Sisterhood of the Travelling Socks

Okay, I didn't go to Sock Summit 2009. I was sad; I felt the loss. I knew that sock knitters from all over the world (okay, maybe not - I don't know) were gathering in Portland, Oregon and I couldn't join them. Some of the most famous, creative and amazing knitting personas were in Portland without me. Me, I was working hard having just acquired a new job and having recently seperated from Yorble. I was knitting socks but I was doing it in Michigan. There was a load of change in my life in 2009 and it took a bit getting used to all of the changes.

Fast forward to 2010 - life is a bit more settled. Sweetpea lives here and we both knit. Me, I knit socks. Her - not so much; at least, not yet. There is no Sock Summit this year. I suffer no loss, no stress or worries knowing it is happening without me. Whew!

Now, there will be one in 2011. It'll be at the same time as the First Harvest (Lammas) sabbat. Maybe next year will be time for me learn more about knitting socks. Maybe it'll be time to head back to the west coast; it has been so long since I've been out that way. I believe that is the case. 2011 will be the year of socks for me.

Okay, some of this enthusiasm and desire for travel a year from now is fueled by the discussion threads on Ravelry. I saw some folks' entries about hotels and restaurants and how amazing the classes were in 2009. I got to thinking about hotels and started to panic when I noted that many people were already making reservations. Oh No! It's only 11 months away! What if no rooms are left!!?!?!?!

I know that sounds crazy and doesn't sound a bit like the calm and cool person that you know me to be - but, there you go. Anyway, I checked a couple of hotels in the area and then just made a reservation. Some of the nearby hotels (near the Oregon Convention Center) were unable to give me a room for the entire stay. Oh no!!! I found one place that had rooms like I wanted and had them available. Also, their rate was reasonable. The reasonableness might be scary because I don't know the quality of the place but my wallet likes the idea. Whew, once again!

Now I've got to figure out how to get there. I checked into the train. Wouldn't that be amazing?!? I'd love to sit and knit as the country sped by. It is a reasonalbe cost to take the Empire Builder from Chicago to Portland. It means, though, 45 hours in a seat. I could get a room on the train but that adds a hefty $600 per ticket (and, hopefully, Sweetpea will want to go). I thought about driving. All told, it is a 35 hour drive. There are two of us to drive and we could see some family along the way. Hmmmmmm.... we could share the driving and each have some time to knit. If gas prices remain stable, it would cost around $600 in fuel plus wear and tear on the car plus hotels (if we stop). All that gets to near the cost of a flight. Right now, some of the airlines have deals on flights. I am hoping that that'll keep up for a while. Fingers crossed!

Anyway, I have a room and I have the motivation to be able to get to Sock Summit 2011. What's next? I've got to convince Sweetpea that we should go, that we can afford it, that it is a good idea and that there are other wonderful things in Portland.

Hmmmm.....maybe I can lure her there with the promise of attending Fairieworlds. I hope it'll work.

Carry on.

Second Harvest

Well, today we celebrated the Autumnal Equinox. Our group gathered, celebrated and enjoyed the day recounting the gifts we've received this year. We talked of family, friends, spirituality, joy, health and so much more.

We also celebrated Bill the Obscure's birthday. He turned 50 and there was much celebration.

In addition to realizing what amazing friends and family I have, I've also been pondering the abundance in my fiber life. I've been, albeit slowly, loading books, fiber and projects into Ravelry. Last night, I saw that I've got over 40 books in my fibery library. These are the knitting books - there aren't any listings there for spinning, weaving or general fibery goodness! That's abundance! I sat back to examine this a bit and realized that i"ve been doing a bit of what I used to do when I was in law school. Then (and now) when I didn't have the time or energy to delve into a fiber project, I would buy something to help satisfy the need for creative flow. Sure, it didn't fill it completely but it helped. When in school, I'd surround myself with yarn or fabric and just feel the textures and take in the color. Now, I do a little of that, but I read about it more. I want to put a moratorium on books but I am not sure that will work. There are some wonderful books out there that I want for my library. Maybe I'll cull the collection and get rid of some of the books I do have. This will take a bit more pondering.

Here is a good example of knitted abundance. I made these cupcakes from the One Skein book. These were for when Miss Alabama, Miss Missouri and I met to have a stitch weekend. We were celebrating my birthday and none of us wanted cake so we had 'cupcakes' instead. I packaged them in mini-cake boxes - just for the fun of it. The photo reminds me about how good life really is and what amazing family and friends are in my life. Thanks!!