another sock exchange
(check out the original sockapalooza)



basic socks in ArtYarns Supermerino yarn with short-row heels and standard toes
a complete, updated list of participants with links to pics of all the finished socks here

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kick it!

Two other knitters have drilled and starting making boots! Katie has finished one fabulous green boot. I love it! And Whit crocheted hers! You gotta see it.

In the meantime, Jae reports that she managed to convice her husband to drill holes in perfectly good shoes and Rebecca is practicing her dpn skills on some socks.

I've still got one boot left to finish. Maybe listening to Whit's interview with Tina Marrin can inspire me to get started again. Or I could watch the Knitty Gritty show again for about the thousandth time. "Are you ready boots? Start knitting!"

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sockapaltwoza

Lots of finished make-up socks to report:

Alison sent off socks to Sara!
Bliss got the sock savior socks I knitted!
Alison C. has finished socks too
Ariel finished Whitby's for her make-up pal.
And Stinkerbell loves her make-up socks!

Three Alisons and an Ariel saving the sockapalooza - awesome! Thanks so much, ladies. Isn't it great when we all knit and make up?

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another weasley

And the finished weasleys just keep on coming....

Whit made a beautiful "F" weasley for her daughter. (I think if I had mine to do over again, I'd do an F too! I've got a little thing for Fred now.)
Becky made an "N" weasley for her son. (I love these pictures of the kids in their sweaters.)
Patty did a great job on her Gryffindor scarf.
And Ann knit a fun Hogwarts hat for her Knitting Olympics project.

There are new knitalongers too:

Anne's Gryffindor socks are way cool and Jenny is working a Hogwarts unity blanket. What a neat project!

Long live the weasley-along!

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yarn aboard

The radio box I sent in Amanda's sock yarn swap has visited two others so far: Emily, who received the gifts I packed in the box, and Rachel, who received gifts from Emily.

This is so much fun to watch! Go radio box, go.

With the third round of Sockapalooza ready to begin, I'll officially close the doors on the Sockapaltwoza, the second second swap with a staggering 352 participants. What fun it was to watch all those socks being knit and knowing that hundreds of socks were being sent around the world last September! Thanks to all who successfully participated, especially to the dozens of generous sock saviors who knitted make-up socks.

Here's a few of the latest sock savior sock pics:

Jenn finished sock savior socks (close-ups here)
Tara finished a beautiful pair
fellow Knitsmith and fellow sock savior, Ariel and I worked on our sock savior socks together at knitting group this week!

I finished mine and they'll be off to a very worthy and patient recipient today.

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sockapaltwoza
(another sock exchange)

summersock tour: June 15 thru September 15, 2005

Sockapaltwoza sock saviors are still hard at work:

Jamie knit make-up socks
Christina received make-up socks from Bev
Karen received make-up socks from Kate
Tiffany knit "solid savior" socks
Tracy made Whitby's

And my make-up socks are half-way finished, with one down to toe grafting and one more to knit.

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Sockapaloooza, anyone? Next Tuesday sign-ups go live. I haven't decided on the exact time yet, or the exact number of participants. And I haven't chosen the official sock sisters yet. (Check Sunday's post for all those final details.) But there's no reason you all can't get ready while I make the final decisions.

First, for those new to the Sockapalooza, here's how it goes. I'll collect names, addresses, and sock preferences from lots of people. Then, I'll assign each person another person to knit a pair of socks for. So someone will be given your info and will knit a pair of socks for you and you'll be given someone else's info and be knitting socks for them. And the person you're knitting for will be knitting socks for another person, and so on, and so on..... There are two groups: a beginners group and a non-beginners group. If you've successfully made socks before, you're not a beginner. Beginners are those who really haven't made socks before and they will swap their "first try" socks with each other. I think most of the beginners in the last rounds enjoyed learning how to knit socks and receiving a pair from a pal who had also just learned. So if sock knitting is new to you but you really want to give it a try, join us!

We'll all start knitting around February 1 and will send our socks out in May, that way everyone should receive their socks around the same time. And remember, it's a secret swap! Don't tell your sock pal you are knitting for them until you send off their socks to them. It'll be much more fun if it remains a surprise.

And here's a preview 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)
- GROUP INFO: do you want to be in the beginner group? are you willing to ship overseas?
- FOOT AND SOCK INFO: 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

Also include any of the following sock details that are important to you:
fiber preferences - got allergies? prefer wool socks?
color preferences - solids/variegated colors? specific colors you hate?
design preferences - do you like crazy socks? lacy socks? stripes or solids? prefer calf length/ankle length?
Include whatever you think your pal should know. If you're up for anything, just say that and your pal can have fun with your socks!

See you next Tuesday then!

Another pair of sock savior socks to make us all feel good about knitters and swaps and things like that:

Betsy's new Jaywalker socks from Anita

And a big thank you to whoever it was that sent me sock savior yarn from Maine (there wasn't a note in the package and I forgot who it was who was sending a yarn donation). The donated yarn has been sent out to two sock savior knitters to knit make up socks!

And I'll be making a pair of sock savior socks too. Just something I felt like I had to do. These are on the post-holiday to-knit list.

Koigu #805

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And an update on my race to finish the holiday knits. There is lots of holiday cheering, because one black/gray sock is done!

Unfortunately, there's also some holiday jeering, because it's just not right for the recipient. The size, the colors, the ribbing - they're all fine but not really for the person I had in mind. But I think they might work for another person whose socks were pushed from the Christmas to the hey-Hannukah's-after-Christmas-this-year list. So I'm ahead on his gift! That makes me 9 of 13 now. Thankfully, most of the remaining recipients don't mind getting their gifts with the needles still in them!

Check out more details on my progress and all the general holiday knitting madness at the knitalong!

Sockapaltwoza sock savior socks you have to see....

Anna's socks for Judy
Brynne's socks for Pam
Joan's socks for Kristel
Kim's socks for Alison (scroll down to Dec. 1)
Regina's socks for Lindsey

A big thank you to these generous knitters and to my other sock saviors, including Carry, Jody, Judy, Julie, and Katherine.

Last call for sock saviors! I've got seven names left on the list (one of whom needs a sock savior for their sock savior). Dare I ask if there are more generous knitters still out there?

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In keeping with the holiday spirit of giving, fellow holiday knit-alonger, Raellyn, has donated a little pressie for the post-holiday contest. (Shhhh, I think it might be stitch markers, like these beauties that she sent me!) If you recall, everyone in the holiday knitalong who finishes all their gift knitting will be entered in a contest to win some little knitterly gifties. I've got a hank of some fabulous Atacama alpaca ready for gifting and, well who knows what else....

So remember to keep me updated on your gift count and get that gold star!

Apologies all around!

First to all those sock pals still waiting for socks or to be assigned to sock saviors, I've been focused on holiday knitting and a pattern I'm working on and haven't managed to work through the last set of updates and reports from sockapaltwoza participants. My bad! I have heard from several sock saviors that make-up socks have been finished and several forgotten sock pals that they've finally received socks. Let me say here how grateful I am to the sock saviors for their extra time and generosity and genuinely delighted I am when I hear from someone who patiently waited and was at last rewarded with a great pair of socks. So sorry for having fallen behind. I'm hoping to squeeze in the last bit of admin before the Christmas rush begins.

Second, apologies to my two sockapalooza tech guys who have already started to hear things like 'wouldn't it be cool next time, if the sockapalooza folks could do this or this when they sign up...' when they haven't even received their tech guy thank you socks yet! Don't worry, socks are in the works. Then the work can begin. (Wink. wink.)

Third, an apologetic warning to my future sockapaloooza (yes, that's three o's!) sock pal. I'll be wanting knee-highs! I am all about knee-highs now. Here's my new favorite pair. I lerf them.

And finally, sorry Santa, you're gonna have to make this Christmas a big one, 'cause Nikolaus came this morning and he was very good to the boys this year. He's going to be a hard act to follow.

"I'm so excited!"

"a lego Christmas tree - let's build it!"

Chrismas is coming. On a jet plane.

Almost another weasley!

Doesn't it look done that way? This is how it really looks though. Still the last sleeve to finish and sew in and the bottom edging to complete.

After going back, adding a couple more inches to the bottom, and watching it roll even higher, I decided to hem the bottom edge. It's a nice, clean look and the sweater is the perfect length now. I wasn't 100% sure what to do at the neck however. Ribbed cuffs, hemmed bottom edge of body, and a roll neck seemed like too many styles for just one sweater. So I did the same stockinette hem on the neck as at the bottom edge and I'm giving it a day to see how I like it.

Other weasley knitters trying to make the deadline:

Aimee has 13 bars finished on her scarf
Jen also has only one stripe left on her scarf
and Karlie is almost done with her PoA scarf too
MA has finished her Hufflescarf
Ruth has finished a House glove - you gotta see it, it has all the House colors on it! - and is knitting away on her Ravenclaw scarf

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It's almost time to close the door on the sockapal-2-za! There are lots of make-up socks underway and a couple more socks have made their way to pals:

Beth got some fabby mermaid socks
MeBeth received some supercool superhero socks
and Nanette loves her new socks (check out her post and see how much!)

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In the holiday knitalong, we've got over 80 participants and even more in the queue to be invited. There are some really fabulous projects over there! I love the fact that people can post their pics there for us all to see without the gift recipients seeing them on their normal blog. It's so fun being in on everyone's gifts!

My holiday list of 7 pairs of socks, 1 scarf, and 2 hats has a half a checkmark on it, as B's kool-aid hat is all knitted but still needs a lining. S's red hat is underway, so that's like a quarter checkmark. Woo hoo, that's 3/4 of a checkmark all together! Of course, I've just added 2 more scarves to the list, so I'm actually 1 1/4 checkmarks down now. Hmmm, maybe this keeping track thing isn't such a good idea after all. (Heh, heh.)

Well, there's not much to report in the old sockapaltwoza. Little has changed from two weeks ago. A few more socks have arrived on the doorstep of relieved pals...

Gaile received socks from Janine
Amber received socks from Lori
Sarah received her socks from another Sarah
Sister Amy received her socks from Timothy (look, they match her habit!)

...and some make-up socks are already being delivered, like these that Amy got from Bliss. (By the way, thanks to all my sock saviors out there - you'll be hearing from me with another list of forgotten pals very soon!)

But I will make this announcement: I do plan on doing a third round of the Sockapalooza!! I think it's best if we wait until the new year to get started though, since holiday knitting and general holiday busy-ness might prevent a few people from finishing on time. And speaking of holiday knitting, anyone doing a holiday knitting knitalong? I did one a couple of years ago and man did it ever help with getting those pressies finished! Who's up for it??

(Also coming up in January, another Rip-along. New Years seems like the perfect time to pull out those projects gone wrong and FROG 'em. I can't wait!!)

Thanks a bunch to all the pals who've sent updates in the last week. Our "no-socks" percentage is down to 9.9%!! And I know that at least a quarter of those folks are still actively working on socks. I like it!

This week's better-late-than-never bunch include: Gracie, Ina, Jaime, Lori, Mary-Heather (no pics - you gotta wait for the surprise, Karen!), Shannon, and Traci Sue (see her socks on Michelle's blog), as well as beginners Lisa, whose finished socks can be seen on her pal Dena's blog, and Rebecca (Rebecca just moved to China - you've got to read some of her posts about life there, like this one!).

I've sent some final emails to double-check that none of the names still in blue belong to pals who did actually finish and send off socks (like Traci, whose socks can be seen on her pal, Cynthia's blog - scroll down to Oct. 1st). But sock savior emails have already gone out to request make-up socks for twelve pals. If you are still waiting for socks, keep me updated. Anyone who hasn't ever heard from their pal will get a substitute pal and anyone patiently waiting for pals to finish knitting, let me know if you stop hearing from them so I can put you on the make-up list.

And since I've got no more sock talk, and know that all you want to hear about is whether I'll be doing some more sock swaps, I'll leave you with pictures of the boys making S'mores. (Wink, wink.)

"we need graham crackers, chocolate bars, and marshmallows"

"the marshmallow gets big then it puffs down"

"Yum!"

Here's the latest round of finished socks that I've found or heard of:

Ann-Marie
Elizabeth
Jackie
Jaime
Jenn
Melanie
Neysa
Nicole
Sarah
Selena
Stinkerbell
Vicki

That brings our "no socks" percentage to 14%. We're getting close to a viable number! I've heard from a handful of you that you are definitely still working (hooray!) and I'll be sending out more emails to those pals listed as not finished and who I have not heard from. So I hope to see that number go down more by next week. After that the sock saviors will be on duty!

Speaking of the sockless pals, as I still haven't heard a peep from my pal (nor has the person who knit for her), I went ahead and treated myself to some super-fantabulous sock yarn from Shelridge Farm while at Rhinebeck. This is their Soft Touch Ultra (it's superwash!) fingering weight yarn.

There was only one skein each of the beautiful variegateds, so I picked out a couple of coordinating solids for heels and toes. I'm so excited about these and I feel so good about how much my pal liked her socks that it's easy to forget that my pal dropped out. (Plus, so many of you have been so nice and supportive, I feel like that's a gift much better than any old pair of socks. Thanks!)

Now paging:

ANNIE! Your sock pal needs your new address. Please send it to me.
JUNIA! Your sock pal needs another address - your socks were returned to her by the post office.
beginner VICKY! I don't have a working email address for you and need to hear if you're done with socks and/or have received your socks.

And to all the pals who have let me know that you have not received your socks, I've sent an email to the person knitting for you. Fingers crossed that we hear back soon! Feel free to keep me updated. If we don't hear back in another couple of weeks, I'll give the substitute knitters the green light.

There are some finished socks to report:

Amanda's socks can be seen on her pal Krista's blog
Amy
Amy's socks can be seen on Gwen's blog
Catherine
Darra
Janine (no pics)
Jen
Jennifer (she just got married - go congratulate her!)
Marti
Mia (for Amy - pics on her blog soon)
Rachel
Renada's socks can be seen on Brenda's blog
Sarah
Traci

From beginners too:

Debbie's socks can be seen on her pal Cynthia's blog
Gina's socks can be seen on Allena's blog
Jess (no pics)
Laura
Pauline
Rebecca

Good news: my pal, Carola, finally received her socks. She lives in Iceland (lots of beautiful pics on her blog - check it out!), which is why it took a while for the socks to make their way to her. It's so nice to hear that the socks you've knit have been happily received (especially in such a funny post like Carola's). With that in mind, I urge all of you who have recently received socks to put your thanks on your blog or here in the comments.

Lastly, many of you have asked when the next Sockapalooza will be. I have had every intention of doing another one this winter - I love this sock swap - but there are A LOT of people who have not finished and have not stayed in touch this round and that is not only disappointing, but is frankly unacceptable. I absolutely cannot imagine doing another round with hundreds of sock pals if the drop-out rate is near 20%. So, again, I really hope/need to hear from the last group of knitters soon, so we can call this exchange a success and move on to round three!

The latest group across the finish line:

Amanda - no pics, though :0(
Anna has posted the pattern for her flying wings anklets
Debra's finished socks can be seen on Anna's blog
Gina
Karen (for Leslie)
Mary
Mary
Nicole- her socks can be seen on Barbara's blog
Sarah
Tacha

A few beginners too:

Carol
Freecia
Gina
Leslie's socks can be seen on Debbie's blog
Pauline

And a few notes from me:

1. Once you have received your socks, please either leave a comment here or send a note to the pal who knit for you. Some pals who haven't heard back have become nervous that the socks might have gone missing. A simple comment here would be plenty to let them know that everything arrived okay.

2. For those of you still waiting for your socks, don't feel too bad, I haven't gotten my socks yet either! I did receive this fabulously cute little sock bookmark from Helene, though. Thanks Helene, these may end up being my sockapalooza socks for this round!

If you haven't heard anything from your pal about your socks being delayed (like me!), feel free to send me an email. I can try to write to them or at least investigate whether the socks are being sent internationally and how likely they are to still be underway. If we don't hear back from your pal, I'll put you on the list for substitute socks or sock yarn. Of course, we're only three weeks past the deadline, so don't give up yet!

3. If you're still knitting or have just recently sent out your socks, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE contact your pal or me to let them know of the delay. I'm hearing from lots of disappointed and discouraged pals wondering where their socks are. I have to say that I am very surprised that almost 25% of the names on the list are not yet listed as finished. I hope to hear from many of you soon.

Thanks so much to everyone who has worked so hard to make this exchange a success! It's been wonderful to hear from all the pals who have been so pleased with their socks. And I apologize to all of you who seem to have been forgotten by your pals. I'm still wishing for happy feet for everyone!

A week past the official deadline and the finished sock reports keep on coming:

Alynda
Anita
Christine
Christine
Cori
Dawn (sent to Sharon)
Iris has posted pics of the socks Felicia sent her
Gina
Gina
Holly
Jenifer
Jenipurr has pics now
Karen (you can see the socks on Celia's blog)
Karen (received by Jeanine)
Karlie
Kathy
Kimberly (her socks can be seen on Grumperina's blog)
Laurie
Lindsey
Lou
Suzie posted pic of her socks from Robin
Shonnie
Timothy
and Tiffany finished earlier, but is now having a contest for the extra handpainted yarn that she used for her pal's socks - check it out!

I've heard from the beginners too:

Alison
Anita
Barbara
Carol (for Katherine)
Daniele
Joanna
Karla
Kate
Katie has pics now!
Kris
Louisa's socks can be seen on Heather's blog
Peggy
Rebecca (to Jacky)

And I got socks too! Not my official sock pal socks, 'cause they're probably at the post office at home waiting for me (I hope, I hope!), but Nicole sent me some socks here in Germany. What a great surprise! And they're America socks too - so fun!

it's been so chilly at night, I've already worn them twice

And the knitting is done on the first pair of tech guy socks. They're not completely finished - there are some special techy things still to be done on them - but hubby loves them so far!

I just adore the neat little short-row toes with the seam across the top

Hooray for happy feet!

(Be sure to use the comments to say thanks to the pal who sent you socks and see if the pal you sent socks to received them.)

Finished socks coming to you this week from:

Alexandra
Alison
Anna
Anna
Anne
Beth
Betsy
Carol
Cynthia
Deena
Felicia
Helene
Jackie
Jeanine
Jen
Jennifer
Joan
Katie
Katie
Laurie
Leanne
Lola Lee
Luanne
Medina
Mei
Melissa
Michelle
Nona
Orli
Pam
Paula
Renee
Ruth
Silke
Tonia

Like many of you, Gina is still knitting. She needs some support to finish. Go cheer her on. And all the others out there who are finishing as fast as they can!

And several pals wrote to tell me that they have already received their socks (check 'em out: Diane, Anna, Kim, Erika, Jenny (detail), Nina, and Marie-France). Have you? Give your pal a shout out in the comments!

I sent my sock pal package out late last week after we arrived, complete with a local postcards from home and from here and some of that fabulous German sock yarn from Ewa's Sockenwolle. Hope you like everything, sockpal!

These are all the updates I had before I left for Berlin. The rest will have to wait until I get back. Thanks for keeping me updated though! I´m so glad to see that everyone is finishing!

Vacation knitting has been successful so far despite not being able to knit much on the plane (the sound wasn't working in our row for the in-flight entertainment, so I decided to try to sleep instead of knitting while trying to lip read Jimmy Fallon in "Fever Pitch"). I still managed enough knitting to complete the first tech guy sock yesterday night.

I can't say enough good things about this Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport! It is so soft and knits up so well. The solids are called "nearly solid" and have the slightest bit of color variation in them. It's subtle, but gives the color a little more depth and richness than a flat solid would. Hubby loves it too: yarn, color, and the short-rowed heel and toe. It's the first time I made a short-rowed sock for him. I think this may be the beginning of a beautiful friendship!

Also up on the list of vacation knitting, is -- drumroll, please -- pop. Yes, I started pop on our vacation to Germany last year. And yes, I swore I wouldn't schlepp the thing across the Atlantic again. But right before we left, a package arrived from knitpal, Sharlyn, who just happened to have two extra balls of the exact yarn that I needed to finish it. So, I packed all the half-finished parts anyway. It should be cold enough here next week for me to even wear her once she's all done.

That's still not everything in the knitting bag. Oh and some yarn arrived at my in-laws too (heh, heh, don't know how that happened). I'll be a busy knitting bee this trip!

The last sockapaltwoza update before the official deadline. Here are your final finished sockers.

Cindy's finished her gorgeous red striped socks in Koigu Kersti
Beth made blue retro ribs for her pal (must resist temptation to look on master list and see if these are for me!)
Purly has also knitted beautiful blue socks - she used the Go with the Flow pattern and Koigu (be still my heart!)
Dawn's pink and yellow lacy socks remind me of sherbet (yum!)
Kat has got some wicked pooling going on in her supermerino socks (for the non-Bostonians, wicked means good)
Ingrid and her mom Judy (aka, the knitter) have finished lovely "summer garden socks" and "friday harbor socks" (oh, there's some good knitting genes in that family, don't you know?!)
Sarah made purple and green anklets (I can't see these two colors together anymore without thinking of Harry Potter Book 6)
Kelly finished her Opal patterned socks (she brought them with her when she evacuated her home in New Orleans - what a good pal)
Stephanie got the stripes on her socks to match perfectly!
Nathalie made mermaid socks (doesn't self-striping yarn look soooo cool in that pattern?!)
Jacky's opal green (and folks, I mean green!) socks have already arrived
Liz's red variegated feather and fan socks are delightful
Carry knit pink and purple anklets (warning: get ready for another adorable first-day-of-school photo)
Jen's "Ellen's Stockings" are simply beautiful
Katie has finished the prettiest purple petticoat socks
Bethany's scalloped stripey socks are almost too good to give away
Sara had to knit new socks for her pal as her hubby claimed the first pair she started!
Johanna's fun bobble-y Koigu anklets are even lovlier in person
Kira's stunning orange and red socks were knit while visiting the UK
Suzie's wild cherry socks are only one pair of socks she's finished recently
Cathy finished her white Unst socks and then dyed them blue!
Christy also made Unst socks, in Lorna's Laces brick colorway
NYCMouse has made two fraternal Tangled Garden socks in blue and red (how fun!)
Marie-France's colorful ribbed socks have a sweet edging
Ann's made rainbow socks
Amysue has also made socks with the colors of the rainbow
and so did Christine!
Christina's finished her brilliant blue Conwy socks
Teresa's Koigu Traveler's Stockings look divine
Annemarie made her socks using a lace pattern by Marnie MacLean and Patons Grace
Krista shows us that knitting socks is next to godliness
Namita's beautiful anklets cured her of her dpn-phobia
Gaile's orange waving lace patterned socks are marvelous
Dena's awesome Silk Garden socks just need binding off (what the heck, let's call 'em finished!)
Donna's "holey" supermerino socks are a riot of pink
Wanda's clover lace rib socks will be in the mail tomorrow!
Keri's finished her walking away socks (Keri, is it possible that this pattern may be pool-proof? har har)
Tiffany's socks are pretty in pink (look at how neat the heel looks)
Linda's orange Koigu socks are absolutely fabulous
more Koigu socks from Carrie
and Elizabeth's lacy fixation socks are now appearing on her new blog!

No pics yet, but also finished are:
Orli
Amy
Jennifer
Jenny
Carla (pink fixations socks + dead camera = no pics)
Nina (she's written over 12,000 words to finish a dissertation this month, let's give her a break on the pictures)
Samantha (brown/grey Koigu socks)
Danielle (well, she was on the last toe last Wednesday)
Susanne
BGK (she's being very secretive - no pics until her pal opens the socks - I love it!)
Tara
Angela
Felicia
Pam (Pam says that the Pine Tree socks she made in Opal's green crocodile yarn look like "piney woods against a pale summer sky" - ooooooh!)
AB (here's a pic of her first finished Denmark Sock in Lorna's Laces)
Jen (Meilenweit socks - pics coming as soon as hubby brings back the camera)
Moze
Carla
Lori (who thankfully survived heel hell)
and Jenna

And still knitting as fast as they can are:

Joanna is being a good sock pal and working hard to finish her diamond patterned anklets
Rebecca is crocheting her socks in lovely blues and greens
Renee swears that her second sock is now almost done
Janine is crusing down to the toe of her second Broadripple
Stacey says she enjoys working under pressure, so she must be loving finishing up her top down socks! ;0)
Ina, or rather her sock, has been distracted reading Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Alison says she can whip up a pair of socks in a week - go, Alison!
Timothy is struggling with the vagaries of variegation
Jennifer is literally watching the clock
Helene is again making incredible patterned Norwegian socks (and you won't believe where the color is from!)
and then there's Lori, who started her socks on her honeymoon - no wonder they're not done yet! ;0) Congrats, Lori!

Those of you who aren't done yet, keep knitting! Send out your socks as soon as you can. If you need more time, it would be nice if you could (through an anonymous email account) send your sock pal a note letting him/her know that the socks will be a bit delayed. Most folks are excited about getting their socks and won't have a problem waiting once they know the situation. Just keep at it! But please let me know if you don't think you'll be able to finish your pal's socks at all.

Calling all knitters itching to make more socks or share some sock yarn from your stash! I'm looking for anyone willing to be a yarn donor or substitute knitter for pals who get left behind. Let me know if you're up for it, I'll compile the list of sock saviours, and as I hear of forgotten pals, I'll send out requests to the list and see who can best do the job. The donors last time really kept the few non-finishers from ruining the sockapalooza. I hope I can count on some of you again this time!

Up next for me - no my sockapalooza sock knitting isn't done yet! - are thank you socks for my two tech guys (hubby and my master webmaster) in some manly shades of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport.

And then there's also the fix-it job I promised to do on the incredible fair-isle socks that my sock pal from the first sockapalooza, Andrea, received. Unfortunately for Andrea, there's a strict no-intarsia and no-complex-stranding-on-US0's rule in effect for the vacation. That means that the tech guy yarn will be coming with but Andrea's socks will have to wait until I get back. (Since she's in North Carolina, I'm hoping she won't really need them before October anyway.)

(This will be the last extensive sockapaltwoza update until I'm back from vacation, as my in-laws have to pay for internet service by the minute and I can't be online for hours at a time. I'll be sure to open posts on Tuesdays though, so you all can announce finished socks and say thanks to your pals in the comments! I hope you all love your socks!!)

First, fellow sockapal2zer, Kelly from New Orleans, who wrote to me to let me know that she won't be able to return to her home for many weeks and ask that her socks be sent to another address, added that she would urge everyone to give what they can to the relief effort for the victims and refugees of Katrina. You can join in with other knitters donating to the Red Cross through the Give a Little project.

On a happier note, remember that fabulous sock yarn I showed you last week that Dorothee sent me from Germany? Well, she's got one more skein of it and is having a contest to decide who to send it to. Go put in your guess!

Now, on to the socks....

Ashley's made some gorgeous blue cabled socks
Sydney's finished her stunning Laila's socks from Knitting in Estonia
Jennipurr reports that her zigzag eyelet lace socks are done and will be appearing soon on her Finished Objects page
Amber's ravishing red anklets are ready to go
Erin has finished her blue Koigu Rib and Cable socks
Em's pink waving lace socks are delightful
Jenn presents us with more lovely waving lace socks (and another 'first day of school' pic - awwwww....)
Cathy's rich green anklets have fun spiral fringe
Linz's pink and yellow socks are a riot!
Watch the lava flow in Amy's socks
After over 21,000 stitches, MA has finished her lilac cabled socks
Mandy's River Rapids socks are beautiful in green Bejeweled yarn
Teresa's Mountain Colors socks look so cozy
Spring's made totally rad anklets in Supermerino (I loves me the Supermerino!)
Cara's koigu ribbed socks match the morning glories in her garden
Kitty Kitty finished her Fixation Broadripples with the help of a little Knitty Gritty
Penny is all finished!
Lee's finished knitting her pal's Trekking socks and has been dyeing some beautiful wool for a fiber festival
Janine made fabulous firecracker socks
Shawna's pink Go with the Flow socks are so pretty
Wakana's Pansies in the Snow are as lovely as their name
Donna sent in a pic of her finished rainbow rippled socks
Hayley has posted a picture of her brown/blue ankle socks
we've finally got a good picture of Shari's red socks
and Diana finally has two Cascading Leaves socks that are made for each other
Blossom finished those gorgeous green Friday Harbor socks
Look at Jody's lilac lorna's laces lovelies!
Allena's richly colored cabled socks were finished on the way to the zoo
and Diane's orange anklets were finished by the sea

Renada has a couple pairs of near-finished socks - which should she send to her pal? go vote!
Christina is almost finished with her second sock
Carla has started over with a new sock pattern, Whitby from Knitting on the Road
Renee (thanks to her LYS's "Yak and Yarn") has nearly finished her blue lace socks
Lori reports that "Lori's Mandatory F___ Around Time" has now passed (her words - too funny!) and she's getting down to the knitty gritty with her socks
Christina has been knitting on her Conwy socks (check out her blog for the photographic evidence!)
Johanna is done with her first Koigu anklet (check out the cool cuff!)
Rebecca has her first Dancing sock well underway
Tonia has put together a fun travelog of her socks' progress and adventures
Annemarie has finished her first lovely lacy sock (and a heavenly hourglass sweater too!)
Lori's first Dublin Bay sock in Lorna's Laces Tuscany colorway is so pretty
Gina's Alpaca Country Girl sock looks soooooo soft
Pauline is just a few toes away from being done with her elegant feather and fan socks
Christine's red ribbed socks look very relaxing
Amy took her purple Socks Soar socks to camp!
Bethany's striped scallops are progressing despite the temptations of a big sweater project
Timothy has a good start on sock number one and is anxiously awaiting his next stats spike (go now!)
and Beth brings us a double update on her little red shell socks and Angela's beautiful blue waving lace socks

Don't know what Joanna's socks for her pal look like, but look at the green anklets she made for her secret pal (with parrot green toes!)
no pictures yet from Nina, but she has plans to make loads of progress on her next trip to the Department of Motor Vehicles!

And one more pair of finished socks for you today.... mine!

The Supermerino was fabulous, knitted up nice and even, as always. I did a short-row heel, but opted for a standard toe. Don't know why, just to be different. I hope they fit my pal. I'm pretty sure she'll like the color though. (Oooh, the hints! Who could it be?)

Remember, just over a week left to finish your socks! I'm still seeing a disturbing amount of blue on that participants list, so please let me know when you're done so I won't worry. Only one more update before we ship! No need to be at the post office on the 15th exactly - anytime between next Tuesday, the 14th, and the following Tuesday, the 20th, would be perfect. In fact, I'll be waiting until we arrive in Germany to send out my pal's socks. (Is that another hint? Hee, hee.)

Thanks so much to all of you who sent updates! It's a good feeling to know that so many of you are already finished or very near to it. Great job, everyone!

Here's your "late" edition of the update (and be sure you caught the big early edition here):

Feet up and done:

Tammy's Shelridge Farms merino scalloped lacy socks have been blocked and blocked some more and are ready
Dorothee's beautiful rich red ribbed socks are all done (I loved this yarn so much, we did a little yarn swap - check out my new yarn below!)
Becci has also finished rich, red ribbed socks
Amanda's purple Lorna's Laces little shell socks are stunning (best wishes to Amanda riding out the hurricane!)
Leanne's socks are the perfect combination of green and yellow, cable and ribs
Sharon's strawberry shortcake socks look positively edible
Tracy's green almost argyles are great (I gotta get that pattern!)
Erin is all done with her silky wool petticoat socks
Kate's orangey/red socks have converted her to short-row heels
Chris' Cherry Tree Hill Nantucket Red cable and ribs are lurvely
Femiknit Mafia's green supermerino anklets are gorgeous
Shannon knit the Friday Harbor socks in space dyed yarn (look, she's got a new blog!)
Marlana's made Flower Power cable and ribs
Cece's Cherry Tree Hill Glitz Heatwave socks are small and sparkly
and Rebecca reports that her Lorna's Laces Icehouse socks are all done

Getting there:

Cathy has the legs done on her lovely Unst lace socks
For Amy, the third time's a charm for finding the right yarn and pattern for her pal
Katie has started her second sock and is boring the garden gnome to death
Jenna's first green lace sock looks at home in the garden
Kelly has finished her first colorwork sock, Vermont, and will be starting New Hampshire next
Em has been keeping her socks secret - only one little black and white pic for us to get excited about
Melissa's green patterned sock looks awesome - she says there may be some ripping though due to sizing issues - you still got time, Melissa; you can do it!
Linda may be distracted, but she's still making progress on her orange Koigu lovelies
Lori's beautiful cable/lace sock is on world tour!
Wanda's lace rib is so pretty
Timothy has done it again: outsmarting the second sock syndrome by knitting the second sock first - clever man!
Anna is working on her second sock (check out her gorgeous green Elfine socks - free pattern!)
and Renee did struggle with second sock syndrome, but is hanging in there (pics coming soon, she says)

And here it is - no not progress on my sock pal socks, I didn't get to that! It's the incredible sock yarn that Dorothee sent me from Germany.

wanna see a close-up?

Each strand is gorgeous and the color combination is really delightful. I can't put this on my feet! I've got to come up with something really special for this stuff! Thanks so much, Dorothee.

This update is so big (and more to the point, it's taking me so long to go through the updates) that it'll be coming in two installments! Here's the early edition....

Finished pals:

Bente's multipatterned socks are a blast! (and check out her shadow knitting project too - wow!)
Rachel's beautiful cashmere chutes and ladders will be a real treat for whoever gets them
Carola's Lopi-style fair-isle socks are totally cool
Nicole's Opal socks have a neat textural pattern to them that really does fun stuff with the self-striping yarn
Jenn's colorful Sock it to Me Harlequin socks are so cheerful
Beate's kool-aid dyed "sweet fruit" socks are simply delicious
Jessie has finished hot pink lace socks in Rowan Calmer for her pal and says they are dreamy
Christine's striped Opal socks are ready for their long trip (hint, hint!)
Hayley's socks are done (no pics yet - perhaps they're shy)
Robin's Cherry Tree Hill Serengeti Broadripples sound incredible (oh Robin, I gotta see a picture of these!)
Suzie has finished her luscious red lace socks
Jessica's white tweedy lace socks are in a German yarn that visited Bali and was knit in Missouri (oooh, very international socks!)
Cass' wild socks answer the question: "what's black and white and red all over?" perfectly!
Jillz Railroad Rib socks in Mystical Creations sock yarn are going to be perfect for her pal
Daniele reports finished Go With the Flow socks in seafoam green Lang Jawoll
Amy's regia ankle socks look divine ;0)
Ellen's striped socks are lovely
Minnie tied-dyed her anklets and they are a riot! (you gotta look at her finished Stegosaurus too!)
Jennifer's stripy socks are done - only her second pair ever! (they're in there - she's been busy!)
and Carla, who is almost done with her Koigu Dublin Bay socks, sent in pics of knitpals' Jodee's Retro Ribs and Lydia's cable rib socks both in stunning Tess sock yarns

Still sockin':

MA is counting the stitches to a finished pair of socks - over 8,000 so far! (you've got to read her last weeks posts of sock drama!)
Joan's socks (she's trying out two different styles) are both breathtakingly beautiful
Amy is working hard on blue striped Lava Flow socks (be sure to check out her fabulous Mariposa tank!)
Lindsay's pink/yellow variegated socks have a fish on them!
Karlie is working on TSS (the second sock) of her beautiful purple/blue Gull Wings socks
Michelle has had some setbacks (she doesn't like to talk about it) but is now on track with a gorgeous Friday Harbor sock in Brown Sheep Naturespun
Deena (who's gone and gotten herself a blog of her own!) is making the pinkest pink socks ever
Beth's stretchy blue lacy socks are almost done
Vicki's green padded footlets look sooo cute (she's unsure about them - so go tell her they look great!)
Nicole reports that she's been knitting and frogging, but making progress - the Vesper sock yarn she's using is awesome though!
Sara was almost finished with alpaca cable & rib socks when her husband spotted them! She's getting more yarn to start new sock pal socks right away. (Look at the great bags she's making now from felted sweaters - incredible!)
Cori is making beautiful blue lace socks for her pal
Mandy's River Rapid socks are so great - perfect colors for the pattern - and should be done very soon
Jennifer writes that her Lorna's Laces "classy slip-up socks,' from the Knit Socks book, are coming along very well, but they are cutting into her Harry Potter reading time (just kidding!)
Lou has dyed her pal's yarn to perfection and is now knitting those gorgeous colors into an incredible pattern
Moze's second purple stripy sock have been travelling and is almost finished!
Emily finished one lovely lace sock before sock tragedy struck
Carrie's first Bernat Hot Sox hot tamale ankle sock is so awesome (I hope she's my pal!)
Sarah, after struggling with pooling issues, is now on track with her third try
and Freecia is apparently a freak - or her yarn is (check it out!)

The camera-shy:

Anna is making up a pattern for her pal (but is keeping it all hush, hush so her pal can't guess, so we'll have to wait until September to find out more)
Lindsay writes that she is working on the Lealt Socks from Vogue Knitting Socks in Lorna's Laces and her husband Lucas is making the Bed Socks from the same book in two shades of alpaca yarn (ooooh, that sounds heavenly, doesn't it?)
Janine says that she's almost done with her socks - she's just finishing the "orange fuzzy cuff" - oooh, that sounds fun
New blogger Tara doesn't have any pics up yet, but says she's working on sock number two
Rebecca reports that one Cherry Tree Hill sock is almost done!
Jen is working (secretly) on Meilenweit Cotton socks and is on the cuff of number two
Felicia reports that she's knitting away on kool-aid dyed socks (this kool-aid dyeing thing is really starting to sound like fun!)
Gaile hasn't had time to post an update, but writes that she's on the heel of her second toe-up sock
Alynda says she has had some heel issues and after four tries has decided on an afterthought heel - love that solution!
Anita writes that she's working on retro ribs in Lorna's Laces
and Amanda is down to the toe on her first sock

These are all the updates I received before the weekend. I didn't do anything on my socks before the weekend, so I got nothing. In fact, if you didn't know that I spent four hours working on this post, you'd think I'm getting lazy! Wink, wink.

Lots of finished socks this week! Gentle hint: tis' the season for finishing your socks.*

Melanie's yummy red Koigu socks are to die for
Amanda's bright and stretchy Broadripples are so fun (check out her awesome newly finished tennis vest too!)
Dawn's been busy finishing her red waving lace socks for her pal and some gorgeous Go with the Flow socks for a friend
Lisa's unique cable and ruffle ankle socks are delightful
Jennifer's finished her incredible purple lace anklets and she's a beginner, folks!!
Jaimi's Koigu anklets look divine (and the lace she's added to her new Soleil tank is so beautiful, you have to see it)
Joanne's made some beautiful blue Toasty Toes Crusoe socks (mmmm.... bluuuuuue....)
Jenny's Koigu sweethearts will be going to her sock pal
Lauren's red cable and lace socks were her first cable project!
Liz knit fabulous purple retro ribs for her pal
Judy's brightly colored Crepe Myrtle socks are named after "the only thing that blooms in the South when the weather's this hot"
Nanette finished her lovely blue ribbed socks and started another stunning pair for herself
Kari's Koigu Kersti socks are alliterative (tee hee)
Regina made her beautiful socks from handspun, home-dyed yarn from - get this! - her own sheep (that is so cool)
Yasmin knit her stunning Go with the Flow socks in Knitpics star gazer lily Sock Garden yarn (for those who are considering giving this yarn a try, she says she really enjoyed it - check out the close-up)
Sharon's done with her Mountain Colors Fishtale Cuff Socks in the Yellowstone colorway (don't you just love that color name?!)
Christine reports finished fixation ankle socks and a second lacy pair underway for her pal
and Aubyn's also finished!

Diana has finished two beautiful Cascading Leaves socks, but they're not quite a pair yet
Jackie's New England sock was lovely but turned out a bit too big and had to be reknit :0(
Wanda is working on her first Clover Lace Rib sock and is loving it!
Jenna is making great progress on her lacy Opal handpaint socks, despite broken needles and dropping stitches in the subway
NYC Mouse is making the funkiest patterned sock ever
Minnie has finished the first of her handspun anklets and is going to dye them when she's done!
Cece's Heatwave socks are back on track in a fabulous Glitz yarn (you gotta click on the close-up!!)
Mary's first Pretty Comfy sock is pretty pretty indeed
Katie is trying to Go with the Flow, but isn't sure about the twists (p.s. - wanna make a felted Cat in the Hat hat? Katie's got the pattern for you!)
Sydney is working on incredible fair-isle socks for her pal - wow!
Leanne is making cabled socks in the most wonderfully wild colorway
Kristi's rainbow mermaid socks are totally kewl
Marie-France is almost done with one sock, after giving up on the first, beaded version (I think they're both great)
and Timothy has done a beautiful job on his short-row heel

Lola reports that she is working on a swatch for her two-color socks-to-be
Orli is up to the toe of her second sock - go, Orli!
Ms. FemiKnit Mafia was wondering exactly when you are supposed to start the heel on a toe-up sock (any rules of thumb from experts out there?)
Alison (not me) writes that she's working on pink diagonal rib socks by Ann Budd

And me? I've got two toes to go and a bit of a yarn problem.

the toe bone's connected to the other toe bone

Well, when I was in NY and got to the toe on the first sock, I was just a wee bit into my second ball of yarn. I didn't want to work the toe, since I didn't have the exact measurements with me. I didn't have my third ball with me either. So I picked up the same ball and started knitting the second sock from the other end. Now I've used up all that yarn and they're connected. Guess I'll have to rip out a few rows somewhere, huh?

* I'd love to hear from those of you who haven't sent in an update yet or are keeping your socks super-dooper top secret and off of your blog. I'm sure you're all knitting away, it's just nice to be reassured of that fact! So, drop me an email if you can, please.

Update-o-rama...

Karen's lovely Dublin Bay socks are all done (go take a peek and read her funny Dear Sock Pal letter!)
Julia's Lacy Scallops socks in Schaefer Anne look so pretty and feminine
Heather's Purple Loosestrife socks have been knitted, washed, and blocked and are ready to go
PJ's Koigu Waving Lace socks were finished on a trip to Maui and back!
Caryn's stripy Broadripples are beautiful (but her recently completed baby blanket steals the show!)
New blogger Suzanne's Holly Spring Homespun cabled socks can lounge in the grass, now that they are all done
Phoebe's Koigu Crusoes are finished too (pics should be posted soon, says Phoebe)
Susan's Cherry Tree Hill wild cherry Go With the Flow socks are so yummy looking (check out the close-up of the lace)
Sara's bright blue lace socks will be even lovelier after a bath and a block (UPDATE: see?!)
Lyme's Regia rainbow ringel socks are all done-za
Barbara's wacky Lorna's Laces pooling socks are awesome
And Shari's cherry red fixation socks are being camera shy (nah, just got an error on the picture - I'm sure Shari will send me another one!)

Diane has finished the first of her Cascading Leaves socks - the deep rich colors are perfect for the pattern!
Amber is making a fun pinky-orange ankle sock with the neatest cuff
Erika has finished a stunninly gorgeous Island Blue butterfly sock
Teresa is knitting a beautiful and simple sock to soothe the soul
Kate has one very cheery sock all done
Liz is starting her second Retro Rib sock (but you must go see her just-finished Flower Basket shawl!)
Regina has been knitting her homespun sock the only way that she can in this heat
Jaimi's Koigu anklets are about as close to being done as socks can get without actually being done
Katie has started over and made the prettiest purple picot edge
Donna's gorgeous lace socks are keeping her humble
Carrie is making lovely, long Koigu socks for her long-footed pal
Amanda has two feet and heels finished - just two cuffs to go and those will be the most elegant socks I've ever seen - they look practially regal to me!
Dorothee is well into her second rich, red, ribbed sock
Kitty Kitty has posted several pics of her first beautiful Broadripple (she's even got a vintage wooden shoe form to try it on for her - how cool is that?!)
Dena's first purple cashmerino sock is looking as beautiful as I'm sure it feels
Christine has finished her first rainbow sock (she's using Wendy's great basic sock pattern)
Sharon has finished her first Strawberry Shortcake sock (you gotta see it, people - scroll down for close-ups of the colors and the pattern)
Linda has been knitting on the road, taking her orangey Koigy socks to the west coast with her
Timothy has (like me!) just gotten started - he's using Opal's cool new Rainforest sock yarn
FemiKnit is about to get started with Artyarns Supermerino in a totally cool green

Sarah has good news and bad news: she's started her tulip lace socks but is having camera woes
Aubyn reports that she's finished the first of her purple mock cable socks and is well into the second
Christine writes that she is knitting, but since she's also been moving, she hasn't been able to post any pictures

And I made HUGE progress on my sock pal's socks during my weekend trip to NYC.

does this count as halfway done?

That's one sock to the toe complete and the second to the heel. I didn't have my pal's exact foot length with me as I got to the toe, so I just put the stitches on a spare scrap of yarn and cast on for sock number two right away. No second sock syndrome here! I love how the colors are coming together. They're so rich and they're not pooling at all. Supermerino goooood.

extreme closeup!

Only one month left to knit, folks!! Just a reminder for everyone who is done, as well as those who will be finishing very soon - remember, we're not sending socks out until mid-September. Got it? DON'T MAIL UNTIL SEPT. 15. (If you've got an international sock pal, send a few days early if you like.) So when you're done, go ahead and make sure you've got a fun postcard from your area to tuck in the package and then hold on to it all until the September deadline, when we can all send them off together. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!

Scarves as of travel time Friday evening:

Three balls of cotton angora knit and I decided it's long enough and bound off. It's twice as long as the longest Lego construction in our house - that's a total of 68 inches acording to the sheep measure.

Two hanks of each color of the cotton stria and the jilly scarf is even longer! The points needed to be blocked out flat though.

On the road to NYC:

there goes that crazy Fung Wah bus

sockapal-2-za sock underway!

Oh my, is it Tuesday again already?! Here you go... another week's worth of socks....

First an update from Sockapalooza One:
Sarah finally received the funnest blue and green socks from her pal (those socks had a looooong way to travel!)

Now for some finished 2-za socks:
Lisa's Opal Rodeo chevron socks (I LOVE stripes in chevrons!)
Diana's gorgeous green Koigu socks
Sarah's pretty pink Maine Island Eyelet socks
Julia's fabulous Vera vine lace socks
Deb's fun lacy, stripy Sockotta socks
Maggi's ravishing red wave socks are done, despite having to be almost entirely frogged a couple of weeks ago! (Be sure to check out her new finished Elspeth shrug.)
Jodee's carribean blue Retro Rib socks are all done and are in need only of a photographer
and some applause please for Becci, who also reported finishing her socks

And the 2-zers still knitting away:
Amysue has finished her first Koigu anklet (sock number two is going on a trip to Cape Cod!)
Carry's pink and purple sock got to take a trip to the ballgame for Stitch 'n Pitch Night (I wanna go!) and then it got to meet and be caressed by the Yarn Harlot
Gaile's first sock is as beautiful as the flowers in her garden
Carola's green Lopi-style fair-isle socks are to-die-for!
Freecia is working on a practice pair of striped Sockotta socks (and the first one is looking great!)
Minnie is making warm, comfy pad-around-the-house socks (Doesn't that sound great? She's not sure, so go tell her how much you'd like a pair of those.)
Emily reports that she's restarted on larger needles and also received a postcard from her pal
Cece has had to put her first sock out of its misery (Very sad, but when it ain't working, what'cha gonna do?! We've all been there.)
Diane and Ingrid met up at a local LYS and knit their sock pal socks together - how fun!
"Moze, you've just turned the heel on your sockapal-2-za sock, where are you going to go now?" -- "I'm going to Disneyworld!"
Sara's sock has survived a dog attack
Renee has finished one sock and is hoping that poetry can inspire her to start the second
Christine has started the second of her rocking, red ribbed socks
Timothy has yarn all picked out. Now he just needs a pattern. Any ideas?
Leanne has begun cable and rib socks in lovely Knitpics sock yarn
Jenny has finished the first of her cashcotton cable and rib socks (isn't it purty?!)
Jaimi has going back to the drawing board to find something worthy of that gorgeous Koigu
Phoebe is almost done with her colorful Crusoe socks
Cathy is practicing all kinds of techniques (she's made a test sock in Cash Iroha - yummmm!)
Medina writes that she'll be making Lacy Arrow patterned socks in Jagger Spun Zephyr, that is, as soon as the yarn arrives!
Purly has started her brilliant blue Go With the Flow socks
Tracy has ditched the double-points and is cruising away on her almost argyles on two circular needles
Lori reports that's she's knitting away on two circs as well, but toe-up and both socks at the same time - she want's 'em done by next week, so she's knitting as fast as she can!
Jennifer has finished sock one in a cool zig-zag pattern
Lola has received her breath-takingly beautiful blue yarn and has great plans for her pal's socks
Anne has finished sock number one - check out this pic for a better picture of the beautiful colors and pattern
Julia has finished the first of her lacy scallops socks in Schaefer Anne
and Amber reports that she has started her socks - she hasn't posted pictures, but she does have a link to a new-to-me Harry Potter Hogwarts house sorter that put me in my favorite house (bonus points to correct guessers!)

Right, about me... would you call this progress?

I wound the yarn. Oh yeah, I'm really on a roll now. Heh, heh. Seriously, I'm hoping that I'll get some good knitting time in this weekend on my trip to NYC. Here's to travel knitting!

Reporting in this week...

Diane has finished her colorful Columbine Peak socks
Reina's all done with her cute pink and purple ankle socks
Lara's finished green anklets are so cute!
Bliss' Sweet Valentine socks are gorgeous
Kathy writes that her green variegated Koigu socks are all ready
Chrissie reports that she finished her variegated miter socks (no pictures yet)
Cara's red acorn socks turned out just as incredible as we expected
Andrea sent in a picture of her beautiful variegated Koigu socks
Lu's funky striped ruffle-edged socks were finished while on vaca in Boston!
Emy's lovely cashcotton Broadripples are an official FO (check out her other recent FO's - love that skinny scarf)
Brenda's pretty purple lace socks are done-za
Gwen's mock cable pumpkin orange socks just make me want to smile
Lisa's finished Candy socks are totally cool
Brynne knitted long and lovely pink cable and rib socks for her pal
And Margene knitted TWO pairs of matching Friday Harbor socks, one for her pal and one for her - what a neat idea!

PJ's Waving Lace socks in Koigu were reportedly begun on the island of Maui (note to travellers from PJ: "Socks will return toeless due to lack of imagination on the part of airport security. I mean, what do they think I plan to do with a darning needle?!")
Tracy has started again on a new diamond pattern in KnitPics sock yarn
Phoebe's Crusoe sock is well underway (check out her finished Fixation anklets!)
Sara is almost done with her first pretty blue/green patterned sock
Diane has a good start on a sock in Fixation - only problem, there's purple in it!
Jillz's first sock is bigger than her dog!
Jenn's first sock is so lovely - the back is just as pretty (and read about her adventures in Meg Swanson's Knitting Camp)
Lisa is almost done with her two-color cable anklets
Finally, Angela's "Landlocked" pattern is revealed!
Bente's socks are totally wild
Bethany's first multiringel mini-shell sock is finished
Laurie's mermaid socks are coming along swimmingly (sorry, couldn't resist that one)
Sara is making her way beautifully through her Yukon Leaves socks
Teresa (fellow lover of blue) has started her blue Broadripples
Tammy's scallop sock has been enjoying some time in the pool
Joanne has finished her first Toasty Toes Crusoe sock (loving those colors!)
Alison reknit her first sock in a day!
Cynthia has been knitting on her Crusoe sock and doing some fun dyeing as well
Dorothee has finished her first sock (you know, when the yarn is that pretty, you don't need a fancy pattern)
Lisa has started an orange cable sock (you have got to see her latest knitting pics!)
Blossom has finished one beautiful green Friday Harbor sock
Chris is trying out cables for the first time and they look terrific
And Orli reports that she has finished one sock (no pictures yet, but check out all the postcards her sock pal has been sending her!)

Wanda (the Cotton Ease queen!) has chosen her yarn: Jawoll in pink and green
Now that it's August, Leanne should be just about ready to start the cable socks she has planned
Christine will be using rainbow Opal sock yarn
Lola has big plans for Road to Oslo socks in Blackberry Ridge yarn
Gina's fabulous (and I mean, faaabuulous - can you see me drooling?) sockapal-yarn-za is all ready
Anna has chosen a most lovely Koigu colorway for her pal
And Jenn wants her sock pal to know that she's a little stressed, that and socks suck

Thanks for all the updates, folks! Now, if only one of you could help me get started knitting the socks for my pal. Better start soon, before I become the prime sockapal-loser.

An alphabetical update!

Beginners first:

Alison has started her first socks (check out her newly finished Stitch 'n Bitch hoodie!)
Allena didn't finish her Kool Aid dyed cabled socks, but she did finish an incredible outfit for her daughter
Anita has started her Sprite-colored pom squad socks
Cara's red lace socks are simply stunning
Carry's socks have just begun
Cathy has finished a fun green test sock
Christine has made the most adorable pair of ankle socks (not sure if they're for her pal or not)
Christine has one Fluted Banister sock finished
Cynthia is making progress on her beautiful blue sock, despite kitty attacks
Erin didn't knit the socks she's wearing, but aren't they the coolest EVER?!
Gina's blue cashmerino socks are looking great
Heather's jungle sock heels (from many angles)
Jenn told her sock to 'go take a hike'
Karen's incredible brown/pink patterned socks are finished!
Kate has magic looped a beautiful heel for her funky stripe sock
Lisa's lace cuff anklets are so cute
Minnie has handspun the yarn for her pal
Phoebe's oh so lovely Crusoe has had to be frogged for being way too small
Spring is making socks with Supermerino (swoon)

And now the old-timers:

Alexandra just started her socks in Meilenweit Cotton
Amanda will be using Kroy sock yarn in blue (my very first sock swap socks were made with this yarn!)
Amy has started garter stitch cuff and heel socks (love those colors)
Anne's cable and rib socks are looking good - and no pooling!
Barbara's socks are wonderfully wild
Beth's wavy lace sock looks just like in the magazine!
Bethany has begun a lovely feather and fan sock
Blossom is turning the first heel (come on Dora lovers: "She's turning the heel; she's turning the heeeeel!")
Brenda's first lacy sock enjoyed a trip to the North Island
Brynne has finished a pretty pink cable and rib sock
Cara got a picture of her sock in progress with none other than the Yarn Harlot
Carla would love to ask her pal which of the socks she's started her pal would most like
Carolyn's beautiful cabled ankle socks are finished!
Cass started her pair of socks, but wasn't sure if she shouldn't be making two pairs instead

(take a break, get up and walk around, stretch your legs...)

Dawn's first sock is "making waves"
Deb has finished her first sock (check out the bathing suite she just made!)
Diana is trying out picot hems for her Koigu socks
Elizabeth has finished one basic cable sock (with a perfec short-row heel!)
Erica's sophisticated green striped cabled socks are all done!
Gaile has come up with a beautiful eyelet pattern for her socks (seen here visiting the garden)
Gracie has begun waffle socks for her pal
Ingrid will be making Summer Garden socks, designed by her mom (and fellow sockapal-2-zer), "the Knitter"!
Jenn is working on gorgeous lace anklets for her pal
Jenny's making a mermaid sock (love that pattern!)
Joan's first side-to-side sock is done, but not seamed yet - you gotta look: it will blow your mind!
Joanne is cruising along on her submarine colored Crusoe
Jody's first waving lace sock is almost too nice to give away
Julia is in love with her first Vera vine lace sock
Julia's cashmere Latvian Lace socks are finished and they are to die for!

(anyone else have to pee? go now!)

Karen had just enough yarn to finish her first sock
Karen's pretty, pretty pink butterfly socks are the second pair she's finished for her pal!
Karlie has started Gull wings socks
Kim's Mai Tai Palm Tree socks are done and enjoying the New Jersey shore
Laurie has posted progress of her red mermaid socks on her new blog!
Linda finished her first sock (look at that perfect toe!)
Lindsay's pink, pooling, lacy socks are amazing
Lisa is up to the heel of her second Candy sock
Mac's handsome grey handspun socks are all finished!
Marti is making green Celtic socks
Mei has started pretty orange eyelet socks
Melanie's Socks that Rock socks turned out to be different colors
Michele has finished one cutie patootie green and purple ankle sock
Nicole's Broadripples are going to fit!
Purly is going with the flow

(time for that snack bar you've got tucked away...)

Rachel's cotton striped socks are, like totally, my new favorite socks (must. buy. that. yarn.)
Rebekkah's Opal Handpaints are "insane"ly beautiful and all done!
Renada is reknitting the foot of her poor Black Water Abbey sock after an unfortunate scissors incident
Samantha's richly colored rib and eyelet socks are done!
Sarah's striped socks visited the Bridge of America in Panama
Sarah will be making the Main Eyelet socks, but you won't be interested in socks anymore once you see her fab-u-lous wedding garter pattern
Stacey has made the prettiest little picot edge to start her socks
Tammy has discovered the magic of turning the heel (PS: dogs + yarn = well, you do the math)
Teresa has just barely started her Mountain Colors Bearfoot socks
Uli's subtle wavy rib socks are all done!

It is so incredible to see all these socks being made. But can I say that after that update, I can't possibly look at another sock for another couple of days. Seriously, I think I'm going blind from all this blog reading! I'm knitting with my eyes closed tonight.

Well, I got what I deserve. Silly me, telling you all to send me your updates - my inbox was overflowing!

No seriously, thank you for keeping me updated. It's made keeping up with you all much more manageable. Here you go, all the updates you could possibly take in one post. Well, maybe more than you can take: read some, come back tomorrow and read some more. They'll still be here!

Finito(e)s:

Kristel's Tiger Eyes socks (she's going to make another pair for herself too!)
Jessica's blue Whitby socks
Barbara's perfectly pink petticoats
Elizabeth's simply sociable socks
Debi's beaded yellow sunshine socks
Jody's Over the Rainbow dream socks
Bonnie's so-called "cooked shrimp" purl lace socks (adapted from the pattern in the Socks Socks Socks book)

Working toes:

Blossom's deep green Friday Harbor sock is stunning
Karen's first incredible patterned sock is done (you GOTTA see!)
Ashley has finished one VERY LONG sock for her pal
Janine made progress on her first tigery orange sock, but had to rip it
Sara is working on lovely vine patterned socks (she's a bit further along now)
Cori is working on the legs of her gorgeous lace socks
Tammy has begun some lacy scallop socks
Michele has made several starts
Gina's ribbing away on her blackberry broken ribs
Poor Phoebe has had to rip out her Crusoe socks
Cynthia is making Crusoe socks like you've never seen before (check out the close up here)
Nina's begun Knitpics geranium toe-ups (check out her almost finished Pasha penguin!)
Emily has started Unst socks from Knitting on the Road in the most beautiful color
Gwen has one orangey Trekking sock done
Erin finished the first of her pink petticoats
Gina has two little blue toes begun
Katie started Debbie Bliss' simple cable socks (so wish these were for me*, but she's in the beginners group!)
Carrie's been knitting her socks poolside
Maggi finished one cabled sock, despite packing half her house into a POD
Christine has finished her first sock (check out her daughter's first knitting project too!)
Kira's up to the heel on her first sockpal sock (only her second pair ever!)
Samantha started her sock pal's sock, ripped it out, changed the yarn a bit and has finished the first one already!
Ina's Green Mountain Madness ribbed socks are well underway
Dorothee has turned the heel on her first sock in a pretty, pretty fushcia and gold yarn
Mac is almost done with the first Touch of Grey sock (I think she spun the yarn herself!)
Lu has purple and green happy socks on the needles
Lisa has started chevron socks in Opal rodeo
Brenda's first purple Cloverleaf sock is done
Rebekkah is almost done with her pink ribbed socks
Johanna has begun some Koigu bobble socks
Cece is making see saw socks (that's fun to say!)
Shawna has finished one Go With the Flow sock
Barbara is still struggling with the pooling and striping of her Lornas Laces Rainbow socks
Tiffany's cat may not be impressed, but her first sock is progressing well
Stephanie is making some wonderful Retro Ribs, but isn't sure that she shouldn't rather use some Lorna's Laces for her pal

Ready to(e) gos:

Amanda has bought the most wonderful rich berry colored Lorna's Laces for her sock pal
Stephanie has also chosen Lorna's Laces and will be making Retro Ribs - hooray!
Katie has collected Lorna's Laces in a variety of colors, but isn't telling yet how exactly she'll be using them
New blogger Julia will be making Vine Lace socks in - you guessed it - Lorna's Laces (she's using one of my favorite colorways, Vera)
Mary is going with Nancy Bush's New England socks in - now, you might want to sit down for this - Koigu. What a rebel!
And Lola is considering Blackberry Ridge yarns. What is this update coming to? (Hee, hee!)

No toes pictured:

Diane , who's just started a new blog, is working on Columbine Peaks socks from Socks Soar on Circular Needles (you HAVE to go see all the projects she's posted to start off her new blog!)
Gailie is designing lacy cable socks for her pal
Minnie reports she'll be using my ankle sock pattern for her pal
Aubyn has begun purple Trekking socks in a mock cable pattern
Tara is using a stranded pattern and Kroy sock yarn for her pal
Ellen writes that she's finished the first of her Angel's Rest socks (Fiber Trends pattern - it's the blue/green one, I think)
And Jenny reports that she's gotten her yarn from Jimmy Beans Wool and will be making basic cable socks

Jenny, we must be on the same wavelength, because instead of starting my sock pal's socks, I've been dreaming of alison's basic cabled socks and ordered some yarn from Jimmy Beans for socks for my two tech guys who helped put the sockapal-2-za together.

* I have totally forgotten who is making socks for me! After the computer matched everyone up randomly and I printed out my master list, I remember noting that my sock pal had a blog and thinking to myself that I should try real hard not to peek. But now I've read SO many sockapal-2-za posts and emails that I have NO IDEA anymore who it was. I'm not looking either! So pal, feel free to post away. I'll never guess!

I spent all my Sockapal-2-za blog reading time last week finishing those 57,000 stitches on the Harry Potter scarf! So this week's update includes only those updates that you all alerted me to.* If you've also made some progress, let us know about it in the comments!

First up, as always, more finished socks!
Siri's Mountain Colors Open Rib socks
Tania's hot pink cable socks - ooooh, Cashsoft, yuuuum
Janell's beautiful blue cable and rib socks
Kathy's Opal handpaint socks in her own original pattern

Followed by some sock pals hard at work:
Cara has started some exquisite socks using Evelyn Clark's Acorn Socks pattern
Ashley's periwinkle Lorna's Laces socks are underway (she's also posted a wrapped short-row tutorial for those who are looking for a little help with that technique - check it out!)
Joy is working on lace socks in Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino
Emy has her first CashCotton Broadripple sock halfway done
Jen is past the heel on the Koigu socks for her pal (looks like she's doing both together on circular needles!)
Susanne is also doing both of her wavy patterned socks at the same time
Linda has added a heel in Lorna's Laces to her pal's Koigu sock
Krista finished the first of her basket-weave cuffed socks (in super fab red and black!)
Kathy's side-to-side sock is really starting to look sockish - you've got to see it!
Jenn's Waving Lace socks have started waving
Beth has started some beautiful lace socks for her pal
Dorothee has begun her sock in some spectacularly colored yarn
Sarah has one fabulous ankle sock all done
Alison has sent in a photo of the pattern and yarn she's chosen (pretty pink!)
Tracy has one false start behind her and is ready to get started again
Carola picked up her sock yarn on her recent trip to Berlin
Di is looking for some help deciding between some wonderful choices
Margene, who has been knitting some amazing non-sockapal-2-za socks, promises an update today!

And finally - get your imaginations ready - pictureless pals' progress:
beginner Leslie is all finished!
Jacky's all done too!
Tonia reports that she's almost to the heel of her first sock using a pattern from Socks Socks Socks and Lorna's Laces
Angela writes that she'll be knitting "Landlocked Socks" (wonder what those will look like!)
Nina reports that she's finished one sock already in Knitpics merino
Phoebe will be making Crusoe in Diaketto yarn!
Orli is being very secretive, but says that she's started her socks with yarn from Elann

*The moral of this story: send me an email with your sock progress and you're sure to be in the next week's post!

Sockapal-2-za updates coming right up!

More finished socks:

Ada's simply lovely white, lace socks
Andrea's super striped crochet socks
Karen's pretty purple striped socks (these are the first of TWO pairs she's making for her pal!)
Katherine's fun pooling socks, practically her first pair and knitted up lickety-split! I think we've got a new sock obssessed knitter here.

In progress:

Lisa is making super cool socks with ArtYarns cotton/elastic yarn, Candy. They're so neat!
Karen's amazing patterned socks
Laurie has started some gorgeous mermaid socks in Blue Moon Fiber Arts sock yarn
Kristel is making the most incredible "Tiger Eyes" socks
Kim (scroll down to June 26) has begun her MaiTai socks in hand-dyed merino. Check out the fun palm tree design she added to the socks!
Reina has finished her first ankle sock for her pal
Barbara is making the most beautiful socks with Lorna's Laces. You've got to see the gorgeous pictures she took of the sock in progress.
Krista is making a neat basket-weave pattern for the cuff of her socks
Nicole is almost done with the first of her Koigu Broadripples
Bliss' first beautiful lace heart sock is already blocking
Tania has turned the heel on both of her socks
Cori just started her Regia stretch "go with the flow" socks
Grumperina's sock experiment continues with a little sock surgery
Amanda is making striped fixation Broadripples - so fun!
Rebekkah has finished one lovely red variegated sock
Jenn has started her lovely Waving Lace Socks
Beth has begun Mountain Colors Retro Rib socks. So glad to see that there will be Retro Ribs again this time around!
Christine is turning the heel on her Koigu cable sock
Janell has finished her first "purple in the sky" cable and rib sock
MA has started her toe-up Koigu socks
Purly has frogged her beautiful lace sock
Kathy has solved her pooling problem and is knitting her socks from side-to-side!
Shawna has gone red, white, and blue with her Bastille Day socks

Planning pals:

Lee is rushing to finish other socks and get on to the sockapalooza!
Nathalie is practicing her toe-up techniques
Timothy is also practicing a new technique: to avoid second sock syndrome, knit second sock first!
Jen is going to make "Ellen's Stockings" from Folk Knitting in Estonia
Samantha has chosen Mexican colors for her "Follow the Trails" sock
Jody has two beautiful socks and yarns to pick from
Jaimi is going to 'go with the flow' with some fabulous Koigu
Lyme is trying to choose between to different cotton yarns
Keri has settled on some bright jewel toned Lorna's for her pal's socks
Emy is going with Rowan's Cashcotton - yum
Joan is contemplating some very unique socks for her pal
Gwen is going with some pumpkin-colored Trekking yarn
Liz found some great Cherry Tree Hill yarn for her pal
Lou is looking for help deciding which yarn to use for her sock pal's socks. Visit her site and leave your opinion - you might just be the pal she's making the socks for!
Sharon reports that she'll be using Mountain Colors yarn in the color Yellowstone and a vintage pattern from 1944. Can't wait to see a finished picture, Sharon!
Oh, and there is some serious sock yarn porn over on Donna's site. Check it out!

See ya next week with more Sockapal-2-za progress. Keep on sockin', everyone!

BIG sockapal-2-za update today!

First, there's two more pairs of finished Sockapal-2-za socks:

Annie's fun multicolored socks
Illana's incredible hand-dyed orange socks

Already underway are:

Bliss' red lace socks
Jessica's blue Whitby
Melanie's Koigu lovelies
Janine's fur-trimmed orange firecracker socks
Siri's open twisted rib socks on vacation (you can see the pattern better here)
Penny's fabulously aqua socks
Alexandra's lacy Meilenweits
Ada's beautiful white lace socks
Rebekkah's spinning socks (look at the fair-isle she's working on!)
Heather's Jungle Stripe, aka Loosestrife, socks
Tania's hot pink Chutes and Ladder socks
Tiffany's up to the heels!
Katherine's Regia sock is pooling! (see the finished first sock here)
Linda's orangey socks
Karen's beautiful Dublin Bay socks
Julia's first lace sock
Amysue's Koigu ankle socks

Planning away are:

Cathy has a ton of yarn to choose from
Johanna has got her Koigu all ready
Liz has luscious hand-dyed yarn from Holly Spring Homespun
Linz is considering a Pretty Petals design
Niter has dyed some yarn, in get this, the colors of Sprite, for her sock pal - too cool!
Blossom is going with the Friday Harbor Sock from Knitting on the Road
Kathy searching for the perfect pattern for her Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn
Nanette has found the most wonderful looking yarn from Blue Moon Fiber Arts (seriously, you have to see it!)
Michelle is going cotton (check out the Regia Surf socks she just finished!)
Christine has gone back to the drawing board with her beautiful red Koigu
Diana made a try with antifreeze green Koigu
Allena is trying to decide between several beautiful shades of Knitpics Sock yarn (check out her pictures of Prague too!)
Ina is thinking about some Cherry Tree Hill Green Mountain Madness (ooh, that's a great name, isn't it!)
Carolyn has been practicing socks by making my ankle socks while waiting for some Meilenweit to arrive
Renee has put together a little list of sock suggestions
AND Femiknit Mafia is squeezing in practice sock knitting time whenever she can. I love it!

This weekend at the store, I spotted fellow Sockapal-2-zers Karen, Grumperina and Paula scoping out the sock yarns. Go see what they got! And while I was working I was on the hunt for the perfect red sock yarn and managed to find this gorgeous yarn for my pal: Artyarns Supermerino in the most fabulous reds and purples.

finally, a good picture
man it's hard to photograph reds!

And the sockapal-2-za begins. Let the updates roll! We're seven days in and I've barely managed to subscribe to your blogs on Bloglines. If you have a blog but not an RSS feed, be sure that you let me know when you've got a sock update, so I won't miss it! And even if you do, it would help if you let me know.

Okay, don't freak out, but Angela is already done with her lovely blue/green variegated socks in a "summery lace" pattern. (You can see the colors better and get a link to the pattern in this post.) Our first finished sock pal socks - unbelievable!

Elsewhere, Grumperina has been hard at work experimenting with some lovely variegated yarn. (And by George, I think she's finally got it!) Bliss is terribly excited about the red, lace socks she making for her pal. Debi has started some sunny socks for her pal. Jillz has started some fun, stripey socks. Andrea has sent in a picture of the fabulous Koigu socks she's begun. Linda has also started a Koigu sock for her pal. And Karen too is going the Koigu route. Illana has started her socks in hand-dyed merino. And one of the Jennifers promises there will be a sock update on her blog today! (PS - There are so many Jennifers in the Sockapal-2-za that she's making a Jennifer Blog Ring. Isn't that cool?!)

In the preparation stages are: Tiffany, who has handpainted yarn for her pal. Tania, who has decided that her pal would like socks in hot pink Cashsoft. Wowza! Anna, who is considering some lovely Lorna's Laces and Knitty's Tangled Garden sock pattern. Mini, who chose some very bright Lorna's Laces (check out her newly finished top too!). Annemarie, who will be making socks out of Patons Grace (neat idea!). Arian, who has picked out some fiery-colored Meilenweit. Rebekkah, who has chosen beautiful Opal handpainted. Carrie, who is going with Koigu (mmmm.... more..... koiguuuuu.....). Mandy, who's considering some pretty pretty No No Kitty yarn for her sock pal. Purly Whites, who even had a little survey to decide what yarn to use. And Jenny, who has posted a list of her preferences on her blog to help her pal make the perfect socks for her! This is so cool to see everyone trying out all these fabulous sock yarns.

And I'm thinking of red socks. Really, Red Sox red socks (like in their logo). How 'bout that?!

Hey, for all of you who said you'd be open to getting some crocheted socks, check out all these awesome socks that Andrea, one of our crocheters, has made.

Okay, last chance! For those of you who missed the sign-ups last week, I've reopened everything. The sign-up page is up again right here (link removed).

- - - - - - -

One more time, here's the info you'll need to enter:

- 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)
- GROUP INFO: do you want to be in the beginner group? are you willing to ship overseas?
- FOOT AND SOCK INFO: foot measurement from heel to tip of big toe AND foot circumference measured at the ball of the foot as in the image below, plus any other measurements or info that your pal needs to make socks fit your feet

from Priscilla Gibson-Roberts' dream sock pattern

Also include any of the following sock details that are important to you:
fiber preferences - got allergies? prefer summer socks?
color preferences - solids/variegated colors? specific colors you hate?
design preferences - do you like crazy socks? lacy socks? prefer calf length/ankle length?

Include whatever you think your pal should know. If you're up for anything, just say that and your pal can have fun with your socks!

- - - - - - -

If you get the "thanks for participating" page after you submit your info, then you're all set. Next week I should be sending out emails to the whole group.

UPDATE: After reopening the sign-ups for two extra days, we've now got over 350 participants! Sign-ups are now definitely closed. The list of participants and sock pal matches should be coming next week. Can't wait!

Sockapal-two-za survey!

A lot of people have contacted me saying how sad they were to have missed the sign-up last week. So how many people are out there who really wanted to join but missed it? Let's have a show of hands.

With this automated system, I should be able to handle the organization end of adding a few more participants, but I'm worried that once we get over 300 sockers, there'll be a lot bigger chance that some people will flake and some pals will be forgotten. If I open up the sign-ups again, you'll have to promise to come through for your pal.

I'll update this post with new info if/when I reopen the signups. Keep your browsers open and Bloglines notifiers on!

UPDATE: I hope you all snuck in over the last two days, cause with over 350 participants, I gotta close it down now. I can't wait to get started and see all the fabulous socks you all are going to make!

Ready... Read yesterday's post again for all the details on the info you need to submit.

Set... Get out your notes, double-check your foot measurement, rethink those favorite colors.

Go... Click on over to the sign-up page here [link removed], type in your info and you're in! Leave any important notes for me in the "Comments" box (like if you'll be moving soon and will send another address later or you'd really like a Canadian sock pal or whatever). If you have any problems with the system, send me an email and let me know.

I think I'll cap this round at about 200 people. I'll let you know in the comments here if/when we're getting close to that number. Feel free to ask technical questions in the comments as well. We can use them as a little Sockapalooza FAQ. So if you've got questions, read the post from yesterday and glance through the comments here and if you don't see your question, ask away!

Woohoo!

UPDATE: 1:00pm and we've already got over 100 people signed up. Get your info in if you want to join us!

UPDATE: 4:00pm and there are almost 170 people signed up. Still some spots left!

UPDATE: 6:20pm and it's getting down to the wire. Just a little more time for some of you to get home from work, measure your feet and sign-up!

UPDATE: 9:30pm, we're past 200, but I'm not shutting down just yet. If you want in, sign-up now!

UPDATE: Midnight and I'm shutting down the sign-ups. We've got a huge group! This is going to be GREAT!

UPDATE: With the sudden death of my hard drive, I'm stuck working on getting my laptop up and running again instead of progressing with Sockapal-2-za organization. This means that it will be a few days before I get to adding any corrections that you might have sent me to your info. I will send you an email when I have corrected your info. Thanks for understanding!

Alright, hopeful sockapal-2-zers, this is your 24 hour warning! Get your foot measurements and sock preferences together and get ready to sign up. My tech guys (hubby and my master webmaster) are hard at work getting an automated sign-up system all set up. Tomorrow, I'll tell you where to go to sign-up and you'll need to have all your info ready to enter. Here's what I'll need:

- 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)
- GROUP INFO: do you want to be in the beginner group? are you willing to ship overseas?
- FOOT AND SOCK INFO: foot measurement from heel to tip of big toe AND foot circumference measured at the ball of the foot as in the image below, plus any other measurements or info that your pal needs to make socks fit your feet

from Priscilla Gibson-Roberts' dream sock pattern

Also include any of the following sock details that are important to you:
fiber preferences - got allergies? prefer summer socks?
color preferences - solids/variegated colors? specific colors you hate?
design preferences - do you like crazy socks? lacy socks? prefer calf length/ankle length?

Include whatever you think your pal should know. If you're up for anything, just say that and your pal can have fun with your socks!

Got it? See you tomorrow then!

- - - - - - - - - - -

Anyone new to the Sockapalooza, here's some info to catch you up on what it's all about. I'll collect names, addresses, and sock preferences from lots of people (probably about 200). Then, I'll assign each person another person to knit a pair of socks for. So someone will be given your info and will knit a pair of socks for you and you'll be given someone else's info and be knitting socks for them, the person you're knitting for will be knitting socks for another person, and so on, and so on..... We'll all start knitting around mid-June and will send our socks out mid-September, that way everyone should receive their socks around the same time. And remember, it's a secret! Don't tell your sock pal you are knitting for them! It'll be much more fun if it remains a surprise.

[Added: Oh, and there are two groups, a beginners group and a non-beginners group. If you've successfully made socks before, you're not a beginner. Beginners are those who really haven't made socks before. I really wanted beginners to be able to participate too, but to be fair, I think it's best for them to swap their "first try" socks with each other. I think most of the beginners in the last round had a blast learning how to knit socks and receiving a pair from a pal who also just learned. So if sock knitting is new to you but you really want to give it a try, join us!]

Got it? See you tomorrow then too!