"Dobby Socks" Knitted Sock Swap?

[Madmatigan79]

Inspired by all the Harry Potter mania going on right now, I've been looking at the Dobby Socks in the book Charmed Knits, and thinking that they might be just the right project for my terribly short attention span. Also, since I seem to have an incurable case of "can't finish a pair of anything"-itis, the idea of purposely mismatched socks really appeals to me (for those of you who are unfamiliar with the HP series, the character, Dobby, is a house elf with an affinity for mismatched socks).

Then I thought, "'Dobby Socks' swap!"

My idea is that each person would have two partners but would knit only one sock per partner (the result being that each person ends up with a lovely pair of mismatched socks). This idea might appeal to non-HP fans as well (especially those of you who have perhaps been thinking about knitting a pair of socks but find the task of making two identical items daunting!).

Any takers? Sign ups could start asap with maybe a three-four week crafting time?

[Madmatigan79]

I should mention that, while I say "Dobby Socks" and refer to the pattern in Charmed Knits, I don't mean that everyone would have to knit that pattern. You could knit any sock pattern you like!

(we would sort out the details of size/style in the swap questionnaire so that, while the socks would be mismatched, they would at least feel similar when you're wearing them - thanks, Kaesea, for that idea!!).

[superhooker]

This sounds really fun, but I totally don't have the time for it right now.  I would participate in a round 2, though!

[bruisedpeach22]

This sounds like fun. I've been wanting to knit a pair of socks but the idea of having to do it twice is pretty daunting.

[kell]

Were you reading my mind?  I was just thinking about doing something similar for myself, as I don't have the attention span for two identical socks.  I'll have to see what the dates are, as I'm not going to have much free time once school starts. 

[onetomatotwo]

(we would sort out the details of size/style in the swap questionnaire so that, while the socks would be mismatched, they would at least feel similar when you're wearing them - thanks, Kaesea, for that idea!!).

Hmmmm? Did somebody say my name?

Yes, as a long-time mismatched sock-wearer, I would agree that we should use the same weight yarn and ideally create the same length sock (it feels weird to have one long and one short... also weird to have one thick and one thin).

I've never actually made a sock -- I make mitts out of my sock yarn and I always dread that second one. So making single socks sounds like it would be right up my alley. I don't know why I never thought of it before (since I only ever wear one of a pair at a time anyway!)

I hope that Dobby's fashion statement takes off -- I would love to see more mismatched pair wearers out there.

[bronzfrog]

This sounds like so much fun.
 I wish I could knit but I guess I'd just have to stalk the gallery.

[Jillie]

I love making socks, it would be awesome to try this!

Maybe, so the socks would feel the same, you could make 2 socks with the same yarn but in different colors or with different stitch patterns.

[Madmatigan79]

Re: using the same yarn but in different patterns/colours - that's a good idea. The only thing with that is, if we went with my original idea of having two different partners (so you make one sock per partner and everyone receives a truly mismatched pair of socks...for some reason, I the idea of receiving a single sock in the mail just seems like it would be more), it might be more of a challenge to ensure that people use the same yarn.

Of course, we don't HAVE to do one sock/partner - we could just pair people up...or (if people were willing to do it) we could choose a specific yarn (ie. KnitPicks) that everyone would use...but maybe that is complicating things too much? What do people think? Or should I just make a note for people to state their yarn weight preference in the swap questionnaire and leave it at that?

I've just about finished my current WIP, and I think I'll start sign ups this week. Yay socks.

[onetomatotwo]

I don't think it makes that much difference if the socks feel slightly different. My feet are pretty sensitive and I definitely have cases where I am wearing socks that are the same weight, but are not the made from the exact same yarn, and it doesn't bother me.

I think if we specify yarn weight (perhaps more precisely, gauge) and length, the socks should feel similar enough not to bother anyone. Mostly, the weird thing is if one is super-thick or super-long.

I like the idea of getting two different socks from two different people -- it's more Dobby-like.