Sock Madness

Hillary and I have really been enjoying all your speculation about which teaser shot is the one for the next round.  Time to confess, though - we haven’t posted a teaser of this sock!  Until now, that is.

This do anything for you?  Mwah!

Carole

How do you like this teaser?

Do I have your attention? I hope so because this post is pretty important – especially for newbies. It lays out the timing for the rounds and what you should expect.

Things will be a little different this year.  ALL of the rounds will be strict time trials.  You’ll be essentially competing against the rest of your division.  For each round, we have set a certain number of players who will advance.  We’ll post it at the beginning of the round.  For round one it is 40.  The first 40 players IN EACH DIVISION to post a completed pair of sock and email us the link per the rules will advance to the next round. In each round the number of advancing players will shrink a little.

Many of you are concerned with swatching and knowing what’s ahead. We’ll post the specifications - yarn requirement, needles and gauge if available - within 48 hours of the close of the last division in each round.  For example, when we have 40 players in each division who are listed as finished, we’ll have 48hours to let you know the specs for the next pattern.

Are we all clear so far?  Good, then let’s move on.

 To try and keep things moving while still allowing for people to rest their hands, do the laundry, eat, sleep - we’re going to plan on starting the new round within 3-5 days of when we post the specs.  We’ll determine the start date of the next round with an eye towards keeping it close to the weekends - but it won’t always fall on a Saturday or Sunday.  We’ll post the start date for the next round with the specs so there will be time to prepare yourself.  This way you’ll all have time to plan and prepare.We will try to avoid releasing patterns on Easter and Passover.  I’m not sure how we’ll work around it but we’ll figure it out. Next week we’ll have the specs for pattern 1, details on how the creative awards will work, and probably the Tennessee and Maryland yarn info. Whew!  It’ll be a busy week!

Actual work has gotten in the way today.  Don’t you just hate when that happens? Since  don’t have time for a real post I’ll give you another peek at what I’ve been working on.

So, what do you think?

Do you covet that gorgeous and hard to get Wollmeise? I do, and guess what - I just updated the Buttons and Loot page to show that The Loopy Ewe is offering a skein as a prize for SM2.  Sheri will send one winner a skein of Wollmeise and a Loopy Ewe Knit Notebook. But, as they say - wait, there’s more! Rosalynn, of Yarn Lust is dyeing up 5 skeins of yarn to give away as prizes. Yup, FIVE!

I have to say that this year the prize page is just overflowing with good stuff. There are many skeins of yarn from different sources. I shouldn’t be so surprised because we all know how supportive and generous knitters are but I am.  Go check it all out.  I hope to have more pictures there to illustrate the yarny goodness soon.

lkjThis site may seem quite but there is so much going on here.  First you should be certain to check the supplier list and the prize list because both of them continue to grow.  I am so excited because just last week we heard from an Etsy seller who wants to donate five skeins of yarn to SM2.  Five skeins! Not only that but, get ready for this, they are going to dye up some special Sock Madness colorways!  Woot!  We gave them color suggestions (yep - suggestions plural) and we’re looking forwatd to seeing how they interpret them.  Meanwhile, you should go see what they have in their Etsy shop.  It’s really drool-worthy.
I’m sure that I don’t need to tell you what this is. It’s another one of the 4 test-socks that I’ve knitted recently. How do you like it?  is it colorful enough for you?  Yeah, it’s a little loud but it’s also spoken for.  My eldest daughter is anxiously awaiting the second sock from this pair and can’t wait to show them off to her friends. 

The pattern itself is very nice and not too difficult but it does use a heel that I’d never tried before and setting things up can be a little fiddly.  (Feel free to talk amongst yourselves and speculate on what that may mean).  Will you see this pattern in your inbox?  Quite likely.

Speaking of discussion - there has been quite a bit of concern over he lace weight so here’s a little more info on that.  The pattern uses US 2/2.75 mm needles and the given gauge is about 35 st/4 inches but bear in mind that there are slipped stitches involved.  By the way, I was wearing this sock around the house last night because I want to see how it holds up and it felt soooo good.  Just sayin’.

Some of you may have seen this little peek on my blog yesterday but, I expect that most have not so here it is… the first official tease of SM2.  It’s appropriate that this should be the first pattern tested for this year because it’s actually a hold over from last year.  I saw the pattern then and I liked it but I had one, specific concern regarding the yarn that held me back.  Last fall, when I attended Stitches East, I had this pattern in mind when I saw the perfect yarn.  Have you figured the secret to the sock out yet?  It’s laceweight!  I couldn’t offer up a pattern if I wasn’t sure that you’d be able to find a superwash version of the required yarn but Tess Designer Yarn has one and it worked really well.

That’s all I’m going to say about this sock except to say that it is squooshy and comfy and I love it. 

Today is February 1 and since the competition will start next month (on a date that is yet to be determined)we’re trying to pick up the pace of the posts so check back often.  In the next few days there will be information on signing up, more changes you’ll see in SM2 and, oh yes, more test sock teases.

Well, we’ve reached the final round and here are the specs.

Yarn = The designer used 2 skeins of KnitPicks Gloss in dusk.  I used Socks That Rock in Cobalt Bloom.

Needles = 2 US #1 circulars and 2 US #2 circulars.

Gauge = 8.5 st/inch in stockinette on US #1

We’ll start the next round on Friday between 3 and 7 just like last time. 

I apologize for the brief post but it’s my daughter’s birthday today and we’re a little busy.

I suppose that there isn’t nearly as much mystery about these last 2 rounds as there was about the first 5.  It’s not nearly as much fun to tease when the mystery is gone. 

You have indeed seen teasers of the last 2 socks already but they may not be exactly what you think.  I’m just sayin’ ther is at least one detail on one of these socks that will freak you out a little.  It’s totally cool though.

The specs for the next sock are as follows:

Needles = US #2  The designer used double-pointed needles but I favor the magic loop. As always, I say that you should use what makes you happy - as long as it’s the right size.

Yarn = fingering weight in 2 colors.  She used Lana Grossa Meilenweit Cotton (209 yards per ball.) I used one skein of Cherry Tree Hill (420 yds per hank) and one hank of Louet Gems (185 yards per skein).  I used a variegated and a solid but the variegated is really subtle.  The designer used 2 solids.  What the yarns we chose have in common is that they both had a high degree of contrast and I think it adds to the design but… it’s up to you, I could be wrong.

Gauge = 38 stitches/4 inches

Oh, and this pattern will be sent to you all on Friday but I’m not sure what the window will be yet.  I suspect that it will be late in the day but I’m not sure.  I’ll post as soon as we decide.

To continue the March Madness analogies just a little longer - we are now down to the Elite Eight.  Are they who you thought they would be?

The Specs for Round 5 will be up soon.  No need to do match-ups because there are only 2 left in each division.  How crazy is that?

On another, totally unrelated note - it seems that for every prize that is awarded another is donated.  This time the treats come from Yarnatic Vikkie.  She’s offering a set of Susanne’s Ebony US 7, 4.5mm Dpns.  I just love the little Panda on the package. 

Can you believe it?  We started with over 128 participants and now we are entering the final rounds.  This is all very exciting.  Judging from the comments flying around on the flickr site, you all are enjoying this as much as we are.  What we can’t get over is how fast you all knit socks.  I readily admit that I would have been knocked out in the first round. 

Hopefully, the next few rounds will continue to bring you interesting techniques and more challenging patterns.  Think charts, working with two colors, lots and lots of cast on sts that somehow magically become a sock, sts just dangling….you praying you don’t accidently drop the hanging sts…..It’s going to get a lot more interesting in the upcoming rounds.

As always, within the next few days we will post yarn and needle specs for the next round.  

We hope you are contining to enjoy SockMadness as much as we are.