IS #29: Fiber Factor Challenge 2

Hi folks! This is a quickie, drive-by kind of Inspiration Saturday post since my parents are visiting and it's been a busy week. That said, have you checked out the results for the second challenge of The Fiber Factor? The second challenge was to knit a boxy sweater and involve colorwork somehow. I'm amazed by all the different styles that resulted! I also thought it was funny how there were similar color schemes in many of them. Lots of mustard yellows and ketchup reds. I liked many of the designs, but my absolute favorite was Lauren Riker's design.

Copyright The Fiber Factor

She somehow took a boxy, bland shape and made it freakin' adorable. I love the color scheme, the little hearts, the cables... everything. And the back is super fun:

I love the gradient! So much! Anyway, that's all I have time for today. What's been inspiring you lately? Hope you're having a great holiday weekend!

IS #28: Fall Already?

Don't worry, folks, the summer is still just getting into a groove, but that doesn't stop Knitty from putting out its First Fall issue! It might seem a bit early but summer is actually a really good time to start planning ahead for those cooler nights and shorter days. Let's see what we can find to inspire us, yes?

Copyright Jamie Besel

I was immediately drawn to Lewis designed by Jamie Besel. I love the lace detailing and deep V of the font, that draws a lot of attention up to the face. I also really dig the shirttail hemline, haven't seen that too often, and I really really love the wide sleeves. I have a few storebought sweaters with wide elbow-length sleeves that I think are really flattering. Into the queue!

Copyright Kristine Byrnes

Sugar Stick by Kristine Byrnes is a very interesting design... exactly the sort of funky cool stuff that made Knitty famous. I'm not even entirely sure what's going on in the pattern, seems like some colorwork and some lace and some twisting before it's grafted into a cowl but it looks really neat!

Copyright Kirsten Hipsky

Finally, the Ginger + Wasabi gloves by Kirsten Hipsky use a very simple colorwork pattern to make the gloves extra thick and warm. I liked this pattern primarily for the thoughtful details that the designer described: the double thick fabric, the no-purl ribbing, the sizing information. At a quick glance, details like that tell me it's a well-written and worthwhile pattern.

Did you find anything you liked in this issue? Anything else been inspiring you lately? Link along below and let us know!

IS #24: Super Sock Mojo

The tiny human socks I recently finished have gotten me in the mood for more socks. This yearning just so happens to coincide with the incredible Tour-de-Sock competition/fundraising event happening on Ravelry.

Logo from the Tour-de-Sock website.

The event raises money for Doctors Without Borders, which provides medical assistance to those affected by war, malnutrition, and natural disasters all over the world. According to the website, they've raised over $4,000 for the charity to date. To register, you pay $7.50, which covers paypal fees and your donation. In return, you receive 6 sock patterns over a period of 2 months. The event runs from June 1st through July 29th. It consists of 6 "stages" of 9 days each and the idea is that you finish a pair of socks (yes, a pair) as quickly as you can within each stage and you earn points for your order of finishing.

Phellogen pattern by Glenna C, photo credit socksalot

You also join teams and your team can earn points. I'm honestly not super clear on how the scoring works but it all boils down to "knit a bunch of challenging socks really, really quickly and you can win cool prizes".

Chain Reaction pattern by Tobi Beck, photo credit needlesnswiffers

Some of the prizes are incredible, top winner gets 20 skeins of sock yarn! And the sponsers are wonderful, including Miss Babs, Dragonfly Fibers, and my beloved Blue Moon Fiber Arts -- with discount codes for participants!

Stardust pattern by Adrienne Fong, photo credit AnitaYarn

What is most amazing about this contest, though, is that there are people in previous years that finished a pair of socks in three days. THREE DAYS!

Cushy Cables Brioche Socks by Kirsten Hall, photo credit Kirsten Hall

That's right: two-color brioche cabled socks... in a matter of days. If that doesn't make you feel like you should get off your lazy butt and knit some socks, I don't know what will! So I signed up. Hah. I do

not expect to finish a pair of socks during each stage, especially since the patterns are so complex and my concentrated knitting time is so slim. But the way I see it, I'm paying a super low price for 6 beautiful patterns and supporting a great organization in the process. And I do kind of want to challenge myself a bit to get my sock mojo back. I started a team with some lovely ladies from the Socks That Rawk! board on Ravelry. We are Team SASSY (Slow and Steady SockY's). We are not in it to win it, but it should still be great fun. You have until May 29th to register if these photos of some of the previous years' patterns have inspired you to give it a shot! What's been inspiring you lately?