Knitting 36,000 pairs of socks in one year – can this be done? Bestselling authors Veronika Hug, known through her popular “Woolly Hugs” brand, and Susanne Oswald (“Der Kleine Stickladen in den Highlands”), together with Bernd Oswald and bookseller Miriam Cahannes are calling for a big sock-knitting effort – to attempt a world record and, above all, for a good cause. For this occasion, the “Sockenweltrekord” association was founded. The accompanying knitting book was published by the Penguin Random House Verlagsgruppe imprint Frechverlag in Stuttgart.
The starting signal for the world record attempt was given on March 28 at the “Swiss Yarn Festival” in Zweidlen-Glattfelden, Switzerland – and from there, the campaign is set to spread and encourage as many knitting enthusiasts as possible to take part. For one year, people can knit socks and drop them off at collection points until the official world record attempt will take place in March 2027: for the occasion, the goal is to display 36,000 pairs of hand-knitted socks on a clothesline.
Campaign aimed to support assistance initiatives for the homeless
With this project, the “Sockenweltrekord” association aims to raise and sharpen public awareness of the issue of homelessness. All knitted pairs of socks will be donated to cold-weather buses and other assistance initiatives for homeless people in Germany and Switzerland. “The world record attempt is a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness of the hardship homeless people face and, at the same time, provide active support,” said author Susanne Oswald. “Stitch by stitch, love is being knitted, and by the end, there will hopefully be at least 36,000 pairs of socks hanging on the clothesline – for the world record, but, above all, for the people.”
‘Auf die Socken, fertig, Weltrekord!’
Frechverlag’s accompanying book titled “Auf die Socken, fertig, Weltrekord!”, refers to the campaign and invites readers to join in. It offers insights into how the idea came about, the structure of the challenge, and 20 new instructions for knitting socks, including a variety of designs and a new form of socks created by Veronika Hug: The “Ambi sock” can be knitted either from the cuff to the toe or from the toe to the cuff. The book targets beginners and experienced knitters alike.
