the blue blog archives: tuesday is knitalong day

Mine are coming along pretty well now that I've settled on yarn and pattern and actually gotten started. I'm sticking with the turquoise Koigu and the retro rib sock pattern. But since the purl ridges alternating up the center of the ribs really weren't showing up in my yarn, I'm just continuing the rib pattern for the cuff all the way down the sock.

I'm up to the gusset now, which has been giving me some trouble. I hate starting a new needle with a purl stitch and this pattern is unfortunately kind of set up like that. (This is one reason I prefer to make a sock in stockinette or simple ribs. But I was determined to try something different for my sock pal, because I think she especially likes patterning.) So I slipped the stitches around on the leg to allow me to start each needle with a knit, but when I tried that on the gusset, that of course messed up the placement of the gusset decreases. Doh! And back to the heel we go. C'est la sock knitting!

Did you see Stacey's sockapalooza survey? I missed it, but it seems like a lot of you helped her decide what yarn to use. Cool!

Oh and a brilliant (absolutely brilliant!) idea from Angela. How bout if we all include a postcard of our home town/state with our socks when we send them out to our pals, so they can see where they came from? Sound good? Let's do it!!

posted by alison at 8:57 am | in sockapalooza

Comments

After seeing all these socks from around the world, all I can think of is Joann (from knitsmiths) quote: "Make socks, not war!" So cool!

Posted by: Dava at February 15, 2005 9:43 AM

I keep looking at the socks and trying to figure out if they are for me or not. I know what I put for color specs and I keep comparing. I finished my socks today so they'll be ready to ship before I go to Florida.

Posted by: Kate at February 15, 2005 9:54 AM

Wow, thanks for the socks around the blogiverse tour. I'll be sure to include a post card. Great idea.

Posted by: Steph at February 15, 2005 10:41 AM

Thanks for keeping up these updates. I'm all for the postcard idea!

Posted by: Brynne at February 15, 2005 11:10 AM

Mine are finished, too! It was great fun and I can't wait to send them.

Posted by: margene at February 15, 2005 11:10 AM

Wow, now I'm extra glad I changed tactics from the old suckapalooza socks! Funny...

I love the postcard idea, and I really love checking out all the different socks in progress! Thanks for posting all these links, Alison.

Posted by: Mary-Heather at February 15, 2005 11:23 AM

I was already planing to send my socks with a postcard of my town. Also because, most American I met never thing about visiting the north of Germany or can imagine how it looks like. All they wanted to see is Berlin, Heidelberg and Munich :)

I like the socks you linked to. Also wondering if one pair might be for me and if the ones I knitted will be liked from the reciever.

Have a nice tuesday you all outside there :)

Posted by: Sibylle at February 15, 2005 12:33 PM

Hey Sibylle! Isn't it fun to browse throught the socks that are being made and try to guess which are for you?!

Keep checking the sockapaloozers list, cause I'm updating it with links to pictures of finished socks as I find them. And keep sending me updates in comments and email! It's a huge help.

And I'm still brainstorming on a good way to make a page at the end that will have links to the recipients getting their socks.

Posted by: alison at February 15, 2005 12:40 PM

Alison thanks again for hosting this. it's been so cool already and it's not even March yet!

Posted by: Anna at February 15, 2005 12:40 PM

What nice inspiration! I finally posted about my own socks. They're going out of town with me this weekend, so there will be much more progress soon.

Posted by: Melissa at February 15, 2005 1:17 PM

Great idea about the postcards! Let's do it!

Posted by: Wendi at February 15, 2005 2:36 PM

Fantastic socks! Brillant idea about the postcard.

Posted by: General Ginger at February 15, 2005 3:05 PM

ahh... so that's the reason I suddently have 100s of hits from a google dearch of Sockapalooza!

Posted by: Timothy at February 15, 2005 3:20 PM

Love the postcard idea. I've also been getting a lot of Sockapalooza hits, which is really sad given the state of the Socka pics on my blog.

Thanks again for organizing this Alison, I think we're all having a great time with it. :)

Posted by: Cathy at February 15, 2005 4:31 PM

I love your version of the retro rib - I'm doing it, too - well, not your version, the original. I hope my pal like them!! Thanks for the sock tour.

Posted by: jackie at February 15, 2005 7:53 PM

I finally started my sockapalooza socks and the color is really nice and the yarn is very soft.
Although, now that I see all these amazing socks they might seem a little boring...
I hope my pal likes them anyway :o)

Posted by: Anja at February 15, 2005 10:23 PM

YAY! I'm so happy!
I got all inspired from this post this morning, so I finished my socks.

They are here!

Posted by: Lindsay at February 15, 2005 10:48 PM

Thanks everyone for all the updates and feeback! I'm having a wonderful time following all your progress and am so glad to hear back that you're enjoying the knitalong too.

Happy sock knitting to you all! :0)

Posted by: alison at February 16, 2005 10:19 AM

I too love the postcard idea as well as mailing early if mailing out of your country! Are you going to tell us Alison at the end how you matched us up? Foot size ? Carla

Posted by: Carla Hibbard at February 16, 2005 5:16 PM

Alison, I am so excited. This is my 1st kal. All the socks are awesome. I can't wait. Now do we mail on the 15th or try to get them there on the 15th??

Posted by: Donna S. at February 21, 2005 8:47 PM