In living color!

One mitten down. One to go. The new modem's on its way. Keep your fingers crossed. In the meantime, here are a few pictures from events in the past few weeks.

Franklin Habit made it to Portland during OFFF weekend. He made a call out to his Dolores Devotees for help in arranging it and I was able to hook him up with Knit/Purl. He was quite delightful and very happy for my assistance in getting him to the City of Roses. It was my pleasure, Frank.

Judy "JMCO" Becker has adamantly said she would not learn how to spin. While my fellow spinsters are still trying to convince her to take up the craft, I've opted to take a different tack and lure her to my handspun. I spun up some Dicentra Designs merino silk into fingering weight yarn and gave her the yarn to play with. She came up with a stunning wrap that has garnered many compliments. You can read her full story of the wrap on her blog. Fabulous job Judy!

There was also Spin In Public Day in Hillsboro where we encountered rain but no one shied away from it. Not even the small fry. Baby Hazel and Mama Rachel were there with their February sweaters.

Then there was OFFF. The Spinnerati and Knitbloggers had tents on the main lawn but shade was a premium. By the end of the day we were huddled against one side of the two tents to keep from getting cooked. We had visitors from regulars like Tina Newton of Blue Moon Fiber Arts and Morgaine of Carolina Homespun to newcomers Frank Habit,

Rabbitch, and Oregon newcomers Condom Amulet Naomi with her "spinster" husband Ron and Sivia Harding (welcome!).

Another notable was this lovely lady who spun while she walked over 300 miles. This is the sweater she knitted from the yarn she spun.

Karen wore her lovely stashbuster shawl and fell in love with some mohair locks, but being the nonspinner she needed someone to spin them. I offered my services. [BEG]

Soon to come: SOAR! I looked over the requirements list for the classes I'm taking and figure I might as well pack the suitcase acquired earlier this summer with everything but the kitchen sink. In the meantime I'm preparing my arsenal because you don't know whether you may come across this.

Fall has arrived

October here in the Pacific Northwest is often our transition month. The beginning will have nice weather with a touch of coolness to the nights, then something will shift and a string of storms will come across the Pacific Ocean to begin the rain that won't quit until May. This year some cold air came down prior to the storms and gave us some frosty nights. I heard a few grumbles in the corridors of my office building but I was delighted because it meant I could wear my woollens made up last year. The wool slippers came out for evening TV watching, the Queen Anne's Lace came out for barring the drafts, and Joe's scarf is ready for those early morning walks from the parking lot to the building. I finished one of the Mini Mochi mittens yesterday and will start the second. I want to knit Beaumont but the gauge is not as fine as the mittens, so I'm going to have to do some math and graphwork to work out something. But if the mittens are done, then I'll have something pretty for my hands.

The modem's got the ball! It shoots! It ...

flies into the stands.

The saga of the computer continues. Last Wednesday I left my laptop in the hands of Dell certified guru Brandon, who shall in my pantheon of demigods stand tall as the Monitor and Network Restorer (All hail! **genuflect, genuflect**). He found my network card had truly decided to create a language of its own that wasn't communicating with the rest of the computer, so he slapped that boy into shape and in the process succeeded in restoring my monitor from the Andy Warholian 16-bit mush to proper 32-bit. He tested the computer's DSL networking and pronounced it good. Saturday when I went to spin with his wife Tami I received my laptop back. I could have gone skipping back home to test it out but I was there to spin and I had yarn to spin up for Judy. I was a good kid, finished my singles, and started plying.

When I got home, I got everything all set up and was able to talk to the modem. Yay! I did my configuration in the modem. I tried to get on line. Nothing. Tried another configuration. Nothing. By that point it was too complex for me to tackle. I found that I could go on dial-up for an extra ten bucks a month which since this was starting at the beginning of October worked out fine. I wouldn't be able to talk with my ISP until Monday evening but I had something for the weekend.

So Monday evening rolls around and I get on the horn with my ISP. Now one thing I have to say about my ISP is that despite all the mess they have been the nicest and helpful tech guys to work with. Not only that, the techs are local. Like across the river. Love 'em. They want me to be connected and use their product and I hear it in their voices. So this time around I spend nearly an hour with my tech guy trying to get the modem to let my ISP DSL talk to my computer. He can detect my computer and all that but the modem won't let me look at the Internet. So after a bunch of settings testing he thinks the modem is the issue, that it's defective, and I need to get another one.

Argh. Still no picture loading. Now where are all those original packing materials for the modem?.....

Heavy Breathing

There's been a bunch of remodeling going on in the past week in my office so I'm ensconced in a different office on a different air conditioning system to keep from reacting to the dust. However, I still have to go in those areas so I'm running around with a respirator mask on. Yesterday I got some looks that I thought bordered on rude from folks in the hallway. Then again my fellow office workers kid me with Darth Vader jokes. If it means I can breathe freely, all the better. Friday's carpet ripping nearly sent me to the ER, so I'm not taking any chances. it sucks though that with the crappy economy the company couldn't afford to send us to another site to work until it was all done.

Waiting

It's been interesting being without the computer at home. I knew I was attached to it but it took a good week to get used to not having it there. The cats are happy it's not working because they don't have to compete with the keyboard for my lap and the weather's getting chilly. A friend lent me hers but it's not being cooperative with my household set up, so I've decided to just wait until I find out for certain if my old laptop is recoverable. It's in the hands of a friend's husband, who's Dell certified, who will see if he can do anything with the old boy. The thing was built in 2001 and has held up very well. If I can get it to continue to work until next year, hopefully I can work out being able to get a new computer to replace it. I'm just glad I got the huge external hard drive for my backups; otherwise I would have been in a major world of hurt. In the meantime, there's my iPAQ and the library for checking my email. I only wish I could upload my pictures of me and Dolores playing strip parcheesi the beautiful Rubaiyat mittens I'm knitting from MiniMochi and black Cherry Tree Hill.

The move to my new office has worked out well for my allergies. I'm gradually improving. I'm getting over a small head cold that crept up on me Tuesday, hid on Wednesday, and pounced on me today. The coughing is just the cold, not my lungs trying to get air, which considering the week before is much better. The extra distance I have to walk for delivering reports and getting together with the rest of my work group has its benefits too. I'm hoping that by the end of the year I will be greatly improved.

In 4 weeks I'll be heading for Sunriver and the Spin-OFF Autumn Retreat! I looked over my badly battered finances and I'll be able to squeak out my share of the lodging and perhaps indulge in some goodies.

I did some indulgence during OFFF but not a lot: a pound of undyed Merino/ Rambouillet/ Targhee top; a couple of ounces of black silk; a project basket for next to my chair. Judy and I found another bump of the fiber I need for spinning the yarn she needs for completing her shawl at Dicentra Designs. Judy treated me to a couple bumps of fiber from the discount bin. Karen fell in love with some lovely magenta and dark blue mohair locks but she doesn't spin. I told her I would spin it up for her, so she purchased that and I'll be preparing those for spinning it up into fine yarn. I was fascinated with how Barbara was spinning up the silk bell she had brought with her, so was watching how she was working that. I'll have to see what I can find in my stash to stretch out the mohair locks. Silk? Hmmm.....

Hampered

Well, I received the new modem Friday and was hoping that by now I would be up and running back online. But it wasn't to be. The problem is not with the modem but with my old laptop's ethernet card. Reloading the driver and testing it didn't produce any results, so now until I can scrounge up another computer I'll be restricted on email responses for now. Your best bet to contact me is through Ravelry.com if you're a member or calling me.

OFFF was a lot of fun. The herd dog demos were held on the main lawn this year, so we had a fair number of folks by the booths for the PDX Knitbloggers and Portland Spinnerati. It appeared there were many more vendors this year with lots of good stuff available. The weather was perfect for it. When I get back online I'll be able to share the pictures I took of the event. We did have some notables swing by. It was great to get a chance to meet folks in the flesh.

Tonight is Franklin Habit's talk at Knit/Purl. I couldn't find my g-string for meeting up with Dolores later, but I did find something fancy.

I swear I will never touch my computer to fix it again.

Moving on

My weekend ahead is full of activity punctuated with moments of general calm and peaceful fiber production. Oregon Flock and Fiber is this weekend in Canby. I'm spending the majority of my time camped at the PDX Knitbloggers booth on the main lawn. I do have a couple of missions ahead that I must accomplish. One: get another 4 oz of Eowyn merino silk from Dicentra so that Judy can finish her shawl. Two: get the Celtic Bunny scarf pattern from Toots LeBlanc for Zarah so she doesn't give me dirty looks in the lunchroom at break. If things work out well and I'm able to sell a few orifice hooks I'll get some dinero to play with.

Today, I'm packing to move to another office while they remodel the current office. I'm hoping when I make a quick stop at the house my modem will be waiting for me. Later in the evening I'll be meeting up with buddies for dinner and visiting Bobbie while ToolMan's in the hospital for his surgery. Monday will be recovery day but will end with seeing Franklin at Knit/Purl. Word has it that Dolores insists that we do something special later on. Now where did I put that g-string?

Worldwide Spin In Public Day

I love September. I most likely have mentioned that in previous years. I'll say it again. I really love September. It means that there will be cooler days coming. The rain will be coming back. The trees will be changing into those gorgeous colors. I look forward to it every summer and treasure it when it arrives.

Today started with a morning washed with Oregon rain. It wasn't going to be one of those steady downpours that we get during the late fall and winter. This was the drizzly soft break in type of rain that warns Oregonians that fall is here and you better start making plans for the coming months. It was a good day for wearing sweaters and I saw my friends adorned with them (February Lady was a popular one amongst the PDX Knitbloggers) when I joined them in Hillsboro for Worldwide Spin In Public Day.**

The event was held at the Hillsboro Civic Center where they have their Farmers Market on Saturdays. The market organizers graciously set up canopies for us so we had lots of covered space for our group. Tami had put together goody bags for the event, which were full of samples from local dyers and breeders. A real treat. Overall we had over 20 folks show up for the event, which attracted a lot of attention from the market goers. Folks with kids were very interested and a few kids got to learn how to spin from Bobbie's CD spindles and "clown barf" roving. Eventually the rain settled down and the sun came out to dry everything off. A very nice way to end the event.

Next weekend is the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival. I'll be there both days at the PDX Knitbloggers/Portland Spinnerati tent. If you don't find me there, wait an hour and come back as I plan to be there a good part of the weekend.

**Pictures will be forthcoming as soon as the modem arrives.

The little things

In our lives we pretty much go on autopilot. Then things happen and we have to shift gears and try to handle things as best we can. Crises occur and we hope things go right, but sometimes they go wrong. Case in point is a lady who was going to visit her mother, who has been in the hospital for some time. She's traveled from out of state. Just as she's about to get to the hospital her car breaks down. Someone helps her push the car to the side, but the parking in the area is restricted to only a couple of hours. Will she be able to get help before she gets a parking ticket?

We don't know the end of the story, but we do know that in one way the outcome will be good. This happened in front of the office building I work in and houses the administration of the company I work for. While I was having breakfast, one of the cooks of the cafe told the CEO of this situation. She was going to write a note and post it on the car to ask the parking patrol to not give the lady a ticket. The CEO took out his wallet and gave the cook his business card and told her to attach the card to the note. The parking patrol makes frequent passes in our neighborhood so the chances of the lady getting a ticket are pretty high. I have a feeling that if she does get one it will be taken care of.

This is one of the reasons I love the company I work for. This is not an unusual event. The people of this company do this all the time for each other, for others, and for the community. I don't talk about the company here because we deal with a lot of confidential information, but I'm glad to be able to share this with you.

I have a busy weekend ahead and expect to get a bunch more spinning completed. The modem will be purchased and winging its way to me. I've joined the Spin Your Stash group on Ravelry -- we'll see how much of my stash I'll have spun up by the spring equinox. Onward and upward!

Oh and I forgot...

I've been spending my down time reading a wonderful travelogue by Dervla Murphy, "On a Shoestring to Coorg". Murphy's an Irishwoman who takes much lower tech methods to travel to various parts of the world. This one's about a trek she undertook with her 5 year old daughter to southern India that has been quite delightful to read, even the harrowing parts with her daughter running amok. Much braver than I when it comes to traveling but the rewards for her are innumerous. Portlanders, it's at the Multnomah County Library for loan. It was one of my excursion finds when I decided to do some research on India's culture in preparation for NaNoWriMo.

PNWBookGirl who is organizing Worldwide Spin In Public Day sent me a correction. The event's being held here, not at the Walters center. Thanks!

Closer to connection

I'm closer to getting connected. I found the modem I want at a decent price. Unfortunately it will have to be shipped from out of state as it's not available locally. But I figure if I'm going to fork out for a decent modem I might as well upgrade to adding wireless and network capability. So Friday I'll put in my order and continue going without computer access at home. So far the contingency plan I have in place is working out and I'm not entirely out in the vacuum of weblessness.

News is though that the co op booth that was being planned for OFFF fell through (no room) so the orifice hooks that I made up will be for sale at the upcoming WorldWide Spin In Public Day being held at the Walker Cultural Arts Center this Saturday between 10 and 3. I will have them with me at OFFF as well. They're going for $20 and $25 apiece (price dependent on bead content). Proceeds will help fund my upcoming SOAR trip.

Internetless day 3

Well I talked with my ISP after half an hour of phone mayhem (their phones cut us off; try to call back and be told lines are busy; call back and get same nice guy at Easy Street; my phone cut us off; search for a replacement phone; fail and dig out the cellphone with drippings of power remaining; manage to hang on to get a solution and thank nice guy at Easy Street for helping out). What it boils down to is I need a new modem, which I can't purchase until Friday.

So until I can get a new modem, I'm sort of out of commission until Friday. I do have a resource for at least checking my email once a day (thanks Ruth!).

In the meantime, I'm dreaming of when I can put needles to yarn for these followed by drawing up a pattern for a matching hat. Yum!

Broken

One of the hazards of being a neophyte geek is doing things to your computer that are unintentional while attempting to do things to improve your computer's efficiency. In the process of doing such things I managed to kill my internet connection, so I will be in some ways out of internet contact for a while until I can get my connection re-established. I can be PM'd in Facebook or Ravelry and do have access to my Yahoogroups.

Ugh.

Finished spinning

Hydrangea Abstract Fibers BFL 7.5 oz 702 yds estimated wpi 18-20 Also, from earlier in the summer I completed this:Magic Judy Dicentra Designs Merino/Silk Colorway "Eowyn" 715 yards, 6.5 oz completed June 2009 (for Judy Becker, cast on inventor and all around great knitter)

Because of all the spinning I have been doing this week, I've managed to bung up my right knee again, so I'm laying off the wheel spinning for the rest of the Summer of Spinning weekend. However, I do have some spinning on a spindle at the office I will be fetching later today to complete. I did a preliminary tally of my spinning and I've completed over 3700 yards. That's over 2 miles. Whoo doggies!

Shades of the 80's

Friends of mine have been scouring the thrift stores for sweaters to take apart for yarn. Some have been very good and one, Tiggywinkle Knits, has a blogpost on how to identify the right sweater for recycling. While going through my stash for some yarn for a scarf commission, I got the idea to do that with a sweater I've had for many years.

This sweater was one I found at Nordstrom Rack. When I first got it, it had huge sequins sewn onto the color panels. But there were three things going for it: it's angora/lambswool; it was my size; it cost ten bucks. Beautiful sweater, beautiful colors, but hotter than an oven. Consequentially I wore it maybe three times in the years I've had it. Dang, I want to wear it but I can't!

Well, I got the idea of recycling the yarn. The color as you can see has not faded. When I investigated how it was put together, it was thankfully done in panels with selvages, not sliced out of yardage. It's going to take some time to take it apart because of all the intarsia, but I'll end up with a rainbow assortment of fingering weight lambswool/angora yarn.

Last Week's Spinning

Remember my telling you about the yarn I was spinning Saturday but had no pictures? I have pictures of the singles now. I haven't done much spinning this week but it is coming along nicely.

Playing Hooky

One of the things I want to sell at OFFF are beaded orifice hooks. Some wheels have deep orifices so a long hook is sometimes necessary. Also there are few that are beaded instead of having a wood handle, so they would be a piece of jewelry for the wheel. I found colored wire heavy enough to hold its shape, but the problem I ran into was how to hold the beads onto the wire. The solution I came up with also aided in how the hook can be held to manipulate through the orifice.

At the point where the beaded handle begins on the wire, I made a loop in the wire. This is the point where you can pinch the hook to hold it while using it to fish through the single/yarn. The handle length is comfortable and at the end loop there's a dangle. I'm asking $20 for them and will be selling them at the PDX Knit Co-Op at OFFF.

Quiet weekend

Not much to post about the past week. Most of it was the usual go to work/come home/go to work/come home/go to work/go to knit night/come home/go to work/come home/go to work/come home. Part of it is coping with health issues that are draining me of energy. Those are being addressed. The rest is just making preparations for the next big event, Oregon Flock and Fiber, which is at the end of next month. I have plans, oh do I have plans.

I finished the Arbor Rose socks for Gail and she's very pleased with them. I'm thinking I'll be altering the pattern when I get around to doing the next draft. I'm thinking that the number of repeats of the pattern are making the foot too wide. I'm also thinking that it would be better with a solid instead of with a multicolored yarn to bring out the lace more. Socks need to have negative ease to fit properly and I think I made them too loose. If nothing else they're good samples for Susan to display at her booth or bedsocks.

I did some spinning experimentation with some fiber I had purchased some time ago. It was tricolored BFL and the first part of it I spun up along the color repeats, thinking that I'll break up the color and do the second ply in long colors. I decided not to go that route. The first singles are sitting waiting to be plied up and the unspun fiber is sitting waiting for inspiration. I set it aside for Abstract Fiber's BFL in colorway Hydrangea, which is black, purple, and fuchsia. The first bobbinful flew off my fingers yesterday (4 oz packed on there). The second bobbin's just started today. It's very pretty, colors a goth grrl would just love. (pix will be forthcoming when daylight and my camera are in the same place)

Post Sock Summit Blues

I took Monday off to recover from Sock Summit but I gotta tell ya I was not ready to go back to work. The four days of playing with fiber made work so blah in comparison. It was fun looking at the swag the Wednesday knitters brought to knit night and compare experiences. One thing that I added to the swag show was completed laceweight yarn spun during SSo9.

Laceweight Blue Faced Leicester

StitchJones "Earth Angel"

710 yds, 18 wpi

This was split in half lengthwise, then the first half spun in the color order of the roving, followed by the second half having its colors split up so that there were long stretches of color. The two were then plied together.

I leave you with a few peaceful pics from a day jaunt to the beach.

Day Four: Wrapping It Up

I have to apologize for the lack of pictures in this post. While I was up early and was able to mosey about getting ready for the last day of Sock Summit, I forgot my camera which was next to my computer from the previous day's download. So I have no pictures of the Luminary Panel event that happened in the afternoon or other shots.

The last day had an air of finality to it. People knew it was the last day and for many it was a combination of disappointment and relief. There were many tired folks wandering in and out of the Marketplace doors. The staff were mustering up their last dregs of energy to keep everything moving smoothly. Vendors were smiling through their exhaustion, pushing for that last sale that meant one less thing to pack home. But throughout the venue there was still this aura of pride and joy from the event.

In the morning I people-watched as I spun on my wheel in the lobby. I finally hooked up with NeedleGrrl, who will be moving back to Portland some time next year (and is so looking forward to that!). I ran into Ray, the director of Confluence, who was there with his boyfriend. I showed more newbie and wannabe spinners the spinning process and answered questions. At last it was my class with Anna Zilboorg on Turkish socks. It was a delightful lecture on the motifs and design, and I came away learning a new cast on that made a decorative tuft on the toe.

In the afternoon, folks gathered in the ballroom for the Luminary Panel. It was to be a discussion of various questions posted by the event hosts and convention attendees. On the panel were Lucy Neatby, Cat Bordhi, Deborah Robson, Anna Zilboorg, Priscilla Gibson-Roberts, Meg Swanson, Barbara Walker, Judith McKenzie McCuin, and Nancy Bush. At the end were the closing remarks, and Tina and Stephanie were so grateful for everyone who participated.

During the Luminary Panel, we were not allowed to have our bulky items in the ballroom, so I had to fetch my wheel from the storage room. I was about to leave but found my friends gathered inside the ballroom. In the front of the ballroom there a few of the panel folks signing autographs and chatting. In the back of my mind I had an idea so I was looking for a Sharpie. Deb A happened to have one in her hand, so I borrowed it from her. When I left the ballroom, I had a few signatures on my wheel.

The perfect ending of an amazing weekend.

Day Three: Taking a break

After coming home so exhausted that I had to get a ride home, I thought over what my options were for today. I told Lisa the volunteer coordinator last night that I wasn't going to be up to covering the Marketplace Info booth for the 4 hours I was signed up. I looked at what I had for working on and decided to take my spinning wheel instead. I chose to drive to the venue instead of taking the train. I opted to stay in the quiet of the lobby, away from the noise and temptations of the marketplace. These decisions made today pleasant and I came home not so exhausted.

Yesterday I fell to the sirens of the marketplace. It began with a visit to Jenkins Woodworking where I found a Turkish Delight spindle that managed to find its way into my pack. The wood is atzelia, an African wood that Ed Jenkins wasn't sure he'd be able to to get again. I could have been wise with the budget but I couldn't walk away from that.

For yesterday's world record attempt, I needed yarn and needles. I have lots of yarn and needles at home but did I bring any? Noooooo. But my search ended up at the booth of Laurel Hill, maker of wonderful fiber tools out of different woods. They had lots of straight needles. I picked up a set of palmwood 4's as those were ones that were very nice for making lace stoles.

In the fiber department, I came away with yarn and spinning fiber. In my search for yarn for the world record attempt I was having a hard time finding yarn to go with the #4's I had picked up. I didn't want to work on fine yarn because my hands were wanting something a little larger. But what were the yarns there? Sock weights! At last I reached Briar Rose Fibers and amidst their treasures I found a beautiful wool/bamboo sport weight that was perfect for what I wanted. They also had some Blue Faced Leicester roving I couldn't walk away from.

Last fall Bobbie had found some beautiful merino silk from Lisa Souza in a subtle colorway Mother of Pearl at OFFF. The laceweight she made from it had color gradations that at first glance were not easy to see but overall gave the yarn a delicate pearl-like appearance. In my perambulations about the marketplace I found Lisa Souza's booth and to my delight she had bumps of that colorway. That found its way into my goodie bag.

The last item in the party was something that I couldn't resist. I saw as a future project a tam with matching mittens for the winter. I could see it in my mind as a stained glass type pattern before I went to sleep last night and I knew exactly what yarn I would use for the color. Mini Mochi from Crystal Palace. Combined with Louet Gems in black the tam will be glorious.

I didn't commit as much damage as some folks at Sock Summit, but I'm happy to have assisted in supporting the fiber economy.

There was more to my day on Day Three. Bobbie came by asking if I would be willing to be wheel nanny for the spinners in Judith McCuin's class at lunch time. "Sure!" I said. "When do you want me?" "Be there by noon." So wheel and I toddled off to the classroom and parked ourselves in the back where Bobbie and I sat and span, she on dyed sheep locks, I on the remainder of the Earth Angel top. Bobbie told me of some of the things she'd learned during her stint as Judith's assistant during classes as well as some of the tips and stories. Amongst the things Judith brought in with her were two stockings that had been knitted in the 1840's. During the break I was able to photograph them. Bobbie's hand can give you a scale of the stitch size. One of the heels had a different construction, a kind of simultaneous four-point decrease similar to that of a triangular shawl.

There was plenty of fiber for the students to practice on. With the amounts she was giving out Judith needed it all. And per Bobbie this is only part of what she brought in.

I can't wait for SOAR.

Day Two: World Record

I have to say that the past months of fighting my allergies have taken their toll. I'm dog tired, though I imagine not as much as the staff of Sock Summit who have been running back and forth with their tasks. Pretty close though, and they're in much better shape than I.

My first task for the day was to help out with the world record attempt staged for noon. I used my superpower -- my voice that can carry a mile -- to notify knitters coming up to participate to "have your ticket filled out! Have stitches cast on your straight needles!" for the deal was that in order to qualify for the world record, every knitter had to knit on two straight needles continuously for fifteen minutes. Each knitter had to be documented on a ticket that could not be photocopied. By the time my legs gave out we were really close to ready.

We were pumped! We were excited! We were ready! Stephanie gave the required spiel to confirm that we were following the rules, then we were off! We could chatter as long as we knitted continuously. And we knit. And we purled. And we knit and purled some more. After what seemed an interminable time we were told we have a few minutes more left. The witnesses (City Commissioner Randy Leonard and Margie Boule' to name a couple) came back to the front of the ballroom we were gathered in, then "Stop!" We raised a huge cheer.

What was I knitting? I knit on Laurelwood Palm #4's some lovely Briar Rose Fibers wool bamboo. The garter stitch I produced was scrumptious. I must get more but not now. Later, after SOAR.

My second task of the day was covering the conference store, ringing up purchases of books, t-shirts, and other souvenirs of the event. It went very well, but I could feel the exhaustion of the day catching up to me. Another volunteer came to relieve and I leaped at the opportunity. I stayed to meet up with some of my fellow Internet listers for a drink but I was very tired by the end. Awntie was very sweet and gave me a lift home instead of my taking the train back.

So now I'm home waiting for my dinner to cook (it's nearly done). I have some lovely swag that I will share with you later. I was party and part of making a new world record. I'm feeling very proud.

SS09 Day 1

At last the day has arrived and Steph and Tina's grand production began in earnest at the Portland Convention Center. Registration opened Wednesday evening. Behind the scenes, vendors were busy setting up their booths and volunteers and staff were running about getting everything ready. If there was any fear of not being ready, it wasn't reflected in the atmosphere. All seemed calm and organized.

This morning opened calm, cool, and quiet except for the thuds of the gas men working on installing lines in a nearby house. The weather had turned cool with the promise of a truly pleasant weekend for the convention goers. When I arrived at the center, I found the halls filled with knitters relaxing and chatting with each other. I met up with some of my friends and settled down until it was time for my class. Hijinks abounded and the time spent people-watching and chatting was loads of fun.

My class for the afternoon was with Priscilla Gibson-Roberts, best known for her books Ethnic Socks and Stockings and Simple Socks Plain and Fancy. Health issues had kept her from making appearances at conferences so her presence there was quite a feat in itself. She gave a presentation of the socks she had gathered and seen over the years from various sources. She peppered the presentation with stories and was very approachable. During the break, we got the opportunity to view and examine some of the socks. Even though her presentation took longer than the class time, it was worth staying for the end.

One more day

I've been excited about various things in my life. Christmas as a kid. Going to Hawaii. Knit camp in Vermont. I don't know if this is the most excited I've ever been about an event but it ranks up there.

Sock Summit 2009 starts tomorrow.

I've arranged to have all four days off from work. I'm doing volunteer stints just about each day. I have classes with Anna Zilboorg and Priscilla Gibson-Roberts. I'm there with just about all of my knitting buddies in Portland and a number of my cyberfriends from other locations. I don't have to pay for a hotel or airfare to be there -- I get to sleep in my own bed! The media has been talking about it. It's estimated there will be around 3000 people there. I'm thinking there will be more based on all the chatter on the Ravelry forums, the registration response (36,000 hits in less than an hour I believe), and just the general excitement in the knitting community in general. It is a tour de force that Tina and Steph have assembled at the Portland Convention Center.

Tonight I go to registration and pick up my packet. I have a sock toe I need to knit for my Turkish Stitches class (I have red yarn that will be perfect for the background; now to pick the variegated -- decisions! decisions!). I need to decide which straight needles and yarn to use for the World Record attempt. I'll have to put together a day pack for toting to the Summit since I'll be spinning as well as knitting there.

Wooeee!!