Can you believe it has been a year since our grand Battle of the Soxes? Last year's event was so much fun -the fear, the creative knitting, the poems, the rogue knitter! - we decided that the Battle of the Soxes would become an annual event.
(For those of you who missed out on the fun last year, or just want to relive the hilarity, check out the February 2008 blog archives. The deaths start with THIS entry.)
I'll explain registration and guidelines in a moment, but first a bit of an explanation of what the game is all about and how it is played.
Remember playing assassin in school? We played with water guns. All players signed up with the person running the game. At the start of the game, each player is given the name of their first target. While they are trying to "kill" their target, another player is on their heels, trying to "kill" them. When you do finally get your target, they are out of the game and must hand over the name of the player they were trying to hunt down. You now must attempt to assassinate this new target, all while hoping the assassin on your case is not very good at their job. The last player alive wins.
Now, we take out the water guns and replace them with knitting needles and a sock pattern. Same concept, but now, you are killing with hand knit socks.
Again, you sign up with the person running the game (that would be me, and no, I can't play). Along with your name, you submit your sock size. When the battle begins, each player will be knitting a pair of socks for their assigned target. As soon as you deliver your socks, your target is dead (but they will have warm feet). Your target now sends you the name of their target, along with the deadly socks they had been knitting (without the needles - slip them on a scrap bit of yarn). As soon as you receive the new target information and socks in progress you knit as fast as you can in order to kill your second target.
On the game goes until one knitter remains - our champion. There will be prizes for the winner, as well as special contests throughout the game, such as most creative kill. Details to come on that.
Now for registration and the guidelines.
Any knitter brave enough to take on the challenge is welcome and encouraged to join!
To register, you must email me at battle@theknittingexperience.com.
Include your
1. Name
2. Email address to be used for the game
3. Snail mail address - include both US or Canadian Postal Service and UPS or FedEx location
4. Physical address
5. Shoe/sock size
6. Any serious fiber allergies.
You have until January 31st to register. After that, Peter and I will make randomly generated target assignments. Your target and their information will be emailed to you prior to the start date. We will let you know recommended yarn and needle size in advance. The actual pattern will not be released until 11:59pm (East Coast time) on Friday, Feb 6th - the beginning of the battle.
If/when you die, you must inform me via email at battle@theknittingexperience.com of the exact time of your death (when you received your socks). Any fun details of how it happened, along with pictures, will be greatly appreciated. You must also let me know that you have passed along your socks in progress and target information to your assassin so that the game can continue.
General guidelines:
The game only works if everyone knits.
Everyone must knit the pattern announced for the game to the specifications outlined on the pattern. While you cannot simplify the pattern to save time, you can embellish to express your inner assassin style.
You are on your knitter's honor to accept your death with grace and to get your socks in progress to the new assassin as soon as possible.
You must inform me of your death as soon as possible.
You must us also tell me when and how you have handed over your socks in progress and target information.
Any questions, suggestions, assassination updates must be sent to battle@theknittingexperience.com. (This rule is to help preserve my sanity.)
Creativity in knitting and killing is encouraged.
So tell your knitting friends, sign up, and get ready to kill!