Ever heard of Sock Wars? It's a knitting competition the Wall Street Journal describes as "the bloodiest extreme knitting tournament ever". Here's how it works: Players knit a pair of socks and mail them to their assigned "targets"; if a player happens to receive a pair of socks in the mail before he/she finishes, she is considered "killed," and has to send the pair of socks she was knitting to her assassin. (The last player left wins a pair of socks.) The first Sock Wars involved over 800 participants from around the world and, judging from an interview with Sock Wars II victor Leann Nassartook, people get really into it. Clip above.

Sock It to Me: Competitive Knitters Get Deadly Serious [WSJ]

Contact information for this author is not available.