It's a Sockstravaganza!

Pair-A-Normal Socks

For our sock-obsessed fans, October is also known as Socktober, a time to welcome fall and celebrate all things sock-related! 

We've seen a lot of great new sock patterns for fall, such as Rohn Strong's Horatio Socks from The Heritage Collection (perfect for beginners!), Hunter Hammerson's Phaeodaria socks from the first issue of The Sock Report, or the Pair-a-Normal colorwork socks from Knitty Deep Fall. There's so much sock-knitting inspiration this fall! 

If you're new to sock-making, it might seem intimidating at first, but with the right tools and a few good resources to turn to when you get stuck, you'll be happily making socks in no time flat! We've rounded up a few helpful articles and videos below to get you started. We're also giving away one pair of Knitter's Pride Sock Blockers to a lucky reader - see below for details! 

YouTube provides thousands of free tutorial videos. Our friends at Jimmy Beans Wool not only share informative product reviews on their YouTube channel, they also have several videos demonstrating knitting and crochet techniques. This tutorial demonstrating the German Twisted Cast-On method is great for starting your top-down socks! 

For visual learners who prefer a little more guidance, point your browsers to Craftsy.com. Craftsy has several video classes you can enroll in for a one-time fee, giving you lifetime access to in-depth video instruction. As an added bonus, you can ask questions for the instructor or fellow classmates to answer as you view each lesson. Donna Druchanas' Knit Original Toe-Up Socks, and Knit Original Cuff-Down Socks classes will have you knitting socks like a pro, no matter which method you prefer! 

Knitter' Pride Sock Blockers

Another great resource is Knitty.com, which has lots of fantastic articles on technique. Toe-up sock enthusiasts will find the Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off photo tutorial to be particularly handy; there's nothing worse than knitting a beautiful pair of socks you can't get on your feed because the bound-off cuff is too tight! 

Finally, you can always turn to the blogosphere for sage advice and photo tutorials. Do you prefer knitting socks with DPN needles, but don't know how to avoid unsightly stitch 'ladders'? Kirsten Hipsky, the Design Manager at Webs, shared a few of her best tips for preventing ladders earlier this year on the Webs Yarn Store blog; Cookie A shared a fantastic photo tutorial on her blog earlier this summer demonstrating an easy way to repair holes in well-loved socks. If you have sock questions, there are most likely answers waiting for you out in the blogosphere!

Enter our Blog Giveaway!
How do you like to make your socks? Top-down or toe-up? Magic loop or on DPNs? One-at-a-time or two-at-a-time?  Leave a comment on this post to share your favorite sock-knitting method(s). You'll be eligible to win a pair of Knitter's Pride Sock Blockers so that your finished socks will look their best! We'll randomly select one lucky winner on Friday, October 26th. Good luck! 

Tools of the Trade for Successful Crafting!

Having the right tools at hand can make whatever you're doing easier and infinitely more enjoyable. At Knitter's Pride, we don't see why those tools can't also be lovely to look at, too! From our candy-colored line of Dreamz knitting needles and crochet hooks to our stylish fabric needle storage bags (and everything in between!), make sure you've got what you need at your fingertips as you jump into fall crafting.

Keep all of your needles and hooks tidy with our new fabric storage bags, available in a variety of prints:

Most knitters will tell you that keeping a few good crochet hooks on hand is a good idea. From fixing dropped stitches to creating a quick and easy provisional cast-on, a crochet hook can be a knitter's best friend. You'll want to have a few sizes to correspond with the yarn weights you typically work with, of course. Our color-coded Dreamz line is a great choice - simply grab and go!

Crocheters appreciate our many varieties of crochet hooks, but if you're new to the craft you might be wondering, "Which hook is right for me?" We've got some good news: all of our hooks were designed to work with with every type of material, whether you prefer to crochet with wool, cotton, bamboo, silk, acrylic, or any fiber combination you can dream up!

On the Fresh Stitches blog: Dreamz crochet hook!

It truly comes down to personal preference and what works with your crocheting style. For crafters that tend to grip the hook near the working area, our our ergonomic hooks (available in aluminum and steel) are preferred because the soft handle grip is easy on their hands. For those that tend to hold their hook further away from the working area, our Dreamz and Basix crochet hooks are an excellent choice; the highly-polished surface provides easy stitch flow as you work.

Ready to craft like a pro? One of our Dreamz crochet hooks was recently used in a photo tutorial on the Fresh Stitches blog - click here to see how easy it is to knit or crochet from both ends of a skein! 

Winners!

Thanks to everyone who watched our latest YouTube video and entered our giveaway! Those of you who guessed Ursula and Uma the Understanding Monsters by Rebecca Danger (or any permutation of that pattern name) were entered into our drawing to win a Knitter's Pride Shawl Pin. The Random Number Generator chose Karin, aka kvitsvart on Ravelry as our winner - we have PM'd you to arrange for the delivery of your prize. Congratulations!

We also have another prize winner to share with you - last month's winning entry in the Share Your Pride Video Contest! Congratulations to Esther, whose winning entry will receive her choice of a deluxe needle or crochet set from Knitter's Pride and a free shawl pin!

Watch her video below to see her "most interesting filming location" (last month's theme). We hope this inspires you to work on your submission for this month - our theme is "best animal guest appearance." You can view the full contest rules and upcoming themes here!

Guess the Monster!

Is everyone working on their video submission this month? We hope you're having a great time putting together your entry for the Knitter's Pride Share Your Pride Video Contest (and remember, we're not expecting an Oscar-winning performance - just fun videos by our creative fans!) .

We'd like to inspire you to enter our video contest with our latest YouTube video below. Does anyone recognize the knitted monster who makes a guest appearance?

 

We'll be giving away one free shawl pin to the reader who correctly identifies the name of the pattern and designer. Be sure to leave your best guess as a comment on this blog post, along with some way to get in touch with you (ravelry ID or email address would suffice). In the event that we have several correct guesses, we will use the Random Number Generator to pick a winner. 

Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter - we might be sharing a few hints in the weeks to come to help you guess! 

We'll announce the winner in our next blog post on September 7. Good luck!

Do You Knit or Crochet on Location?

We're looking forward to seeing everyone's most interesting filming location for this month's Share Your Pride video contest submissions!

Whether you're at the beach...

....or the grocery store....

...making a phone call...

...enjoying a picnic...

...waiting for the bus...

...or on your next yarn bombing expedition...

...We want to see your Knitter's Pride needles and hooks in action! There's still plenty of time to record your short video sharing your favorite Knitter's Pride products. Whether you go "on location" or film at home, you'll have a chance to win great prizes with your video entry:

Everyone who enters will win a free Knitter's Pride Shawl Pin!  They'll also be entered to win their choice of a deluxe needle or crochet hook set! 

As if that weren't enough, Blogger/Designer Allyson Dykhuizen has also offered a free pattern or kit for anyone sharing their favorite design (made with Knitter's Pride products, of course!) from The Sweatshop of Love, Holla Knits! and WORK+SHELTER.  You can  view more details here on her blog!

Winner + Tunisian Crochet Spotlight

Giveaway Winners

So many shawl knitters have entered our contest! We received such great comments that we've decided to not only give away a pattern holder to one of our blog readers, but also a shawl pin to a second lucky reader! 


Random.org has selected comment #43 by Lindr as the winner of the pattern holder and comment #1 by Sarah to win the shawl pin! Our prize coordinator will contact you shortly to arrange delivery of your prizes. Congratulations and thanks for reading! 

What's Hot: Tunisian Crochet

Knitters and crocheters alike are sure to be intrigued by Tunisian crochet, a technique that creates a woven effect in the finished fabric. Tunisian crochet uses a long hook similar to a knitting needle (shown below), allowing the crafter to work each row in two "passes": the forward pass, which works the loops onto the hook, followed by the reverse pass, which works the loops back off of the hook. 

Aluminum Single-Ended Gray Tunisian Crochet Hook from Knitter's Pride

Dreamz Interchangeable Tunisian Crochet Set

We've created our line of Tunisian crochet hooks for maximum glide and ease of use.  Our Dreamz interchangeable hooks feature resilient, flexible cords that won't kink or twist.  Each cord is easy to connect with a smooth join to ensure stitch flow, and the Dreamz Tunisian crochet set includes eight of the most useful hook sizes, all easily identified by the color-coded polished wood sourced from Vermont. 

We had the pleasure of meeting Jennifer Hansen of Stitch Diva Studios at TNNA this past June. Jennifer has pioneered Tunisian Crochet, offering a series of free tutorials here on the Stich Diva website. Recently, Jennifer filmed a video course for Craftsy.com, Tunisian Crochet: Revolutions on Color and Style, demonstrating each aspect of the technique, step-by-step as you watch from the comfort of your own home. 


Once you have the right tools and learn the basics, there's no end to the possibilities of what you can make with this exciting technique!  From Jennifer's colorful multi-garment featured in her Craftsy class (shown below) to any number of interesting and unique patterns you'll find on both Ravelry and Craftsy, create your own revolution in color and style with Knitter's Pride Tunisian crochet hooks! 

Tunisian Crochet Multi-Garment by Jennifer Hansen

Obsessed with Shawls?

Just a few of our
shawl pin options

We're continually amazed at the wealth of creative, beautiful and downright interesting patterns being published on a daily basis, and the popularity of shawls and wraps in particular has caused us to take note.  Just look at how many favorites the Color Affection shawl has accrued on Ravelry, or see how many eager knitters have cast on for this year's WestKnits Mystery Shawl KAL!  We saw countless beautiful shawls at TNNA last month, from simple stockinette to beautiful beads, crocheted, lace, stripes and colorwork, all in a variety of shapes and sizes. No matter what your specialty is, there's nothing like the perfect shawl pin to complement your handiwork.

It's always a good idea to have several different types of stitch markers at the ready - at TNNA Columbus, we debuted mio rings, split rings, and locking stitch markers, all of which will come in handy when you need to mark pattern repeats, increases and decreases, or even mistakes to fix later.  Split ring and locking stitch markers can also come in handy when you're assembling a finished project (designer Stacey Trock likes to use locking stitch markers when attaching amigurumi features, for example!).  When you're using several stitch markers in a project, it's sometimes nice to have a unique marker to designate the beginning of the round or center of a row; our brand-new Zooni stitch markers do the job nicely! They are made from colorful beads and slip easily onto your needles as you knit.

Many types of stitch markers to choose from

Pattern holders are another indispensable accessory, especially when following a complicated charted design. Our Magma Pattern Holder stands upright when folded open; extremely strong magnets ensure you won't lose your place in the pattern. We've also included pockets to hold other pattern notes, pens and stitch markers - just fold it up and go, taking all of your essentials with you! 

We'd like to give one lucky reader a chance to win a pattern holder; simply leave a comment on this blog post sharing your favorite project to make and why our pattern holder would help you do it! Be sure to also leave some way for us to contact you if you're the winner (e-mail address or Ravelry ID are ideal).  

One comment will be randomly selected on Friday, July 27th as the prize winner.  Good luck! 

The Magma Pattern Holder comes in two size options!