I’ve made three squares.

I would have made more, but Darlene sent Tonni one of these:

I ordered eight. They come with a pattern to make a tiny sock that I immediately started and have mailed to a sweet friend. Then I made three more.

While I was working on these itty bitty socks, I thought a lot about sock swaps. I thought about how sad it is that lots of knitters have never participated in a sock swap. I started thinking about why someone wouldn’t want to participate. Here’s what I came up with:

• long term commitment to the swap
• blogless (which only matters for some swaps)
• fear that the sock they make won’t fit
• fear that they will be paired with a size 15E foot
• might feel like they have to spend a lot of money (a common misconception)
• socks swaps are for girls (another common misconception)
• shipping is a killer
• the post office is a long long way away
• What if it gets lost in the mail?
• second sock syndrome
• can’t/don’t knit socks (or *gasp* knit at all)

I can’t do anything about the last one, but I think I’ve got a work-around for the others. My idea completely zany, will cost $.39 US and take about an hour from start to finish. Are you ready for my Big Idea? Yarn Miracle is happy to announce:

The Wee Tiny Sock Swap

Here’s how this is going to work:

• Anyone who wants to participate has until this Friday (March 9, 2007) to email me (emily@yarnmiracle.com) with your name, email address and mailing address. Please include the URL of your blog if you’ve got one.
• I will get the matches together next weekend and send them out on Sunday (March 11, 2007).
• Then, you’ll knit a single Wee Tiny Sock out of leftover sock yarn. Use whatever sock yarn or colorway you like!
• Next Friday (March 16, 2007) you will place your Wee Tiny Sock in an envelope with a card, note or piece of paper torn from a notebook with the details you can remember about the yarn, your email address and name.
• Address the envelope to your swap partner and place a First Class Stamp on it.
• Drop the envelope in the mailbox addressed to your swap partner.
• Upon receiving your own Wee Tiny Sock, contact your swap partner to say thank you and laugh and laugh about what a silly thing this is. Discuss how much fun you had participating!

Cake and Pie, right? Blogged and Blogless alike are invited to join in! Shoe size doesn’t matter. International sock makers are also encouraged to join the fun and games. Please indicate in your email if you are willing to make the journey to the post office and pay the extra buck to ship internationally.

The pattern is here. Feel free to take liberties with it, I put 20 stitches in the leg so to make sure there were lots of pattern choices in case you are feeling fancy. If you feel the need to make up your own tiny sock pattern or use the pattern from your mini-sock-blocker (which I am sure you have already ordered) go right ahead!

The Wee Tiny Sock Swap is a fun, fast, silly way to see a new yarn and “meet” new people! Sign up!

You know you want to.