SM8 - Round 1 Specs

So the specs and materials list for Round 1 was released today.

The pattern was written with:
Wollmeise Twin in Spina de Pesce 510 yds/150g 80% merino/20% nylon
Needles: US1.5/2.5mm & US2/2.75mm
Gauge: 8 sts, 12 rows per inch stockinette with smaller needles
Tester used: 450 yards Pennyrose merino/nylon, Orange
Yardage used by tester: about 150 yards per sock, 300 for pair
Notions: stitch markers

With the thought of choosing my short list of yarn came an idea for some advice I could offer people getting into Sock Madness for the first time. Advice that may have been more timely before folks started ordering yarn, but oh well.

You should consider the texture of your yarn before selecting it for a pattern. Smooth, non-splitty yarns are best. One year I used Noro Sock and while I love it, it is the stickiest sock yarn I have ever used. You cannot knit at your fastest when you constantly have to tug the yarn free from itself.

You should also consider the color of your yarn. If you want to truly be competitive you will likely find yourself knitting in sub-optimal situations. Dark yarn can make it very hard to see your stitches and keep track of where you are. Even if you only knit in adequate light, a lighter color of yarn makes it easier to see the stitches and helps prevent eye strain.

Truly the best advice though is to use a yarn you like or even love. Even if you disregard both the previous bits of advice and are using a sticky dark yarn, if you love it you will find a way. If you find yourself staying up 2 hours past bedtime or getting up extra early to knit before work and you HATE that smooth white yarn? Well, you're probably going to hate the experience a little bit more too. In the end, this is supposed to be fun. So follow your heart.

Personally I try to have 1 or 2 choices picked once I have the materials list, so if my first color choice seems wrong hopefully the second will work out. I'm planning on using one of my darker colors for this first round, since I know the time frame we have to work in. If my eyes get tired I can afford more breaks this early in the competition. Also, I won't be winding my yarn until I see the pattern. In later rounds I'll have yarn that needs it wound into a center pull ball before we get the pattern, but again I have time to spare this round so I will wait.

I think maybe Teaser #7 will be the one to match our pattern.

[Edited 3/17 - it turned out that the teaser for this round was #6]