Pattern Release: Trap a Zoid

I know you may be surprised hearing from me on a Monday, but sometimes surprises merit a surprise post!

If you're familiar with my designs, then you know that one of my favorite indie dyers to work with is Lisa of Fibernymph Dye Works. I've used her yarn a lot over the past several years, both for my designs and for my personal knitting, so I have a lot of leftovers and partial skeins sitting around. A while back, I saw a call for submissions that got my gears turning, and I pulled out some remnants of Lisa's sportweight Traveler base and started swatching. The resulting submission didn't get picked up for that particular call, but I liked the swatch so much that I decided to keep going with the design and self-publish.

Lisa was so excited about the design when she saw it that she not only offered to (unofficially) test knit it, but she asked if I'd like to collaborate with her again and make this pattern part of a kit for her 12 Yays of Christmas. Of course I wasn't about to refuse her! So I'm announcing this new pattern launch today because in addition to being able to get a kit for this pattern through Lisa's shop, for the next two days, you can also get it at a special lower price (an even better deal that she normally gives over the usual reduced price of buying the kit versus all the components separately).

I'm guessing some of you are wondering about the name of this particular design, so let me explain. Way back when I was in the seventh grade (we'll avoid, for now, the subject of just how many years ago that was), I had a fairly wacky math teacher. She was known for being quirky and a bit offbeat, but it worked well in terms of getting us interested in the subject matter. When we were starting our geometry unit, we began by getting familiar with the names of various shapes. She surprised us all by drawing a little alien figure on the board:

This, she explained, was the dreaded Zoid. Zoids are, apparently, very destructive and dangerous, so if you see one, the only thing was to use a polygon to capture it. What kind of polygon? Well, I think this speaks for itself:

This is Zoid that's been captured with a Trap-a-Zoid. Get it? Yes, I realize it's a bit silly, but as a 13-year-old, I found it mildly amusing and certainly a useful trick for remembering the name of the shape.

Math and socks have been on my mind a lot this past year, and it occurred to me that there are trapezoid shapes already in a standard heel-flap-and-gusset sock with a wedge toe. So I decided to throw in a bit of colorwork to enhance this.

If these socks look familiar, it's because they're very similar in style and execution to my Palestra pattern. They've got the same little short-row tab above the heel and the same general shape, but there are fewer ends to weave in. The stranded colorwork is restricted to the rows of trapezoids around the middle of the foot, but there are pops of the contrast color around the cuff and under the heel.

While I highly recommend Lisa's yarn (and that you get your hands on one of her kits, if you can), if you're trying to knit down your stash, the colorwork uses little enough yarn that it's great for small amounts of leftovers or mini skeins. I'm also finding that I really love a little stranded work in the middle of my sock -- it makes it hug the foot so nicely and adds some extra cushion. And this stranded pattern is super easy, so if you're just dipping your toes in, it won't be too difficult for you.

The special price on Lisa's kits is available only today and tomorrow (December 10 and 11), but she will continue to have the kits in stock at their regular price after that. You can also buy the pattern on its own through my Ravelry shop.