Friday I had to go to Holly, Michigan for a funeral home visitation on Friday. It seems that time of year, unfortunately.

The good news was, once I had to go out of my territory, I decided to visit friends I know online. The bad news was, I have too many friends in that neck o’the woods to see all in a short day.

I thought I’d go to the funeral home, then go to Howell and see Beth Smith at Spinning Loft. This is a shop specifically for spinners, not for knitters (though many folks do both)… an unusual, rare and wonderful place.

Then if I had time I hoped I could go to Stitch in Time, a knitting-and-needlework shop downtown Howell. You see, I won a gift certificate from them at the knitting guild last month. I have not been there in a long while, and there are a few yarns I’ve purchased there which I have really enjoyed.

Somewhere in there, I was on Twitter and realized that my friend Melynda of French Press Knits lives out near Howell. I sent her a note. The next thing I knew, my schedule was more than full.

I met Melynda at a new shop between Fenton and Howelll. The shop is named The Knit Side, and owned by the gracious Gail. It is tidy, organized, and colorful in there! She has a lot of yarns in the Cascade, Plymouth and Berroco lines.

No shop has every yarn in every line. Therefore, even though I am familiar with a lot of these, I found a few yarns I did not remember touching before. I ended up with Magenta and hot green alpaca/wool/silk from Cascade. Maybe a neckwarmer?

I went in the shop with 2 bags. I left the shop with 2 bags. Whoops! I had made a purchase. I should have left with 3 bags. Fortunately, Gail knew I was going to a funeral home in Holly. She knew my name because I signed the guest book. She called the funeral home, they found me, and she delivered my knitting bag to me at the funeral home. My friends, this is fine customer service. Hugs to Gail for being so willing to bend on my behalf!

It was good to see Melynda again. It was great to meet Gail. I was also very happy to see my friend who I see mostly online, who I’ve known for probably 18 years, and who was just widowed.

I was bummed to miss out on Spinning Loft/Beth, and spending my gift certificate at Stitch in Time. Beth is closed on Sunday/Monday, which are often my best days to go on adventures. I will have to see how I can get down to Howell again with only those shops on my agenda.

Oh… and those of you who have been with me long, know: I love purple paint on houses. Here is one I found near Fenton, Michigan. If this tickles your fancy, see my entire collection of posts about Purple Houses!

This one beats ‘em all. Our dear friend, Lil’ Rev with his daughter, Mariela Rose, on his lap. Brian and Mariela Rose enjoyed one another all weekend.

And Rev looks so good. Being a Daddy is definitely a good change for him. No doubt he is tired between a career, a new child/family and a Ukefest to plan, but he seems so happy. I’m happy for him.

Just look at those faces.

Love this Place

As Mom would say as we drove in the driveway, “Home again, home again, jiggety-jig!” There is nothing like one’s own house and bed, no matter how humble. Home is home.

Milwaukee’s Inaugural Ukulele Festival

We sang in Milwaukee on Saturday, for the inaugural Milwaukee Ukulele Festival. It was incredible. I just turned on my computer after a long drive, and have not downloaded photos yet…

However, Victoria Vox posted a photo on Twitpic of the three of us: me, Brian, Victoria – click the small image for a larger version, on Twitpic. The photo was taken by Victoria’s mom (whose company I very much enjoyed), on our way out after the show.

Let’s just say the talent was impressive, the musical styles quite varied (all wonderful), and the hospitality could not be topped. The volunteers were WONDERFUL in every way, making sure to answer questions about as soon as we had any to ask.

And the audience? Welcoming, enthusiastic, attentive. Everything a performer could ask for.

What is Next?

I have a huge week ahead of me, I’m dyeing yarn and it will be for sale at Rae’s Yarn Boutique this weekend (Lansing, Michigan).

I may not dye yarn again, this is an option I’m taking very seriously. It would simplify my life and take some stress out. Less stress would be great. I’m going to take a hiatus from buying/dyeing new yarn for a while, at any rate.

This weekend, there will be Resonance Flammegarn sockyarn (pictured below in Blueberry). I will also dye up what Cushy ColorSport I have here in stock. I have some Lynn’s Luxe DK-weight yarn (good for cushy socks or lightweight tops) to dye, as well. I may have one sweater-quantity of DK-weight (?) alpaca yarn. Maybe there will be other things, I still do not know what I can fit in to my week. One day at a time, one hour at a time, one minute at a time…

Gratitude

I may sound like I’m complaining. I’m busy with all the things I wished and prayed for. I’m singing profesisonally with a man who I adore and who feels the same about me. I do visual/textile art and teaching all day. My friends are truly friends, and I have every physical thing I truly need and many things that are extras. Color is everywhere in my home, my life, my closet.

I’m busy, but I think I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Maybe a slower pace… but then, maybe I’d just fill it back up again.

On Saturday, Brian and I got up very early, went to Lexington, Michigan for a long, full day at Thumbfest. It was such a packed day, we had little time to see other performer friends do their own shows, but we got to peek at one or two songs sometimes.

What a lovely event! The talent was entirely drawn from Michigan, and everything I heard was top notch. The volunteers were enthusiastic and great, and the weather could not have been more perfect.

We started at the Jam Tent. Moonsqualler (a good-time, old-time, old-fashioned, jug-band-influenced group) was paired with us, The Fabulous Heftones, to just take turns leading songs and having a great time. The audience sang along on several numbers, and it was just a good experience.

Not long after that, we played at the Smackwater block stage. I was happily surprised to see that the group ahead of us included Kitty Donahoe. I’ve been a fan of Kitty’s for a long, long time. She used to live in East Lansing, and I used to say that she was Lansing’s most beautiful voice. She still is on the top list of my favorite voices, even though she now lives in Ann Arbor.

Considering how jam-packed every performer’s schedule was that day, I was delighted to look up and see friend Jen Sygit at our show for a few songs. She told me later that she made sure her parents came to hear us, she knew they would enjoy our work (and they did). That makes me smile.

We had a little leeway after singing that set, so we strolled down the street to see other stages. You can not believe how many stages they had going at one time! I counted three down by the waterfront and at least six up in the downtown area. Whee!

We saw Jen Sygit and Sam Corbin play once, and at the Country Jam later in the day. We saw a few songs by Moonsqualler at their show, and Duality (friends Kathy and Terri are in that band). We caught a little bit of a songwriter workshop, before our Ukulele workshop (where we ended with a rousing set of blues numbers on uke, quite memorable).

After our workshop we had enough time to eat dinner. We sat inside the restaurant right behind the Smackwater stage, and Brian got a few photos from behind the performers, showing the view we had as we were singing.

The meal, by the way, was one of the most tasty I have had in just plain years. The restaurant looked fancy, the descriptions of the meals sounded really good, but there is always a chance that it’s all hype and it might not taste as good as it sounds. In this case, I had a salad they made specially for me and a tomato bisque soup. Incredible flavor, just great balance in all ways.

Brian had cajun-seasoned fish tacos with broccoli slaw. He said it was very flavorful and satisfying. I talked him into espresso creme brulee’ for dessert, which he had never had before. It’s truly dangerous stuff, I think it is very good that it’s a hassle to make or we would all die of too much dairy fat! It’s better than the best ice cream, and that’s saying something.

After we finished our meals, we walked down to the harbor area. Brian went out on the breakwater for a look, and I found a good park bench where I could knit for a little while. I made friends a number of times, with folks coming by asking about my unusual instrument (a Heftone Bass, which looks like a huge banjo). That was very fun, I’m always up for chatting with happy people and they all fit that description.

The final show for Thumbfest was at the big harborside stage. As the moon rose in the sky, first Mustard’s Retreat played and then the Yellow Room Gang (including David and Michael of Mustard’s Retreat). I love the song Kitty Donahoe played with the Gang. Here are some of the lyrics:

“Do what you love love what you do
And in the hard times the joy will see you through
And in the end it will all come back to you
If you do what you love what you do”

(Song is on a wonderful CD, This Road Tonight, you can download the album or one song if you click that link, you can preview the tune before buying as well.)

Finally we had the Hootenanny. All performers from the whole day were invited to get up on stage together. We took turns leading songs that most folks would know. As Brian put it, we had “folkie heaven” singing together, with as many harmony notes as any of the songs would allow.

The first song honored the friendship and life of Denise Marie Stein. She was a member of the Yellow Room Gang, and was an incredible harmony singer. She and Maggie Ferguson opened for Brian and I at our Halloween Live at the Living Room/Blue Note Cafe’ show last year. It was meaningful for many of us to sing a song in memory of her talent and friendship.

We were honored to be asked to lead a song very early in the show. David of Mustard’s Retreat is a dear friend of my brother Eric Oscar, and his wife Diana/Otterwise. We finally got to meet briefly, and he asked us to get up there and lead the packed audience (and packed stage) in a number.

We chose to lead “When the Red Red Robin Goes Bob Bob Bobbin’ Along.” We whistle on that number in two places. We invited everyone to whistle with us. It was pretty incredible to hear not only people singing along with the verses, but whistling by the hundreds, all at one time. I loved it!!!

Thanks to Jack Ferguson for telling Shirley and the rest of the Thumbfest gang about us. We had just the best time, ever!

Update 9/7, 11pm Eastern: For those who were involved with the event and who would like to see a full set of photos, you can go to my Flickr account (user name colorjoy) and choose the Thumbfest 2009 photoset, or just click the link in this paragraph.

Photos: 1) Moonsqualler; 2&3) Country Jam at Jam Tent; 4) Eire America (Kitty Donohoe and David Mosher); 5) Sam Corbin and Jen Sygit; 6) Duality; 7) View from behind Smackwater stage, taken from restaurant; 8 ) Harbor View (there is a good beach here); 9) Yellow Room Gang (Jim Bizer, David Tamulevich, Kitty Donohoe, David Barrett, Annie Capps, Jan Krist, Michael Hough, Matt Watroba, not in that order on stage); Hootenanny with The Fabulous Heftones (Me and Brian) leading Red Red Robin.

More Travel for LynnH

I visited my Goddaughter, Sara, in Chicago, Friday night. This is the end of her 3-month living/working in the big city.

I was delighted to be invited to peek at her life, one she has dreamed of for a while. (I took her to Chicago for her High School graduation present, and now she has graduated from College… maybe it’s my fault.)

She is 23 and living on her own, in a city where she knows almost nobody. She loves it. I loved being there with her.

It was a whirlwind trip. I was out of Lansing for less than 24 hours (Chicago is a drive of 3.5 to 5 hours, depending on traffic). I must confess, I love Chicago so much that I don’t mind being totally stopped in traffic if I can see the skyline. See the red brake lights? Same photo as above, without cropping…

I took a photo of a spiral fire escape for Paz. This was in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, where Sara is living.

I took a nighttime skyline photo from the roof of Sara’s building. The roof had a nice social area, like a patio, and she says normally it is full of folks relaxing after the workday is done. We were up there in misting drizzle, so there was only one other person up there while we were.

And of course, I got a nice skyline photo of the city from the north, coming south… also stopped on the highway. This photo can be seen much larger if you click on it. I think it has the look of an early 1960’s architectural drawing, the way the colors are limited.

Cities are Sometimes about Food

We ate Indian food at a place she enjoys. We had breakfast at a place near her home which she had not tried before. It had normal breakfast food and excellent service, and was bustling with families on a Saturday morning.

Stretching a Bit

She wanted me to see the movie “Singing in the Rain.” I’m not a movie person at all (the last movie/video I saw was The Lion King, when it first came out in the theatre).

However, I am a dancer and singer of 1920’s music. She knew I would like this film, and she was right. We watched her DVD together. I was surprised to see that some songs Brian and I sing, were in the movie. (Fit as a Fiddle, Good Morning, and another I can’t think of right now.)

She Still Calls Me at Age 23! Score!

It was mostly just about being with “My Sara.” I am so glad I took the time. What a lovely whirlwind trip it was!

This will complete my travelogue of my trip to Portland, Oregon for the Sock Summit conference. It was wonderful in all ways, though I am happy to be back sleeping in my own bed this week.

The People are the Essence

I met so many great people, from my teachers, a few Internet friends, the young woman in my hostel dorm room, a Michigan friend’s sister who stopped by, and just great folks all around.

Melissa who volunteered a lot at the front desk, was someone I’d met online (we can’t remember where) and we talked enough to make a bit of relationship there. I met Karin of Periwinkle Sheep without realizing I would see her. I missed a bunch more, which makes me sad, but that’s the nature of being in a crowd of thousands.

Yarn, Too, is Relationship

I came home with five yarns I did not own when I left. The first photo here is Yarn Hollow handpaint, in Cotton/Bamboo/Nylon. It’s great stuff, and I did a First-Time Toe-Up sock that fits me, in that yarn. Mind you, I almost never love yarn with cotton in it. This stuff is great.

In the second photo, starting at left to right is a merino/cashmere/nylon yarn, DK weight, handpainted by Snicklefritz. I have one sock and one toe already done in this yarn. Soft yarn, quick knit, I’m all for it! My roommate at the hostel (drat, why can I not come up with her name right now) worked at Snicklefritz’ booth and they offered me a discount. How kind.

Following that is “Totally Turquoise” by Karin of Periwinkle Sheep, a gift from her to me (hugs, Karin). It’s 100% merino, totally sproingy. Then you see Briar Rose Fibers (a Michigan dyer), Josephine (75% coopworth wool/25% mohair, super warm, very different than the previous yarns). This will become ribbed ankle warmers when it cools down a bit.

Last, there is a green skein of 100% merino in a thinner gauge than the turquoise one. It was hand-dyed by Miss Babs, and it is called “Yummy” in color “Gumby.” This was a gift from my friend Ilisha who I will speak more of later in this post.

More Knitters

I met Carrie on the plane from Flint to Cleveland (to Houston, to Portland…) and we sat together during her layover (mine was longer, but the same path). Lucky for me, she lives in Michigan. We will probably connect again, I figure.

I spent a lot of time with my friend Rita of Yarn Hollow (in whose booth I worked when not taking classes). We have known one another several years but the many hours to get closer, were precious. I also got time to know the folks from City Knitting in Eastown Grand Rapids, MI, whose booth was next to us.

A New Friend

And I sort of accidentally met a new friend, Ilisha, when she told me she liked my Maxi ZigBag. I immediately liked her style… she was wearing an amazing handknit ginkgo -leaf knitted scarf/neckpiece. In just a few minutes I knew I wanted to connect with her more. We agreed to look for one another at or at least after the Luminary Panel, the final event of the conference.

We did connect at the panel, and it was marvelous. After the Luminary Panel finished, we went to her art studio (she lives in Portland). She showed me a bit of the neighborhood, encouraged me to step into the shop “Fringe Vintage” (photo above) which was at the end of the block, and decided to have a meal together in the neighborhood.

We met up first with her husband Joe and then also her son, and they took me to dinner for Indian food (which was incredible). They have lived in a number of places, and we had a fine chat during our meal. Here is the sign for that restaurant, if anyone in Portland wants to check it out.

More Sightseeing

After dinner, Ilesha and I went to Whole Foods for a few supplies to get me through the flights home. After that, Powell’s bookstore.

Powell’s is just huge, an independent bookstore several stories tall and just incredible in all ways. Very near the front door, they had a display set up for Sock Summit. Ilesha took a photo of me standing in front of that display (thanks, friend).

If you are in Portland, Ilisha (Helfman) and Joe (Freedman) have a show currently running at Beet Gallery of Contemporary Craft, through August 29. Also, Ilisha is in a book called “Knitting Art, 150 Innovative Works from 18 Contemporary Artists.” Other artists in this collection include Kathryn Alexander, Katharine Cobey, and Debbie New. This is excellent company, indeed!

You can see some of Ilisha’s work at these sites:

Hestia House

Follow the Thread

Almost the End, and a “Hiccup”

Eventually we found our way to our respective “homes.” I got up optimistically the next morning. However, I then totally underestimated how long the subway trip to the airport was, got there when the line to get a boarding pass was 45 minutes long, and missed my flight out. Adventure time… my fault.

Eventually, I got a standby flight to Minneapolis that night. They could not get me to Flint on the same day. The good news? Susan Hensel, dear artist/fiber friend, lives in Minneapolis. She was a grand sport by letting me sleep on her couch, and it was actually a delight to see her, if only briefly.

Sue is a strong woman. She is a significant muse for me, it seems that I do extra-ordinary work when she is involved. I did both my “Fabric of Friendship” project and my knitted Self Portrait with her behind me. (I loved her bookshelf full of “fix it” books, and could not resist taking a photo.) It was very good to see her after such a whirlwind experience. An anchor is precious at times like that.

Home

I got home safely Tuesday, and just in time to teach my 6pm class at Rae’s shop. With no surcharge to reschedule my flights… a real bonus. All was well.

Really, I am only beginning to process the influence this trip will have on my future choices. I think there are so many possibilities… but I need to choose in a focused way where I will go next.

I can’t know. I can only take one step at a time.

Portland, you were wonderful! What a great trip it was.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

I enjoy taking public transit whenever I can, when I travel. I like to say I collect subways, but I collect buses and above-ground trains as well. I added another system to my list while in Portland.

When I got in to the airport the first night (Wednesday), I had to take a cab in order to get to the Lantern Moon pre-conference reception before it was over. (An aside: the Lantern Moon people are wonderful and thoughtful, and their products are a delight to use.) I then took the provided private bus from that reception to the Convention Center area, and called a cab from there.

The cab was necessary as I had to get to my hostel before it was too late to check in for the night (their desk closed at midnight). All other transportation I took alone in the city, was the light rail (a train system which runs above ground).

Collecting Another Train System

The system is clean and well-used but was not overcrowded at the times I used it. The one time I overshot my stop, I got off my train and then went to the other side to wait for a train going back the way I needed to go.

I was not there 30 seconds before a security officer showed up from what seemed like nowhere, and asked if I was OK. I told him I was turning around, and he said I was in the right place. He stayed with me until the train came. This was around midnight, I think on Friday. I did appreciate his presence and good company.

Chinatown Detour

Thursday, on the way “home,” I decided to get off the train a few times to check out other sections of town. I had missed a lunch with others at a specific restaurant in Chinatown. I decided to see if I wanted to eat there alone at dinner. It was disappointing, unfortunately.

Apparently late dinner on Thursday is not a boom time in Chinatown. The area seemed in less than excellent repair as a whole. Although I found a beautiful and well-kept entry gate to the area (I love gates like this), I also found a shelter or food kitchen for homeless folks when I walked around a block off the main drag. I’m happy to know that those who need it, can get some care, but I think they would just as soon I not be in their space.

They paid me no attention at all (nobody begged or even looked at me). There were other pedestrians around, and it was not dark. It did not feel particularly spooky to this citygrrl, but I was clearly not where I belonged. I went back to the train and got dinner elsewhere.

I like to take photos out of the window of public transit vehicles. Here are a few shots I got in Portland, I’m not exactly sure where. I love old architecture!

This one is of the Portland Saturday Market, which I have heard about. I did not have time to stop that day, but it was good to see it through the window.

Bubblers

I also got a few photos while I walked to and from the train stops. If you notice the third photo (train stop), and look at far right, you will see a small water fountain. I was told these are called “bubblers.” You see them all over, walking down the sidewalks through a neighborhood.

I was told these were installed because the thought was that drunk people would drink water if it was free to them and available easily. It clearly did not work… one night I walked by around midnight and a bubbler’s water was turned off, though it had been on in the morning. I only saw running water during daytime.

They sure are lovely and welcoming, in any case! Here is another photo with a multiple-fountain bubbler:

Welcome, Stranger

Portland felt very comfortable and friendly to me as a midwesterner (I know a good handful of Michigan folks who have moved there and are not coming back). It seemed even more warm to strangers on the sidewalk, than home.

Here in Lansing, those who know me understand that I dress unlike others here. I’m an artist who loves clothing/costuming every day. Those in my life accept me for who I am. However, I am outside the norm by a large margin in my caftans and bright clothing.

My own small home city tends toward neutral clothing such as navy and beige, and blue jeans. Knitters tend to favor soft purples as well, for some reason. My hot turquoise and magenta worn with hot green, all at once, is something you don’t see much on an adult in these parts.

I noticed that walking to the train stop in Portland (wearing my colorful garb), I was approached at least once a day by a stranger who told me I looked nice. They kept walking, with the exception of a skateboarding kid on the train who really was interested in the polymer clay beads I made for my earrings. Nobody caused me any trouble, and they were not afraid to talk to me at all. I liked that!

It appears that I am done with Sock Summit on-location photographs. I guess since I got home 8 days ago, it may be time for another topic.

However, I am very fond of big cities. I was delighted to stay outside of the Convention Center area, so that I could see more of the city of Portland. The hostel I stayed in was quite nice, and the price was less than $30 a night (my dorm-style room had three bunk beds in it; I lucked out and got a bottom bunk).

For the record, this hostel has private rooms as well, but the prices are higher. I wanted to keep my costs to a very low roar, and this fit the bill.

I have found that I always meet interesting people when I stay in hostels, often folks from Europe. We had some folks from the UK and a woman whose voice sounded German, perhaps. Two of us in that room were there for the Sock Summit, but more of that later.

Location, Location, Location

The hostel was in the Northwest section of Portland, in an area sometimes called the Alphabet district. The streets are numbered in one direction and in alphabetical order in another.

This street-naming pattern was incredibly helpful the first day I needed to walk to the subway station. I got turned around twice, and both times I realized my problem only a few blocks out of the way, because of the street names.

Across the street from the hostel was the wonderful World Cup coffee house (first photo, across the street at right, brick and glass). I was able to get good tea, good orange juice, and a three-bean salad which I toted with me for lunch two days, at a much nicer price than food in the Convention Center.

I also really enjoyed purchasing from local entrepeneurs in the neighborhood. It just feels right, for this self-employed person to seek out small local businesses to support.

Kitty-corner from the hostel was a lovely grouping of amazingly colorful homes (. Just beyond those homes is a small, one-story green building. This is a Thai restaurant called Sweet Basil. I ate there on Thursday night, while I finished up my mini-Chippy-Sock Necklace.

The interior of Sweet Basil delighted me. Behind the bar, the wall was painted purple. Not only that, the food was gorgeous to look at and very nice to eat.

I was very hungry when I walked in. I was very full when I walked out. It was “just right,” as Goldilocks would say.

More Portland photos in another post. This one is getting pretty long!

When I was at the Sock Summit conference, I participated in a fun group event. Over 900 knitters came together to make an attempt at the world record number of knitters knitting together at the same time. I do not have any photos, because I was busy knitting. However, there is a great professional video at Oregonlive.com which does a nice job with the story.

It was quite fun, I don’t know why for sure. I think for me, it was about being with that many others who share my same passion. We all love to knit. Many do not understand, but for that fifteen minutes, we all were in it happily together.

There were rules. We all knit for 15 minutes. We used two straight needles (no double-pointed needles and no circulars). We could purl, as that is part and parcel of the knitting process. Ripping back was not allowed during this time, however. Hiccups had to stay in the piece until the 15 minutes were done.

We did not set the rules. Guinness set them before we were involved. There was a group in Australia with fewer than 300 people, who set the record earlier this year. They had the same rules we did. Since we are socknitters by virtue of the conference subject matter, many of us do not typically knit on two straight needles. There was a knitter in the room who had a basket for unwanted straight needles which were going to a charity… for those who got needles specifically for the event and did not want to keep them.

I knit something called double-I-cord. Regular I-cord requires double pointed needles if done the standard way, but double can be done on single-pointed straight needles. I knit skinny sock yarn on size 10 bamboo needles, just because those were the supplies I had with me when it was time to start. I had expected to miss out on the experience due to time restrictions, but it worked out and so I grabbed what I had.

In the end, that double-I-cord became the “chain” for my Mini-Chippy-Sock necklace. Here is a photo:

I’m still processing the amazing experience which was Sock Summit. So often in my “real life,” people don’t understand that I love knitting socks. Yes, one can buy them for a good price. But they can’t have exactly what they want that way. Maybe they aren’t picky, but I am.

So here I was at Sock Summit, an international socknitting conference. Here were thousands of folks, passionate about the same thing I adore. It was incredibly powerful.

I’m fond of saying “You can’t buy passion.” You can’t decide, either, what it is you will be passionate about. It comes, and it’s yours. Some are into coffee, some wine, some motorcycles, some gardening.

I’m into socknitting. In particular, colorful wool socks… ethnic-inspired (or historical) socks, more often than not. I loved socks before I knew one could knit them. After? They are my career.

What I Didn’t Do

I didn’t meet anyone from Ravelry or my blog unless they came to me… I swear, I am distractable enough to only notice what is in front of my nose when things get off my regular routine. I had a great time in spite of missing out on meeting some very cool people from online.

I didn’t sleep enough. In fact, I fell asleep with my netbook on my lap two nights in a row, trying to blog or tweet or something. I got back to my room so late that I just couldn’t stay awake to do much.

My Classes

I took Publishing with Deb Robson, Ethnic Socks & Stockings lecture with Priscilla Gibson-Roberts, and Turkish Stitches lecture with Anna Zilboorg. Also Opening Ceremony and Luminary Panel. And the Guinness World Record attempt (935 people knitting for 15 minutes at the same time, in the same room), which I did not expect to do and which was quite entertaining.

Somehow I didn’t get any photos of Deb teaching. I think I was too fascinated with her subject (publishing in the knitting realm). Here are photos of Anna and Priscilla (more than their socks, this time), teaching.

The Best Part, for Me

I missed the Ravelry party because I instead spent the night having dinner with Deb, Priscilla, Anna, and Nelda Davis (dear friend of Priscilla’s from grad school, also a textile scholar and ethnic sock enthusiast). It was Turkish Sock Heaven.

Anna crashed early, but the rest of us were together about 4.5 hours, documenting my own 4 pairs of socks from Turkey and having a quick look at my Andean hats as well.

A Dream, but Not

It was surreal. Surreal. The women who write the books who have made my own Turkish Socknitting pattern/teaching adventure easier (by writing books on the subject) spent time with me, and we all were equally passionate about it. Well… I think nobody could be as passionate on the subject as Priscilla, but the rest of us follow closely behind.

Here is a photo of Deb Robson, Priscilla Gibson-Roberts, and Nelda Davis, documenting my Turkish sock (you can see it was a pleasant time):

More photos of the evening:

Priscilla looking at a few of my Andean hats.

Passionate Priscilla in a pensive moment.

Deb perched on chair taking photos of my socks, PGR looking on.

Nelda, poised to steam the sock into shape for photos.

Deb with magnifying glass, inspecting stitch irregularities while Priscilla pins sock to maximize photo quality. Deb spoke of this on her own blog, here. It turns out that the (anonymous Turkish) knitter ran out of white yarn and substituted another, part way through the sock. Unfortunately, it was handspun and very different in gauge. This introduced a change in stitch count and other irregularities which Deb and Priscilla investigated in depth.

Deb and Priscilla, expert spinners, determined that the second yarn was from a different fleece altogether. I would not have noticed.

Many Gifts

Deb and I made friends through my blog. We have communicated several times a week for a few years now. However, I knew that some day I’d meet her at one fiber event or another. I did not have to manage a trip to Oregon in August (slow time for knitting income) to see Deb.

But Priscilla is not teaching these days, she’s mostly retired from public events. She did decide to do Ethnic Sock lectures at Sock Summit, after she was assured that Nelda and Deb would assist her. I was not sure I’d have a chance to meet her at another time. (For the record, Alice volunteered to schlep a lot of Priscilla’s materials around for much of the time. I don’t have Alice’s photo but she was great fun at all times.)

I told Priscilla that the reason I made sure I did this trip, was to hear her speak. Meeting her in person, working with her for 4 hours, was an icing on the cake that I did not imagine possible. It was totally surreal, in all the best ways.

What Now?

I’m sure my work is ready to change in the direction of more colorwork. I have many projects partway in development, but I need to follow my singing heart, toward more and more colorwork.

Can you see why I’m still sort of twirling and not settling down quite yet? I don’t know which direction to point next. Thanks, Deb, for making this meeting of the minds include me. I’m honored, and still blown away, by the experience.

I’m still trying to emotionally/mentally process my overwhelming/wonderful trip to Portland, Oregon for the Sock Summit. I am sure things are changing for me as an artist/designer/teacher. I am not sure what this will be, but I am pondering possibilities. Meanwhile, here are some photos from that week.

The vendor booth of Yarn Hollow, where I worked part of the weekend. (Yarn Hollow is owned by the artful dyer Rita Pettys, near Grand Rapids, Michigan.)

The line to get in to the market on the first day. What you can not see here, is that the crowd started singing “99 bottles of beer on the wall” and then changed it to “99 skeins of yarn on the wall,” as they were waiting for the doors to open.

For the record, the line went to the back wall, then made a u-turn and came all the way back to the front where I was standing. LOTS of socknitters!

Approaching the Convention Center from the light-rail system (like a subway but above ground). I stayed at an International Hostel in another neighborhood, so I got to ride public transit each day and see the city more than if I’d been stuck in just one area.

Have I mentioned how much I love big cities? How I “collect subways?” Actually, I collect public transit systems. I’ve now been on trains or buses in Portland, San Francisco, Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, and Cairo. And I’ve ridden the Detroit People Mover, though it is more like a tourist attraction than real transit system. But I digress…

I have many more photos, but this will need to suffice for now. Thanks for sticking around.

My friend Paz likes taking photos of fire escapes. She lives in New York City, where there are many. In Lansing, there are few.

I took this photo out of the window of the public transit train in Portland, Oregon. While I assemble more photos and longer stories for you, here is a lovely city view…

I’m still crunched for time, I will be at Allegan/Michigan Fiberfest Sunday after being there all day Saturday. At least I got to sleep a full night for the first time in weeks. Small things become big sometimes… like a good night’s rest. Monday I can sleep in again. Two nights in a row may just let me catch up!

I processed a few photos from the opening reception of Sock Summit (international socknitting conference in Portland, Oregon last week). Here is a very nice shot of Sock Team One (ST1) and Sock Team Two (ST2) the first night. I’m here to tell you, this group is top notch in all ways. They worked without enough sleep and kept positive and helpful throughout. Much appreciated.

Here is a photo of the group hug that ended the first night’s opening reception:

This was a very female sort of event. It was huge but it really represented all that is best about women and how they care and organize.

For an example, when someone needed a hanger for their vendor booth, an announcement was made to the whole sales floor asking if anyone had a hanger or two that they did not need. About a half an hour before we were to stop setting up booths, another announcement came saying that if anyone needed help setting up, please let the front desk know. They had volunteers at the ready, to help anyone who was behind the schedule. Wow.

The volunteers were plentiful and friendly. When we needed things, we were assisted in our need. I was having trouble finding food I could eat (given all my allergies), and one ST2 member told me of a place that did in fact work out well. For me, that was major. Being hungry is no fun when one is working.

This was a total class act from A-Z. Nice job, ladies. I hope you got some good sleep since the closing ceremonies!!!

Priscilla Gibson-Roberts (also known as PGR in the socknitting community) has written several books (and patterns, and articles), including one book entitled Ethnic Socks and Stockings. It includes many techniques for making eastern-style socks (toe up, from Egypt, Greece, Turkey, many other areas, often very colorful). Priscilla’s “Ethnic…” book changed my career. More on that later, but suffice it to say I am grateful.

I took this photo of Priscilla (well, Priscilla’s feet/socks) at Sock Summit, during her “Ethnic Socks and Stockings” lecture. The “tabi” socks (split for a sandal) were knit by her. She had a pattern with that feature (two toes) on sale at the summit. Yes, I bought the pattern.

Anna Zilboorg (Pronounce Aaaah-nuh ZihL-bore-g) wrote a book on Turkish socks, a small eye-candy book full of more color than my closet. It is called Fancy Feet in hardback and Simply Socks (incredibly- which bureaucrat made that decision, I want to know…) in paperback.

Anna has also written a wonderful hat book, a book full of colorful mittens (and edging treatments for cuffs, and dyeing recipes for specific colors), at least one other sock book, and a book called “Knitting for Anarchists.” I took Anna’s “Turkish Stitches” lecture at Sock Summit, where I took this photo of her feet/socks:

These women LIVE ColorJoyfully. Isn’t it amusing that even the floor seems to agree that more colors are more fun???