Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Freshman Cabled Socks

It was a year ago now that Knitscene Fall 2009 hit the shelves with a sock pattern I designed...

Freshman Cabled Socks

I’m still really inspired by the way you can draw simple lines and geometric shapes with basic cables; the design happens from the placement of the cables, rather than the detail of the cable itself.

Freshman Cabled Socks

This project uses cables that are elongated and stacked in a spiraling, angular design. The left and right sock mirror each other for added interest.

Freshman Cabled Socks

I originally wanted these socks to be like your freshman year in a new endeavor… jump in and get started!

But maybe these are just socks to wear to the library. Either way. Many people actually call these library socks. (I'm looking at you Lucy Anne!)

I recently updated the pattern to include two sizes and information how to modify the pattern to make an in between size too. Yay!

Buy the new and improved pattern here for $5.50:

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Friday, July 02, 2010

Tour de Fleece 2010

TourdeFleece

It's time! The Tour de France is coming again! It begins on Saturday, July 3rd. I can hardly believe it's been another year but here we are again and I am really excited. Welcome to the fifth annual Tour de Fleece - an online spin-along for people who spin yarn and play with fiber.

This year we will have teams and prizes, just like last year!

The first Tour de Fleece was in 2006. We had 16 spinners and a lot of fun. 2007 was much bigger, with 138 spinners, and even more fun. 2008 was HUGE, with over 400 spinners. 2009 I stopped counting at 1500. I wonder how many we'll get this year?

The concept is simple, They spin, we spin. A real spinning themed spin-along.

Vegetable Patch

Want to participate?

1. It's all on Ravelry... check out our group. If you're not yet on Ravelry, do yourself a favor and join. It's free of course, just do it already!

2. We also have a Flickr pool here. Join the group and show off your homespun in the pool!

If you want to give it a try, or just follow our progress, or are a fan of the Tour de France, JOIN!

Guidelines (NOT RULES)
:

1. Spin every day the Tour rides, if possible. Saturday July 4th through Sunday July 25th. Days of rest: Monday July 12th, Wednesday July 21st. (Just like the actual tour)

2. Spin something challenging Thursday July 22nd. (The Tour’s toughest mountain stage from Pau up the legendary Col du Tourmalet)

3. Take a button if you want one. Then we can use the button on our blogs in show of solidarity. Take it from here or grab a clean one from the flickr pool.

4. Wear yellow on Sunday July 25th to announce victory. Why not wear yellow on any day you feel particularly successful? (Yellow is the color of the race leader in the Tour - but here we are all ‘race leaders’)

5. Other colors if desired: Green (sprinter - think FAST), Polka-dot (climber - as in uphill), and white (rookie)

Teams: Join one, or many, or none. Sign up in the Ravelry group. (I can't stress enough how great the Ravelry group is)

- Peloton (The main group. Everyone is in the peloton at some point)

- Rookies (first years)

- Sprinters (fast and/or high mileage like lace)

- Climbers (conquer mountains, big personal challenges)

- Breakaway (Art yarns)

- Lantern rouge (You will participate as much as possible but you may skip days here and there. Cheerleaders welcome.)

- Wildcards (This is for people who want to form their own team. This includes sponsored teams, like those affiliated with a specific fiber shop or people who live in the same town, etc.)

The teams are inspired by the actual Tour de France.

Prizes:

So far we have some fantastic fiber-related prizes donated... yes we do. To win them you must play along on Ravelry.

On your marks...

Coral Reef swirl

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At last check: There are 2516 Tour de Fleece members on Ravelry! (and growing)
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Thursday, July 01, 2010

Tour de France Socks

Welcome to another month in the Socks For All Seasons Pattern club. This time I felt compelled to design something in honor of the Tour de France. I have been a little obsessed with le tour for almost ten years now and finally got around to making some socks.

Tour de France Socks

These socks have all that the Tour de France promises and more: cobblestones, winding roads, and a mountain peak inspired by the Alpe-d-Huez (The most famous climb in the world of cycling).

Seed stitch suggests the famous cobbles of Paris and cables act as a twisting road winding it’s way through the French countryside and up Alpe-d-Huez. It’s not the longest or the steepest mountain, but it sure takes it’s toll on a cyclist. It means something to make this journey, and in some ways it symbolizes the Tour de France itself. Cyclists know what it takes to survive the climb, and it bonds them in a unique way.

Tour de France Socks

To me, that is the heart of knitting a fine pair of socks by hand. They aren’t the hardest to do, but they require time and effort. Pull on the maillot jaune and cast on now!

Tour de France Socks

The bonus included with this month's pattern is a connect the dots puzzle crafted by my pal Lee Meredith, aka Leethal. Check out her adventures in crafting on her site here - If you like connect the dots, you should be warned that she makes stitching kits with connect the dots puzzles screened on fabric. So cool!

I hope you enjoy the cobbles and cables this month. Special thanks to: Lorna for test knitting and tech editing, Lee for the connect the dots puzzle, and Grant Law for the photos.

Tour de France Socks

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The pattern by itself is only $3.99

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OR Join the Socks For All Seasons Club for $14.99 and get the whole year of patterns delivered to your email inbox every month:

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