Down the rabbit hole

Once upon a time, I managed a computer lab with a raised floor. Cables of all sorts ran under floor tiles that you could lift, revealing a hoard of dust bunnies in addition to the cables. Fortunately, I didn’t have to lift the tiles or deal with the dust bunnies very often. Unfortunately, these particular tiles were carpeted, and the edges of the carpets tended to fray and create tripping hazards. So, in the name of safety, every few months I would get down on my hands and knees and shear the carpet. For years, I thought that was one of the weirdest job responsibilities ever.

Until Sock Camp.

In theory, I go to Sock Camp to teach sock knitting. In practice, I get to learn and play, just like all the campers. My job responsibilities have included judging the results of scavenger hunts, coming up with Jeopardy questions, yarn bombing, and taking part in knitting competitions. Over the course of three Sock Camps, I have knit while holding a drill bit in one hand and a birthday candle in the other, while underwater, and—as of this past weekend—while hula hooping.

Kind of leaves the carpet shearing in the dust, doesn’t it?

Consider these mementos:

Sock Camp mementos

The bunny ears and the single-serving bottle of Kahlua (aka “liquid courage;” note the “DRINK ME” tag) were much-appreciated gifts from Cockeyed prior to my Talent Show performance. Remember, campers, the only rule of the Talent Show: what happens at Sock Camp, stays at Sock Camp. ’Nuff said.

The notebook came out of one of the afternoon craft sessions. Everyone had the option of decorating a graph-paper notebook with stamps, pretty papers, and pictures cut from magazines. I admit, I wasn’t inclined to take part at first. I didn’t know where to start. But then I figured it would be good to step outside my comfort zone and be creative without planning every last detail first. To keep the exercise from being completely open-ended, I gave myself a few simple rules: You must use photos of interesting textures. You may not cut the paper; you must tear it. You may not pre-plan the placement of the photos; if you dislike where a photo got glued, slap another on top of it. Wonder of wonders, despite the lack of planning I like the end results… especially after I decided at the last moment to break the first rule and slap a non-photo focal point in the center of the front cover.

The mini sock is courtesy of Anna Zilboorg. One afternoon, she taught her “Free Sole” sock architecture. In the toe-up version, you start by knitting the top of the toe and the instep. Then, as shown above in pink, you knit the bottom of the toe, the sole, the gussets, the heel turn, and the heel flap, attaching to the instep as you go. Finally you knit the leg. The idea is that if the sole or heel wears out, you can easily replace them without messing around with the rest of the sock. Overall, I think it’s pretty cool. I’m tempted to try it someday on full-size socks, holding a thin strand of mohair with the sock yarn while knitting the sole for extra cush and durability.

On top of all the fun and games, my new Socktastic Stitch Patterns class went pretty well. It was great to see students cut loose and come up with gorgeous new stitch patterns. Better yet was when they realized they liked playing around with charts, and they liked swatching. I can’t help but wonder what sock designs they’ll come up with.

All the talk of stitch patterns for socks inspired me too. Leafing through a catalog at breakfast this morning, I was struck by an idea. I charted it right away, and hope to find the time to swatch it soon.

what will it look like when knitted up?

Teaching, learning, playing: I had a blast. Thanks, Tina. Thanks, Stephanie. Thanks for letting me be part of Sock Camp this year. Same time next year?

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