embossed leaves socks in Lang Fantomas for my pal
waving lace socks in Gems Merino Fingering for my second pal
and an embossed leaves bonnet for wee one (my own pattern) in Jaeger Trinity along the way

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Calling all sock saviors!!

I've made it through all my sockapalooza emails finally and we've got a new batch of sock pals in need. Just a handful this time, but if anyone out there is ready to help out, go to the database and volunteer to be a sock savior. You'll be sent a link that will take you to a list of those folks needing make-up socks.

Sockapalooza four has ended with about 90% of the pals finishing and sending their socks! That's an awesome percentage, especially when you consider that there were over 1,000 knitters in the swap! About two thirds of the 100 people who did not receive socks have already been given sock saviors. The final group of 40 or so pals have been patiently waiting for their pals to finish their socks. As I hear from them that the pal knitting for them hasn't contacted them recently and they still haven't received socks, I'm adding them to the list of folks needing sock saviors. With the help of the sock saviors, I really think that we can end sockapalooza this time with everyone receiving a pair of socks! Woo hoo!!

Thanks so much and hooray again for sock saviors!!

I'll be working on updating the sockapalooza database all day today, checking off who needs a sock savior and who doesn't. We'll probably need around 60 sock saviors. So if you're looking to make socks for a forgotten pal, keep checking the database to volunteer.

Also if you DID receive your socks, please be sure that you updated the database to indicate that, otherwise if your pal also forgot to update saying that they finished, it'll look like you need a sock savior. If you're not sure that you updated, just check your info real quick so we can avoid calling in sock saviors where they're not needed.

How about some cheers for sock saviors in the comments!!!

As another sock monster slinks his way out of the primordial slime of the sock drawer and begins to evolve, let's work on putting those socks to another good use: saving sockapalooza sock pals who haven't received socks yet!

I sent an email last week to everyone who hasn't updated the database to let me know that they were done knitting socks and had sent them out to their pal. Thanks to everyone who responded! I'm making my way through all your emails now. A lot of you have been in contact with your pal and are still working hard, so we haven't needed many sock saviors so far. But I still haven't heard from the majority of the 180 folks who were listed as unfinished. Anyone I don't hear from by the end of the week will be considered to have dropped out and their pal will be put on the list to get a sock savior.

So sock saviors standing by, I'll start adding folks to the "needs socks" list this weekend. Please go to the database then to see if there's anyone in need who you can help. If you're one of those folks who hasn't yet received socks and hasn't heard anything from your pal, there should be a sock savior on the job by next week. You're welcome to send me an email next week to check.

A big thank you to all the sock saviors already hard at work and thank you in advance to all those waiting to help out other sockers. Let's rid sockapalooza of any sock monsters and make it a big success!

We're two weeks past the sockapalooza deadline, 75% of you have reported finishing your socks and 50% of you have reported receiving your socks! But the emails are starting to come in with forgotten pals wondering where their socks are and other pals wondering if the socks they sent have arrived. So if you don't want to be getting emails from me asking where your socks are, remember to update the database and get in contact with your pal. Let them know if you're running late; let them know that you got your socks.

And now it's my turn to let my pal know that I received my socks and LOVED them!!

My pal, Jen of Monkeyknits spoiled me good! She sent an anonymous email early on asking me some questions and I mentioned some pink socks I'd seen with picot edge and little ribbon ties that were the sort of style and color I liked. And she made me exactly those socks!

They are so pretty in pink Koigu. And check out the inside of those picot cuffs! Love it!

Now, I have some pretty boring sock preferences and am not the most exciting pal to knit for. I mentioned to my pal that I was afraid of variegated yarns, especially when they're not in my standard fave colors, and afraid of textured patterns, especially of lace socks which I suspect of being too chilly. So Jen decided to make me a second pair of socks to help me get over my fears. I think these gorgeous Monkeys may just convince me!

The yarn is the new Socks that Rocks Silkie. The colors are lovely and they are so comfy. And the monkey pattern, well, it's the monkey pattern, it rocks!

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Jen! (And thanks too from the boys who are having a blast with their little treat too!)

And finally, our July finisher winner - see it pays to update the database! - is Jennie L of jennie's blog in Sweden. Congrats Jennie, I'll be sending you a gift certificate for a sockapalooza bag from fellow sockapalooza, Allena!

Okay everyone, finish those socks and update the database or you'll be hearing from me. I'll be signing people up for sock saviors when I don't hear back from their pals, so for all of you excited to knit another pair of socks, check the database in the next week or two to sign up as a sock savior. Thanks!!

Woo hoo! I can now tell you that my pal was Cirlia who works at Webs. It was so hard going to Webs and not mentioning it to anyone there. But now all can be revealed and it's so exciting to see the socks I made on her blog and on her feet!

I hope you all are having fun watching for the socks you made to appear on your pal's blog or the pligg. We are now at 72% finished knitting (you gals and guys are awesome!), 60% sent, and 35% received. How 'bout you all share your sock pal stories (did you know your sock pal? was it a huge suprise? did you get just the socks you've always dreamed of getting?) to help encourage those still knitting to finish up!

And remember to update the database when you finish and send your pal's socks and then again when you receive the ones knit for you. I can't update it for you, you've got to go to the database and check things off so I know you're done. Thanks!!

What a day for the blog server to go down - the deadline to finish your sockapalooza socks! Things seem to be working again now, so UPDATE THE DATABASE and POST TO THE PLIGG about your finished socks. There's no need to notify me personally by email about your finished socks. You need to update your own info in the database - I can't do it for you. Remember to update the info again when you send your socks out and then again when you receive your socks from your pal.

So far we've got 63% finished - awesome! That percentage on its own may not look so awesome, but when I think that that's almost as many people as participated in the entire sockapalooza last time, all finished on time, it really is impressive! Those of you still working, keep at it and send out those socks as soon as you can. And contact your pal to let them know that the socks are a little delayed, so they won't worry.

My two pairs of socks are all ready for packing up and mailing. I would have sent them yesterday, but, like my webserver, I was knocked out as well. I got hit by a mean cold that was either floating around in the airplane or waiting at home for me. I spent the whole day freezing and then sweating and using everything and anything I could get my hands on as kleenex. Not the best time to kitchener up the last toe of my second pair of socks and dash out to the post office!

Well, they're almost done and excited about their big trip. Both pairs of socks were something new for me and a joy to knit. The waving lace socks are truly lovely.

I hope my pals enjoy them!

UPDATE: According to the database info, 629 people have finished their socks, almost 400 pairs of socks are flying their way around the world right now, and over 100 people have already received their socks. Hooray!

Hey, if you're all done knitting and want to make more socks, there will be folks who'll be needing sock saviors in the next few days and weeks, so check in on the database to volunteer to be a sock savior. Thanks!!

UPDATE 8/9: Wow, you guys are really finishing like gangbusters! We're now at 66% reported finished, just under 50% reported sent, and almost 20% reported received. Sockapalooza rules!!

UPDATE: Now I can include some vacation photos...

To cool off, we visited a local water park. The boys had a blast on the slides (not this fast one though - that's my brother-in-law flying out the bottom!) and it was a refreshing and sand-free break from the heat of the beach.

Our last outing took us to two of Tuscany's most famous and most beautiful medieval cities, San Gimignano and Siena.

San Gimignano was amazing. You park outside the city walls then walk into this tiny little world. I wish I could convey how it feels to be inside this little town. The streets are crooked and narrow and the buildings on either side are high, so there's no view of the countryside around you. Then suddenly the small street will open up into a piazza.

Walking the shady zigzag streets, winding around and cutting through the little city, you really get the sense of medieval people living their lives in the confines of this small unit hidden behind the safety of city walls and high towers, cut off from the rest of the world.

Siena is much like San Gimignano, but muuuuch larger. We got to drive into the city walls to the parking area. Drive into them - cool! The streets were again all narrow and brick paved and lined with high stone buildings, but this was so much bigger. Here the small streets open up to a giant cathedral,

and the most incredible piazza.

The piazza has a sloped ground (perfect for sitting and relaxing) leading down to the impressive Tower del Mangia. And there are restaurants and bars all around the piazza. We couldn't resist sitting down and enjoying a pizza and the cool evening air in this beautiful space.

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Coming to you today (the first day of the official sockapalooza send off) from a very hot internet point in Siena. I've checked the sockapalooza database and we're at 48% reported done! That's almost half. Woo hoo! You've definitely been knitting. Now wipe that sweat from your brow and keep it up! I've got one last repeat of waving lace to do and then it's the final toe for me. The socks will be ready to ship when I am back stateside.

When last we spoke, I had popped into a 10 min.-1Euro internet point in a hellaciously hot Florence and only had time to check the sockapalooza progress. It's been near impossible to find stamps and a mailbox to send postcards around here, so I gave up early on ever being able to find an internet point where I could upload pictures. Therefore, one more promise of pics to come, including boys on the beach, wee one in Florence, and a very leany tower.

Now to see if we can find some pizza around here....

UPDATE: Finally I can show you some vacation photos...

I've always wanted to visit Florence. The sites were amazing, but it was very hot and extremely overcrowded. There was no chance of actually going into any of the museums or larger churches. Too many people. And there was no place to catch a break from the heat. The main historic center is all concrete and stone with no shade or green spaces at all. This made visiting Florence a little disappointing. But you can't argue with the beauty of a piazza like this.

Yup, that's David there near the end (well, a copy Michelangelo made for the square - the original was in a building full of tourists and therefore impossible to see).

The cathedral is so incredibly big, you couldn't possibly ever get one good picture of it, so I opted for this shot with wee one. She was so good on the trip, sleeping through the hottest part of the day in the stroller while we walked through the narrow streets of Florence.

Our favorite site in Florence was this church, Santa Croce. The burial place of a staggering number of important names, like Galileo, Michelangelo and Machiavelli, it also houses amazing frescoes and stone works.

After the churches closed and the city emptied out a bit, we were able to enjoy the old streets and main squares much more and actually catch a glimpse of a few things we hadn't been able to even approach before, like Ghiberti's stunning Gates of Paradise.

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Greetings from Florence! We're nearing the close of our vacation and still have yet to see a cloud in the sky. I've finished book 7 (could have lived without the last chapter, but I really liked the last two sentences!) and am knitting away on the boys' tiger/lion animals. It took the boys exactly eight days to remember that I promised to start knitting them on vacation. The yarn (db cotton dk) is actually made in Italy, so it's a little homecoming for it. I've finished two other little knitting projects (pics to come later) and am past the gusset on my sock pal's final sock.

Yo, sockapaloozas, there's barely 40% of you done. Knit, knit, knit. Hey, if Harry can ... ... then you can finish those socks! ;0)

UPDATE: And now I can finally show you some vacation photos....

First, the beach. That's why we came (the in-laws planned the beach vacation). The boys had never been to a beach before and they were not disappointed. They would sit by the water and let the waves crash around them and yell, "this is so fun this is so fun this is so fun!"

Even wee one got to enjoy some beach time.

Our first outing beyond the beach was to Pisa.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa really is that leany! I was so amazed by it. Usually you visit a city, it has interesting sites, you take pictures, but I just couldn't stop taking pictures of this tower. It is sooo cool!

We waited in line and climbed up the tower. Scaaaaaary! It's no wonder that kids under 8 aren't even allowed to go up and from 8 to 12, they have to be held on your hand the whole time. Climbing up the stairs was totally weird because when you got to the side where the lean was going in your direction, suddenly the uphill climb seamed easy, and then on the other side, it was soooo hard to go up each step. And in the middle, you were thrown to one side of the narrow staircase. "Keep to the right," as if you could do anything else! And then on the top, it was waaaay open. A little railing with three horizontal bars and that was it. And the level below it was even scarier. It wasn't flat, but consisted only of circular steps around the tower and you had to walk along the top step, which was higher than the railing, to get the the staircase for the next level. Yikes! But cool. Way cool.

The kids loved the tower too. Here's B donig the the obligatory pushing-over-the-tower pic. When you walk around the square, you see people posing for these pictures everywhere. It's so funny!

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Hi from Italy! Just checking in very quickly from an internet cafe in Pisa and I see that with only one week left in sockapalooza 4, only one third of you are done knitting. Come on everyone, don't let your pals down. Knit, knit, knit!

I'm working on my second pal's socks at the beach and late at night (jetlag's great for late night knitting sessions!). They'll be done on time. I hope yours will be too.

See ya next week (with photos)!

(PS - No, I am not done with the book yet. So, keep quiet a little longer, kay? Oh and KNIT!)

Another day, another repeat on the second sock of my pal's waving lace socks. I've been knitting on auto pilot trying to get this sock done before we leave for vacation this weekend. I don't think I'll make it, but I am impressed with the progress I've made just keeping my head down and knitting through the blur.

You see, I've passed that phase where you've learned the lace pattern and don't have to look at the chart. At this point I've completely forgotten the lace pattern and am genuinely shocked each time I look down and find myself still knitting it without incident. I'll suddenly stop and think, where the hell am I, what row is this even? And I got no answer. But my hands keep knitting. It's like when I'm reading some long bedtime story to the boys that I've read to them a thousand times before (like Dr. Seuss' "If I Ran the Circus" or one of those Magic School Bus books). I'll be reading and reading and then it'll occur to me that I have no idea where we are in the book. Did I even read the last pages? Did I just say out loud the crazy sequence of thoughts that were going through my head about what we have planned for the next day, what some idiot driver did ahead of me on the way to the mall earlier and how I can't wait to go downstairs and sneak another piece of birthday cake? But the boys seem riveted to the book so I continue and instantly start daydreaming again.

These days all I'm thinking about while knitting and reading out loud is all the stuff I gotta pack. Packing up three kids for two weeks - yikes! Yes, we're going on a big vaca and I'll be completely offline. Believe me, this was not my idea. The whole vacation was planned by the in-laws to be a relaxing holiday on the beach, so there's no television or computer or internet that I'm aware of. Yikes! That means the end of sockapalooza will run on auto pilot. But you all are making such amazing socks and are doing so great with the pligg and with updating the database that I'm sure things will go great. If you have any questions about the end of sockapalooza, post them here and I'll answer them in one last post before I leave on Saturday.

I've got two super cool sockapalooza announcements to share first though!

1. Fellow palooza, Mad caterpillar, has made some awesome sockapalooza sock labels to wrap up your pal's socks! I was going to make some but since she's already done a much better job than I ever could, I'm happy to just make the announcement.

2. Fellow palooza, Allena, is making sockapalooza project bags! You can order one to send to your pal or to keep for yourself. I got mine!

Note to self: don't forget to pack sockapalooza bag....

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UPDATE: Answers to your sockapalooza questions...

The OFFICIAL END AND SEND DATE is August 7th. You can send your finished socks off anywhere between the 1st and the 7th, depending on how far they have to travel. If you've got an international pal, go ahead and send them out on the 1st. If your pal is in your country, send around the 7th. They aren't supposed to arrive by the 7th, but be sent on that date. That way socks will start arriving on the 8th, 9th, 10th....

Be sure to INCLUDE A POSTCARD WITH YOUR NAME on it to reveal yourself to your pal. Find a postcard from your area so your pal can see where the socks have come from. You can put other gifties in the package, but it's not required. And you might want to include your email address so they can write back and say thanks!

When you finish knitting, UPDATE THE DATABASE. UPDATE AGAIN when you send your socks to your pal. And UPDATE IT AGAIN when you receive your socks from the pal knitting for you. That's three updates I need from you. They all work the same way: go to the database, click on update info, use the link that will be sent to your email and then click on the appropriate button.

USE THE PLIGG to link to posts about your finished socks and raves about the socks you receive.

I'll be back to send my socks off in time and watch all of the socks arrive, so I'll get to see the best part. Now to those of you still knitting, get back to it! :)

We're up to 210 finished sockapalooza knitters! Wow! That's 21% of all 1,000 sockers (with only 3 weeks to go!). Let's try and have a whole bunch of finishers this week, okay? Remember when you are finished to update the database and enter a URL to the specific post or image of your finished socks (don't just enter your main blog addy), so folks can go directly from the big list to your finished socks.

210 finished sockers is still a lot of socks to see though. Get on over to the big list and start clicking on the "random finished socker" link. You are going to see some beauties! In just a couple minutes of clicking, I found these lovelies: pink beaded socks by Beate; pretty lace cuff socks from Rachel M; and perfect pomatomi fabulous Flickers from Ebony.

Clicking back to my own socks, the second pair is slowly coming along, with one repeat finished on sock number two.

And now back to sock surfing and general monkeying around....

I finished the first waving lace sock! Whew, that was a lot of stitches. I'm not used to these tiny needles. I'm such a small needle wimp! But I really want to get these done in time, since these are actually socks for a pal who didn't get any in the last round and I don't want them to be late this time.

So last night, I really buckled down and finished the foot.

Ooooh, I like that lace. Here it is a little opened up with the help of one of the boys' whee-lo toys.

Off to start sock number two. I hope to make some real progress on it on the way to Webs this Sunday. See ya there - bring your socks!

This is how I pack up the stroller to go anywhere these days. Always the knitting pouch with me. Always with my pal's sock in it, ready to knit if wee one nods off for a wee nap.

I hope your sockapalooza socks are on the go too, because there's only four weeks left! (I'm adding a few more days to the mailing deadline, just to put it on a Tuesday - sort of the unofficial official sockapalooza day. So mailing anytime between August 2nd and August 7th is good.) We've got 150 finished paloozas so far. That's about 15%. Not too bad, but let's see if we can get it up to 50% pretty soon. That'd make me (and everyone else, I imagine) feel muuuuch better.

We had a lot of finishers in June! Check out all the fnishers on the big page. Click on "random finished socker" to jump to a page of someone who is done. And remember when you finish to update your info in the database and post to the pligg so we all know to go look!

Drumroll please.... The winner of the June contest is Elise of hoopskirt! Congratulations! I'll send your info to Allison at Simply Socks and she'll send out your package of socky goodness sometime this month!

So how are my socks on the go going? Well, I finished my first pair of sockapalooza socks last month, of course, and am just past the heel on sock number one of pair number two. (Funny, I remember a saying a similar sentence to wee one yesterday when I had to change her in the Starbucks bathroom into outfit number two because she'd covered outfit number one with number two!)

I'm liking them more and more. The lace pattern is sweet and, I'm noticing now, flatter than the embossed leaves. I suspect that because there's less texture these may actually be more flattering for the large-ankled among us (like myself) to wear. The heel flap certainly did come out nicely. It's a standard slip 1, knit 1 flap but somehow this Gems fingering weight really shows it off well. Pretty, pretty.

You all know me too well to have ever doubted that I'd ignore all the sops and just go ahead and start the waving lace socks (from Interweave Knits Spring 2004 and Favorite Socks).

I'm liking the pattern but am a bit conflicted about the result. The sock lover in me keeps saying that they are really lovely, but the embossed leaves lover in me keeps saying that they ain't no embossed leaves. No conflicts about the yarn though; the Gems Merino is wonderful to work with and I love the color. I hope my pal doesn't mind that they're such a simple solid color, but I thought this color was just so pretty.

So we're about half way through sockapalooza now and have 84 reported finishers. Way to go! You can see who's done on the big list. And hubby's added a new link there that will take you to the blog of a finished socker. So be sure to include the URL of your post or image of finished socks in the appropriate space in the database when you update your info, so we can all see your finished socks!

Sock on, my fellow paloozas!

While I was bringing the boys to school, our modem died. Hubby must have been making himself some breakfast and then decided he wanted to check email and then noticed that the internet connection was down. Then he must have pulled out all the wifi stuff to check the connection. Then he went upstairs to check the other computer and so when I came home I didn't see him at all, only the house looking a wreck with cereal boxes out and baby stuff pushed to the side to make room for the electronic equipment. It was like he'd been taken in the rapture or something!

After hassling hubby about whether we had unplugged or broken something, our provider finally came out to give us a new modem. Hooray, internet (and hubby) have been restored! Just in time for me to tell you about my sops...

Yes, I have no socks-in-progress only these sad socks-out of-progress.

Now that I've finished my sock pal's socks, do you think I'll go back and work on any of my unfinished sock projects? Will I finally finish the Gryffindor socks from Sunshine Yarns (hey, did you hear she's doing a Harry Potter sock yarn club?!)? How 'bout the awesome retro prep socks I dyed myself? Or the ice blue beauty I started from the yarn my dye buddy dyed for me? Or do you think I'll jump ahead and start my other pal's waving lace socks?

Yeah, I think so too.

Announcing a little incentive to help you sockapaloozas get those socks done and update the database. Each month, I'll make a list of all the folks who have entered in the database that they've finished in that month and pull one name to win a fabulous sock suprise! The winner for May is: Danielle of the Knitting Niche. And she's won a copy of Sensational Knitted Socks!

At the end of June I'll pull one name from all those who finish and update their info in the database in June and they'll win an awesome package of sock-y goodness from Simply Socks! (Thanks to Allison for the prize donation!) And there'll be a July prize too, so keep on knittin'!

Hmmmm, am I eligible for my own contest? Cause I just finished my pal's socks!

I need to see more pics, don't you?

Wanna see more finished socks? We've got 46 reported finishers so far - check 'em out on the big list!

I don't feel like I've had much knitting time recently, but I've made it to the toe of my pal's second sock! I've tried to work at least one leaf (8 rows) of the pattern each time I sit down to knit. One round of leaves doesn't take very long and after a few days, I've really made progress. Slow and steady wins the race, right? Maybe I can even have finished socks for sock watching tomorrow!

(PS - Be sure to update the database system when you finish your socks. There might be something special in store for a lucky finisher each month!)

Presenting the emli bonnet: a baby bonnet with embossed leaves ("emli" for short)! As I was working on my sock pal's socks and starting my own, I kept picturing a lovely embossed leaves hat for wee one. I could not get the idea out of my head - I had to make one!

I knit the hat from the top down, just like the embossed leaves socks (from Interweave Knits Winter 2006 and Favorite Socks), so the leaf pattern has the same direction and same beautiful shape, and I chose a relatively fine-gauged yarn to maintain the delicate look of the leaves. Since it is an openwork lace pattern, I decided it should be a summer hat in cotton and widened the brim for some shade for baby's face. I also added little picots to the bind off edge to accent the leaf motif. The top ribbing is cinched in, pulling the leaf stems together bouquet-style into a tidy bundle.

I love how this bonnet came out! It makes me wish I'd picked a prettier yarn to knit it in. This Jaeger Trinity was the only sport-weight green-ish cotton I had in my stash. But the color is truly almost fluorescent yellow-green. The Trinity is nice though and I would recommend it. It's a silk tweed blend like Rowan's summer tweed, which, for the record, I dislike, but the fine gauge seems to keep it from bothering my hands as the summer tweed does. The slight tweedy texture and bright baby colors are perfectly matched to the idea of a baby bonnet, so I do feel that it was a good choice. I just wish I'd used the ball of pink I have in my stash instead of this funny green. But wee one is still a picture of loveliness, even in chartreuse.

Finally back to work on the embossed leaves for my sock pal. Still following the pattern as published (yup, with the special cast on... did you see that the designer commented that she didn't actually use that cast on for hers? thanks for the clarification, Mona!), I've worked my way down the second leg and am ready to knit and turn the heel. Then just a few more repeats of those fabulous leaves and I'm done! And just in time, because I've found yarn and pattern for my second sock pal (for a forgotten pal from the last round).

Waving lace (the cover socks from Favorite Socks) in Louet Gems fingering weight merino coming up next!

Remember when my monkey sock looked like this? Well, now it looks like this...

Turns out my embossed leaves addiction was stronger than monkey madness. The monkey sock was a little too loose so it had to be frogged and then when I started knitting again, I kept thinking, wouldn't this be gorgeous as embossed leaves? I seriously want everything I knit to have embossed leaves on it now.

Oh, the power of leaves!

While I have been working on my pal's embossed leaves socks and starting my own monkeys, a sock knitting queue has formed. And up in front are my latest yarn acquisitions from Simply Socks.

There's some cherry red Cherry Tree Hill supersock for embossed leaves for me and a simply gorgeous skein of the new specially dyed Simply Socks colorway of Cherry Tree Hill supersock. It's fabulous! I also treated myself to a lovely set of rosewood dpns. Knitting with these is like heaven! I'm slowly collecting these in all the right sizes for sock knitting (slowly, because they are craaazy expensive!).

Coming next to the queue is an as of yet unchosen sock yarn for my second sock pal, one of those pals who didn't receive socks in the last round of sockapalooza. I want to make those really special, so it's hard to decide what yarn to use. And the more I browse sock yarn, the longer the queue gets!

With all this monkey mania going on, I feel like I've been waiting forever to make some monkeys! After finishing the first embossed leaves sock for my pal and singling out a ball of yarn yearning to become monkey socks for me, I couldn't hold myself back any longer. Let me tell you, knitting those first few repeats was like a release. Ahhh, finally!

It's funny that Cookie A talked about writing this pattern as an addiction, because once she shared it with us the whole knitting world has gotten hooked. Monkeys are everywhere! They seem as infectious as the pink eye that my son B is stuck at home with and as inescapable as that dang Barenaked Ladies song that is stuck in my head like a soundtrack to this whole monkey phenomenon!

Well, as Cookie suggests, there's no other way to get the monkey off your back but to get it out there and infect someone else. So here goes...

But not a real green dress (that's cruel) ...

It's Tuesday - time to do some sock watching!

Are you following everyone's progress on the pligg? If you're not, you're missing out! There are already some gorgeous finished socks, like these, these, these, these, these, and these! (Psssst... don't forget to update your info in the database once you're done knitting. Go to your info and check off "socks knitted". But don't send them until August, okay?)

Some fabulous knitters are starting to share Tuesday sock watching posts where they show off socks they've seen online in the last week (check out this post from last week and one from this week). This is a terrific idea! I really encourage you to check out other people's progress and post about it on the pligg. Remember, you aren't limited to only posting about your own stuff!

And to help you with your sock watching, hubby (inspired by CountryMouse) has come up with a link on the paloozers page to take you to a random sockapalooza participant's blog. Have fun sock surfing!

(UPDATE: I've been checking out "random" sockapalooza blogs all day and have posted some of my finds on the pligg. Check 'em out!)

I hope that by now everyone has their sock pal info and is at least starting to plan their pal's socks. If you haven't gotten it yet just go to the database and click on "get sock pal info". I know some of you are planning your packages already. Remember, don't send anything utnil August! But keep in mind that the sockapalooza tradition is to tell your pal who you are in the package and to include a postcard from your area so your pal can see where in the world the socks are coming from. You are allowed to spoil your pal with other treats, but it's not required. Everyone will be thrilled with great socks.

Now go look at some socks!

I'm loving the leaves!

Have you seen Kris's gorgeous leaves in Colinette Jitterbug? Mo'knits is doing them in a gradual striping yarn... purty. And my daydream is making a stunning pair in white with short-row heels. This pattern just comes out so great!

Still, after finishing the first sock, there are a few things I'd do differently. I'd probably skip that special cast on, but mostly I'd change the heel.

For me, that stockinette heel flap seems too blah for this amazing sock. The short row heel is nice - that beautiful diagonal! - but then you lose the line of the gusset which I kinda like too. On my next pair I might keep the flap, but work it in the twisted rib of the cuff. It's so lovely how a few of those ribs from the cuff become the center of some of the leaves and it would be nice if that were repeated into the heel. And then there's that garter ridge along the side of the heel flap. What's that about? It does sort of repeat the lines of the toe, but I really don't get it.

But oh, that toe! That toe! I adore that toe.

Overall, I absolutely love the sock. Those leaves are so perfect, especially in the green, which is a favorite color of my sock pal. I'm really excited to see it in something more my color, like some gorgeous solid red Cherry Tree Hill Supersock that I just bought from Simply Socks!

Since I've almost finished my sock pal's first sock, I figure it's high time I start planning my next pair of socks! You see, once I feel like a pattern is going to work out, I pretty much spend all my remaining knitting time daydreaming about the next project. Now, for a sweater, I'll need to have several pieces finished before I feel confident about the project being a success. But for a sock, just past the heel of sock one is usually plenty. So even though I've still got a sock and a half left to knit on the embossed leaves, in my mind I've moved on to monkey.

I really want to make a pair of monkeys (who doesn't?!) and so went poking through the yarn stash for some appropriate yarn. After looking closely at my sock yarn stash, I find I have a ton of self-striping sock yarns but very few solids or variegateds, which I think would work best with this pattern. I did find this though. Think it'll make nice monkeys?

That still leaves me with the question of what to do with all that striping yarn, like this little fave, Lorna's Laces "Knit Happens" colorway.

I bought all this striping yarn for stockinette socks. Don't get me wrong, I still love stockinette socks, but aren't there some patterned socks out there that will work really well with striping yarn? The only thing that comes to my mind is Jaywalkers, which I fear may knit up too snug for my leg/ankle girth, although if you experts out there say otherwise, I can give 'em a try. But does anyone know of other patterns? What's a stripe-lover to do?

It's finally spring here in Boston. The leaves have filled out the trees at last. And they're growing on my needles as well.

I'm past the heel on my sock pal's first sock and am still loving this embossed leaves pattern. I'm looking forward to that spiral toe!

As I approach one sock done, I'm beginning to think that I'm going to need some sock blockers. I've never bothered to block any of my socks before, but this is lace - it'll look so much nicer blocked out, won't it?

I've got sock pal socks on the needles - woo hoo!

This is "embossed leaves" from Interweave Knits Winter 2005 (also in Favorite Socks). I am so excited to be making these socks finally. I've always wanted to make them because every finished pair I've ever seen was simply stunning. In fact I picked out this green yarn (Lang Fantomas) about a year ago just to make these socks. But it turns out I don't really wear much green and I don't wear lace socks. But my pal does! And after knitting this pattern myself, I may have to change my mind about lace socks.

Besides the lace itself being mesmerizingly lovely, I find the pattern to be surprisingly lovely as well. I don't know how you "memorize" lace patterns, but I've found myself focusing on the mathematical sequence at work here: the one left/two right, down one/up two sort of back and forth movement that builds as the leaves develop. Honestly, it appeals to me as much as the leaves do!

I'm hooked! I'm putting Lace Style on my wish list and going out today to search for the perfect yarn for my own pair of embossed leaves.

Isn't the knit pligg awesome?! I'm loving it! It's so great when I just have a few minutes. In a couple of clicks, I can see a dozen sock updates. And then when I have more time, I can read all the stories and see all the things people are considering and recommending. And I'm loving all the socks you all are knitting! Looks like we're going to have a lot of monkeys this go round. I'm planning on making some for the second pal I'm knitting for, one of those forgotten in the last round. Which leads me to...

sockapalooza news & reminders

- Master webmaster has worked out an automated sock savior system that you can use to find someone who needs a sock savior. Just go to the database as usual and click on "volunteer to be a sock savior". The system will send you a link by email as usual and when you click it you'll get the list of the pals who need socks, including their country and preferences. Just choose one, click on it and the system will update your info to record that you are a sock savior for that person. The next time you check out your "sock pal information" page, all their info will be listed along with your original pal! Feel free to contact your sock savior pal to reassure them that someone is finally on the job making socks for them. And get the socks out to them by August 2nd (they've been waiting a long time, so it's okay to send these socks early, but remember your "real" pal's socks for this round should not be sent out before August!).

(Update: Looks like all the pals in need have been taken for now - hooray!! I'm sure there will be more who will need saving as sockapalooza continues, so be sure to check back again in the next couple of months. Thanks to everyone who is willing to be a sock savior!)

- In order to make the blogger blog more functional, we need to reduce the member count on the sockapalooza four blog. I'd like to make it just a blog for those sockapaloozers who do not have blogs of their own. So if you are a member and don't need to use the blog for your updates, please go to your blogger dashboard and remove yourself from the blog (click on settings under "sockapalooza four"). Thanks!

(Update: Looks like even removing ourselves is giving Blogger problems. Give it a try and if it turns out that we can't really do it this way, I'll have to have Blogger delete everyone and then send out invites to just those who don't have blogs.)

- A quick reminder for those of you who are worried about not having heard from your pal. There isn't any requirement for your pal to contact you. Many do and that's great, but many are just working away on socks. Some people are nervous that they'll somehow reveal who they are or they just like stalking you on your blog and want to keep everything a big surprise. Really, there's someone out there knitting for each of you. Don't worry! That being said, if you haven't contacted your pal, consider doing it (anonymously, of course) just in case they are a worrier! ;0)

- I've gotten some questions about posting on the knit pligg. You must always use a unique URL when you post a link on the knit pligg. If you just link to your general blog address, the next time you try to link to it, the pligg will think you are trying to post the same story again. So be sure to use the permalink of the specific post you are linking to. Got it?

- And remember to vote on the knit pligg! It's sooooo helpful when browsing to know that others have already read this story and recommend it. If you have questions about how the system works, read the knit pligg faq.

I look forward to reading all your updates on the knit pligg. So I encourage all of you who haven't tried it out yet to please join us! It's the best way to direct people to your site for updates. I would really love to see all 1,000 sockapaloozers active on the pligg, along with all you other knitters out there sock watching. Join us and keep on knittin'!

the knit pligg FAQ

- How do I browse the stories?
- Do I have to register?
- How do I register?
- What about keeping my identity secret from my pal?
- How do I post?
- What if I don't have a blog to post links from?
- How do I vote?
- Why should I vote?
- How is this voting thing not just a popularity contest?
- What if my story doesn't get many votes?
- What does "bury" mean?
- What does "karma" mean?
- Why is this a better system for sockapalooza?
- Is this only for sockapalooza participants?

- How do I browse the stories?

- Do I have to register?

- How do I register?

- What about keeping my identity secret from my pal?

- How do I post?

- What if I don't have a blog to post links from?

You can use the Sockapalooza Four blogger blog. If only sockapalooza participants who don't have blogs use it, then it should be a small enough group that the blog should function perfectly well. You can also link to an image in Flikr or other online photo hosting sites, just as long as there is a unique URL to that image.

- How do I vote?

- Why should I vote?

- How is this voting thing not just a popularity contest?

- What if my story doesn't get many votes?

And even if you don't get a lot of votes, I bet you'll get increased traffic to your site and some comments! Think about how hard it would be for someone to find your blog through a post on that giant blogger blog, where all the posts look the same and your post is pushed way down the page in minutes! Think about how hard it would be for someone to find your blog if they have to find you from the giant list of sockapalooza participants! This way, you can take people directly to a specific post on your blog and other people can join in and say, hey that link is interesting. I have already visited dozens of sites that I've never seen before!

- What does "bury" mean?

- What does "karma" mean?

- Why is this a better system for sockapalooza?

- Is this only for sockapalooza participants?

I hope you'll come join us on the knit pligg!

We broke Blogger. Well, not exactly but sockapalooza four is too big for them. They wrote "no limits" on their info page and, silly me, I took 'em at their word. I guess they figured no one would be crazy enough to try to make a blog with over 1,000 people! The official word from them is a simple "we can't handle a blog this size". Okey-dokey. So we need a plan b.

Enter hubby who had the coooolest idea! Have you ever heard of Digg? It's this genius site/system that allows users to post links to web stories and stuff online that they dig. Users can check out the list of all the things posted AND they can vote on the ones they dig the most. The links with more votes move up the list and those with fewer votes move down. Neat, huh? Since it's a system that is designed for tons of users to share info in a manageable way, it's just the sort of thing we need. Now the real Digg is for technology/media types of discussions. What we need is our own little knit-digg system.

Enter master webmaster who installed a program for us! If you're technology savvy, check it out and get started submitting links to your own updates and reading and voting on links posted by others.

Here's a quick how-to (I'll post a longer how-to this weekend for everyone else!):
Go to the pligg system. You'll need to register with a user name and password. Once you've created yourself as a user you'll see the option to "submit a new story". Enter the URL (be sure you link directly to the permalink of your individual post so folks can really find your update). The system will check the link and bring back a title. You can edit that and write a description (to get folks to visit your link!). Select sockapalooza as your category and submit it! I've added some other categories in there if you want to share any non-sockapalooza links with everyone too.

"Published News" is the list of links that have several votes already and are officially popular. They will be shown on the front page. You can see the most popular links listed in order of number of votes in "Top Today". The "Upcoming News" is links people have posted that need more votes. Check 'em out and send 'em to the front page if you think they're interesting.

(PS - Even if you're not in sockapalooza, you can still check out the pligg system, post links and vote on interesting stories. This way you can have all the fun too without having to do any of the knitting!)

Let's play around with it a little and see if it'll be a fun system for us to use to share our updates and keep track of who's knitting cool stuff!

I hope you've all gone into the database to get your sock pal's info and are excited about your match. I am totally psyched about my pal because I've been wanting to try knitting some fancy, lacy socks (the kind I'd never wear!) and from her preferences, I think my pal would really like some.

I've been stalking the Cookie A site and her Knitty patterns (like Baudelaire and my favorite, Monkey) and also thinking about maybe Embossed Leaves. Now I just have to decide which one to make! And get some fabulous yarn, of course.

So are you all as psyched as I am? Hey, if you can't post on the blogger blog right now, leave a comment here. Let us know what you're thinking about making. Let's talk socks!

Hello Sockapaloozers! I know we got blogger problems (I've contacted them and am hoping they can help us). I know we don't have a full participant list yet (update: yes we do!). But still, the knitting must go on, right? Are you ready for matches?!

Before you do anything, remember, do not tell your pal who you are! It should be a SECRET only to be revealed when you send the socks out in August. If you contact them to ask a question, be sure you are using an anonymous email account that does NOT have your name in it anywhere (beware, if you entered your name when you signed up for the email account, sometimes it will appear in the "from" line of the email!). If you leave a comment on their blog, be sure you are using a fake name (beware, if you've commented on their blog before, it may "remember" you, so type in a new name and email address!) Okay, everyone got it? Secret. Hush, hush. No telling.

Go to the database and request your pal's info!
(UPDATE: database is working again and you should receive all info for your pal!)

You'll be able to access this info throughout sockapalooza in case you forget it. You should be notified if your pal changes their address, but still it'd be a good idea to check it shortly before you send the socks out in August. (Very important note: We're all sending out socks in August! This isn't a race. We want all the socks to be sailing around the world and arriving at about the same time. If you have an international pal, you might want to send a few days earlier depending on shipping times, but otherwise, AUGUST, 'kay?!)

Okay, wee one says "sockapalooza on"!

(If you signed up to knit an extra pair of socks for someone forgotten in the last round, you should be sent some details about a second pal to knit for this week. Thank you very much!)

Are you getting ready for sockapalooza?? I am! I'm working on the database (cleaning up the entries - there are always a few folks who didn't quite read the instructions correctly and have info in the wrong place) and hubby is working on the matching program. But knitting-wise, I thought, why don't I try out a little something socky I've never done before?

Would you believe it, I've never done a figure eight cast on or toe-up socks?! I like top-down socks a lot and so never bothered to try doing things the other way. But after seeing Cookie A on Knitty Gritty last week and watching her explain the technique, I thought 'that looks kinda cool.'

I didn't want to start any socks just yet, but I remembered that this cool kid's anime hat pattern from Hello Yarn is worked the same way from the top down, beginning with a figure eight cast on.

So wee one will be getting yet another funky hat. And I'll get some practice working a cast on for toe-up socks. Fun!

We're up to 850 participants - wow! - so I'll have to be closing down Sockapalooza sign-ups soon. You've got until 10pm eastern time tonight to sign up. After that the link to sign-up will no longer work. If you've already signed-up, you will be still be able to update your information. I'll need at least a week to get sock pal matches organized, so in the meantime make sure all your info and preferences are correct as soon as possible!

Sock, sock, hoorah!

UPDATE 10pm: Sign-ups are now closed

UPDATE: As of 9am Thursday, there are already 725 people signed up for Sockapalooza!

Okay, before you go sign-up, let me just remind you that by signing up you are agreeing to do three things:

1. Make a pair of socks for your pal that you genuinely believe they will enjoy and send them off on time (August 2nd!). Remember, your pal has taken the time to write up specific preferences, so please try your best to make socks they'll like. You may need to buy some new sock yarn. Don't be afraid to try out a new pattern or technique. No matter what, be sure to plan your knitting time so you will be ready by August 2nd and we can all send out socks at the same time.

2. Keep us updated on your progress by posting on the group blog (which is still in progress, don't worry, it'll be ready when we start knitting). It would also be great if you could keep in touch with the pal you're knitting for by sending some anonymous emails to them and maybe even leaving anonymous blog comments on their blog if possible. But remember, it's a SECRET, so don't tell your pal who you are! Open an anonymous email account (something like sockpal at gmail) and use a fake name when you sign up for that email account (like Sock Pal) so your name doesn't appear in an email signature somewhere. Use that email account to write to your pal and comment on their blog.

3. Please, please, please send some sort of thanks to the pal who sends you socks, so they at least know that they have arrived.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Now here's a list of all the info you'll need to sign-up.

- BASIC INFO: name; email address; blog address; mailing address. Don't worry, I won't be sharing your email or mailing addresses with anyone but your sock pal. Note that the first name you enter in the NAME box will be the name that appears on the participant list on my blog. If you use a web alias, this is the place to put it. And because the name box is really just for the participant list, the ADDRESS box needs to contain your full name and then your address.

- SHIPPING: Let me know if you prefer to ship only within your own country/continent and I'll do my best to match you up with someone there. Click on "international" if you're happy to ship anywhere.

- DETAILS: If you are a beginning sock knitter, be sure to check that box, so you are put in a group with other beginners. If you'd like to knit a second pair of socks (also to be sent by August 2nd) for someone who didn't receive socks in the last round, click that box and accept my heartfelt thanks! When matches are made, you will receive two sock pals to knit for. And lastly, if you're willing to be a sock savior for someone in this round whose pal drops out, click that box and I'll know who to contact later on when sock saviors are needed.

- PREFERENCES: This is the space to put everything you think your pal should know to make you some socks you'll like. Include at least your foot measurement from heel to tip of big toe AND foot circumference measured at the ball of the foot, plus any other measurements or info that your pal needs to make socks fit your feet. Then any style, fiber, or color preferences that are important and definitely any allergies that are relevant. If you're up for anything, just say that and your pal can have fun with your socks!

- COMMENTS: This box is just for your comments to me, so don't put any info for your pal in here - they won't see it!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Alright, GO!

Sign-ups are now closed

Sign-ups will be open for at least 48 hours and probably longer (unless a bazillion people sign up!), so don't rush. Take the time to measure your foot properly and think about what sort of socks you'd really like before you sign up. But remember, you must sign-up through the above link. DO NOT SEND ME YOUR INFO THROUGH EMAIL. After you have followed the instructions there and submitted your info, you should get a new screen telling you that your information has been added to the database. Once you get that screen, you're all set! You can always click on the main link again to request a session to change your info if you need to. (There's no need to contact me. Trust me, changing things yourself through the system will always be faster! For example, I would have posted all this earlier, but I've been trapped motionless under a sleeping baby for the last three hours!)

Once sign-ups are closed, the system will make the matches and when they're all ready, I'll announce it here and you'll be able to get your sock pal's info by clicking on the same link above. (Isn't my master webmaster clever?)

And one absolute, final, last thing. Say it with me: SOCKAPAL-WOOOOOO-HOOOOOO-ZA!

Today is Red Sox opening day and everyone at the boys' school is wearing their Red Sox gear! (Note to self: Get wee one some Red Sox gear.) (Note to master webmaster: Do not even think of sending some sort of Yankee onesie up here for her!) They're collecting money at the school for the Jimmy Fund, the Red Sox long-time official charity supporting Dana Farber cancer research and the Jimmy Fund Children's Clinic. The boys brought in their dollars and wore their shirts proudly. And baby L and I just finished reading Faithful (the Stephen King, Stewart O'Nan book about the 2004 season when the Sox won the World Series) while nursing, so we're psyched! Go Sox!

And since it's opening day, how 'bout I open up sockapalooza sign-ups later today? My master webmaster has a few small changes to make (hope he'll still help after the Yankees comment above!) and then we should be able to go live later this evening. Don't worry, sign-ups will be open for at least a day, probably two, so you don't have to keep refreshing this page all day long. But if you do, maybe just consider going on over to the Jimmy Fund site and giving 'em a couple of bucks to help fight cancer, 'kay?

The Charmed Knits knit-along is up and running! (Because I've got baby L to take care of, the publisher has kindly offered to run the knitalong. They've set up a blog and will be in charge of sign-ups, but I'll be over there posting and hosting too, so come join me!) The publisher has come up with a wonderful idea to kick off the knitalong too. They've generously provided one of the patterns from the book as a free pdf and have teamed up with Warm Woolies to donate hats knit from the pattern to orphaned children in America and elsewhere.

psst... go to the knitalong blog for a link to the pattern pdf!

Of course you're welcome to join and knit any Harry Potter pattern. I'm going to make a hat for sure as well as a few other things once the book comes out. I'll be posting some previews of patterns from the book in my sidebar in the weeks to come. And the book will be available in less than a month! That'll give us two months to knit for the movie premiere and book release. Huzzah!

My master webmaster has set up the sockapalooza 4 sign-up system and it's now in the testing phase. I'm going to shoot for opening sign-ups at the beginning of next week. Here's the 411 on what you'll need to sign up....

If you participated in the last round, you will be able to access your old info and update what needs updating (moved? don't like pink anymore? whatever). If you were in earlier rounds or this is your first time, you'll sign up as a new participant.

Everyone will need to provide a screen name (this will be your first name unless you specify some sort of alias), email, blog url (if you have one), address (this will only be given to the pal knitting for you), your foot measurements, your color, style and fiber preferences, and whether you're willing to ship internationally or not. You can also sign up to be a sock savior in this round in case someone drops out and their pal needs a new knitter. And you can offer to knit an extra pair of socks for a sock pal who did not receive socks in the last round. (Yes, that's right, there were a few knitters in the last round whose sock pals never managed to get socks out to them and they still need socks! And I know there are a few of you out there who would be twice as happy knitting two pairs of socks, so please consider signing up to take on an old pal from the last round.)

Send off date for sockapalooza 4 will be the beginning of August, so that should give everyone plenty of time to get socks knit for their pal. Remember, don't sign up if you don't think you can get socks knit in time. I can't wait to get started!

In case you missed my updated message in the sidebar, yes, there is finally news to report! My master webmaster is working on the database and sign-up system this week. Woo hoo!

We're making lots of changes so that the whole process can be more automated and I have more time to spend with baby L. For example, folks should be able to look up their sock pal's info on their own and even see who needs a sock savior without my having to send out dozens of emails. And we can all post our updates on a sockapalooza blogspot blog that wee one and I have been working on all weekend. Instead of me or sock sisters writing up "tuesday is knitalong day" updates, we'll be having Tuesday Sock Watcher days, where everyone becomes a sock watcher and is invited to post about sock pal socks they've seen and admired in the last week (other than their own, of course!).

Once the sign-up system is all ready, I'll let you know and everyone will have a couple of days to sign-up and get their preferences into the system. After the matches are made, you'll be able to access your sock pal's info through the database and get started knitting!

A few requests:
- let's have a show of hands here: should we have the send-off day be mid-July or early-August?
- send me any sock pattern or sock knitting links you'd recommend so I can add them to the sidebar
- if you are interested in offering yarn discounts to sockapalooz-ers, leave a comment or send me an email with the details so I can put it up on the blog

Let's get ready to sock!

Are you getting ready? Sockapalooza 4 has a new button! That's all I've had time to do so far (I am in design work crunch right now and it just won't stop), but in another week or two, I should be able to start getting organized. Keep an eye on the sidebar for details and updates!

I haven't knit socks in ages and am so excited about getting back into it! I even picked up some Yarn for Sox for socks for poor neglected hubby at this morning's Wild & Wooly semi-annual clearance sale.

Hubby may have been neglected in the last few months as far as knitting goes, but his socks haven't! Check out the heels on his last pair of Yarn for Sox socks.

I made these for him back in 2002, because he loves wearing thick socks over regular socks when it's cold. He still wears these, even without heels. And why not, they're in way better shape than the Peace Fleece socks from 2004.

Oh yes, it's time to make socks!