One yarn website I keep going back to to look at is The Unique Sheep. I love the whole idea of the Gradience yarns – you get 4 skeins and work through them as you knit, creating a graduating colour series. For whatever reason, I never ordered anything.

The Unique Sheep was at the Sock Summit, and I spent a fair amount of time browsing the booth. It took me a few days to decide on colourways but I ended up with these two:

This is the Doctors Without Borders colourway. Although, as I was reading the Twilight books in my room in the evening…. I can’t stop thinking of it as vampire yarn.

This one is Woodstock. I didn’t realise how fitting it was when I bought it; when I got home I realised it was the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock, and I’ve heard people talk about the Sock Summit as knitter’s Woodstock (although I’m hoping ours will be repeated!)

This next ball is a commercial yarn, but also graduates in colour:

It’s called Zauberball, and will change slowly from black to white. I bought it, and the solid mauve Black Trillium yarn from a few posts ago, to make colourwork socks with. I even have a pattern in mind, from Janel Laidman‘s new book, the Enchanted Sole. The book isn’t out yet, but I had two classes with her, and got to see all the socks that will be in the new book! I can’t wait until it is released.

The one I want to do is the labyrinth one on the left!

Yes, I was at Sock Summit.

No, I didn’t take the laptop.

Yes, customs let me back in to Canada with a suitcase full of yarn (funnily enough, once I said the words ‘Sock. Summit’, my documents got stamped really fast).

No, I have no idea how long it will take me to knit all that yarn up.

Yes, I brought my camera.

No, I didn’t take many pictures (I was having too much fun!).

Yes, I will post my few pics.

Yes, I will be adding all that yarn to my Ravelry.

Yes, that’s me in the 4th picture from the bottom in this post (with the blue wrap, and the glass of wine).

Now, you’ll have to excuse me, I’m off to Edmonton for another class all-day Wednesday. This one has nothing to do with socks, and everything to do with guns. (even if guns used on stage in the theatre are replicas/don’t otherwise work, someone on the crew still needs a gun license. Now that person can be me!)

Thinking of pretending I’m a vegetarian, just to confuse the gun people even more.

I’ve booked my tickets for Portland for the Sock Summit!

The marketplace shopping bag is starting to look 3D, like it should, no more flat bottom panel.

But, work is wacky and huge right now, so not much time for blogging

I am officially attending the Sock Summit 2009! I’ve been thinking about it since it was announced, but I officially have a roommate, and hotel room, so it is all real!

I just need to wait until it isn’t Easter weekend so I can book my flights.

In anticipation of Sock Summit, even before I had a place to stay, I started some projects. The obnoxious socks in the last post are one, and this is another (and probably more practical that wool socks in summer).

I traded for this yarn, which means it was essentially free, which means more money for the Summit Marketplace. It is Louet 100% linen, and I’m using it to make the market bag from the Spring 2009 IK.

As I have three colours, I decided to start with the darkest for the base, then the next lightest, then the very lightest. I’m hoping to do the first 28 squares in dark purple. There are 72 squares total, but the 28 would give it a nice symmetry I think.

I actually took these photos a while ago, I’m on square 13 now, and was on square 7 in the photo.

As you can see, I’ve been using my Revolutionary Stitch Markers. That gold one is dual purpose; it is on the right side of the work, and it is marking square #1. I’ve since moved on to a slightly more advanced system, marking the first square of each set of four (the base is worked in sets of 4). I’ve been using these markers as alphabet markers, number markers, you name it. I was one of those kids whose pencil crayons were always in rainbow order, so I know that with these markers pink is #1 or A (it’s the closest to red), orange is #2/B, gold/yellow is #3 etc.

My work now has a pink, an orange, and a gold on it. I’m working on the square that should have a green, but I don’t think I’ll need to actually put it on the work.

In but 4 months, this bag will be full of yarny goodness at SS09. I can’t wait.

So, have we all heard about the Sock Summit?

If you haven’t, I can wait while you check it out.

Are you jumping up and down now? I thought so.

I really, REALLY want to go. I think I may actually make it happen. Sure, recession blah blah blah, but doesn’t that just mean that hotels will be slashing prices to attract tourists? All sorts of airline seat sales?

Actually, there is a group of Edmonton knitters (3 hours north of me) thinking about chartering a bus to drive down to Portland. We just need 47 other people to make it work. I think the whole roadtrip idea would be fun, but I also think I might need to arrive in Portland a few days early to have enough time to properly check out Powell’s Books.

The Sock Summit is going to have a good effect on my stash, I think. Right now I see all that yarn, and I just see money tied up in it. I did do a clear out last year, but after another year, and looking at what is STILL left, there’s more that can go. I probably will buy a lot at the marketplace at SS09, but then it will be new and shiny yarn that has me jazzed up to knit with it.

I’m going to put some of my stash as ‘for sale or trade’ on Ravelry in the next few days, so watch out! I’m so close to being under my 10km goal. I thought that silk scarf would put me there, but not quite. I just need to knit like crazy, and start a pair of socks soon. I’m so excited about socks now too!