Unique colour creations exclusively available each month!
Colour of the Month Theme for 2026 - Children's Literature
February 2026 - The Cremation of Sam McGee
Our February Colour of the Month draws upon the poem The Cremation of Sam McGee with text by poet Robert W. Service and artwork by Ted Harrison. This poem is among the most famous of Robert W. Service's poems and was initially published in 1907 in Songs of a Sourdough, and later published as a stand alone book with gorgeous artwork that is the bases for our colourway! The poem is about the cremation of a prospector who freezes to death near Lake Laberge (spelled "Lebarge" by Service), Yukon, Canada, as told by the man who cremates him. Although the poem is fiction, it is based on people and things that Robert Service actually saw in the Yukon.
The poem tells the tale of Sam McGee, who comes from Tennessee and ventures to the Yukon in search of gold. As he travels the Dawson Trail with the narrator, he becomes increasingly fearful of the extreme cold. On Christmas Day, he begs his companion to promise to cremate his body after he dies. Sam succumbs to the cold, leaving his friend to fulfill this promise. The narrator struggles with the burden of carrying Sam's body until he finds an abandoned steamer, the "Alice May," where he can perform the cremation. The cremation seems to be taking a long time and so he gets up the courage to open the furnace door and check on his friend, and to his surprise, he finds Sam smiling and happy and asking him to close it to keep the warmth in!
Our suggested pairings for February includeHearthside, Berry Pretty, Meet me at Midnight, Ametrine, and Corfu!
Socknado - 80% SW Fine Merino / 20%Nylon
350 meters / 385 yards per 100 gram / 3.5 oz skein
Gauge: 27 - 32 sts / 4 inches (10 cm) US 1.5 - 3 or 2.5 - 3.25 mm
While we make every effort to represent colour accurately, they may vary slightly when viewed on different monitors.