Dear all,
Here’s the thing. You get a bunch of people knitting socks at the same time, and it quickly turns into all sorts of things. What follows is a look at some of the socks created during the One-Sock Knitalong. What you can’t see from these photos are the stories knitters share along the way—tales of families, work, stolen time to finish a heel. It’s about socks, and it’s not. Thanks to everyone who dug up a sock, started a new one, or tried a sock for the first time.
The Excellent Story Award: To Quinn, who proves that a sock can contain a lot—here, these vivid socks began as a tale of a painting seen years ago.
The Color Party Award: To Shelley and her Thoroughly Thwacked Stalwart Sock yarn. See how the pattern continues from sock to sock? Color Party don’t stop!
The Climb Ev’ry Mountain Award: To Rox, who began the KAL with 8 pairs of unfinished socks. (She began the year with 18 pairs, just saying.)
The Mysteries of Yarn Award: To Maryann for her Third Sock’s a Charm project. Would Sock #3 match either of the first two? Completely mystifying, completely awesome.
The Archaeology Award: To the tireless moderator of the Modern Daily Knitters group on Ravelry, Liz. She writes: “Yesterday afternoon I went to the storage unit and dug out these gems. A pre-Ravelry conception project!! This sock is my very first sock. Do note the singular, clearly I had SSS from the start. The receipts say 2002. I bought enough yarn to make two pair. This could be the documented start of my stash!”
The Make It Work Award: Claquee‘s Monstersocks, which use oddments to really cool effect.
The MacGyver Award: To Julie for keeping her cool when the yarn ran short on her Jaywalkers. Without a blink, she hacked contrasting toes, no sweat, pet.
The Italian Award: To Sally, who finished her neopolitan-colored socks while reading Elena Ferrante’s Neopolitan novels. Splendido!
The Classy Photo Styling Award: To AsKatKnits, who’s always sticking some interesting book into her photos. Totally stealing that. Also: these intricate, soft Morwenstowe Socks are so lovely.
The Marinating Award: To knitterjane, for patiently waiting nine and a half years for her socks to get really good before finishing them. The fact that the first sock has poignantly changed colors really sealed this one.
The Stout Heart Award: To Deborah, who ripped out an entire sock.
The Fair Isle Award: Norma, cranking the colors of Monet’s kitchen. Of course.
First-time Sockists: A Tribute
LaDiDa2u, who dove right in.
NapaGal, mighty elegant little sockles.
Elissa, first socks, first knitalong. Hope it won’t be your last!
Sara overcame DPN Doubt (we all have it to some extent) and DID IT.
Debbie powered through.
Amy, these are going to be a lot more comfortable if you get that second foot done. Just saying.
Finally, The Award for Sock Valor.
Mary‘s second sock came two and a half years after the first one. I don’t even read Spanish, but they’re fabulous. They are definitely BUENO! The text is from Pablo Neruda’s beloved poem, “Ode to Socks.”
Mary’s prize?
A kit for the most awesome, impractical, brilliant socks I have ever seen. Willow Ware is a pattern by a wildly imaginative designer who passed away last year: the Tsock Tsarina, Lisa Grossman. Kate Atherley’s remembrance is wonderful. Pause, if you will, and marvel at what Lisa cooked up in her spare time: a world where socks can be sharks and snakes and Ozymandias. And it reminds us that even as a sock is one of the more earthbound things to knit, it can also be a delivery system for the most incredible flights of fancy.
And finally, door prizes go to the following folks:
Instagram: @lakeviewchica, @zebramouse, @pamicillin, @rikikongtong, @geminig3, @theknitsmith, @margothatheway, @jelliebeansmomma, @yooperriffic, @schbecky
Ravelry: tanyalavine, kbrtmyr, holity, Francieos, Coffeeknitrepeat
Award winners and door prizers, please email me your address, using my email address in the footer. We’ll be sending a little surprise your way.
Thanks so much, everyone! May all your socks be pairs, and all your pears be ripe.
Love,
Ann
PS See all the socks and stories on Ravelry here, and on Instagram here.
Thank you! I love my Monet’s Kitchen Socks and am happy that you did too
Well done to everyone. Julie’s Jaywalkers are my absolute favourite. Who said a sock is just a sock?
Thank you! They took me a long time to complete but I’m pleased with the outcome.
the Jaywalkers are the most interesting from a dyelot standpoint- you can see that the lack of patterning on the sole of the foot changes the amount of yarn used quite a bit! So interesting!
Such fun! Inspirational too. I’m nowhere near ready to stop with the socks right now. Further down the rabbit hole I go.
Beautiful socks, every one!!! This KAL has really inspired me! I love to knit socks and have loved seeing all the different variations and hearing all the stories, especially about putting them away and bringing them back out to finish. I started my own socks and have struggled with a complicated pattern (I have about three rounds done now). So many socks to knit, so little time! Those Willow Ware socks are gorgeous!!!
wow! i love this collection– what a beautiful array of the things we make ! thanks for your encouragement A & K
and those willow ware socks are truly awesome. there is something so clean and cozy in the combination of blue and white —
I’ve made probably 100 pair of plain ribbed cuff socks and when I look at the patterned socks and omg willow ware socks, I just gasp! For me sock knitting is relax and just go round and round knitting. Thanks to you guys, I may have just been inspired to do some jaywalkers. No Fair Isle socks, though; that’s just crazy talk.
Congratulations to all the (well-deserved) winners and a big HURRAH to Ann and Kay for thinking this up. So, is the shawl KAL next?
Congrats to the winners – so many of these were my favorites too!
Thank you for hosting the KAL – it was so much fun and I was so happy to get two old projects done!
Squee! Thank you for including my Third Sock’s a Charm. The recipient loved them.
Yay socks!
What a treat to open up your blog this morning – on my birthday, no less – and see my socks pictured here! Thank you for the Color Party award, and thanks for hosting this KAL…it was great fun and made me stop squishing that beautiful skein of yarn and actually knit it. 🙂
Thanks for knitting those great socks in Pastry Bandit! Well done!
Those were my first pair of socks and I loved making them! I would be on pairs 2 and 3 if my Quince order did not mysteriously disappear somewhere between their place and mine. A whole bunch of yarn it was. (Sniffling here….)
Anyway, thanks gals, I am honored to be featured amongst all these incredible socks! And I now understand the craze to make them. So fun!
Good gracious, what a nice surprise! I’m chuffed to bits, pleased as punch, and a little lightheaded to be knitting in such fast company! This KAL has been loads of fun – thanks very much for hosting it and encouraging so much sharing of the yarny goodness that is knitting socks 🙂
Thank you Ann and Kay for including me in this stellar group of sock knitters! I am humbled, truly!
All the socks have been so inspiring, I have cast on another pair! Congratulations to all the knitters who ended this knitting socks and, hopefully, finding new energy in a perfectly portable project!
I just wanted to say how much I appreciate the time and effort you ladies put into this blog. The care that goes into each post– the links, the photos, the tremendous writing. Today for example–the sock award categories obviously took time and thought. So clever.
Thanks for providing your daily gems.
I wholeheartedly agree!
You guys are so kind. I hope you know how much it means to us to have you all along for the ride. Here’s to lots more in the months to come.
WOW! How thrilling!! I thought nothing could compare with the joy of finishing, but seeing my sock up there on your blog does. Thank you for doing this KAL and for so kindly and generously honoring my sock(s)!
as one of the almostmadeit knitters, i was hoping for a ‘booby prize’ category for those of us who almost made it… oh well.
congrats to the finishers!
(i blame not finishing on the WTF Memorial Weekend Heat Wave and not having a/c…)
anyone want to do another round?
I kind of feel like this is going to be a never-ending knitalong for me. I have got the worst sock fever! The only cure is: MOAR SOKX.
Wow – all I can say is Wow. Such amazingly lovely socks and to be included as a door prize winner. What a way to start my day. Thank you so much!
This was amazing and inspiring!
Mary (above) said it better than I could have. I’m bowled over!
Mine did not make this photo shoot BUT these awesome one give me more inspiration to Magic Loop on!
OK-How about that Yarn Bombing KAL for the next one??? Can you imagie the stories?
Geez my fingers are so numb from holding size 1 needles I meant IMAGINE the Yarn Bombing KAL stories!
I HAVE TO HAVE THE WILLOW WARE PATTERN!!!! Any ideas where it could be found?????
It’s really a sad thing that Lisa Grossman’s patterns are no longer available. I wonder if there’s some way they could be made available again. Hmmmm.
Same here! That is an awesome pattern!
Congrats to the winners and to everyone who managed to get a sock or part of a sock out of the KAL! It was so much fun to watch!
This was such a fun KAL! Despite the painful walk across the living room in a sock with three DPNs poking every which way to get the best light for a photograph! Not only did I start and almost finish a pair of socks in two weeks, but I’ve caught the sock bug for sure. Thanks for the inspiration and the motivation.
I am quite honored to have won the “Stout Heart” award. The names of all the awards crack me up! I, too, have been inspired by this KAL to cast on another pair of socks. They are a great summer knitting project, and I do like carrying a sock around for those times when I have to wait for something (I have the Department of Motor Vehicles to thank for this award!) or when I’m at work and need to pause and have a think about something.
Thanks for the door prize!
also: i just love photos of people’s feet!
nit in a weird fetishy way
but in an honest way, like, here is the state of my project and my feet are the accessory !
Yes! I agree!
I am delighted to be in this company, especially as I am very much a newbie at this. Love this blog post and I loved doing the KAL, hearing everyone’s stories and being part of this community. For once it is actually warm enough in Scotland not to need socks, but when it is, why here is a pair I prepared earlier. Thanks to you all.
What fun, Sara!
Blerg, I didn’t know the Tsock Tsarina had passed away. I remember ogling all her wonderful designs and dreaming of knitting at least one of her whimsical sock designs some day. Guess I’ll waddle over to Knitty and download her sock pattern.
For The Socks!
Thanks for the inspiration to make a new pair of footies to wear to work this summer!
And how exciting to when a door prize!!! Yipee!
I got side-tracked and never managed to Kitchener the toe if my second sock. It’s still sitting there waiting! Totally missed the boat on the KAL.