limedragon :)

A new take on the old

Posted by limedragon | Filed under designs, knitting, socks

Way back in April, I was skimming threads in the Ravelry group, Sock Knitters Anonymous, when I saw a post announcing a sock design contest by Lorna’s Laces.

After reading the rules, I remembered I had some leftover Shepherd Sock from the Slytherin socks. It seemed like a perfect project to work on during the forthcoming weekend’s trip up north. So I packed myself a “design kit” plus one extra project (you never know, right?).

You see, ever since I <a title=”Rocky Lace (Same Window)’ href=”http://limedragon.com/2008/02/29/english-crystal/”>knit the English Crystal Design from Kinzel’s First Book of Modern Lace Knitting, I’ve thought it would be interesting to rework this motif for socks. So I decided I’d try and give form to my visualization during the long weekend.

It took a while; two challenges I struggled with were 1) not second-guessing myself (should I let the stitch pattern spiral, or not?), and 2) figuring out a nice transition between the large and small motifs. Much tinkering, knitting, tinking, re-knitting, and frogging ensued until I achieved the result and look I wanted.

This.

The taper point of the lace pattern wasn’t planned… I originally envisioned lace all over the instep, but the strong diagonal lines begged me to try tapering it, and I was pleasantly surprised by the results.

Once the sock, pattern, and charts were complete, I mailed them off, and waited. One day in late May, I got an email telling me that I had won. I won? Once I got over my shock, I ran around screaming excitedly (well, ok, not really), but I was giggly!

Many thanks to Amanda and Lorna’s Laces for the contest, and to Jessica for sample/test knitting and helping smooth away as many problems as possible with the pattern. Her sock was knit in one of the new Fall 2008 colors, Woodlawn. (Be sure to check out that link… it includes the other contest winners; they are all great designs!) The pattern is now listed on Ravelry. :)

Tags: contest, design, florentine, gray, lace, lornas-laces, orange, ravelry, shepher sock, socks, winner

Permalink | Comments (18) | July 16, 2008

18 Responses to “A new take on the old”

1. Dave Says:
   July 16th, 2008 at 8:45 am

   Wow, gorgeous sock — many congratulations on a well-deserved win!!

2. deb Says:
   July 16th, 2008 at 8:54 am

   Whoa – you are just a design machine!! It’s beautiful and it’s a well-deserved win!

3. Druanna Says:
   July 16th, 2008 at 9:12 am

   CONGRATS! They are absolutely amazing and I love the pointed lace coming down the foot. That makes it just Brilliant!

   Fantastical!

4. Christy Says:
   July 16th, 2008 at 9:42 am

   Congrats!

   I’d be jumping up and down too!

   now, how do I get the pattern?

5. Nicole Says:
   July 16th, 2008 at 9:54 am

   Congrats! It’s no wonder you won… the sock is GORGEOUS!!

6. Jeanne Says:
   July 16th, 2008 at 10:31 am

   Congrats! They are lovely.

7. Guinifer Says:
   July 16th, 2008 at 11:34 am

   That is fantastic! Congratulations for a job well done!

8. Chris Says:
   July 16th, 2008 at 12:39 pm

   Absolutely stunning – congratulations!

9. Jennifer Says:
   July 16th, 2008 at 1:21 pm

   Woohoo! Congratulations! What a beautiful design.

10. Kristi aka Fiberfool Says:
    July 16th, 2008 at 3:31 pm

    A well deserved honor!!

11. bellamoden Says:
    July 17th, 2008 at 12:52 am

    Seriously beautiful! Wow.

12. Tanya Says:
    July 17th, 2008 at 6:43 am

    Wow! Just WOW! Man! And just when I was thinking I was breaking away from socks! Can’t wait!

13. mrspao Says:
    July 17th, 2008 at 2:57 pm

    Congratulations! I love those socks – they are so gorgeous.

14. Mary Lou Says:
    July 17th, 2008 at 3:10 pm

    Excellent! Congratulations!

15. Opal Says:
    July 17th, 2008 at 6:47 pm

    OMFG! Gorgeousness! Now how do I get my hands on the pattern?

16. Miss T Says:
    July 18th, 2008 at 11:07 am

    Congratulations! It’s beautiful!

17. Carrie K Says:
    July 21st, 2008 at 7:08 pm

    Wow, that is a gorgeous sock! Congratulations on a well deserved win!

18. Kelle Says:
    July 30th, 2008 at 3:32 pm

    It’s beautiful, well worth the effort and well deserving a win. Sorry for being late on my congratulations, I’m a bit behind on my blog reading.

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