yarn for socks!!

It's so close to being certain that socks will be going over soon that Ann has given me the go-ahead to make this offer. I will send yarn to 5 of you to make socks for the [almost] current campaign. I will send either 200 g of sock yarn, to be worked using a double strand, or some of my favorite heavy Maine wool. If you're interested, send your name and address to this address:

yarnystuff[at]gmail[dot] com, replacing at and dot with the usual symbols, of course.

Write soon, because I must mail by Wednesday. If more than 5 people reply, I'll use the time-honored names in a hat trick.

Thick socks are fun, because they're so fast!! Remember, it's very likely that the pair you make will be the only pair of socks that woman or child owns, and think of how cold winter must be that close to the Himalayas. Make them strong and sturdy. (For those who wonder, socks for this campaign are not required to be worsted weight. However, having lived in a northern state, I can attest to the fact that thick socks are warmer.)

If you haven't made thick socks (or any socks) before, my tutorial on worsted weight socks starts here, with each installment linked to the next one.

If you have tons of yarn -- some of us do -- and want to use your own, just remember that socks must be at least 75% wool or other animal fiber, and knit to a slightly tighter gauge than you'd use for a sweater so they'll wear better.

As always, we must run the risk of offending our beloved crocheters -- for the weight yarn I'm offering, socks are so much better knitted. If you have found a crochet pattern that is smooth, stretchy, and comfortable in shoes, by all means let us know!! Otherwise, just remember how much faster it is to crochet than to knit a beautiful blanket; if we're lucky, there will be a campaign soon where that comes in handy. (No, I have no inside information -- just trying to make it clear that crocheters are highly valued by A4A. It's just that sock thing again. . .)

--Elizabeth