The Sock Summit Wrap-up. An Open Letter

Dear Stephanie and Tina, and everyone involved in SS09:

I originally began a blog post about how wonderful my weekend at Sock Summit was, but it was eaten by an a abrupt drop of WiFi and a mis-tap on my iPod Touch after 2 hours work while waiting at the airport. As I didn't have enough time to re-type it and my next layover didn't include free WiFi, I decided instead to wait until I had made it home, to a proper keyboard, and could make a bit more sense.

I also thought I'd turn the post into a thank-you letter, though an open one to share on my blog. So, of course, I'm one of I'd guess hundreds who are concluding their Sock Summit with a direct letter and a huge THANK YOU to both of you, to all of ST-2, your staff, volunteers, supporters, families, teachers, luminaries – really, anyone and everyone who contributed.

I almost did not register, not out of any doubt that Sock Summit would be amazing but due to the logistic challenges and expense of travel. However, after the server crash and fix, when it became apparent that it would sell out by the next day, I jumped in and left cash and logistics to the fates, for later.

As you will guess from the fact that I'm writing, I made it. Every high expectation I had was thoroughly exceeded. As far as I'm concerned, “Summit” was the perfect title, as Thursday morning started high and things only went up from there. You managed to pull off an event that had the quality academic and technical presentations of some of best training I've ever attended in any subject, combined with the festival atmosphere of a weekend entertainment venue. Even though many of my “first” choices of class/workshop were full by the time I got online, every single teacher and presenter I saw put to shame all but the few best of teachers I've met in my life. Even the Marketplace was brilliant, filled with great, diverse, friendly and relevant artisans and businesses. It was easy to navigate and comfortably spacious (the odd manic rush to limited-availability items notwithstanding).

After my first Thursday morning hour I had learned two brilliant new things that I will immediately put to use. I added more to that before dinner. The two of you delivering your opening night talk were endearing and hilarious and your recitation of some of the telephone conversations you had to have could have worried Bob Newhart that his schtick wouldn't measure up. Between Friday morning and Saturday morning spinning workshops, my hand spindle work advanced more than in the past two years, and I finished spinning my first small amount of true, 3-ply SOCK yarn at the Ravelry party (though I had to borrow a friend and re-name her Kate for the plying job). I think I'm going to frame my swatch from the Guiness attempt. I sat at a lunch table with Lucy Neatby and made some flip comment about her hair, to which she laughed heartily before I could second guess my mouth enough to feel abashed.

I found out how to solve most of the problems with the socks I make for the man in my life, though there was no help for the size 13 feet. Anna Zilboorg's Turkish Stitches hour was the last of my classes Sunday morning, and I couldn't write fast enough to jot down all the ideas her brilliant talk through the folklore and culture that surrounded that style of work brought to mind.

The Luminary Panel was truly the peak of the weekend, and I was not the only person near tears listening to the humour and brilliance of all the speakers, including yourselves. I have to say, as someone who came to knitting after Elizabeth Zimmerman was gone, thinking of that and listening to the Panel guests, I had a really striking realization how important this whole weekend was. You two had brought together brilliant guests who are, truly, the Wise Women of our tribe. As is inevitable for our species, some of them may not be with us much longer, as much as we would all wish differently, and this may have been the last chance for them to reach out to us who are newer to this community of art and skill. Having sat through that, I realize what a way of passing the torch (needles?) you offered to all of us, teacher or Luminary and students alike. I now cannot comprehend how much would have been missed, unknowingly, by how many hundreds of us, had this event not happened. This effort quite literally knit together generations in art and community. I am amazed, grateful, humbled and priviledged to have been able to attend.

I hope that my future works may represent, in some small way, what came of your efforts on this event.

Most sincerely, thank you.
Johanna