At long last, we made up our minds about the winner of our fashionable/artistic sock challenge. There were so many great entries that we didn't want to choose! But there has to be a winner (or in this case two), so here they are.

The winner for challenge #1 (A fashionable handknit sock for women) is a uniform/army-inspired sock by Valeria Kerkka. It is intended it for the fall/winter season, and the suggested colors are neutral accentuated with touches of gold and yellow. Our fall issue is coming right up, and we probably can't squeeze this in right on time, but it will be published as an update to the fall issue sometime later in September.

The winner for challenge #2 (An artsy or unconventional handknit sock for either men or women) is this vintage-doily-inspired sock by Kellie Heckman. As she says, "it is very dynamic and geometrically interesting, and is very versatile, as many colors and types of yarns would work well with the pattern." We agree. The pattern will be published in our Spring 2009 issue.

Our runner-up is this fantastic "Dude Sock" by Alyssa Lynough, which features ribbing along the foot to cling and conform to the shape of the arch. We loved this idea so much we asked her to write up the pattern for us for our Spring 2009 issue.

We got the biggest kick out of this submission from Amy Seeberger, called the MaSOCKist. In her own words... "It's a very graceful and unassuming sock when viewed from above. The inside of the sole is covered with textured stitches, bobbles, beads, buttons, or any other lumpy items that would make walking in them painful if not impossible."

I wish I could show more of the design submissions, but I want the designers to retain the right to submit them elsewhere. We are so thankful for all of the submissions that made this challenge so much fun. We can't wait for those finished patterns, so we can knit up some fashionable socks!

-Robin