Squee!!!

You guys are wicked awesome! Thank you so much for giving me so many brilliant ideas and links! (Props to Aija for sending you here. Sock Goddesses are such wonderful people, no?)

I got so many spectacular suggestions - some were brand-new to me, some were things I had seen and was crazy about before, some were even things I've knitted in the past, and some just made me laugh. (Yes, of COURSE the blogger who suggested a thong and matching willy warmer wins.) Obviously, this wasn't a "How well do you know Alyson?" contest, so if you suggested something I've knit before, then that just means you suggested something I would definitely like! Also, as a self-taught and "independent" knitter (read: no local knitty pals), I don't get around as much as some of you - so you pointed me at a lot of sites I didn't know about, or had stumbled onto once and promptly forgotten.

There were some common themes - Knitty and Magknits, Knitting Pattern Central, the book Sensational Knitted Socks, love for Nancy Bush, Sockbug (agreed!), admiration for the insane socks in the latest Vogue Knitting (I know, right?!)...and several suggestions for Cookie's designs. Good call - I have a wee girl-crush (of the knitty nature, of course) on Cookie....is she just brilliantine or what? Her and her damned perfect socks - and she pumps out the designs quicker than I can knit them!

Since I did get so many wonderful suggestions, I'll share many of my favorites at the bottom of this post - what's the point of having all this help if I'm not gonna spread it around? (I wanted to include thumbnails of the projects, but ethically, that would require permission from the original publisher - too much work! Also, there will be a perma-link to this post in my sidebar.)

But first - let me tell you who won! (I said I'd have eight winners - but I actually could only narrow it to nine. And honestly, I wish I had more to give away - there were A LOT of really fantastic suggestions.)

Rosi G. - This woman (who appears to be my knitting soulmate) listed a cornucopia of patterns, every single last one of which I ADORED. Now I feel overwhelmed with stuff I MUST knit.

K. Anne< - Several great pattern suggestions, including one that made me actually jump a bit out of my chair and declare, "I must have those!" (socklets) and two that made me laugh my arse off (the thong and willy warmer - ha!).

Aviva - Made some fantastic suggestions, reminded me about Anticraft, and inferred that my ass would not look enormous in Intolerable Cruelty. (Hey, around here, flattery will get you everywhere.)

Christine - Made some fantastic suggestions, including Rhodie, Nasturtium, Lacy Mock Cable, Broadripple, Snakes on a Sock (the "snakes on a ___" riff truly never gets old with me), and Mata Hari.

Adrienne - Suggested a couple of great sock patterns (Gecko Eyes and Hanauma Bay) - that she had written! Bonus points for leading me to ptyarn, where I found oodles of good patterns. (Pssst, Adrienne: I didn't have a way to contact you - comment or shoot me an email! You won!)

Lexa - Showed plenty of love to Cookie, and suggested a couple of lace pieces I really liked. (Lily of the Valley - my birth flower; and Stormwater, which I lust for.)

Robin - Suggested several sock patterns that were great, including one Travis liked (major bonus points - he's impossible). (Although perhaps she doesn't deserve free yarn because she gets to live in Victoria, BC - one of my most favorite places EVER. But I'll let it slide, for Travis' sake.)

Valerie - Came up with several good stashbusters, including the Stuffie pattern, which I just adored.

Aija - She suggested, among many fabulous designs, those faboo Boyfriend socks (which I'd been coveting on her blog but hadn't decided to knit because I didn't realize it was a free pattern...duh.) And I have to show her love because I wouldn't have seen nearly so many fabulous ideas if she hadn't given me a plug!

[Non-Contest News: I did get a spiffy new digital camera, so I can start publishing knitty photos of interest. But that'll come along later - I'm exhausted from the two consecutive shows I have running right now, and just a moment ago, when Travis asked me whether I had already washed some lettuce in the veggie bin, I called out, "Only the half-skein." (That's the half a head of lettuce remaining from tonight's salad. Apparently, when I'm good and exhausted, lettuce comes in skeins.)]

Finally: Sarah's Yarns, Sarah's Yarns! Give 'em your business! They're running an INSANE-O sale on Tilli Tomas (hear that, Simple Knitted Bodice knitters?) and their customer service is faboo. (Plus, I love sellers that allow you oodles of shipping options.)

The links (all patterns are free unless noted otherwise):

SOCKS!!

Dublin Bay Socks

Lombard Socks

Anastasia Socks

Milanese Lace Socks

Zokni Socks

Elfine Socks

Falling Leaves Socks

Gentleman Socks

Happy Socks

RPM Socks

Boyfriend Socks

Eunny's Socks (Bayerische - free; Chuck's Cabled - buy)

Yukon Leaves Socks

Wyvern Sock

Rhodie Socks & Nasturtium Socks (see download links on right sidebar)

Lacy Mock Cable Sock

Broadripple Sock

Snakes on a Sock

Aran Socks

Crusoe Socks

Yoga Socks

Blueberry Socks (a great "guy sock")

Grapevine Sock (Fair Isle sock)

Mock Croc Socks

Springgrass Socks & Orchid Socks

Hanauma Bay Socks (great for patterning/striping yarn)

Gecko Eyes Socks (beaded)

UsedToBeInGerman Sock Pattern (Suggested cast-on: 64 stitches)

Tropicana Socks

Here There Be Dragons (for purchase)

Isocoles Socks (for purchase)

Top-Down Knee Socks

Basic Cabled Socks

LACE!!

Rambling Leaves Shawl

Pacific Northwest Shawl (for purchase)

Sarcelle Shawl (for purchase)

Wendy's Fir Cone Shawl/Scarf/Stole

Lily of the Valley Stole (for purchase)

Stormwater Shawl (kit, for purchase)

Branching Out Lace Scarf

Wing o' the Moth (for purchase)

Diamond Fantasy Shawl/Scarf (for purchase)

Sea & Shells Stole

FOR DA SHORTIES!!
(These are the small-quantity-of-yarn projects - some of them are lace too, but I classified them here.)

Clapotis Cap (you know you need a hat to go with your Clapotis!)

My So-Called Scarf (Here's MY So-Called Scarf)

Dream Swatch Head Wrap (or twee scarf)

Fetching (fingerless gloves)

Hip and Silkie (cute scarf or belt patterns)

Knecklace (great for using up bits of pricey stuff)

Lace handwarmers

Perdita (bracelets)

Lavender Eye Pillow

Snowball's Chance (fingerless gauntlets that I LOVE)

Mermaid Gloves (Pomatomus for your arms!)

Mobius Cowl & Bag

Liesel Scarf

Lace Headband

Stuffies! (TOO freakin' cute!)