Culinary Colors

 

 
February/March 2008    

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Hillary and Carole
Hillary and Carole
Hillary's Spinning (and a Sock Madness tease)
Carole's spinning, and Eye Candy Friday

knit on them or desperation. Either way, if I'm using double points, I'm probably also grumbling a lot.

Carole - Generally, magic loop but I do Civil War reenacting and if I'm knitting a sock at a reenactment I'm using dpns.

What are your favorite types of knitting projects?
Hillary - Oh, everything! I love a challenge. If a pattern uses a new technique or a nifty construction I'll try it. I'm not a huge fan of finishing work and weaving in ends so patterns that limit those tedious tasks are a draw too.

Carole - Socks and lace shawls seem to be the things I knit the most.

If time and money were no object, what would you knit, and for whom?
Hillary - I would knit up some cashmere for me in sweaters, scarves, hats, socks - everything! I'd be wrapped in cashmere! My daughters would also be sporting some very cool knits. They'd have an unlimited supply of hand-knit sweaters and socks. Lots and lots of socks!

Carole - I don't think money really limits my knitting projects but time certainly does. If I had all the time in the world I'd learn to knit a fancy Fair Isle sweater for myself.

How many items are currently on the needles?
Hillary - Too many to count. I pick things up and put them down more than I ought to. I'm far from a knit monogamist. Right now I have 2 socks, a hat, and 2 sweaters that I would call very active.

Carole - I have 4 things going right now. A sock that I'm test knitting for Sock Madness, a sock for my daughter, a shawl for me and a sweater for my husband.

Other crafty endeavors/hobbies?
Hillary - I was an art major in college so all things art or craft call to me. I have all kinds of paints and pencils and other craft supplies. Right now the other creative endeavor I'm most into is my new camera. I got a Nikon D40x in December and I'm taking classes now so that I can figure out how to use it properly.

Carole - Spinning, photography and Civil War reenacting.

Any funny or outstanding knitting experience?
Hillary - When I was a very new knitter, I made a sweater for my younger daughter which is totally unwearable. I didn't swatch at all and even though I knew it was going horribly wrong I kept going. I'm sure this is a familiar story and most of them can probably be blamed on failure to swatch. I still have the sweater and I pull it out when I need a laugh.

Carole - None that I can think of. I tend to blog about the funny stuff, though, so there are some good stories over there.

Favorite tip or trick?
Hillary - It's hardly a trick but my favorite thing when knitting socks is to go toe up so that I can figure it out as I go. On occasion, I've started out at the toe and I waited until I got to the leg to decide on the pattern. I just find it very flexible.

Carole - Hmmm. Something I do that I haven't seen other people doing is I use my stitch marker to keep track of my rows. Usually I do this on something with a short pattern repeat - 6 rows or less. I just move my stitch marker in one stitch for each row that I work. This really helps keep track of things without getting too fussy.

Any other parting words or things you want to share?
Hillary - I want to thank Knit One, Crochet Too for supporting Sock Madness. The generous prize donations, from many sources, are going to make this year even better than last year. I think I can speak for Carole and I and most of the players too when I say that I am really excited for the start. More than anything, this competition is an example of the fabulous nature of knitters. It starts with designers who put their hard work into creating interesting new designs with no reward but the appreciation of knitters everywhere, it continues with the players who take the time to help one another and offer each other support even while competing. The wonderful prizes that have been offered are really just the icing on the cake. It is so gratifying to see everyone having so much fun.

Carole - I can't wait for this round of Sock Madness to start. I'm really looking forward to seeing it from the administrative side!

 

Knitter a la Carte
Sock Madness superstars talk about
the tourney-style competition, as well as their own personal projects.

Name: Hillary Rubin
Age: 38
Location: Northern Virginia
Real job: Law Librarian
Website: www.knitting4shirley.blogspot.com
How long knitting: about 7 years

Name: Carole Julius
Age: 42
Location: Southeastern Massachusetts
Real Job: Library Director
Website: caroleknits.knitblog.com
How long knitting: 9 years

What's Sock Madness,
and how did it get started?
Hillary - Sock Madness is a competitive sock knitting tournament. I was a player in the first round of another competitive sock event and I enjoyed it but I felt that there were things that I would've done differently. The more I thought about it, the more it evolved. I thought that it would be clearer structurally if it was set up like March Madness, the college basketball tournament. I looked for interesting patterns from new designers because I thought it would be a great way for budding designers to get exposure. I love going into Ravelry and seeing that one of the patterns that we used last year, Mad Color Weave by Tina Lorin, is on a few hundred queues. I like to think of that as a sign of success.

How many are participating this year?
Hillary - This year we'll have 226 players that include 88 repeaters from last year. One of the cool things is that the players are all over the world. There are quite a few players across the United States and Canada but places like Australia, Germany, Ireland, Norway and Japan are also represented. Kenya and India are part of it too, in a sense, because two returning U.S. players are currently living abroad in those countries.

For those who missed the deadline,
can they join in the fun somehow?
Hillary - Absolutely! We encourage spectators and this year each round will include an award for creativity and we'd love for every sock knitter - player or not - to vote. We'll choose a few of our favorite representations of the pattern from among the finished socks that we see and we'll put them out for a vote. The winner will get a prize.

In addition to the Sock Madness blog, do you have personal blogs?
Hillary - Mine is Knitting4Shirley and I named it for my grandmother, whose collection of knitting supplies I inherited and learned to knit with. I put all kinds of stuff on there - knitting, reading, cooking and lately I try to feature pictures of Washington, DC each Friday. It's all stuff I love and want to share. I love blogging because I've met such great people and also because it's a way for my family in other states and countries to see what I'm up to.

Carole - My blog is Carole Knits and I've been writing it for just over 3 years. It's about knitting, spinning and life in my corner of the world. I post an Eye Candy Friday photo each week and lots of people seem to truly enjoy that.

What knit-related blogs or sites do you read most often?
Hillary - Well, like many bloggers, I've got a long list. Some of my favorite blogs are Carole Knits (of course), Zeneedle, Yarn Harlot, Wendy Knits, and Fiber Fool. They are so inspirational. Reading them always turns me on to more patterns that I must knit, books I need to find and yarns I want to pet. These days there are a ton of places to find knit inspiration and Knitty, Magknits, Knitters Review and Ravelry are chief among them. I really could go on and on.

Carole - I have a lot of knit bloggers who have become friends in real life and I read them whenever they post. People like Margene of Zeneedle, Norma of Now Norma Knits, Kim of Woolen Rabbit, and many more. Too many to name, in fact.

How many pairs of socks have YOU knit?
Hillary - I've knit about 20 pairs of socks but I have many more singles that are waiting for mates. Sock Madness is to blame for this. I usually only do one sock to test each pattern since we're pressed for time. This year I did more test knitting myself and I can't wait to turn these test socks into pairs. They are so beautiful!
(Editor's Note: Read IN STITCHES for solutions to the "single sock syndrome!)

Carole - Oh geez. A lot. 24 last year and 20 the year before, I think. So, yeah, a lot.

Double-points, two-circs or magic loop?
Hillary - I'm a magic loop girl. If you ever see me using double points it's either super dedication to a pattern that absolutely must be

 

  

 

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