Reporting Live from Sock Summit 2009

The first official day of the Sock Summit is over and what a day it was. There were many sitings of "socknitterati" from Lucy Neatby and her very cool hair and Birkensocks to seeing the Yarn Harlot in the control booth observing the goings-on of lunch and marketplace set up.

I attended three classes today and learned Judy's Magic Cast On with Judy Becker, some really neat bind offs that can be used for more than just socks with Chrissy Gardiner and how to spontaneously add beads to your knitting with Sivia Harding.

The big event of the day was the opening of the much-anticipated Marketplace. One woman compared it to "the running of the bull." It did have that feeling as the doors opened and the crowd moved in. The scope of this thing is overwhelming. I delivered the sample socks I knit for The Craft's Meow and got to meet she and her grandson who was doing a great job of helping in her booth.

There was so much to see. It is everything related to sock knitting and, according to the Sock Team, the largest gathering of independent yarn dyers on the planet. I believe them.

The topper to the day was Opening Ceremonies when we got to hear the tale of the dream that has become Sock Summit 2009 where Blue Moon Tina and the Yarn Harlot defied all odds and people thinking they were "crazier than a bag of wet weasels" when they thought up the idea for this event.

It was gratifying to experience the magnitude of what six amazing women achieved against all odds. I will be interested to hear what the final number of attendees is for this shindig.