Fiber Arts Friday: Sock Madness 2023

I learned about Sock Madness over the summer.  If I remember correctly, they fielded a team for the Tour de Fleece and I thought the idea was interesting.  So I joined their Ravelry Group in June 2022 to make sure I remembered to learn more about the event later.

Toward the end of September (2022), I saw that a new thread was started for the upcoming Tournament.  So I spent time reading the rules and looking at older sock patterns.

As far as I can tell, it's a Single-Elimination Tournament that begins with a Qualifying Round.

Registration is Feb 1-14, with the Qualifying Round beginning soon after..... 1 pair of socks within ~2 weeks, to prove you can compete.  I see this as very much like the qualifying run before the Pikes Peak Marathon... you must prove a minimum level of fitness in order to compete in the actual event.

Then the tournament runs between March and typically May.

Each round has a shorter list of advancing players, which is filled in the order of successful completion of the previous round.  So it's a race.... a speed-knitting race... or essentially how Track and Field Sprint Competitions are run.... The player must place in the top X of their Heat, in order to advance to the next round, ending with the top Y players for the final race.

In reviewing the 2022 Information Thread, I learned the durations of each round:  

• Round 1 - 10 days
• Round 2 - 17 days
• Round 3 - 15 days
• Round 4 - 14 days
• Round 5 - 8 days
• Round 6 - 4 days
• Round 7 - 1 day

Each of these could be up to 2 days shorter since the announcement message always says the round will start within the next 48 hours... yikes!

It appears that the Ravelry Thread Announcement gives the general specifications and a heads-up that the next round is starting soon.  Then the detailed instructions, requirements, and pattern are sent via email.  So it appears the players do not know the exact requirements until the round is underway.

At least one of last event's patterns also includes beads.  I do not have beads in stock nor have I attempted to knit with beads before.

Also, I've not recorded actual time spent making a pair of socks.  However, I am roughly keeping track on my Clown Fish Socks (that I have not yet posted about).  I currently expect one pair of socks to take ~48 hours of work to make... or ~3 hours per day for 16 days.

This means that I would need to have a lot of time available at the start of each round, in order to have a shot at progressing very far in the competition.  I also think it would be difficult to spend that much time each day while having (1) a full-time day job, along with (2) the farm, (3) in the spring.  So I'm not certain I will enroll in this challenge this year, but I have started organizing my sock yarns and tools, in case I decide to go for it.

In thinking about how to streamline.... standardizing on a yarn and needle size or at least swatching each yarn now would mean my gauge is known ahead of time.  This means ensuring I have a selection of main, contrasting, and complimentary yarns in stock prior to the start of the Tournament... and that each are caked, swatched, and ready to go... As you can see, I'm definitely not there yet. lol.

This also means having needles and appropriate-sized stitch holders to make two socks at a time.  Therefore this means 4 16-inch circular needles in the appropriate sizes needed for the selected yarn, beads, and sock blockers to show off the finished product.  Not all of which are currently in possession.

This competition seems like a lot of fun, and I really don't think I have the time available to do it well this year... but sometimes my goal-setting self gets the best of me.  I have a couple of weeks to decide.  ;-)

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Things That Work: Feedbag String

I use Feedbag string for a lot of things... 

Most notably, for lifelines in my knitting work.

I use it for heddles on my Inkle Loom and as "Weavers' Duct Tape" when dressing my Jack Looms.

It's a simple cotton string, that since I have livestock, I have a continual supply of feedbags and the string that keeps them shut.

I always prefer to find re-uses for things that are intended to be single-use and Feedbag String fits that need.

Fiber Arts Friday: Packing Up Again

Now that we've been living in our new place for a year, we have been getting ready for a remodel.

The kitchen will be gutted, the laundry room modified slightly, and all of the flooring replaced, except the bathrooms which will be updated at a later time.

We have secured temporary housing nearby so the animals are all staying put and we will be checking on them constantly.

This also means that I have a new Box of Incomplete and Queueing Projects... Most of these are in the planning stage, rather than the in-work but stalled stage.  So that's good.  :-)

While this bin is larger than the last one, it also includes all of the mending projects I have queued as well as materials for a large weaving project.  Including this half-measured warp that has been returned to it's spool.

I am leaving this table loom project as is.  I think there is still a chance to repair it... once I have several hours of quiet time and brain space available.  ;-)

My wheels, other looms, and all of my books have also been packed away.

It was nice having a mostly organized studio/office for a while.  I love my space and plan to arrange it a bit differently when we move back in.  Honestly, I am so excited about our remodel project, that I am willing to tolerate being in transition for a few more months.

I have been trying to keep the total in-work number closer to two or three and the queue at one or two... Especially since two of these are sweaters.  ;-)

Happy Fiber Arts Friday... and Happy New Year!

Fiber Arts Friday: Save Our Sheep Sweater, part 14

Since last time (early October), I reached 25 rows for each portion of the Hog Island Breed Band.

I put both sleeves on stitch holders and cut a couple of the life lines to allow for a better fit check.... at this point, the body is ready to begin the final section.

The final section is supposed to be about 3-inches long, after 4 rows of Navajo Lines... which means I did not have enough Hog Island available to complete the Navajo Lines.  Therefore I spent some time considering the end in context of my available yarns.

After contemplation, I added 2 rows of Jacob-American, before beginning the final Navajo Line section, since I didn't like the idea of starting it on a color change.

Then did the final section in Jacob-American, with the last two rows and bind-off in Black Welsh Mountain.

Binding off took a few sessions, since the deep black yarn is hard to read and my needles are quite slippery.

I did the bind-off using the Simple Stretchy Bind Off demonstrated in this video.

Remaining now are to finish out both Sleeves, make the Button Band, Kitchener the armpits closed, and weave in the ends. Getting Closer each day.  :-)

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Alpacamundo Monday: Farm Improvements, Gutters

Last winter I talked about getting a pair of cleats to help with the ice that builds up on the sidewalk adjacent to the dog kennel and yard.

Once the glass house was removed and the exterior painted, we engaged the gutter supplier.  Our intent was to have the new gutters installed on the house and large out building prior to the snow falling, but scheduling was challenging.  I guess everyone wanted new gutters this year.  ;-)

This is the result of ~3 inches of snow melting on the roof, then running onto the sidewalk and re-freezing...

The install finally happened in mid-December 2022.  We've been through a couple of snow melts now and I'm happy to say there is no water running on our heads as we walk thru doorways, nor is snow falling, melting, and re-freezing on the sidewalks.

I'm so happy!

Fiber Arts Friday: New Normal Socks, part 6

Now that the tubes are done, it's time to make the Inserted Heel.

So I picked up the stitches at the two lifelines I left in place previously, and removed the scrap pink yarn.

After following the instructions for the alternative SSK in the second video I shared  in Part 2 and Kitchener'ed the heels closed... I now have my first-ever pair of Inserted/Peasant Heels.

I love how they turned out!

At this point, I have gone from six, to five, to four, to now three active projects, which is a much better number. ;-)

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Wrapping Up 2022

I'm generally not one for year-end wrap-ups, but so much has happened and been accomplished this year, that I'm feeling a strong urge to document some of it in one place.

In 2022:

• We moved the last of our animals from the old farm to the new farm.
• We finished significant improvements to the old farm and sold it.
• We completed a few significant improvements to the new farm
• Removed the eyesore glass "sun" room
• Painted all of the exteriors and repaired some previously unknown damage
• Removed the large dead and mostly-dead trees
• Had a termite inspection, with favorable results
• Improved access to the Alpaca Barn
• Continued to find and dispose of trash left by the former owners
• Replaced the gutters
• Began showing dogs again, after losing Ramen unexpectedly at the end of last year
• Worked thru Wilma not wanting judges to touch her in the ring
• Had an actual vacation and attended the AKC National Championship for the first time
• Achieved a couple of significant milestones at the Day Job
• Dispositioned, Frogged, and Completed a large, long-lived Box of Unfinished Knitting and Crochet Projects.
• Made Strawberry Jam after years of Hubba asking
• Hubba and I celebrated 25 years of marriage
• Attended the presentation ceremony for the Katharine Wright Trophy to a dear friend.
• Doing much better about having regular rest and boundaries
• We added beef to our list of foods that are only hunted or purchased directly from the source.  Thereby decreasing our carbon/plastic consumption just a little bit more.
• Took fiber classes for the first time since I learned to spin and weave in 2007/2008.

I generally also don't make New Year's Resolutions, because I'm extremely goal oriented so I am adding and revising goals all of the time.  There are several things I want to achieve in the coming years and I feel we have momentum on some of them.

Happy New Year.  Be safe.  Have fun.