Travelling Sock

Travelling Sock
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

This is the start of sock #2 from the STR (Socks That Rock) wool from Blue Moon Fiber Arts' Rockin' Sock Club. I took it to the Fashion Institute of Technology to see Stephanie Pearl-McPhee give a talk at the launch of her new book Stephanie Pearl-McPhee Casts Off. Steph is the Yarn Harlot, a knitting-humor blogger. No one knew there was such a thing until she invented it.

The talk was delightful. The auditorium, which seats 750, was nearly filled. Each attendee was given a bag containing a ball of yarn, #8 needles and instructions to knit a 7X9 rectangle that would be sewn into afghans and given to people made homeless by flood and fire.

Steph gave the knitters a lot to think and laugh about: why don't knitters get any respect; why do "muggles" (non-knitters, a word appropriated from Harry Potter) think it is wasteful to knit socks when you can buy them in Wal-Mart rather than the other way around; why is there more an one way to size needles (metric and American); why are swatches lying little scraps of yarn; why, if you knit, it is assumed you want to date men regardless of your gender? I'll add, "Why is there no decent sock wool in Wellington, NZ, in a country with 30 million sheep?"

It was great to see so many socks in progress, so much beautiful yarn, so many enthusiastic knitters--some from Switzerland, England, California and even western Massachusetts! If you're a knitter and Steph comes to your town, run--don't walk--to hear her talk. Buy a book too.

Socks That Rock

Socks That Rock--Monsoon Colorway
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

I joined the "Rockin' Sock Club", a sort of a sock-kit-of-the-month club. Well, every other month. The first kit of the year included this yarn, the little skein on a keychain, a bumper sticker for "Notorious Sock Knitters" and instructions in a binder.

The women who own Blue Moon Fiber Arts and created the Rockin' Sock Club had their bank account canceled because the bankers couldn't believe that 800 people (mostly women) wanted to join a sock club. In the end over 2000 people all around the world joined. In a few weeks there should be 4000 socks in this colorway which is called Monsoon.

Here's how the yarn looks when it's made into a ball suitable for knitting.



Stay tuned. Photos of the socks as they progress will follow.