Socktoberfest and NaKniSweMo

I tend to be a joiner, enjoying the camaraderie that comes with sharing what I love with others who love the same activities. I prefer group rides to solo ones and will drive many miles to attend a knitting group.
Ravelry has numerous group knits. There are KALs (Knit-alongs), swaps and theme based challenges. It’s the latter that I enjoy the most, particularly Socktoberfest in October and NaKniSweMo in November.
Socktoberfest, begun in 2005, is touted as a “celebration of socks.” While it is not a race, I am not alone in using it as a challenge to knit a pair of socks in a month. The prize: a nice message from Lolly (Lauren), the creator.
This year, I cast on and completed mine in October. They were knit in the Olympian Socks pattern with Anzula Yarn’s Suishy, a Merino/Cashmere/Nylon blend. These are great socks; soft, comfortable and fit perfectly!



NaKniSweMo is an offshoot of NaNoWriMo, in which players write a 50,000-word novel in a month. Brainchild Knitgrrl (Shannon) created NaKniSweMo as a means for we knitters to knit alongside novelists, knitting a sweater with at least 50,000 stitches in a month.
On November 1, I cast on the Charcoal Ribbed Cardigan pattern for Bruce, using some Foxhill Farm Cormo Cross that I purchased at Rhinebeck a few years ago. He has wanted  me to knit him a cardigan for 10+ years, and this pattern and yarn combination were exactly what he had in mind.
On November 30, I gave him the finished sweater, which fits perfectly!



I may not know much about what I will be doing in 2012, but I’m pretty sure that I will join in a Tour de France knitting or spinning challenge, as well as Socktoberfest and NaKniSweMo. They are so much fun!

Comments

[Debby]

Congratulations on completing both challenges!! I miss all the fun KALs that bloggers used to dream up; maybe they are on Ravelry now and I just haven't looked as hard? I have a couple of projects I can't bring myself to pick up again, and a KAL might be just the inspiration to finish them.