Yarndale Sock Line 2018
It’s that time of year again … Yarndale Sock Line time!
If you’ve never heard of the Yarndale Sock Line, let me tell you a little bit about it. Back in 2015, the year that the Sockalong started, people who had started to knit their own socks asked if it would be possible for sock bunting to be hung up at Yarndale – it would fit beautifully with Yarndale’s mission to celebrate craft and creativity, and would also be an opportunity for people to show what they had learnt in the few short months since the Sockalong had started. If you’ve ever been to Yarndale, you’ll have seen the miles and miles of bunting that decorate the entrance hall; what could be better than socks to go with it?
My lovely friend Lucy from Attic24, a sock knitter herself nowadays, was all in favour and the Yarndale Sock Line was born! The idea was that anyone who wanted to could send in socks to hang up in the Auction Mart – but then it struck me that it would be such a shame to put them away in storage after a weekend of being on display, not to mention where they would be stored (I could just imagine my husband’s face when I told him that our house was to be insulated by sock bunting!). I decided that instead of single socks, I would ask for pairs which could be given away after Yarndale; it was a big ask in both time and money as yarn isn’t cheap and socks can be quite time-consuming to knit, but but I had reckoned without the kindness of the crafting community and before long, pairs of socks were flooding in. The rest, as the saying goes, is history!
So far, over 570 pairs of socks have been displayed and then gifted on the Yarndale Sock Lines at the last three Yarndale festivals. That’s a lot of socks! It has been truly humbling to see the generosity in terms of time, yarn and skills that have been gifted, and so lovely to know that so many people have wanted to join in and have their socks displayed.
After Yarndale, the socks are all given away. We choose not to sell them and give the money to charity – we firmly believe that there’s a very special pleasure in being given something that someone has made for you with the express intention of making your life that little bit brighter, even if just for a short time, that can’t be replaced with cash. So far, the socks have gone to homeless shelters, charities which hep rough sleepers, crisis centres, family centres, hospices for adults and children, residential homes … we want to send them to anywhere where people will appreciate some woolly, socky love.
You can see all the places that last year’s socks went to here, and 2016’s socks here and 2015’s socks here.
We welcome all socks to the Sock Line; it doesn’t matter whether it’s your first pair or your 100th pair, it’s all about being part of the Yarndale creative community and also helping someone less fortunate at the end of it all. If you’d like to get involved in this year’s Yarndale Sock Line and be part of the Auction Mart bunting, here’s what you need to do to get involved:
1 Knit a pair of socks. Any size, any pattern, any yarn – just a pair of socks that someone will be able to wear, although please consider when choosing your yarn that depending on their circumstances, it may not always easy for the recipients to wash the socks regularly and they will need to be hard-wearing unless they are specifically knitted as bed socks. From plain socks to patterned, those of us who are sock knitters know that a kind of magic happens when someone puts on a pair of hand knits and they will be delighted with their socks of any style. Top down, toe up, two at a time, even crocheted if that’s your thing – whatever your preference! Note: I’ve been told that rough sleepers don’t like anything that makes them appear conspicuous, so if you specifically want your socks to be gifted to somewhere that helps rough sleepers, please choose a dark colour.
One of the things that I hadn’t realised until I started looking into re-homing the donated socks is that places that look after children also need bigger sizes as well as the tiny sizes as poorly children are not always very young with small feet. It really doesn’t matter what size you knit as we will find a home for them all. Every year we have sizes from tiny baby socks to huge men’s socks and they are all gratefully received so you can take your pick!
My socks for this year are already on the needles. The yarn is King Cole Zig Zag in shade 1248 Bilberry Pie. (Sadly, I think it might have been discontinued but you may find a ball somewhere if you’re lucky.) And in case you’re admiring my posh stitch markers, I started the gusset whilst I was with Lucy a week or so ago and hadn’t taken any to Skipton with me – these are her mandala yarn offcuts! 🙂
2 Create a tag for the socks. It’s lovely to be able to see where the socks have come from, but it’s also practical as it’s easier to see where the socks should go when they are clearly labelled. A luggage label is an ideal size, but you can make your own labels if you’d rather. We have some very special Yarndale ones that you can download too. Please don’t use a label that wraps right around a pair of folded socks as it’s not easy to hang them up for everyone to admire.
The label needs to be securely attached to your pair of socks and have your name (your first name is fine), the place you live, the size of the socks (in UK size, please) and what the yarn content is in case anyone has issues with wool. If there are any particular washing instructions you may want to squeeze those on too.
On the back, feel free to write a message to whoever might receive your socks, but please don’t give any personal information.
3 Attach the socks securely together. I don’t want any socks going AWOL at the Auction Mart! You can either do this by using a safety pin or by threading the string or yarn from your label onto a wool needle and taking it through both socks …
before bringing the yarn back through to the front and tying with a secure knot.
4 Post your socks. Requests for the Yarndale Sock Line will be running alongside requests for the Yarndale Creative Project which Lucy will be announcing on her blog shortly – whether you plan to take part in just one or both of these, we’re asking for everything to be sent to the same address to help to reduce postage costs. To be sure that I will have enough time to log all the socks before Yarndale (it helps with the distribution afterwards) then I need your socks to arrive by Saturday 1 September 2018 please. Here’s the address:
Yarndale Sock Line
c/o Attic24
PO Box 97
Skipton
North Yorkshire
BD23 9EN
If you’ve got both socks and the Creative Project item in your envelope, please write on the envelope somewhere that you’ve done that so Lucy knows to take her item out!
Can I bring the socks to Yarndale with me? Previously, I’ve said that’s no problem but last year, there were so many pairs that arrived over the Yarndale weekend that they ended up piled on the floor and that made me sad, as the original idea of the Sock Line was to celebrate everyone’s socky achievements. If you live in the UK, please do your best to get them to me by the date above so that they can be displayed for when Yarndale opens. It’s fine to bring them with you if you’re visiting from abroad as I know the postage charges can be ridiculous.
How many pairs of socks can I send? There have been some structural alterations in the Auction Mart this year where the Knit n Natter Lounge is going to be, and until we get into the Auction Mart at Yarndale weekend, we don’t know exactly the best way to display the socks. I want to be able to show off everybody’s socks – the Sock Line is part of the celebration of creativity, after all – so please, no more than 2 pairs per person. I know that some people knit lots of pairs to send for the Sock Line because of the fact that we give them away and I do appreciate that very much, but I don’t want to run out of room to show them all off and cause anybody any disappointment if they can’t see them at Yarndale. If you’ve already knitted more than 2 pairs, you could gift them locally – I’m sure they’d be very welcome!
What to do if you live abroad. I am well aware that Yarndale is a UK-based festival and that to take part might involve a hefty expense with postage. So, instead of sending me your socks from around the world – although you are very welcome to do so if you’d like to – you might prefer to gift your socks locally. All of the Yarndale Sock Line socks are sent to UK organisations and you might know of somewhere near you where they would be equally appreciated. So that you can still join in with the Yarndale Sock Line, just follow the steps above and take a picture of your finished socks, complete with the label so we know who you are, and email it to me. I’ll print out your picture and hang that on the Sock Line alongside the other pairs so if you can let me know whereabouts in the world you are and where you will be gifting your socks, I’ll add that information so that we can see socks being gifted all over the world!
What if I’ve got a suggestion of where the socks can go? Please tell me! Remember that we send our socks to UK-based organisations and we want to gift them to the people who need to put them on their feet, not sell them on. Send me your suggestions or drop me a note when you post your socks and I’ll get in touch with the places you suggest when we know how many pairs of socks we can give. It’s really helpful to have ideas before Yarndale so that the socks can be sent out as soon as possible afterwards.
Where can I get those Yarndale sock labels that you mentioned? Right here! They’ve been specially designed just for the Yarndale Sock Line and have space for all the information that you need to add. We’ve got them in three different colours so that you can choose the one you like the best, and feel free to add your own decorations too if you want to. We also have labels without the Yarndale logo if you prefer to use those (these are also ideal for general socky gifts!). Just click on the name of the labels that you want to go to the download page.
Yarndale Sock Line orange Yarndale Sock Line blue/green
Sock label blue/green |
Sock label orange |
And that’s it. It’s been wonderful to see all the socks as part of what Yarndale is all about, and to know that the socks we have gifted so far have been very much appreciated so the effort that you make to get involved is more than worthwhile.
Do ask if you’ve got any questions – and thank you if you are getting involved this year. Your bit of knitted love goes a long way! xx
I have my wool Christine just need to set some time aside to make them but now I have a deadline to work to that will help
Mitzi x
You do! 🙂 xx
So happy this is happening again as I have already bought some yarn specially for the Yarndale Sock Line.
Ooh fabulous, thank you! xx
i like the idea of sending a picture of your own creation if you live abroad; as postage can be a bit expensive. love the labels!
thanx for sharing
Yes, it also means that the socks are gifted to somewhere that has relevance to the knitter – being part of the Sock Line gives them a purpose! 🙂 xx
Already made 2 pairs in readiness. Just need to label and post. It's great to feel a part of the sock community. Thank you for all your hard work in creating and administering the Yarndale sock line. xxx
Ooh fabulous, thank you! xx
Gosh Christine, what strikes me more than anything is how incredibly well organised this all is! Clear instructions and a firm sense of the importance of where the socks are finally ending up, after their joyful exhibition at Yarndale. I won't send any crocheted bed socks (the only socks I can make) as they are not at all practical, although very cosy, but will instead cheer on all those other talented and generous knitters. xx
Like a military operation … until you see me knee deep in socks in September and realise that it isn't quite like clockwork after all! 😉 I am very keen that the socks should be re-homed in the best way possible for those who've knitted them and those who will receive them, though, so the only way that I can keep track is to try to be as clear as I can from the beginning 🙂 xx
Thank you so much for taking the time to organise this – I sent a pair last year and it gave me a real glow to see mine photographed. I am looking forward to starting this year's pair. Vicky from Brum
It's lovely to know that you felt like that – I'll definitely photograph the socks again this year! xx
Christine, do you happen to know if anyone is doing something similar in the USA?
Thanks,
Maegynn
I don't know if there are any charity knits in the USA, Maegynn – I'd be surprised if there aren't but this one is specifically related to the Yarndale festival so we tend to keep it all close to home. Have you tried googling? It's surprising what comes up sometimes! 🙂 xx
2 pairs will be in the post tomorrow, this was the motivation I needed to get past some second sock syndrome!
So happy this is happening again as I have already bought some yarn specially for the Yarndale Sock Line.