I am!"

• "I loved that not only were the sock boxes a fun surprise, but that they introduced me to new bases, techniques and colours that I wouldn't normally have chosen for a sock pattern."

• "I loved the surprise every month - and that there was no pressure to complete the socks within the month, so we could go at our own pace!"

Working with different designers has been incredibly rewarding. Learning about their design processes and getting to know them has been really lovely. It's great to see that this has resonated with our Club members as well.

Socks Club Reflections

As the year winds up, I've been thinking about what elements of Socks Club I want to take into 2026 and what I might do differently. I sent an anonymous survey to the Socks Club members to ask what they liked and what they'd change about the club.

Overwhelmingly, the top three things people valued about the club were:

• The element of surprise! It's fun not knowing what will arrive each month.

• The feeling I was supporting individuals and small businesses.

• How bespoke the project is. Knowing we were sent a pattern that was designed for us, with yarn that was dyed for the pattern.

I definitely want to make sure this carries through to the 2026 project!

Members also suggested ways we could improve the project: offer ball winding, a greater variety of colours, or even a project that builds month by month. The survey came back with so many great ideas! One of the things I want to improve, is bringing together the members of our group in a better way.

So...what's next...?

Drumroll please! Introducing the Book and Yarn Club!

I am incredibly excited to say that in 2026 we will be combining two of my loves: yarn and reading.

Bombed Yarns will be running a Book and Yarn Club!

Each month, members will unwrap a newly released novel and a set of hand-dyed yarns inspired by the cover art.

I'll suggest patterns you can follow, but ultimately, what you do with the yarn is up to you! Perhaps you'll make a blanket throw of granny squares - one per month! You could make a small accessory to wear, inspired by the book! Or you might work on a large garment or two across the year, combining most of the yarn from each month!

Whichever path you take, I hope by the end of 2026, you can look back on your makes and remember the rich and varied stories we've read and the conversations and crafting we've shared.

And there's a new element I'm excited to introduce to the Club! Each month, we'll be hosting a Book and Yarn Club gathering, where we can chat about the book and also about the yarn and our projects. This will be available online, so people can call in from anywhere! We are also exploring options for hosting an online forum for members to connect throughout the year.

This Club will capture the surprise, variety and bespoke nature of what members loved about the Socks Club. It will enable you to move at your own pace and be inspired by our creative community.

Want to subscribe? We'll be opening subscriptions on the 1st of December. Keep your eyes peeled for our November e-newsletter with more details about the Club. You can join our mailing list here.

See below for a taste of what you will see each month, if you join the Book and Yarn Club!

(The below images are examples only. The books included in the Book and Yarn Club will be recently released paperbacks. The yarn used in these images are existing colourways that match the books. For Book and Yarn Club, the yarn will be dyed especially. The yarn provided will be three mini-skeins of 20g 8ply Merino.)