Tails of Another Yarn

Tails of Another Yarn is a new blog created by Tama Vaughn (The Twisted Hare) and is a spinoff of Sockamania. Instead of just knitting socks, Tama would like to offer you a place to showcase your other knitting projects and win prizes too.

Each month, members will be able to post a photo of a Work In Progress or a Completed Project. At the end of the month the names of the participants for that month will be entered into a drawing and winner will be chosen.

Occasionally Tama will post a new design pattern - Tama's Special. It could be anything. She has even hinted at doing a Mystery Knit-A-Longs. Anyone who participates in Tama Specials and completes their project, will be entered for a special prize draw. Unlike Sockamania, where the winner could select their prize, drawing prizes for Tails of Another Yarn will be chosen by the Tails of Another Yarn admin team.

If you would like to become part of Tails of Another Yarn, please go to the blog at: tailsofanotheryarn.blogspot.com. More information about this new blog are there, along with the email address of where to join.

This a new blog, so please bear with us as we work out the kinks. The first prize drawing will be scheduled for December 31, 2010. Beginning January, 2011, prize drawings will be held monthly.

PLEASE READ!

Hi everyone,

This is a difficult message to post and it's been a difficult decision to make. Unfortunately Sockamania will be closing. I have not been designing for Sockamania for some time now as I just did not have time to keep this club going. Tama offered to take over from me and have done a fantastic job. I love all the socks she has produced. Unfortunately she is no longer able to continue.

Add to that the fact that participation has dropped, we've taken the decision to close this club.

A huge thank you to Tama, for keeping this club going and to Barb for helping running things. Also a big thank you to Pixie, who was a helper until fairly recently. I really appreciate all the work you've all done.

There will be no more Sockamania patterns but I won't delete the blog. It'll stay live for some time so you cna still admire the fabolous socks knitted.

Tama and Barb have something new planned and they'll make their announcement soon and I hope you will support them.

Thank you to all current and past members. I started this club when I was just starting out as a designer and it gave me a huge boost of confidence to see people kniting up my designs. My career has grown immensely since then and I'm thrilled to be able to do what I'm doing and I'm sure it's a lot due to Sockamania members giving me the confidence to keep going.

Happy knitting,

Anni x

Winner September/October Prize Draw

Congratulations

JUNGLEMAMA

You are the winner of the September/October Prize Draw.

As the winner of the prize draw you may choose your prize from either Tama's Etsy Shop: The Twisted Hare or Anni's On-Line shop Yarn Addict & Anni Design.
Once you have made your choice, please email either Anni or Tama and let them know that you have chosen your prize from their shop and which yarn you have chosen. Make sure you include your shipping address.

done with major computer problems

loved it! thanks yarn is sundara and scouts swag both very yummy

LAST CALL for September/October Socks

Has anyone else completed the September/October Socks? Reminder that Sunday is the last day you can submit a photo of your completed Autumn Sunset socks. Drawing will be done the first of the week and the winner announced.

Two Weeks Remain To Complete Sept/Oct Socks

Reminder that there two weeks left to complete the September/October Autumn Leaves Sock pattern.

August price

Thank you Tama!

A big yellow envelop, very soft when pushing it...

Tadaaaa!


This beautiful yarn is waiting for a pattern of long socks so my feet and leggs will be kept warm this winter.
And this sunny yarn came along, all over the big blue sea, after a hard time ordering it. Luckely for me, knitting goes a lot better!
Thanks again, Tama, for the lovely price, and your patience....

Two-Handed Fair Isle Technique Tutorial

The Philosophers Wool Website has a great tutorial (video clip) explaining how to do the Two-Handed Fair Isle Technique. http://www.philosopherswool.com/Index.htm

After learning this technique, it made knitting fair isle easier, more fun, and best of all, no longer had to worry if I was knitting too tight and would not be able to pull the sock over my heel.

Autumn Sunset

I, too, am new at two-color knitting so couldn't get up the courage until I got to the leg. My tension is not good, but they do seem to fit. I used Socrates yarn. The heel was not easy, but the second one went faster than the first.

I joined the group in order to be challenged and this first pair certainly fulfilled that. Thanks for doing this for us and I am looking forward to the next challenge.

Jan

Autumn Sunset

This is my version of Autumn Sunset. I'm not very good at with stranded work yet so I only did the pattern at the toe and cuff - knitted toe up with a heel flap. Increased the cuff to 70 stitches and was able to get the sock over my heel. US2 using unknown cream yarn purchased from Stitches West.

I've casted on a 2nd pair of Last Leaves of Summer to continue practicing stranded knitting. I may try to cast on Autumn Sunset with US3 as Sandy and Steve did but maybe just for the cuff and leg and see if I can get it over my heel. Would love to be able to do more colors changes but way too advance for me now.

Thank you Tama for continuing to challenge me and help me improve my knitting skills.

Autumn Sunset

Don't forget that the drawing for current sock pattern, AUTUMN SUNSET, will be on October 31st. So far we have two beautiful entries -- Great Work Ladies. Anyone else?

September Twilight

Made with a Knitpicks sock blank that I dyed myself (see earlier post), and a solid blue that I don't remember what it was. Knit toe up with a corrugated rib cuff. I have enough left of both yarns to make a second pair. These came out smaller than I had hoped, and will grace a friend's feet instead of my own. I'll use size 3 needles instead of size 2's on mine. This was my second try at socks with an inserted heel, and I think they will be my last. Trying to pick up all those live stitches was way too nerve-wracking. Thanks for the pattern, Tama!

Autumn Sunset

At the moment, it looks like I'm addicted: the fair isle seems to be all I want to do. Luckely for me, Tama gave us this pattern, so I could cling on my addiction :))
I used yarn that someone wanted to throw away, but I could save it just in time. It's an old yarn, from the 'nederlandse wolfederatie' named 'Sterka'.
75% wool
25% plyamide
The yarn with the autumn colours is a leftover from Lana Grossa.

After the legg, I knitted always one row extra between the 'leaves'.
It's a size 27, another pair for my three year old. (60 stitches, 2.5mm needles)
He already wants to put them on to go kicking the leaves!

It was great fun knitting them!
Thanks Tama.

Semi-September

These are turning out to be so cool that I couldn't wait until they were complete to show them off. I'm knitting them from a Knitpicks sock blank that I dyed myself. As you can see, it's impossible to tell what the socks will look like by looking at the sock blank. I'm having lots of fun!

Firecrackers in September

I finally finished my Firecrackers! Better late than never, right? LOL They were so fun to knit! I love the lace and it was easy to memorize; I think I'm making these again *grin*. Thanks for the wonderful pattern!

I used Plymouth Sockotta yarn and US 2 needles.

August Prize Draw Winner!

Congratulations

MariecusBruyn

You are the winner of the

August Prize Draw

As the winner of the prize draw you may choose from either Tama's Etsy Shop: The Twisted Hare or Anni's On-line Shop: YarnAddict & Anni Design.

Once you have made your choice, please email Anni or Tama and let them know that you have chosen your prize from their shop and which yarn you have chosen. May sure you  include your mailing address.

Big Sale

For any of you looking for some GREAT yarn at a GREAT price I have my Back to School Sale going on in my etsy store right now.  FREE shipping and 25% off everything in the store.  Check it out!  It's a great time to stock up on yarn for all your winter knitting!

Autumn Sunset

I love autumn!  All the yellow and orange leaves.  I found this great yarn at a shop near where I live and knew I had to make these socks for the Fall pattern.  It really isn't as difficult as it looks.  If you have a hard time carrying your yarn for the color change try Barbara Walker's motif method where you slip all the stitches of one color on the row while working the other color, then go back and work the slipped stitches.

Have a great season!  Happy Knitting!  The pattern is ready to go at the Google Group.

Firecracker

These are a gift, and I do hope they will fit the recipient!!
She's a regular firecracker herself, and the colourway of the
yarn is called 'Fireworks'!!

Last leaves of Summer and May socks

The August socks were a quick knit in worsted. yarn from my stash--I think the blue was Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride. They are going to Mongolia for the Wool Aid Project. The May socks are Panda Silk; the yarn was a dream to knit and so so soft. These are a gift for a friend, but I have some Panda Silk in red that I want to knit up for myself. I need to put myself on my sock list!! I also have 1 1/2 July Firecracker socks finished, but other more pressing project have gotten in the way.

Last leaves of summer...

My camera and computer finally decided to cooperate again...so I can show you my August socks. Knit in sockyarn, on 2.5 mm needles, both at the same time, magic loop, 56 stitches, and they should fit a child. Will make a nice present:-) I used a variegated/selfstriping yarn for the leaves, and intarsia on the heel. Fun and quick pattern.

I'm so glad Sockamania will live on for some time longer, and I think a new pattern every other month is a great idea. Maybe more of us will be able to finish on time and post.

Looking forward to Autumn's first pattern!

Last leaves of august

Hi,

Finished this pretty and fast knit yesterday on a very windy, autumn like day.
I love autumn and I love these socks. Knitted on 3 mm with 56 stitches.



I'm very happy to read Sockamania is still going on, I'll keep knitting your lovely patterns.

Have a nice day, Mirella

the last leaves of summer

What a great idea to make one pattern in three different sizes of yarn!

I took the pattern of the thickest yarn, and used size 2.5 mm needles, so my son of three has great leaves-socks.
I've used Lana Grossa left-overs, the white spickle is wool, the purple-ish is with more cotton in it. I could'nt find the labels anymore, so unfortunatly I can't give you more specifics.

Of course I'm gonna make myself a pair of these too, they are just too lovely!

August socks

Here are my August socks. I have one sock done in fingering weight yarn. I started it and tried to do the colored pattern. I must tighten the tension so much that I couldn't get it over my ankle. So...I took it out and just did the two beginning rows and two ending rows on the graph--no leaves. I didn't try it on again until I was to the toe. Guess what? It was too tight. So I put it aside and knitted the sock in worsted weight yarn. It is a fast knit. I did not do the leaf pattern either on the leg or the heel. The yarn is Caron Simply Soft in country blue. I don't know what I will do with the other sock. Maybe undo it and knit with larger needles. I have wanted a pair of black socks but every time I try it, something goes wrong.

I have learned so much from Sockamania--first and foremost how much I love to knit socks. I am so glad that it will continue. Every 2 months will give me time to finish a pair and maybe try a second pair, too. Thanks so much!

THANKS

This lovely yarn is my choice when I won in July. Thank you so much!

Last Leaves of Summer

US 1.5 Unknown cream yarn purchased at Stitches West on a cone. Variegated yarn JL Salvia. I didn't do the leaf on the heel because I needed the thicker sl1 k1 heel flap and heel. I still need to practice knitting with multiple colors but I was able to get these over my heel. I love being able to use my scrap yarn.

So glad to read that Sockamania will continue. This site has definitely taught me different techniques. Looking forward to the September sock.

SOCKAMANIA LIVES!

After much discussion we have decided to give Sockamania one more chance. We realize that the summer months for some are months when little knitting is done. Once fall rolls around and the new fall yarns start appearing at your local LYS, there is a renewed interest. So, beginning with the September pattern we are going to change to every other month. This not only gives Tama extra time for designing, but also gives the members extra time for knitting.

So have fun with the August pattern and beginning in September the pattern will be posted for two months (September and October), the next pattern will be for November and December. We hope by doing this there will be an increase in participation and Sockamania will live on for many years to come.

As a side note, I hope when you are thinking about what yarn to use for your Sockamania pattern that you are looking at all the beautiful yarns Tama has in her Etsy Shop The Twisted Hare (www.etsy.com/shop/twistedharefiberarts). As an added bonus Sockamania members receive free shipping!

Happy Knitting!

Firecracker socks

Hi Everyone,

I was on vacation during the deadline for the firecracker socks, so mine are not finished.  I just wanted to let you all know that yours look fantastic.  I was also very sad to see that Sockamania will be ending with the August socks.  I have loved being a part of the group for the last six months, and I appreciate all the time that you put in for us.  I have learned so much since the beginning of the year:  toe up, cuff down, heel flap, short row heel, inserted heel, plus all the beautiful stitches (new to me) that Tama has added into her patterns.  I am now a confidant sock knitter, and I can say without a doubt that it's because of the help I received from Sockamania.

Thank you,

Chris

July Prize Winner

Congratulations

EVA

You are the winner of the July Prize Draw.

As the winner of the prize draw you may choose your prize from either Tama's Etsy Shop: The Twisted Hare or Anni's On-Line shop Yarn Addict & Anni Design.
Once you have made your choice, please email either Anni or Tama and let them know that you have chosen your prize from their shop and which yarn you have chosen. Make sure you include your shipping address.

Last Leaves of Summer

This is a great pattern!  I have created it so that you can make it in a variety of yarn weights and needle sizes depending on how heavy, or light, of socks you would like to make.  The worsted weight makes up SUPER FAST!!! (Shown in picture above)  The heel has a great leaf detail and the leg features a running vine of leaves around the leg.  The pattern is all ready to download from the Google account.

I had planned to use this pattern for September, since it really is appropriate for that time of year, but since participation has dropped off so much we have decided that August will be the last month for Sockamania.  I will really miss the fun.  I love to design socks and will continue to do so and sell them in my Etsy store.  If you would like to see what's new be sure to stop by there once in a while and check it out.

I hope everyone has had a great time and enjoyed the patterns.  Happy knitting!
Tama

Firecrackers in the Sky

I am not sure why the date and time changed on my previous post. It first said July 31st and then I went in to edit it and it changed to August 1st. At any rate it is now 8:40 p.m. Central Standard Time US. So I hope I am still OK to post and have these count as my 1st pair.

Firecrackers in the Sky

My Firecrackers done in Malabrigo sock yarn, Solis #809. The yarn is wonderful to work with and the pattern is perfection. Thank you Tama for a lovely pattern. I will definately make these again...and in RED!

Fire cracker just in time

My daughter wanted a pair of summersocks, so I adjusted this pattern for her.
I started with a curling board, and then one time the pattern.
On the foot, I've used the first 6 rounds of the pattern.

The yarn I've used: Lana Grossa Fantasy stretch
With its 41% of cotton, it's a great summer-sock-yarn, and a very colourfull firecracker.

Firecracker socks

I can't seem to take very good pictures with my little camera. But I knitted these socks with Knit Picks Bare. I then dyed them with strawberry koolaid. I like the variations of color but next time I will make sure that the color is more even. I dyed the socks after they were complete. I liked the pattern--it was a quick knit with the instep and sole in stockinette.

ahhh...done!

firecrackers ! with a few days to spare :)

what a fun pattern

3 repeats (i like anklets) ~ slackford studio pathway sock ~ vivid

July Firecrackers

Hi! Thought I'd show my June socks too...lousy picture, I know...they are based on May's Krotasokkar, and made for hubby, size 46 in shoes. 74 stitches, rib pattern, and that cute twisted stitch. But here are July's challenge- a quick and easy knit. I had enough yarn left to make a pair of matching wristwarmers.

Another lousy pic...

Yarn: Gjestal frost, 2.5mm circular needles, magic loop for the ribbing, heel and foot, 2.5mm wooden DPN's for the leg pattern.

The weather is so bad here on the westcoast of Norway that wool socks are still needed...it's raining buckets! The kids go swimming in the ocean, wearing wet suits and wool socks;-)

Have a great summer!

July Firecrackers Completed

My July Firecracker Socks. I used Cascade Heritage Sock Yarn, one of my favorites, and knitted them toe up.

Firecrackers

US1.5 Unknown yarn with 3 repeat of the lace pattern. I cast on too tight so I ended up having to knit these for my mom. I never had this problem before but I guess its because I'm been knitting toe up for the past 2 months. I was really looking forward to keeping these socks. The heel flap is a s1 k1 and I continued this pattern through the heel. I like the thicker heel since this is where I wear out my socks the quickest.

Its the perfect road trip project. I was apprehensive about the 12 round repeat for our road trip but it wasn't bad at all.

Thank you Tama for another great pattern. Looking forward to August.

My July Socks

Very nice pattern. I used a yarn containing 48% cotton, 39% wool and 13% polyamid from Bärengarne.

Firecrackers

These are my Firecracker Socks done in Risata. The colorway is Clementine. It is a cotton/wool yarn with a lot of stretch. It was great fun knitting these and they knit up very fast. I think they will be an excellent summer socks pair. Thanks for the fun pattern.

June Prize Draw Winner

Congratulations

Sasha

You are the winner of the

June Prize Draw

As the winner of the prize draw you may choose from either Tama's Etsy Shop: The Twisted Hare or Anni's On-line Shop: YarnAddict & Anni Design.
Once you have made your choice, please email Anni or Tama and let them know that you have chosen your prize from their shop and which yarn you have chosen. Make sure you include your shipping address.

Firecrackers For July!

Sorry I am a day late.  I manage a year-round fireworks warehouse in Wyoming.....need I say more?  You can imagine what my schedule looks like from about mid-June til July 5th lol!  Yesterday was a record sales day for my store and I didn't have two seconds from the time I got up until my store closed at midnight to do anything but fireworks.

Of course, it's fitting then that with fireworks on my mind that somehow the socks for the month would reflect that.  The color of the yarn and the lace pattern reminded me of a VERY loud firecracker we sell.  The lace pattern is a twelve round repeat, but goes very quickly!

Have a wonderful month!  Happy knitting!

Krotasokkar for May, in June

I loved these socks!  I've had them finished for a while, but was having trouble uploading from my new camera.  That being said, these pics were taken on my phone, and the clarity leaves a lot to be desired.  These were knit in hand-dyed superwash merino by Cherry Tree Hill, color: lichen.

Reminder - Tomorrow Is June 30th

Reminder that in order to be eligible for the June Monthly Draw, tomorrow, June 30th, is the last day to post your photos of completed June socks. On July 1st the list will be sent to Tama for the drawing. July 1st will also be the date for the new sock pattern to be posted.

For any new members, those that joined in May, this is also a reminder that in order to keep your membership in Sockamania you must post a completed pair of socks by June 30th. If a photo of your completed pair is not posted, you will be removed from the Sockamania group.

Everything at Sockamania is back to normal and, instead of waiting until August, new members are being invited now. If you are interested in joining, please read the information on the Join page (located on the sidebar).

Please take a few minutes and look at the list of the current members eligible for the draw. If I missed your name, please let me know ASAP.

Happy Knitting,
Barb W.

Wearing O the Green!

UPDATE:  Got a pic with my phone finally!

Hi all and thank you for letting me join Sockmania!  I opted as my first sox the Wearing O the Green pattern and I love it.  It works up sooooooooooo fast!  I have decided that I need a pair of these in all the sock yarn I have! LOL  Actually my daughter and her friends decided they need a pair as well.    Thanks again for all the fun.

catch up

well one done and working on another!

my friend is wearing them today! thanks for a fun and actually quick pattern!

May Day Socks

I did the May Day socks by Anni. I crocheted a sweater and had lots of crochet yarn left over. So I used the Hilaza Rustica Omega yarn to knit my socks. The yarn has a shiny irridescant fiber mixed with the yellow that gives it a shimmer that wasn't captured well in the photo. It isn't very soft so I don't know how much I will be able to wear them! Last year I had 2 knees replaced; this year I have to have vertebrae fused. I was loopy from pain medicine last year and couldn't focus enough to knit complicated designs. I hope I will be able to fill my down time with knitting somehow. It sure helps the time pass faster!

Wearin' O The Green Socks

Hi and thanks for letting me join. I had a hard time posting this photo because my computer chose this time to stop recognizing my camera. So I bribed my husband to come to my rescue with his computer. I was desperately afraid I would be kicked out during my first month here. (sheepish grin) Here are my first socks. I can hardly wait for July.

June Lacy Diamonds

I decided to do Lacy Diamonds again. I love this pattern. I am using a skein of Sunshine Yarns luxury sock in Darkness.

Spring Fling 2

Last month was the first time I knitted toe up with a flap instead of the short row. It was a little long for me so I wanted another opportunity to knit toe up with a flap. Spring Fling was an easy pattern to convert to toe up and I love that the pattern uses leftover yarn.

Looking forward to the July pattern.

Spring Fling...in summer

Here are my Spring Fling socks.  I loved making them, and will definitely make another pair at some point!

Yarn is Knitters' Brewing Co. Sock-a-holic in Lemon Drop and Blue Hawaiian.

Sockamania Policies and Updates

Every now and then we feel we should post a reminder to the group about the Sockamania policies. This is just to make sure that everyone knows what needs to be done in order to maintain your membership with Sockamania.

For new members - once you are a member, you will need to post one completed pair of the current months' sock pattern on the Sockamania blog in order to verify membership.
After that, and for current members, you will need to post at least one completed pair of Tama's sock designs in a six month period in order to remain an active member. Anyone not posting the "verifing" sock in the first month will be removed from the membership list. Anyone not posting at least one completed pair during a six month period will also be removed from the membership list.

It is also important to remind everyone that your email address and user name MUST be the same for both the Sockamania Blog and Googlegroups. Different information makes it too hard to verify members and their participation.

Effective immediately there are some changes that we need to pass on to the group. First, Pixie, who was maintaining the group lists, invites etc. has left us. The list maintenance, invites, etc., now fall to me. This will be done along with maintaining the blog. Due to this change, and to give me time to get up to speed, no new members will be invited to join until August.

Another change, that will affect everyone, is that the decision has been made to no longer have the Six Month Grand Prize Drawing. We apologize to everyone for having to make this change, but after a lot of discussion we found that even though it appeared to be a simple concept, it was causing too much confusion. The Monthly Prize Draw will remain as is, and we hope to see more participants for that draw in the future.

Don't forget that June is catch up month. Tama has posted three great patterns on googlegroups that can be downloaded. If you have been with Sockamania for a while and have a favorite pattern of Anni's that you didn't have a chance to knit or would like to knit again, you can use that too.

If anyone has any questions, please contact me and I will try to answer.

Happy Knitting,
Barb W.

June Completed

Finshed my socks last night. They still need to be blocked, but I wanted to take the photo while I was thinking about it. The pattern I chose is one of Anni's patterns from 2009 - Lacey Diamonds. I used Cascade's Heritage Sock yarn and worked the pattern toe up.

Krotasokkar finished

Hi,
I also finished my socks (again too late this month). These took lots of time and lots of yarn. The complete skein I won in march is used up, so now I got blue toes.

I used BLF sock yarn, which together with the used stitches make these nice fluffy socks.

I did them top down. For June I choose the lazy leaves pattern for which I bought beautiful sock yarn with silk in blue.

Groetjes, Mirella

(a little question, do my spring fling and these socks still count for the grand prize)

Krotasokkar!

This is how my work looked a lot like in May:

It was almost impossible for me to knit, because I had (and still have) so much to do for school.

But, a few days to late, I did finishe them!

And I love them...

The pattern was easy to remember, not always so easy to knit. Especially the Right Twist was sometimes a pain.... but the result is well wurth it.

I used Lana Grossa Meilenweit Cotton, Stretch.

This is one of my favourite yarns, especially when it's available in blue!

Well, I'm off knitting my June-socks.

I'd almost say: "Fingers crossed", but is difficult knitting like that...

May Prize Draw Winner

Congratulations

Roteschnegge

You are the winner of the

May Prize Draw

As the winner of the prize draw you may choose from either Tama's Etsy Shop: The Twisted Hare or Anni's On-line Shop: YarnAddict & Anni Design

Once you have made your choice, please email Anni or Tama and let them know that you have chosen your prize from their shop and which yarn you have chosen. Make sure you include your shipping address.

DARN!

I just couldn't get this sock finished by the end of the month. I have one completed, but only just cast on the second last night. I really love this pattern; I'm just having trouble finding the time to work on it. I'm glad that this is make-up month,and that you posted the autumn leaves pattern. I find that one to be really beautiful.

It's a Make Up Month for June

I haven't done a "make up" month or "free" month yet so since this month is crazy for me at work I decided that this was a perfect time to do this.

I have uploaded a couple of past patterns to the Google group to choose from, or you can work an older Sockamania pattern for the June sock.  Just be sure to post your pictures so that you can be in the drawing for the month.

Have a great June!  Happy Knitting!

Norwegian krotasokkar, May

Only a couple of ends to weave in, but done in time;-), May turned out to be a rather busy month... Great pattern again. Yarn: my "usual": Silja Superwash, 80%wool/20%nylon, done toe-up, two-at-a-time on 2.5mm circulars.
One change: went down to 66 stitches, worked the full pattern on top of the foot, and had only 30 st. for the sole and heel. Seems to work out fine. I also stopped the mini-cable halfway up the leg...but kept the twisted stitches (ktbl)

Looking forward to June's challenge:-)