Can it really have been a month ago?

Hard to believe that it has only been a month since Sock Summit! The past 4 weeks has felt like 4 months!

We returned from our family vacation the end of July with SassyMan not feeling well. A week later, he still didn't feel well and I worried: a) that he had a flu and I might catch it before SS09 or b) it was worst than a flu in which case that would not be good, either!

I loaded myself up with Emergen-C and Airborne and the following week headed on up to Sock Summit anyway, convinced he would be better when I returned.

Unfortunately, I learned he in fact hadn't been getting better-this after learning it would be an additional day before I could fly home due to a mishap with my flight reservations!

At any rate, here we are, weeks later-SassyMan having just gotten out of a nice 2 1/2 week hospital stay! All is better and here I am, ready to contine the SS09 reporting! But first, speaking of SassyMan and the hospital visit, here is the up side of hospital 'watch' (whereby you are not the hospitalized, but keep vigil by said 'hospitalized' side and thus are well enough and have the time to...KNIT!) The completed ULMUS that I, at one time, questioned whether I would ever finish one!

Ta-dah! A completed (albeit not blocked)
ULMUS! I used lightweight STR in Footsey Foo and Jabberwocky!

The rest of the hospital knitting was mostly the Cat Bordhi sock bookmarks, perfect little gifts for the docs and nurses!

So on to the Market and goodies!

Of course, there was YARN and LOTS of it...especially of the sock variety.
But there were also lots of fun sock-related, non-yarn items! I'm sad I missed the Dansko shoes, but here are some cute DPN protectors and stitch markers...


Jenkins Spindles...so many beautiful woods! And see the silk hankie they wrapped mine in?
Project bags, fibers, rubber stamps, shawl pins, darning eggs...
And the Travelocity Gnomes? Almost! Actually, these are Snicklefritz's traveling Gnomes adorning her booth!
Lantern Moon was well represented. Look how adorable the Lantern Moon Gals are with their Lantern Moon tatoos and raw silk (wait-maybe it was organza!) pants...

And some goodies for the hands! Lo-Lo Bars by BarMaids!
And look how cute "Painty" (Laura from The Unique Sheep) looked in her stockings knit from her "Gradience" dyed yarns! I got a chance to snatch up a Hobbiton sock kit and several mini-skeins of various sock yarns. I must say that the "Sushi Sock" feels wonderfully soft and smooshy, has beautiful sheen and was so nice to work with! I knit a mini-sweater out of it while in the ER...

I did have to snag up a bit of Curious Creek fiber from Carolina Homespun, too! I broke tradition and didn't buy a spindle from Carolina Homespun this time around, though I did get a couple of rubberstamps from them on top of this bit of fiber!


And as if the Jenkins Turkish spindle weren't enough, I fell in love with this one at Sanguine Gryphon's booth, some home it came wth me! The wood is beautiful, the spiral and lines are so elegant. It spins nicely, but in truth, the longer shaft means I have to wind on more frequently and end up bumping it on the ground often!
I have to say that the market was absolutely amazing! So many vendors, so many creative, wonderful indie dyers, so many clever notions and goodies to be had! I barely was able to get through the complete market, was absolutely overwhelmed and never really got to go back to many of the earlier booths I had skimmed in the beginning. I really am not good at markets because I am so detail oriented that I tend to get sucked into everything and anything!

It seemed like a lot of the vendors were really into the spirit of making it a fun, exciting event! Sanguine Gryphon's booth was gorgeous! Very Renaissance Fair-costumes, face painting and all! I'm sad I missed the Handknit Heros booth; I'd been interested in seeing their comic books and I understand they had Super Hero photos they were taking! I may have to knit a mask for Halloween so I can feel like a KnitHero anyway! There were so very many lovely yarns and items! Jennie the Potter had the ceramic mugs and jewelry. Speaking of jewelry, there were also recycled kniting needle jewelry and a vintage knitting supplies booth (hence, my darning egg purchases!)...And, of course, my most-revered Blue Moon Fiber Arts had a wonderful representation and I had the opportunity to snag up a skein of ST-1 and some mill ends for Nartian!

And then, of course, it was fun to see all the knit friends, too! Purls Beyond Price (Nathania) was there, since her store, Purlescence had a booth and was launching their new "Purl up and Dye" line of hand-dyed yarns. Her hubby and baby girl Ellie arrived for the weekend, too!
I think I will have to cover the Ravelry party in another post. Sadly, I have nothing to report about the Sock Hop, since I didn't attend. I heard there were hoola-hoops, poodle skirts and Pink Ladies. As for me, I spent the time with a good friend eating out in Portland and scouting out VooDoo Donuts! Made some new friends, too! What more could I want for that evening? It was perfect for me!

I even found the perfect donut to bring back to Lil' Emp who had asked if I thought they would have a "*really* chocolatey one"? I forget the name of this one, but it is a chocolate cake donut with chocolate icing and cocoa puffs on top!

Sock Summit-a multi-part report

Yowza!

I got a bumper sticker at Sock Summit from Carolina Homespun. It says, "I got heeled at Sock Summit"! Clever, no? And that is just one example of the clever SS09 goodies vendors were offering!

Boy, there was so much to do, see, experience! I seriously don't think I could capture it all-and I couldn't because there was just so much going on everywhere, every minute, that I couldn't have done everything! But I can share with you what this one, single Sock Knitter did at Sock Summit! (after writing much of this, I realize this will need to be broken into a couple of parts...yeah, my usual long-winded manner of reporting...)

You saw my previous 'lazy' post that included Irishgirlieknits and my Cotty-clad feet! Cotty pattern itself by Irishgirlieknits! Too fun! I showed you my VooDoo donut (banana fritter with chocoate and peanut butter, sprinkled with chocolate chips and chopped peanuts). You saw my new spindle and a bit of the stash enhancement. So what else could there be?

Well, there was the atmosphere...everyone seemed so excited and happy to be at Sock Summit! It was buzzing and knitters were converging from all around, smiles on their faces, happy to say 'hi' and identify one another as summit attendees.

Opening Reception was preceeded by a special silent auction for Knitters without Borders. There were fabulous items donated from the many vendors. Some VERY GENEROUS donations that included: a UK Knitting Retreat (did not include airfare, but could be a deal for the right person and very little competition!), a specially personalized "Sock Summit" machine-embroidered knitting bag filled with an assortment of yarns (valued at $500!), jewelry, gift certificates, knitting kits, roving, autographed Sock Summit posters...In the course of an hour, we raised a total of nearly $6000 for Knitters for Borders. Knitters are so cool-so many winners rounded-up their prize payments. One knitter even bid up a mug by Jennie the Potter to $205!

Just look at all those Sock Knitters! FULL HOUSE! My co-worker approached me today to politely ask about how Sock Summit was. When I told him there were some couple-thousand of us, his mouth dropped. He told me he thought it was, like, a 35 person thing! HARDLY!

During the Opening Night Reception, Tina and Yarn Harlot Steph shared the trials and tribulations-not to mention the sheer joy and excitement-of putting an event of such magnitude together. There were tears as they acknowledged their capable ST-2 staff of Cockeyed, Rachel, Debra and JoAnn. All of them were clearly exhausted and SS09 had just begun!

I was fortunate to get a few classes: Cool Socks A with Lucy Neatby, Colorful Stitches with Tina Newton and Anna Zillborg, and Darn It! with Merike. Forgive me if I have sinned and misspelled names. It happens. I'm lazy and don't want to look it all up. If you are a knitter, you know who I'm talking about anyway.

I saw Lucy at Stitches West and Cockeyed had said what a great teacher she is and how wonderful her DVDs are, so when the opportunity came up to take her class, I went for it! So very glad I did! I would never doubt a Cockeyed recommendation and she was completely right-on! Lucy has soooo much information, technique, ideas...quite overwhelming! I definitely have my eyes on future Lucy Neatby DVDs.


Colorful Stitches was great! Anna is an absolutely hilarious woman! How can I NOT love a woman with a sassy wit and a burgundy painted refridgerator? Or was it teal...? I think the teal one came first. But it is amazing how you can just play with color and figure out what works and what doesn't. And as she says, 'if you don't like it, you can always throw it away!'-lol! Yeah, Anna, I'll do just that! And as always, Tina was her wonderful self, sharing her common lack of Color Theory studies other than through personal experimentation. Two women who came to color in similar ways, not 'seeing' colors until later in life.

Anna is so cool!

And look-my Sam n' Ella Cotty matches Tina's shirt!

Other than embarassing myself by being so serious in trying to follow directions ever so carefully, and snatching way more yarn than needed for our exercise, only to have BOTH teachers approach me, telling me I had enough and needed to sit down, I would say the biggest event in class was the infamous calf-impalement. Yes, a classmate somehow managed to impale her calf on a straight (what looked like size 13) aluminum knitting needle.

We were all being sensitive to her predicament, not daring to even attempt to sneak a photo; however, once photos were requested by our injured classmate, all stops were out!

My Darn It! class was a one-hour session with Merike who had us darn a whole as she explained how to do it. She pointed out that the use of merino guarantees that our socks will wear out, necessitating a future darning. She condensed the content of her usual 3-hour class into this one-hour workshop. It as great and I even got a sock mended, thanks to the fact I had forgotten my homework swatch in my hotel room!

Merike is awesome!

Sock Summit was like a mini-camp reunion, too! So many campers from first, second, third year camps. Lou, Linda Welch, Lisa (who was Volunteer Coordinator, so forget any kind of reasonable visit with her though lots of glimpses!), KT, Sam, Alice from the Heartland, Socktopus Alice, MisKnits Susan, Blogless Carla, Irishgirlieknits, Cupcakefaerie, SnBLeslie, Marisol, Mya, Stormy, Virginia...probably more of us, too! And there other knitterly friends like my dear bud, Lara, the most talented Gail, WoolGirl Jen! And new friends to be made...Terbear, PDXKnitterati, Deb Acuardi (who hosted the luncheon)...Not to mention the fabu dyers like Knitted Wit! Uh-uh...I guess I'm doing the Miss Maryann thing again-sans mirror! Sadly, my bud Nartian was not in attendance! And Knittinggolfer Marcy was also MIA. But I was a good knitting-bud and hooked them up!

Buried in Fiber Lara and me-yes VooDoo Donuts!

Marisol, Deb, Linda, Susan, Alice and -Laura? (the Schaefer Yarn Rep! I really should learn her name...)

Leslie x 3!!!

Speaking of buddies, this trip was supposed to be attended together with my BFF Paula who sadly had to have emergency surgery. So sad she couldn't join my in such a remarkable event! Hopefully she'll at least enjoy her 'consolation bag' of yarny goodness!

So next post, I will touch on the RAVELRY party and market!

Sock Summit-the Lazy Edition

Look at all the lanyards...oh my, big crowd a-comin'!

And lookie-Jess and Casey are staying at my hotel! Yes, crappy pic of me and all!

I don't know how the pics ended up in this order, but I thought you would all enjoy getting glimpes of, for instance--Turtlegirl! Who could miss her?

Or Irishgirlieknits putting all those badges together?

And just for Knittinggolfer, a pic of my brand-spanking new Jenkins' Turkish Drop Spindle!!! Beauties and they packaged it up in a silk hankie!

All I can say is that the market ended today at 6pm, but by 4pm, I was pretty wiped out! So many indie dyers all in one place and so very much that I was on serious overload! I did stay til the end of market, but my head was mush!

Class was absolutely incredible-right down to a classmate impaling her calf on a straight needle!

More when I return, but I thought some of you would enjoy a glimpse into this wonderful event that is SOCK SUMMIT 2009!!!

You wouldn't guess that Sock Summit Hasn't Started Yet!

...if you were to see the amount of sock yarn I've already amassed today!

But guess what? ALL THE ABOVE wasn't purchased! Well...I did pay for a 'yarn tasting luncheon', but never in my wildest dreams did I imagine a luncheon with so many goodies!

Including this bag of treats!...

And after our glass of prosecco to start things off (stitch marker attached to our glass!), a first course like this...
Acuardi Insalata served with our salad!

And door prizes! I won this prize donated by Larissa herself! And the bag didn't just include her Knitalong book, but also a whole French Press Cozy KIT! Yarn and pattern!

We had lunch with the various dyers who so generously donated their yarns for us! We later had the opportunity to visit Abundant Yarn Dyeworks and I actually was kinda good...

I purchased a skein of Cascade 220 Superwash to make 12" blocks for a special afghan they are making for a special little girl who lost her mother. I can mail the blocks to them if I don't finish any prior to leaving. And I couldn't resist some authentic OREGON yarn to bring home!

So I got a bit of a headstart...oh well!

What was fun is I poked in to say 'hi' to Cockeyed and got to peek at a couple of vendor booths! All I can say is O M G!!! This is going to be way too much temptation! I was already petting and pining over some of Snicklefritz's Yarn! GORGEOUS and some merino/cashmere was just asking to be snatched up! Alas, no snatching. YET.

Please, oh please...what to do to keep from grabbing up skeins of yarn and buying, buying buying?

Third Time's a Charm?...

I don't think so!

But there you have it...the Princess Mitts for a Queen! Still not perfect, but certainly better than the first TWO renditions of the left mitt!


Last I posted, I think I had mentioned the issue of gauge and the near-inch difference between the first and second knitted mitt!

But when the second go-round was knit, look what happened!

For those who need a bit of a hint: I have two RIGHT mitts, not a right and a left!-doh!

And really, the third "left" mitt would have been nicer to re-knit had I more time and patience, but it wasn't happening. I just couldn't do it. But in case you didn't notice, the left gusset was very strange: the ribbing just didn't seem 'right'.

And sure enough, Nartian figured out and found the revised Princess Mitts pattern! If you look at the revised charts, you would never guess that it was the same pattern! Well, at least not the thumb increase chart portions...Ah, well...as Knittinggolfer and I discussed, sometimes it is hard to remember to check for pattern errata. In my case-especially when trying to get a gift done quickly! I seem to recall either Cat (Moebius Bordhi) or Yarn Harlot Steph say in one of their classes that you should 'frequently admire your work'. Nartian said it was Harlot in our last Knitting for Efficiency class. But in that class, her reference to admiring work frequently was that doing so often slows your knitting speed. I seem to recall that the 'admire your work frequently' I was recalling was made in reference to 'keep your eyes open for mistakes so you can catch them earlier on'. I don't learn, do I?

So I am back from a road trip with SassyMan and Lil Emp and all I have to show for it is a finished pair of sport weight Cotty's (that were just about completed before leaving...) and the mitts! That's it. I worked a bit on Ulmus...

The Ulmus found its way to the beach at the "Strand" on Coronado Island; I knit while I kept and eye on my guys...

I knit the left mitt of Princess Mitts THREE times.

I learned what a shark egg looks like...

they're the spiral algae looking things...

Lil Emp got his wish to see the La Brea Tar Pits!

I don't recall stuff still oozing from the ground, but it has been over 25 years since I was last there! Pretty amazing and all in the middle of the city!

And while in San Diego, we even got glimpses of ComicCon-goers! Sorry, Nartian, no Twilight Geek Fan photos!

Our trip even included a visit with Lil' Emp's cousin, Nico...

And upon my return, a whirlwind of basket ball clinic, PTA meeting/get-together, and a 60th Birthday party which ended with this...

Turtle Pie! So yummy! Happy Birthday to a wonderful quilting guru, my quilt teacher, and a most-talented woman, Karen!

So it's back to two days of work and off to Sock Summit on Wednesday morning! I'm stressing about the whole luncheon thing and luggage handling, not to mention the fact that SassyMan seems to have gotten a flu or something that I hope I will not catch! MUST STAY WELL FOR SS09!!!

Happiness is... (or...the CASHMERE edition...!)

STASH JUSTIFICATION!!!

I had these two skeins of a pinky-red ArtYarns Cashmere, languishing in my stash. I had forgotten exactly what I had in mind when I purchased them, and realized they were only 25 g. skeins-very little yardage...

Low and behold, I get an invite for my quilting teacher's 60th Birthday celebration-and she likes REDS! I'd been meaning to make her a second pair of fingerless mitts! I searched and found the "Princess Mitts" pattern (I think Nartian had already knit these a while back...I'd forgotten about this pattern!). Turns out the gauge and yardage were perfect!

I'm happy to report that I may make 'deadline' and get them done for the party next Saturday. Actually, as long as I keep focus (the more definitive sort as opposed to my "8-9 Projects" sort I've already discussed...), I can get them done.

Confessions-I actually have almost finished both. Problem? Well...sadly (visuals to come later...) my gauge changed considerably from the first to the second, resulting in a second mitt that is almost a whole INCH longer! Yes, it's true. And yes, I didnt' notice until I finished the whole length of the mitt, sans completed thumb.

Here, I have completed the cuff of the second and there is no indication that I am knitting a tad looser!

I wasn't 'loving' the way the instructions were written. As a matter of fact, you have to really read through the "start here, do this chart, start this one on row x of this chart, stay in pattern for this many stitches before this chart and so many stitches after...stay in pattern for this many stitches before THIS chart...Get the idea? A lot of things going on at the same time and after the first mitt, it was less 'thinky', but the beginning was kind of a big 'thinky' hassle and went a bit more slowly, so I ended up knitting much more tightly.

And yes, I did consider NOT frogging, but I think that the Nartian Influence has pushed me to frog. I started the second from the other end of the ball and will frog as I go--HEY-I can pretend I'm knitting from Flat Feet! ;)

I wish I had the pic to show you with the two side-by-side, but I'm having tech difficulties now...

But I can show you these!

My finished first pair of "Lay's"-OK, Cotty's! (I'm not supposed to use the "L" word on our Rav group, but since this is my blog...I CAN...! These are knit with my Pigeon Roof Studios merino/cashmere (Siren Song Two) sock yarn. Nartian and I decided that this is the Sport Weight, not the fingering weight (and that perhaps her heavier was the "worsted", not the sport...cuz her fingering weight was much thinner!...)

You can see how much yarn remained after making my Lay's--I wear a size 6.5 WW, to give you an idea. Actually, I think my foot is technically a 6WW, but basically I'm wearing 7M to make up for my pudgier and after-kid feet. But I would bet that based on the width of my foot pulling the knit fabric up a bit, my socks probably do end up longer than just a regular size 6, wouldn't you think?

So I guess I get to buy more yarn at Sock Summit now, right?

"Lay's" socks, AKA "Cotty"

KnittingGolfer and I keep saying you can't knit just one pair of Cotty's and so, my nickname for them is "Lay's"! I cast on for my second Pigeon Roof Studios Cotty and quickly cast-on for a second pair, too!

I love the Sam 'n Ella colorway and decided Cotty would be a great knit for it, so I couldn't resist-I went ahead and cast-on, putting all UFO's further back in my mind!

Cotty's, v. 2.0

In my last post, I had included a picture of a new sweater I started for Solly, one of my many cousin's baby. I'm using the Baby Racer Sweater pattern by Marie Connolly. I'm using Knit Pick's Mainline cotton/wool yarn for the body in the Ink colorway.

After seeing Miss Babs Worsted in Van Gough over at WoolGirl's July 4 sale, I had to get it to use for the contrasting arm/neckband. So SassyMan was kind enough to go to the PO and get my package out of hock today! How could I resist a WoolGirl sale? I would have been in bigger trouble had someone not beat me to the 3 Wowza skeins of Miss Babs Worsted in Hemlock. Alas, it was not to be! But I did manage to get these...

Miss Babs worsted in Van Gough and Miss Babs Yummy Sport/Sock in Lilacs!

And speaking of WoolGirl, I resurrected this sock I started using Spunky Ecclectic sport yarn, also purchased from WoolGirl.

Slipped Stitch Delight pattern by Terry Ross, knit in the Spunky Ecclectic Sport sock yarn, Hummingbird colorway.

Yeah, the ADD continues. I have narrowed my focus to about 6-8 projects right now; hopefully I'll prioritize and plug through them! Vacation is in the near future and hopefully some good knitting time!

Don't Blink!

When I first took pictures to post a couple of days ago, I meant to show these current projects I'm working on...


A sweater for Solly...

The back is done; working on the front!

Great Uncle "Hooey" (Henry's) crocheted slippers for his 94th Birthday...

The original pair appeared to be a bit larger than I imagine his feet to be, so I started a new pair to present to him at his party yesterday. Sadly, I didn't get them finished and now that one is complete, I am thinking perhaps the larger size won't be so large once seamed and finished! Back to square one!

And the start of my Cotty's by IrishGirlieKnits!

These are being knit with the Pigeon Roof Studios merino/cashmere I had picked up at Stitches West. The colorway is Labyrinth, and is more purple than shows in this picture.

Once I cast on for the picot cuff last week, it went quite quickly. So quickly, that by the time I had a chance to load the pics above, I was able to take a pic of this and completed my first of the pair! This, while trying to get the Uncle Hooey Slippers 1 & 2 done!

Cotty's shown, almost to the toe!

As well as bring the Lil'Emp to the Alameda County Fair on Furlough Friday...
Sadly, I didn't get a chance to pop in to the Fiber Arts building; something told me if I had, I may have seen some wonderful socks or shawls knit by BellyButtonKnits! Darn if I missed it! But we rode the rides and I ate a chocolate-dipped cheesecake!

So while Uncle Hooey needs to wait for his slippers, I am LOVING the Cotty pattern! Quick and easy and awfully pretty! Now to cast-on for the second...sorry, Uncle Hooey, I'll have to try and get your slippers done inbetween the Cotty's, now that your party has passed and I missed deadline!

Living for the Quick Fix, Plotting and Planning

Now that my afghan squares for the Pine Ridge Reservation afghans are sent out, I have found that the squares, combined with the Ravelry Socks that Rawk Crochet Challenge, have whet my appetite for crochet!

My attention went in the direction of working on afghan squares for that sampler lapghan I had bought a bunch of Vanna's Choice yarn for back in November. It's not very large, so it only requires 20 blocks. I plugged away and completed 4-5, but having the afghan squares for the Pine Ridge project behind me, and crochet calling out to me, I have now diverted my attention to other little quickie projects.

I completed a couple pairs of baby booties which I will have to post when I finish them off-one pair needs buttons, the other needs ties. And, realizing my Great Uncle's birthday is approaching, I decided I should make him some crocheted slippers.

So basically, my knitting time has been crochet time, Ulmus angst time (more on that at a later time), Lil' Emp Cake baking/decorating time (BTW, today is Lil' Emp's 9th Birthday!), and lastly--planning and scheming time!

This, my friends, is a Great Ball. Not to be confused with a Poke Ball nor with a Master Ball. This was part of this years cake decoration; last year's cake theme? Pokeball!

Baby dress, baby sweaters, socks, Cotty's, baby sweater, crocheted booties, Blackberry Brambles...all these projects floating in and out of my mind. Start? Swatch? Maybe a sweater? No, maybe a dress...no, sweater. So basically, my knitting mind has been jumping around with no set plans.

But with the release of IrishGirlieKnits' Blackberry Brambles pattern, I've been playing with these possibilities...
I love the redder color of the far left, but I fear it is a bit too lightweight. I'm tempted to go with the far right, which is the Scheeshaf ramie/wool blend and seems like it would be a perfect weight. But then I came upon the middle yarn. I can't even recall any longer whose yarn this is. Lisa Souza? Either way, I'm pretty certain it is a merino superwash. Decisions, decisions! Not that I've even cast on for my Cotty socks yet! Then there is the Carmen cardi that I resurrected...

Yes, I'm still all over the board!