Blog Outside the SOX

A New Contest Entry Form

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 13:00:14 -0500

We have simplified the Think Outside The SOX contest entry form.

It came to our attention that the contest entry form that we published online and gave out at STITCHES West 2008 was maybe not as user friendly as it could have been. Our intention (on the second page) was to leave it up to you to tell us as much as you could about your socks. Unfortunately, we’ve learned, that this form has left a great many of you unsure about how much information we’re looking for.

Thanks to the editorial department at Knitter’s Magazine, we’ve re-done that second page all you have to do is answer some questions about you and your sock design(s). We hope that you’ll find this form a little easier to use.

If you’ve already filled out the old form, that’s perfectly OK. We’re happy to accept contest entries using that format. But it you’re struggling with that (older) form (i.e. telling us about your socks) then we invite you to download the new version of the contest entry form (in zipped PDF format) and use that form instead.

You’ll also notice that we’ve included the option of using credit card information for your entry fee.

Good luck in the Think Outside The SOX contest!

A Sock Hop from a model SOX HOT SPOT

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 11:27:50 -0500

As you know, XRX, Inc. and the Think Outside The SOX co-sponsors have partnered up with many local yarn stores across the country to create SOX HOT SPOTS. These featured yarn retailers sell yarn for the yarn-specific categories in the contest.

There are now hundreds of SOX HOT SPOTS across the US (and even a few overseas and in Canada). Many are developing in-store sock programs, and we’ve just heard of one that has taken their participation in the contest to a whole new level. Have You Any Wool? In Berkley, MI is throwing a Sock Hop on Saturday, April 5, 2008 from 12:00 noon to 5:00 pm to kick off, promote, and inspire knitters and crocheters to enter the Think Outside The SOX contest.

When we spoke with Bridget Dean, the owner of Have You Any Wool?, she said, “I decided to join the SOX HOT SPOT program because I realized that I could bring something fresh and exciting to my customers that would tap their creativity in a different way.

“My excitement for this program is contagious. I presented it at our staff meeting and now my staff is buzzing about it and coming up with more ideas. The Creativity Workshop sprang up from talking about the program with one of my staff, Beth Krause.

“After the sock hop, we’ll host a knit-along for socks. Knit-alongs build community and allow knitters to meet and exchange ideas. Inspiration comes from many places, and when you surround yourself with creative people, you develop your own creative skills. I know there will be more offshoots, and I’ll keep you posted.

“One of the things that we’re doing at the Sock Hop is demonstrating different methods of knitting socks. There isn’t just one way, and we want people to see that. We may even come up with yet another way to knit socks!”

Bridget also told us that she’s ‘Thinking Outside The Box’ in her marketing plans, “Diana [Bridget’s rep at Skacel] is working on some giveaways from Skacel. I’m also involving the larger community of Berkley by visiting a couple of the nearby restaurants and asking for their support and participation. Maybe they’d like to give me coupons (complimentary soft drink, milk shake, or fries with purchase) to hand out to my customers? The barber shop around the corner has a greaser theme. I’ll talk with Jason, the owner, to see how we can tie them in as well. Cross pollination is a good thing!

“We’re awarding prizes for the best hand knit socks and the best costume we see that day,” Bridget says, inviting the community to join her. “So pull out your poodle skirt and sweater set or your blue jeans and white T-shirt. Put on your best socks and your dancing shoes and come on in for an afternoon of fun and prizes!”

In her latest eNewsletter, Bridget invited and challenged all of her customers to become a part of the event, “I hope you're as excited as I am about this fabulous opportunity to expand your creativity, meet new knitting friends, compete, and win prizes. Your design may find its way into the new sock book that's being developed by XRX. If I like your design, I may ask you to come and teach a sock workshop. The possibilities are endless! I've encountered many surprises since opening my shop four years ago. Most of them have been good. I encourage you to take the leap and challenge yourself to do something new and different. You just never know where it may lead. Happy Knitting!”

XRX, Inc. and the rest of the co-sponsors would like to recognize and congratulate Bridget Dean on her enthusiasm and creativity. Have You Any Wool? is, in our opinion, the very model of a SOX HOT SPOT!

addi Turbo by Skacel and The Pros category

Mon, 3 Mar 2008 16:25:04 -0600

There is a 27th category in the Think Outside The SOX contest. Although this contest is intended to encourage amateurs, we couldn’t forget the people in our industry who work very hard and also want to join in on the fun. So addi Turbo© by Skacel—the official knitting needles and crochet hooks for the Think Outside The SOX contest is sponsoring The Pros category.

If you are paid to knit or crochet, teach knitting or crochet, design knit or crochet garments, or sell yarn, you are defined as a professional. This is the category you must enter. Since professionals are the idea people in our industry, this category is open-ended. We’re looking for socks that build on your skills (techniques that have gone before) but also take the yarn world at least one step further into the 21st century.

Think of the bragging rights you’ll have if you are chosen as the winner of such a prestigious category!

Besides the $500 prize for the winner of this category, Karin Skacel is throwing in a bonus prize. The winner of The Pros category will also receive a complete set of the addi Lace circular needles and the addi crochet hooks. (The retail value of these 40 circular needles and 17 crochet hooks comes to $750.00.)

And, of course, the winning entry will be featured in Knitter’s Magazine in 2009 and a new sock book from XRX Books.

This category is not yarn-specific. Pros can use any yarn that they choose for the socks they enter into this contest. This category will be judged by Cat Bordhi, Lucy Neatby, Sandi Rosner, and the Knitter’s Magazine editorial team.

So while you Pros won’t be eligible to win any of the other categories or any of the grand prizes, we invite you to join us in this category built just for you.

A little Socks Contest history from XRX, Inc.

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 18:20:59 -0600

We've been asked what inspired us to create the Think Outside The SOX contest. The truth is that we’ve done something like this before.

In 1996, Knitter’s Magazine held a contest inviting knitters to submit original designs for socks with the purpose of creating an event that would combine participation and interaction between knitters, Knitter’s Magazine (where the contest was announced and covered), and STITCHES (where finalists were featured). The sock contest was an amazing success. Hundreds of knitters from four countries entered with some of the most imaginative designs the world had ever seen. Out of that contest, XRX, Inc. published a book, SOCKS SOCKS SOCKS, which is still one of the best-selling books in the industry.

We knew you’re ready to do it again! But this time, there are many more sock knitters, crocheters, and all those beautiful sock yarns! With eight co-sponsors, there are more categories, more energy, and more prizes you can win. This contest has 26 amateur categories and over $20,000 in prize money.

The participation and prizes were great last time... and this time it’s even better. Remember... you could win $6000 if you can Think Outside the SOX!

The Think Outside The SOX contest begins at STITCHES West 2008

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 23:27:39 -0600

It was quite a start to STITCHES West 2008. The Opening Day presentation, featuring sock designers extraordinaire Cat Bordhi, Lucy Neatby, and Sandi Rosner was a great event all by itself. But the attendees had been warned to stay tuned for an announcement at the end of the program.

Alexis Xenakis, publisher of Knitter’s Magazine, XRX Books, and co-founder of STITCHES Events, took the stage and thanked the very talented Opening Day presenters. Then he paused before speaking again. “Before you all go to lunch,” he addressed the crowd, “I have just one more thing I wanted to talk to you about...”

Over the next few minutes, Alexis laid out a plan for the largest sock contest that the knitting and crochet world had ever seen.
26 amatuer categories
$21,000 in prize money
a $6000 grand prize
and the chance to be published in Knitter’s Magazine and in a new book from XRX Books

Several of the co-sponsors were in the crowd, so Alexis asked them up on-stage to say a few words about the contest. Karin Skacel from Skacel Collection, Jonelle Raffino from South West Trading Company, Jean Lux from Universal Yarn, Diana McKay & Leslie Taylor from Mountain Colors, Terry Wright from Cherry Tree Hill Yarn, and Knitter’s Magazine editor Rick Mondragon all welcomed the knitting and crochet community to ‘show us what you’ve got.’

Printed brochures of the official rules, categories, and entry form were given to the Opening Day attendees first at the Opening Day lunch. They were also given out by the attending Think Outside The SOX sponsors and participating SOX HOT SPOTS in the STITCHES Market over the weekend.

The good news is that you didn’t have to be there to participate. The official rules, categories, and entry form for the Think Outside The SOX contest is available on the Rules and Categories page of this website.

Please join us! You could be the next great sock designer! And you could also win $6000 if you can Think Outside The SOX!

SOXHOTSPOTS.COM and ThinkOutsideTheSOX.com go online

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 14:17:17 -0600

SOXHOTSPOTS.COM is the official site for qualified SOX HOT SPOT retailers of the Think Outside the SOX contest. Although the complete details of the contest will not be published until February 23rd, 2008, this site gives you a sneak peak of the contest.

And since the word about the contest is out already, we’ve decided to also put ThinkOutsideTheSox.com online as well.

We invite you to join us at STITCHES West 2008 (February 21-24) at the Santa Clara, CA Convention Center where we will announce all of the rules and prizes for this year-long contest.

If you can’t make it to STITCHES West 2008, please check back here or at ThinkOutsideTheSox.com on February 23rd for more information on this amazing contest.