Socks, Strawberries and competitions

As soon as you start designing beyond self-publishing there is an element of waiting for your design to be published for the world to see. In the case of my latest published design that wait was nine months, but it was definitely worth it.

After competing in the 2021 Sock Madness competition I decided to dust off my knit design hat and have a go at submitting a design for the 2022 competition. I combined Japanese stitch patterns with crochet elements to challenge competitors to broaden their skills. In a speed knitting competition which can disadvantage those with larger sized feet, I thought of a way to reduce the leg length for larger sizes in an attempt to compensate for the additional stitches per round in the larger sizes.

And then finally after confirmation that my design had been selected and scheduled, came the name - Strawberry Martini - using the initial letters of Sock Madness, and the concept of mixing some favourite stitch motifs from previous years with a new bobble (berry) method.

Strawberry Martini sock pattern

The launch came on 4th May as several hundred knitters across the globe cast on, and after a wild couple of days watching for any questions, clarifying and advising, the finished pairs began to emerge. As I said, the name was almost a last minute decision - so it was amazing to see so many red and pink pairs being revealed. The feedback in all the teams was amazing - a true buzz for a designer to receive.

A fortnight later over 500 pairs of these socks had been completed when the round came to an end.

And now that the competition has reached its conclusion, this pattern is available for everyone to enjoy. You can find it on Ravelry, Payhip, and Lovecrafts.