December 29, 2021

Sock the Competition


Sock the Competition
A competition to keep you on your toes.  Photo by Giulia Bertelli via Unsplash

While sock knitting is usually an event reserved for relaxation and gift preparation, the town of Rasskazovo (Tambov region) decided to raise the stakes and turn the peaceful activity into a national competition

Sixty-six knitters from thirty-three different regions of Russia competed in the challenge. Competitors came from all different walks of life: pensioners to school children, librarians to athletes, tax workers, museum workers, housewives, and servicemen. 

There were three different rounds in the competition: an introduction round, a speed-knitting round, and a freestyle round. The winner of the completion was Tatyana Porokhova from St. Petersburg, who knitted a set of socks with children's storybook characters on them. The runner-up, Galina Polugyaeva, knitted a set of socks themed with the different animals from the zodiac signs.

Other notable awards included "The Most Unusual Sock" which was given to an enormous sock, fittingly titled "A Sock for a Giant." The winner of the video competition discussed the process of creating a knitted Coronavirus cell costume

Overall, what really knocked the socks off the judges was just the sheer amount of creativity that the Russian people presented in the competition. 

You Might Also Like

Someone Else's Granny
  • May 01, 2019

Someone Else's Granny

Even when you do a good deed, you need to pay attention, or you may chart a new road to humility.
Crafting Markets
  • November 01, 2018

Crafting Markets

An assemblage of crafters, knitters and felters talk about what it means to be a small producer in Russia.
A Cone-petition
  • December 17, 2021

A Cone-petition

A challenge to collect the most pinecones turns out to be about more than just the competition itself. 
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955