SOCKtober

SOCKtober at last! – by the end of September at the latest, you can read that everywhere. But what is SOCKtober actually?

In short, it's something like a new beginning, the start of the season for all those who knit. Summer is definitely over, fall is slowly approaching and so is all the fun that comes with it. Every knitter is back "at the needles" and for obvious reasons many are starting by knitting socks.

Not only are they quick to finish, they also offer endless possibilities to vary or even try new things and learn: you can knit socks from the top down, or from the bottom up, with solid or variegated yarns, plain vanilla or fair isle. Each pair is a lovely project to keep for yourself or to give as a gift. And if the name of the month and the project go together as well as socks and October, SOCKtober explains itself.

But the story of how it came about is actually quite different:

In October 2011, SOCKtober was brought into the world by the US American Brad Montague. He saw the increasing number of homeless people in his hometown and really wanted to help. His research revealed that socks were one of the least donated items of clothing, but something homeless people desperately needed once it got colder outside. That's when he started giving socks to the homeless. With each pair he gave, he wished "Happy SOCKtober!", capturing the moment on video, and eventually showing the clips online.

It wasn't before long, he was approached by others who also wanted to help. Little by little, SOCKtober became famous and since then, people all over the world have been getting involved during the month of October to help those in need.

This is when knitters also discovered SOCKtober as an opportunity. Every fall, the number of sock patterns and published books would increase, and knitters worldwide indulged in knitting socks. However, this was (and still is) not always done for charity.

But what if every year during SOCKtober we made the most beautiful hobby in the world even more beautiful by making socks for people who really need them? What, if we were to go back to the roots of SOCKtober, so to speak?

There is more inspiration and information available in our blog posts about knitting for premature babies, cancer patients and the homeless. We have provided links to aid organizations there respectively. Please, take a look and think about it.

We'd love for you to join us!