FO: Uzume (and a contest!!)

Start: May 5th, 2008
Finish: May 24th, 2008
Pattern: Uzume (ravelry)
Yarn: Hand dyed (by me) merino sock yarn
Needles: US size 2s, two at a time on two circular needles

Very pretty!
I have a short attention span, apparently. The repeat on these socks was only 6 rows, and so I had to do ten of them on the legs, and because I did them both at once they seemed to take FOREVER, so I was bored. But I plugged along and each little closed cable was very cute and satisfying.

I love the lace! I love how on the foot you can see my tattoo through the lacey pattern. It’s great.
Ah, so where is the contest, you ask?
Well this pair of socks is my twentieth pair of socks. I feel like that’s a lot. And as I feel like that’s a lot, I feel it also deserves a contest in celebration!
So here’s your job: leave a comment on this entry (and if you feel like it, link me a picture to your sock yarn stash, if you have one), and in a week (next Saturday, May 31st) I will put all the names in a metaphorical hat and draw one, and that will be my winner!
Here’s the incentive:

This is hand-dyed yarn, by me, in a gradient pattern. I’m actually going to dye another ball so the gradient matches (this one only goes light to dark) and you can knit two socks that will look similar, instead of one being all light and the other being all dark.
If you don’t want the purple, I also have teal, turquoise, and green. I’m using them all for my sweater, so I have more dye than I can use (except for all the bare sock yarn I bought).
Leave me a comment!























Theresa said,
May 24, 2008 at 8:18 pm
Wow, 20 pairs of socks is a lot! I only have four. Your Uzumes are very pretty. I like the lace! Your gradient yarn sounds fun!
Jaime said,
May 24, 2008 at 8:24 pm
Dude, I’m so in on the contest.
Congrats on 20 pairs of socks! I don’t know what it’s like to knit 20 of anything. Talk about a short attention span. Knitting those two baby sweaters for the twins this year almost killed me.
Your socks are gorgeous; I love your dye jobs.
Sadly, I don’t have a picture of all of my (sad, puny) sock yarn stash all in one place. It’s all got separate photos on Ravelry, though.
Sarah said,
May 25, 2008 at 12:08 am
Your socks are awesome!! I am in awe of twenty pairs of socks. I think I am at 12 or 15 pairs. I can’t imagine 20 pairs! If you want to see my stash, you can look on my Ravelry. (TeenKnitter)
acupofjoy said,
May 25, 2008 at 7:00 am
Great socks! Love the yarn! Please enter my name in your drawing!
dbstout[at]juno[dot]com
yarnmaniac said,
May 25, 2008 at 9:29 am
Wow, those socks are pretty. I have not knit 20 pairs of socks, only about 10 pair or so.
bockstark.knits said,
May 25, 2008 at 9:33 am
Purple! Graduated!!! Pick MEEEEE! Your uzume’s are lovely!
Marcia said,
May 25, 2008 at 10:28 am
Woohoo! A sock yarn contest! Congratulations on the 20th pair of socks. I’m only on my 8th, but they’re moving along pretty fast.
Here’s a pic of my sock yarn stash (and those baskets are pretty deep too!), and it’s actually grown a little since the picture:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2353/2400756559_cc0444fdfc.jpg
Adriana said,
May 25, 2008 at 10:34 am
Those socks are gorgeous! You did a great job dyeing that yarn. And the pattern shows it off beautifully. I’m definitely adding it to my queue.
No pictures of my sock yarn stash, I think I’d be afraid by it’s size.
Congrats on your 20th pair. They are so addictive.
Nancy said,
May 25, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Your socks are beautiful! I’m sure it is due to the great dyeing you do. As you mentioned in Ravelry, there isn’t any pooling, and that is something a lot of dyers haven’t accomplished!
mathyjones said,
May 25, 2008 at 12:24 pm
What lovely socks! I downloaded that pattern a while ago; you’ve inspired me to move it up in the queue (although I’m sure the handdyed yarn is what really makes the difference).
While most of my stash lives in a chest of drawers, I keep my sock yarn on display in my coffee table. You can see a photo here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14703657@N08/2315611894/
susan said,
May 25, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Congrats on the twentieth pair. I’m sure it’s a sign you’ll keep on going. I have and never think twice about it. Your dyeing is wonderful and the colors are gorgeous. My stash pics are al on Ravelry, sorry.
Jess said,
May 25, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Your socks look lovely. You are really doing great with the dying. And… hello?! You built your own wheel! That is amazing! So great! Can’t wait to see how he spins for you. The name Leanord just came to mind. I have NO idea why. lol!
My sock yarn stash… it reveals my sock addiction… I don’t have a picture of it all, but it can all be seen on my ravelry stash page. http://www.ravelry.com/people/ItchyFingers/stash
sprite said,
May 25, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Twenty pairs is definitely a lot! I’ve been considering doing an airing of the stash and a recording of it on Ravelry. If I do, I’ll be sure to come back and share the picture with you. I admit, though, I’m sort of scared to admit how much yarn I have compared to how few pairs of socks I’ve knit…
LizzieK8 said,
May 25, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Congrats on all the tootsie warmers!
I do love me some purple…..
Debi said,
May 25, 2008 at 5:20 pm
Congrats on 20 pairs! That is a real milestone!
I’m just about to upload the first and only pic of a *portion* of my (ridiculously huge) sock stash for the thread in the SOS group so you can see it there (if I have the guts to post it, LOL)
Vicki said,
May 25, 2008 at 5:54 pm
Your socks are beautiful - the yarn matches the pattern so nicely! You really have such a talent for dyeing and a great eye for color.
20 pairs - congrats! I bet SKA sockdowns have helped you stay obsessed.
I’d love to enter your contest. I don’t have a photo of just my sock yarn stash, but I do have my whole stash up to date on Ravelry - http://www.ravelry.com/people/vickilicious/stash .
Tabby said,
May 25, 2008 at 8:13 pm
Congrats on finishing your 20th pair of socks! I can only aspire to complete as many (hopefully this summer in SOS! lol) That’s gorgeous yarn you dyed, both on the socks and in the skein. You did a beautiful job on the pattern as well, the detailed photos are so lovely. Here’s a link to my stash page on Rav–modest, but fun I think
http://www.ravelry.com/people/many2knit4/stash
thanks for a fun contest!
darbyrose said,
May 25, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Saw your socks in the SKA forum on Rav. You did a wonderful job of dyeing - the yarn and pattern compliment each other very well.
I have not photographed my yarn stash yet. I’m almost afraid to.
Congratulations on your 20th pair! May you knit many many more.
Meghann said,
May 26, 2008 at 1:53 am
I love the socks and the yarn!! I saw your socks on Rav and decided to pop on over and check out your contest
Emm1e said,
May 26, 2008 at 11:06 am
Congrats on your 20th pair of socks! I stopped counting about then because I’m a little sheepish about the fact that I have knit that many pairs of socks - only other sock knitters understand.
Anyway, you can find my stash at http://www.ravelry.com/people/Emm1e/stash
Heidi said,
May 26, 2008 at 11:28 am
I agree with our Ravelry folks that you could definitely sell this gorgeous yarn on Etsy if you’ve ever got some extra time on your hands! In the meantime, though, I’m glad you’re willing to share your talents for free
I’m no where near 20 pairs yet myself, but I think you just inspired me to at least get off the intertubes and work on the 5th pair that is waiting for me!
Awesome Mom said,
May 26, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Very pretty! I would post a picture of my sock yarn stash, but it is all packed up right now and on it’s way to our new house.
Gladys said,
May 26, 2008 at 12:57 pm
I don’t dare take a photo of my sock yarn stash as DH doesn’t need to know just how much is there. (He sees the closet in theory, but he doesn’t need to know what’s hidden in the boxes.
Congrats on your 20th pair! It’s a great accomplishment, and now you can look forward to your next 20. There are so many great yarns out there that it’s hard NOT to knit socks!
Kitten with a Whiplash said,
May 26, 2008 at 1:02 pm
More beautiful socks? How can you possibly decide which pair to wear each morning? Congrats on 20 pairs, my total stands at … zero. You are certainly a talented dyer as well, both the prize and your socks are lovely colors. Thanks for having a contest to celebrate!
J. Denae said,
May 26, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Your socks are lovely… and that yarn is such a great color!
Sharon Rose said,
May 26, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Oooh!!!! I absolutely adore graduated colorways. I’ve been experimenting with longer color repeats and having a lot of fun. Sock are my next big adventure. The little cables are SO cute!!
Thanks for such a fun contest!
Nantke said,
May 26, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Hi,
your socks are beautiful, the lace looks amazing, and the yarn too! I was linked here by your announcement of a yarn contest on Ravelry, and of course I couldn’t resist - but I also linked your blog into my feedreader, so I’ll never miss your news!
Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) I don’t have a pic of my whole stash. But just today I got the most precious delivery of sock yarn I’ve ever laid my hands upon:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2318/2525247970_c9ab78b0e6.jpg
Best regards
Nantke aka DeusXMachina
ShakespearesLady said,
May 26, 2008 at 5:10 pm
I can’t even imagine 20 pairs! Wow! I’ve done about 3 :p
That purple sock yarn is gorgous.
Becky said,
May 26, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Congratulations on your 20th pair!
adrienne said,
May 26, 2008 at 6:06 pm
congrats on your 20th pair. i never bothered to count, so i really don’t have any idea how many pairs i have knit.
your yarn is most beautiful!
i am afraid of my sock yarn stash.
Paula said,
May 26, 2008 at 6:11 pm
Well, I’m logged in as my mom, but congratulations on your socks! I don’t really have a sock yarn stash, and I usually don’t win contests, but I thought I’d try.
My blog is http://www.knittypixie.blogspot.com (hope that somes in well!)
Melanie
moonhonu said,
May 26, 2008 at 7:31 pm
Beautiful sock, love your colorway and the pattern is quite cool as well! COngrats on 20 pair (makes me wonder , i have never counted!) No picture of my stash though!!
Danielle said,
May 26, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Yummy socks!
purple said,
May 26, 2008 at 8:54 pm
Wow - 20 pairs. THat’s amazing. I’m mostly a sweater-knitter, so don’t have much of a sock yarn stash but I’d love to try.
tori said,
May 26, 2008 at 10:07 pm
happy 20th sockaversary heres to the next twenty socks salut
Katie O said,
May 26, 2008 at 10:32 pm
Wow, I love sock yarn, but never use it for socks! I know, I must be crazy! But I use it for shawls and all other kinds of projects!! They look beautiful… maybe I’ll have to try socks one day!!
Robyn said,
May 26, 2008 at 10:36 pm
Wow, 20 is a lot more than I’ve knit. Takes me forever to knit socks! I have also gotten Second Sock Syndrome and have a bunch of single knitted socks! LOL
Elaine said,
May 26, 2008 at 10:53 pm
Amazing - I feel like such a slacker.
Love the yarn.
Bianca said,
May 26, 2008 at 11:41 pm
Congrats on your 20th pair. I lost count myself… but I also tend to knit a lot. You are dyeing beautiful yarn!
Nicole said,
May 27, 2008 at 12:20 am
Those are gorgeous socks! Congratulations on 20 pairs - I haven’t been keeping track, but I think I’m only somewhere around half that.
Emily said,
May 27, 2008 at 2:22 am
Your socks look great. The colors are perfect for spring.
Suzzcq70 said,
May 27, 2008 at 8:12 am
I am on sock 1 of my first pair of socks. Going ok, I guess, but at least I have a KAL group on Rav to ask questions to.
So 20 socks is a mountainous acheivement to me! Congrats. Here’s a link to my stash . . . only have a few sock yarns and looking to build!
http://www.ravelry.com/people/suzzcq70/stash
Jen said,
May 27, 2008 at 8:19 am
Beautiful socks! I only have 2 pairs of socks done, with 2 more on the needles right now. It’ll take me years to get to 20 at the rate I’m going.
Congratulations!
yahoo.com said,
May 27, 2008 at 11:10 am
hi!
great job on your 20th pair of socks!! I’m only on my 10th I think. well maybe by the end of the year I’ll be up there with you. awesome idea on the contest too!:)
missy said,
May 27, 2008 at 11:11 am
oopps! wrong name went int that sorry!! he he darn computers!
jersey jessie said,
May 27, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Purple is my favorite and I love subtle dying.
I won’t tell you how many pairs I’ve knitting, but it is a SMALL number.
Kristen said,
May 27, 2008 at 2:14 pm
I’m almost done with my FIRST pair of socks. Totally plain stockinette, but I’m still pretty proud of how they are turning out. Please enter me in the contest and teal or green would be my favorite colors!
heatherly said,
May 27, 2008 at 2:38 pm
i have not pulled out all my stash for socks yarn, but thos was my SM2 sock yarns
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3280/2338104047_6a8e3b230f.jpg
yes to allcolours, but green and pruple are my favourites :0)
Rachel O said,
May 27, 2008 at 3:46 pm
What an inspiration. I’ll be 90 before I knit 20 pairs of socks!
I love the yarn in the socks you knit, and I love purple.
Emily said,
May 27, 2008 at 8:05 pm
Congrats on your 20th pair of socks! I’ve made 3 for me and 1 pair of baby socks. Those socks are really pretty, too!
joanne117 said,
May 27, 2008 at 9:52 pm
I’m a beginner and will be making my first pair of socks soon. I love your hand dyed yarn-count me in!
Jackie said,
May 27, 2008 at 10:08 pm
Lovely socks! You’re on your 20th pair and I’m working on my first sock! I must say that I’m enjoying it more than I thought! I’ve gone back and forth thinking my sock might or might be part of a pair and I’m happy report that at this moment in time I really think it will not be a lonely sock but will have a mate!
Congratulations on 20 pairs!
jessalu said,
May 27, 2008 at 10:28 pm
Beautiful socks!
As for pictures of stash…it’s just not humanly possible. It’d take me an entire day to haul the sock yarn out. ;o)
blogless in NJ said,
May 27, 2008 at 10:34 pm
Holy Moly - that’s a lot of socks!
Love the socks - love the yarn. I’m a sock newby so no stash to flash.
Nadine said,
May 27, 2008 at 10:54 pm
Happy 20 socks! I am new to sock knitting within the last year, but I am addicted nonetheless. After reading your post, I went to my stash page on Ravelry to check out my sock yarn stash, but there’s very little left since that is all I seem to be knitting these days! Time to stock up!
http://www.ravelry.com/people/corazenia/stash
Cheers!
helenlam said,
May 28, 2008 at 1:00 am
Congrats on working through 20 socks! I’m pretty new to sock knitting, having only started in February, but I have finished 4 pairs so far, with the goal of knitting a pair a month!
Darcy Watts said,
May 28, 2008 at 2:21 am
In 2 years I have only knitted 3 pair of socks.You must be a awesome sock knitter:)
My sock yarns stash is on flickr:http://www.flickr.com/photos/7809717@N03/page4/
and in my stash on Ravelry my name on there is knottyknitter40:
http://www.ravelry.com/people/KnottyKnitter40/stash
Darcy Watts said,
May 28, 2008 at 2:23 am
Congrats on twenty pairs:) here is my stash of yarns
http://www.ravelry.com/people/KnottyKnitter40/stash
Wendy said,
May 28, 2008 at 8:29 am
WOW!! 20 pairs!! That’s definately a feat (feet) ha!
Congratulations!
I don’t have a current photo of my sock yarn stash. Maybe I should work on that.
Once Sarah moves in we’ll be going through all the yarn stashed around this house and reorganizing.
Doris said,
May 28, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Congratulations on 20 pairs of socks! I stand at 12 and 1/2 (a little case of second sock syndrome on a pair I didn’t enjoy). My sock yarn stash is hidden in several places (what my husband doesn’t know won’t hurt him! and spreading it throughout the house makes it seem so much more manageable).
Timiae said,
May 28, 2008 at 6:42 pm
Congrats! I bet I won’t make my 20 for quite a while (I’ve only made 4! But I am working, slowly and with much boredom, on a 5th pair). I bet the teal yarn is so pretty…
Jen C said,
May 28, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Congrats! I’ve only made it through 2 pairs of socks, but I like to use sock yarn for sweaters and camis.
Sally said,
May 28, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Twenty pairs of socks is certainly worth a celebration. Your socks are very pretty and well made. I absolutely love your dye job.
Here is a link to my sock yarn stash which I’ve been trying to knit up as fast as I can.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2259/2530911881_2b66bf5903_o.jpg
bean said,
May 29, 2008 at 12:43 am
20 socks is a lot. I have never knit a sock… yet. I want to but know I will be hooked.
sprite said,
May 29, 2008 at 1:25 am
Okay, you convinced me. I pulled out all the sock yarn in the house (minus the third skein needed to make a pair of socks that’s in a bag somewhere…).
This is about half the stash with a helper: http://flickr.com/photos/rudiriet/2529298578/.
This is the full stash: http://www.spritewrites.net/images/knit/sockstash.jpg.
I can make 50 pairs of socks (give or take). Yikes!
Erin said,
May 29, 2008 at 8:59 am
Pretty, pretty yarn and pretty, pretty socks! Congrats on 20 pairs! I think I’m up to 7.5….
I think I have yarn enough for about 10 more pair–most of it from a dying party that my knitting group had. http://molassesandmohair.blogspot.com/2008/03/phew.html That’s just the hand-dyed–I also have a couple of skeins of other stuff laying around.
Omly said,
May 29, 2008 at 9:03 am
Here is stash as of January 2008. It has changed a little, but it is still about the same size. Must knit more socks
drive-by WIP post « space kitty knits said,
May 29, 2008 at 12:06 pm
[...] of course, don’t forget to check out the drawing for my 20th pair of socks, Uzume! It’s open till Friday night, then I’ll close the [...]
OhAmy said,
May 29, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Whoa! 20 pairs, congrats. i’ve just started knitting socks. I think its time, I’ve already started 3 pair already (two are testers using worsted weight) . All using the 1 cir needle method. you can see pics on my ravelry page. thanks for the contest.
Jody said,
May 29, 2008 at 5:29 pm
20 pairs! Go you! I think I’ve knit about 10 complete pairs and I have around 5 or 6 single socks I still need to knit mates for!
Tami said,
May 30, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Congrats on your 20th pair.
Those socks are beautiful!
JC said,
May 30, 2008 at 10:12 pm
those are beautiful socks!
drawing a winner « space kitty knits said,
May 31, 2008 at 9:11 am
[...] 31, 2008 at 9:11 am (cats, contest) Hooray! We have a winner for our 20th Pair Contest/Drawing! [...]