Help, Sock Yarn Fumes -- Making Me Dizzzzy.......

Officially this is the first day that the public gets to come in and see what the Sock Team Royalty has put together in honor of all things related to sock knitting and the sock knitters who worship the "sport."

There was a line outside the marketplace doors when I got here this morning to pickup my bright lime green ticket to participate in the Guinness World Record attempt. They were camped out like you do for concert tickets, it was a sight to see.

My first class was with Cookie A and how to create the perfect rib to complement the leg pattern you choose for your sock. It was very interesting to hear her explain and demonstrate the process she goes through to design her fabulous sock patterns with just the right ribbing that blends into the design rather than detracts like a last minute stick on. She is lovely and self-effacing, receiving giggles from the class when she mentioned that there was a flyer for her next book coming out in 2010 "in case anyone cared." We were all ready to sign up for the pre-release party.

Then I went back into the marketplace to check the door prize list to see if I had won anything, no luck yet. I headed over to Cat Mountain's booth to give her a much deserved coffee fetching and pit stop break. She has really yummy yarn and has just opened a new shop in Alamosa, Colorado called The Yarn Gallery.

The Guinness World Record attempt drew over 1000 eager knitters to try to break the recent record set by 256 knitters in Australia of continuous knitting for 15 minutes on two straight needles (NOT circulars or two of your four double point needles on your sock project) as the Yarn Harlot said "Four does not equal two."

We made it through the attempt and were on the local news at 5 p.m. on, at least, Channel 8 which we were watching. Yay for us. We should know in a week or so if our attempt made the grade with Guinness. Black and Tans all around!

After that my roommate and I made one more pass through the marketplace to look at things we had heard about before heading out for downtown. We went to Button Emporium and had lunch at Jake's Grill, then went to Powells's and found goodies at Cupcake Jone's to bring back for dessert. All in all, a great afternoon seeing the sights of Portland.



My big purchase of the day was a wrist bag called Sock It Suze (there is a story behind that) for my sock project. It is from FriendyWendy, she is on Etsy and can be contacted through her website for custom orders. She also sells her stuff at the Pike Place Market in Seattle. She is fabulous.

I also found sock yarn for a sharf (shoulder shawl that doubles as a scarf) and a lace scarf, plus at least two pairs of socks. I know that does not seem like a lot but with the overwhelming amount of stuff available it was too many choices.

I hope everyone is having fun!