Sock Summit Recap

Needless to say, Sock Summit was a pretty amazing experience. And I have to say that the true highlight was the experience of spending four days with 'my people.' People who don't think it's strange when you crouch on the floor to examine their socks and who (hardly) bat an eyelash when you ask them to knit on a wedding veil. It was truly incredible to spend that time with so many people with whom I share a passion.

Day 1

I got into Portland around 8pm on Wednesday. It might have been nice to arrive earlier but I was minimizing the amount of time I needed to take off work. The flight was quick an uneventful but I had a fun experience at US Customs. I was flagged for a bag check and it turned out the agent was a knitter. She was quite excited to see my handknit socks.

On Thursday Jen, my roommate and I headed for the convention center a little early so I could get all registered. I was expecting longer lines but registration was actually very easy. My first class was Dancing with Socks with Cat Bordhi and it was totally mind-melting. I learned a lot of cool tricks but mostly I learned that you don't have to follow the rules and architectures set out for you. There are limitless ways of knitting a sock. In class I knit a mini-sock.



The green one is mine. The multi-coloured one on the left is Mrs Quimby's. I think this is the first time I've finished a class project during class. We both knit the Upstream Sock.

Cat also talked about her new book. I can't give you any details because I am sworn to secrecy until it's published but I will say that I am definitely going to have to buy this book. It comes out in October. Look for it. Trust me.




After class I joined the other throngs of knitters to enter the marketplace. The market was only open to students that day. I made a beeline for the Yarn Love/Three Irish Girls booth because I had my eye on Father Time, one of the Dye for Glory winners. It took some effort to find it in the crowded booth but I did. I also picked up some Yarn Love. I also somehow managed to get a skein of Bugga. I certainly made a dent in my shopping budget.

That's the haul from Thursday's shopping. Not bad huh?

Next up was the opening ceremony, where Stephanie and Tina had us in stitches and tears over their journey bringing Sock Summit to life. It was great fun to hear how they put it all together and getting the chance to applaud them and all the others who helped make it possible. They put together an incredible event for us all.