Round 4 Specs

Round 4 will start on Thursday, April 30, between 7 – 11 pm our time.

The pattern calls for 225 yards of a main(variegated) color and 130 yards of a contrasting (solid) color.  You will also need US #1 needles and US #2 needles of your choice, a stitch marker, and 2 cable needles.  The pattern was designed with Malabrigo Sock Yarn and Louet Gems Sock Yarn and test knit with Chewy Spaghetti Sock Yarn and Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Solid Sock Yarn.  Please note, when the pattern is released, that it is the test knit sock which is used in the photos.

The magic number for this round is 8.

Let’s Give Out Some Prizes!

Before we get any further along we want to distribute some prizes.  We know you all compete for the fun and the fame and the glory but it’s nice to win stuff, too, right?

Right now we’ve received enough donations to award 2 prizes per round.  We’re going to randomly select 2 finishers from each of the rounds to receive a prize.  At the end, if we have more prizes to award we’ll randomly pick from all of the participants and not just the finishers.  That’s the plan.

And here are the winners for round one:

Lilymarlene wins a skein of beautiful blue Celtic Memory Hand Dyed sock yarn from our very own Jo.

Cornflake wins a yarn bowl donated by Sarah, PotterKnitter.  This was really hard to give away, I’ll tell you that.

And the winners for round two:

GritterKnitter wins a skein of gorgeous green Celtic Memory Hand Dyed sock yarn also donated by Jo.

Sue C. wins 2 skeins of Cascade Fixation donated by Hopieknits.

If you are a winner could you please email us with your address so we can send out your prizes?  Thanks!

Congratulations to the winners and thanks to the donors, too!

Talia’s Wings – Corrections

Attention knitters.  It appears that the version of the pattern that was sent out was not the one that  incorporated all of the corrections worked out between the test knitter and the designer.  We apologize.  A new version is being checked to make sure that it’s correct and ought to be sent out shortly.

Meanwhile, most of the answers are in the errata thread on Ravelry and Julie will answer whatever questions she can. 

Those of you who interpreted the pattern as requiring a patterned sole are fine.  It was supposed to be stockinette but that was not clear.

The new version of the pattern specifies 2 repeats of the wing pattern.

We’ll add answers to your questions and clarify as we can.

Pattern Three – Talia’s Wings

Pattern number three is finally here. It is indeed the “heart” pattern but possibly not exactly what you expected. It is a very cool sock though and it introduces a little change of pace yet again as this one is toe-up.

As always we remind you to knit it as written. The only mods allowed are extra repeats to add length for bigger feet or for those who prefer longer sock.

At this point there are more of you in the cheerleading section and we hope you’ll keep knitting along and sharing pictures in flickr and on Ravelry. We still want to see your socks – especially the designers. Just don’t email them to us.

Here is what our designer, Yarnyenta (aka Heatherly), has to say:

Five years ago, happily contented with out little family of 5 children, I taught my self to knit. Being afraid to knit “wrong” I checked out every library book on knitting and read them cover to cover. It took several weeks before I even tried to cast on. When I finally did, everything clicked and I found something I loved to do. The joke in town seems to be if ANY one has needles and yarn, they must know Heatherly because she is always teaching someone to knit or talking about knitting. This is where the Yarn Yenta comes in, always talking about yarn, and matching people and projects up. 

Then we were surprised to find out someone was missing from our family. We were unexpectedly blessed when Talia Grace entered our lives. She has grown up teething on yarn, tangling herself in my knitting, ripping out stitches whether or not Mommie asks her to.

According to an ancient legend Talia is the angel who escorts the Sun and keeps it on its daily course. Our Talia, being 3, believes our world revolves around her also. The angel wings in this sock melt in to hearts just as our angel Talia melted our hearts.

Round 3 Specs

Round 3 will start on Monday, April 20 between 1pm and 4pm (my time of course).
This sock will require 2 skeins at 209 yards each of fingering weight yarn. It was designed using One Sheep Hill Superwash Merino and test knit with Yarntini semi-solid sock yarn. The pattern specifies US 1 needles (2.5mm). No gauge is specified.

The magic number for this round is 12. So what do you think? Are YOU faster than number 13?

A Rule Clarification

A question has come up recently about what is okay to change in a pattern.
We wish to make it perfectly clear that patterns are to be knit as written.
Only the length of the leg and foot are okay to change.  These may be made longer than the pattern says but not shorter.
Any other changes are considered changes to the design itself and therefore they are not allowed.
We apologize if we did not make this clear.
For those of you who have changed the gusset on the Tokena sock to make it color work instead of knit with a single color – if you have gotten past this point on your first sock we will not require you to go back and reknit it.  However, future changes of this sort will disqualify you.
Please let us know if you have any specific questions.
Carole and Hillary

Pattern Two – Tokena

A bit of colorwork for pattern number 2! Our test knitter says you all will really enjoy this one – and we hope she’s right.

Here’s what the designer, Tricia, has to say:

In 2006, my husband was granted a 1 term sabbatical and we chose to spend it in New Zealand. Having spent some time in New Zealand when I was footloose and fancy-free, I was delighted to return. Even when that meant finding temporary homes for 3 animals and all the hassles of taking 3 kids out of school and transplanting them in another country. It was all worth it and once again I was in awe of the sheer wild beauty of the country. This time round, I kept noticing the beauty, ingenuity and intricate design of the Maori kete (baskets).
I have made just enough baskets to be dangerous and I think my meager knowledge of basket weaving recognized the skill, workmanship and the intricacy of the design of the Maori kete. Kete designs are passed down in families in much the same way that knitting designs are in communities that have a lengthy history of a particular style like Shetland.
I have 4 avid photographers in my family, so the only place I took pictures in New Zealand was the Auckland Museum. The museum has an outstanding collection of Maori and South Pacific baskets, carvings, and so much more. This sock design is based on one of the baskets from that collection. The word Tokena is sock in Maori.
Enjoy!
Tricia(zemy on ravelry)

And this is Tricia’s version of the pattern.

The first 20 knitters in each division will make it through this round. And . . . knit!

Round 2 Specs

Round One will end tomorrow at 6 pm and Round Two will start on Saturday.  With that in mind, here are your Round Two specs.

The pattern requires 2 skeins of contrasting solids or a solid and 1 semi-solid.  The skeins should be 185 yards each with a gauge of 9 sts/inch on size 1.5 US needles.  The pattern was knit with Louet Gems and the test knit was also done with Louet Gems.  ‘Kay?

And while you’re thinking about that, here’s our final teaser.