[What I did on my summer vacation, part the second]
This weekend, I went 3 hours in the opposite direction, to Portland, for Sock Summit. Yes. That would be an entire conference … for sock knitters. I took two classes, one of which wasn’t quite what I expected (I was hoping for more technique, but it was still inspiring, particularly to get serious about Cat Bordhi’s New Pathways), but the second was a knee sock class & it was *fabulous*.
I took the train down, and by happenstance wound up sitting with three other knitters, which was pretty cool. I went straight to the convention center from the train station — not even stopping off at the hotel to get rid of my backpack — so that I could try to make the Guinness record attempt. And I *did*. And it was about 16 kinds of fun, just as promised.
After that, I wound up getting totally overwhelmed by the marketplace and wandered around downtown Portland. Saturday was coffee & breakfast with friends, a strategic attack on the marketplace, where I succeeded in buying 3 skeins of yarn, and then an afternoon class, then more marketplace, where I scored the last copy of Jared Flood’s pattern book. Dinner with my sock club, the Ravelry party, etc etc. And *still* I wish I had spent more time down there. It was a really inspiring weekend, and I truly hope that they hold one again sometime, and even better, that they keep it on the west coast.
& 
Other things:
1) We all found out this weekend that Barbara Walker *invented* ssk. Now I want that as the tattoo on the back of my other leg EVEN MORE.
2) It was very hard for me to remember that I didn’t actually *know* people, like Amy from Knitty.
3) I wore Coraline, and got complimented on it all weekend long.
4) I felt like Queen Bee should have given me a cut, since I got to demonstrate how a heavily-used two year old Trucker bag still looks practically brand new.
Also v important, stuff I want to buy, post-Summit:
* Laurel Hill’s ebony crochet hooks.
* Zauberball sock yarn.
* a loom.
August 13th, 2009 at 10:16 am
That Knitwitch skein is really gorgeous!
August 13th, 2009 at 10:28 am
Right? It was a Dye for Glory colorway. She had a different one that I liked even better, but it sold out. And the STR are both mill ends, so cheaper! Win
August 13th, 2009 at 10:46 am
you forgot to mention that your arm made the video. I didn’t get any str, I wanted, but no moolah. Bummer, eh? Still, thinking of working up my Madrona str in cabledguy’s plaited points. Not for me. For… well, let’s just see, they could be for my BIL. I suspect it may take me so long to knit them that they will have to be BIL’s if things don’t work out…
August 13th, 2009 at 10:49 am
Well, I did say so on Facebook
I think I mostly only got to have three skeins because two of them were mill ends. Not that I am in any danger of knitting through my stash any time soon anyway! I am going to take a whack at plaited points soon, now that he has the *right* chart available & not Knitty’s four-part mess.