Think Outside the Sox

I confess that it's Friday, I'm tired, and I'm looking for an easy blog post. But I have been meaning to post this since I received it in May.

Amy and I had exchanged some e-mails about the Think Outside the Sox competition, and whether or not we would be considered "pros." I e-mailed the people in charge of the contest and got their answer. They gave me their permission to post the e-mail for anyone else who may be confused. Here is the e-mail in it's entirety.

"Hello Sally Villarreal,

Thank you for your e-mail.

We understand the confusion... and it's true that there are some gray areas regarding what is considered (for the purposes of this contest) a professional.

This contest is intended to encourage amateur knitters and crocheters. And while we don't want to discourage anyone from entering the contest we are trying to avoid having those same amateurs competing with the professionals that they turn to at their local yarn stores for knitting/crocheting support and help. During our last contest (in 1996) this was a criticism that we received.

We decided to define a professional as anyone who has made money from knitting, crocheting, selling yarn, selling patterns, teaching, etc.. We didn't make this decision lightly. And we know that there are a lot of people that this rule affects. That's one of the reasons that we developed "The Pros" category -- sponsored by addi Turbo by Skacel. And it's why we've allowed that category to have not only a $500 cash prize but also a $750 merchandise prize (please see the Think Outside The SOX Blog entry below for more information about "The Pros" category and prizes.)

http://ThinkOutsideTheSOX.com/Pros/

A single pattern that you've had published on The Anticraft probably doesn't make you ineligible for the amateur categories. A simple rule (that we think is fair) is that if you haven't made more than $500 (a prize amount for a specific amateur category in the Think Outside The SOX contest) then you are still an amateur. The same $500 rule applies to people that have sold some patterns on ETSY or Ravelry.

If someone teaches the occasional class here and there, they may or may not be considered an amateur -- but that would really depend on how much they teach and how much money they've made from teaching. In most cases, we find that knitting and crochet instructors -- paid to teach others -- really are professionals; at least in the eyes of their students. Again... we try to use the $500 rule here as well. (We'd be happy to get more information about any of these "gray areas" so that we can make a determination.)

And if you fall over the $500 earnings level, we hope you'll join us in this contest and enter "The Pros" category.

Best of luck in the contest.

Think Outside The SOX Contest Support
ThinkOutsideTheSOX@XRX-INC.COM
http://ThinkOutsideTheSOX.com"

So now that that's cleared up, all I have to do is design some sox. I have until the end of the year to enter.