Of all of the hard work that led up to Sock Summit, I am most proud of the flash mob. Tina, Steph and Debbi love flash mobs, and they trusted me to come up with the moves to show we have the time of our life with yarn.

I had always said that if we had 20 knitters who learned the dance and showed up, I’d be happy. Actually, I told Steph I’d buy her a beer. As you can see, I owe her many, many beers, as we had over 600 people show up and participate.

Here’s Clara’s video (the best quality IMHO… another has almost 10,000 views!):

And if you’re really interested in learning it yourself and putting on your own knitting flash mob, here you go. Just remember to drop me a line and take pictures!

Thank you, everyone, whether you danced, cheered or just watched it online. In the spirit of the Summit, it was truly taking sock knitting almost too far.

Sock Summit 2011 is over. Much to recap at a later time. I welcome the after-glow and afterlife. Until then…

Imagine this, full of yarn and knitters and you have Sock Summit. This will be our Marketplace and a fiber-y Valhalla in Portland, OR.

And, I helped build it.

It’s been the culmination of the past year of work. This event was the driving force behind they timing of my leaving method. It’s all coming to be tomorrow morning.

Late nights, working over weekends, tonight’s paper cuts, and lots of flying up and down the coast. And that’s the calm before the storm. I’ll be stationed at the Registration desk for the entire weekend, when I’m not teaching or leading a flash mob. If you see me in the next few days, would you be a dear and ask me if I’ve eaten, hydrated or had a little walk? I want to be in tip-top shape to make people’s needles needle dreams come true.

I’m honored and humbled to be a part of Knot Hysteria. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I’d be a working knitting professional. The first Sock Summit changed my life, and, my, oh, my how it’s changed even since.

And it changes still, as life does.

Sock Summit is upon us. I flew up to Portland and met these fine Canadians at the airport: Stephanie, Rachel an Natalie.

Tina picked us up and whisked us past the Oregon Convention Center, then to Sock Summit World HQ in Scappoose. We don’t load in until Wednesday, but there’s plenty to do until then.

More to come…

I’ve been busy on Sock Summit and not doing much else.

This photo is actually Christopher. This is how he kept himself busy as I worked on Sunday.

Fleur de sel caramel.

Two batches.

Solo.

My husband is a very sweet (and salty) man.

My friend Michael Cobra directed a little video for a little band here in San Francisco. I was lucky enough to been able to help out. I blew the band. With a fan. That’s why the balloons are flying around.

Mike is one of the most creative guys I know. I respect him as an artist, graphic designer, musician, a business man, and a father. He is good people.

Oh, he’s crafty too. Speaking of fatherhood, here’s a video of him making his son’s Halloween costume last year:

Mini-Deadmau5 from Michael Cobra on Vimeo.

It’s that day, so I’m doing something white bread. (Well, 10% whole wheat.)

Prep for Sock Summit.

Our little girl is growing up.

I’m always learning. Last night I went to a Cheese and Whiskey class at The Cheese School of San Francisco.

While I’m starting to know my way around cheese, I know practically nothing about whiskey (or whisky or bourbon). The instructor Wil Edwards shared plenty of his experience with both. And for that, I am grateful.

Whiskeys (l to r): St. George Spirits, Single Malt Whiskey (Calif.); Old Rip Van Winkle, 10-Year Bourbon (Kentucky); Readbreast, 12-year Old Pure Pot Still Whiskey (Ireland); The Glenrothes Vintage 1985 (Scotland).

Cheese (clockwise from top/12:00): Capriole, O’Banon (Indiana, past. goat); Brie de Nangis (France, past. cow); Landaff Creamery, Landaff (New Hampshire, raw cow); Compté (France, raw cow); Boerenkaas (Belgium, raw cow); Montgomery’s Cheddar (England, raw cow); Ardahan (Ireland, past. cow); Colston Basset, Stilton (England, past. cow).

(Wil’s a photographer too, so enjoy his work from Culture, the cheese magazine.)