Melting away in Boston

I’ve never been a big fan of the heat. The one year I begged my parents to let me go to the municipal day camp, I spent the bulk of the time hiding under trees with a book, trying to ward off heat stroke, and looking for any excuse to spend time in the air-conditioned rec room. At least in my own recollection, I was the pudgy, whining geek who wilted above 80 degrees.

Things have improved a bit, thank goodness. I can now run a mile in good time without having to take walking breaks. I’ve found a path in life where sitting apart from the crowd with a stack of arcane books is praised, not scorned. Life is good, and I wouldn’t relive adolescence for anything in the world. But I still am not a sun-worshipper, and I still start to droop as the thermostat rises. And baby, it’s hot outside – heat index of 108 as I write.

The weather has certainly taken a toll on my ability to do, well, just about anything. I’d sit in the swimming pool all day if I had one, sipping on lemonades and listening to podcasts. It’s so bad that I don’t feel like knitting. Seriously, can you imagine?

Luckily, all this will change. No, the weather’s slated to hold steady, but next week, I’m headed to cooler climes – to….Sock Summit!

I’ve mentioned Sock Summit before, but let me take a few moments to elaborate on its goodness. For the second time ever, a group of sock knitters (more than 1800 individuals, as best I’m able to discern) from the whole world over will gather in Portland, Oregon, to convene, to knit, to teach, to learn, to peddle wares, to purchase wares, and above all, to celebrate a craft and our favorite footwear – knitted socks!

Now, some of you may think this borders on fanatical, and I would hardly deny you that. If I were a Portlandian, of course I’d want to go to a local knitting convention. But to fly across the country (with gas at these prices!), spending a week in a youth hostel, shelling out a fair amount on workshops over the course of 4 days, not knowing anyone attending – all for a hobby? I admit, it borders on “much”. But this ridiculous trip continues to be the most anticipated event on the horizon, and I frankly can’t wait.

Loyal readers will have seen my post about the Bayerische socks I just finished, which will make a star appearance in my wardrobe, as will other favorites – my Interlocking Leaves, my Clessandras, and either my Jaywalkers or the Monkeys. With only 4 days of Sock Summit, I have to be selective about what socks make the cut! I also have to add another project to the works – a lovely pair of socks, made especially for my ITFF secret swap partner (who is going to be getting a lot of lovely things, and perhaps more from SS11!).

Although my knitting mojo has been low, I certainly haven’t given it up entirely, and despite the heat, have been working hard on a couple of big projects. Bayerisches got finished, Sylvi is truly almost done (pockets on, lining sewn in…just needs to be tacked down in any number of places), and an old project is nearing completion (but no spoilers on that one). And, I’ve started a number of new things, too – a lovely Estonian lace stole in MadelineTosh Pure Silk Lace (it’s like buttah) as a shop model for Stitch House, a fun geometric blanket, and an entrelac baby sweater of my own design. Hopefully I can get some of these things finished sooner rather than later (but there’s always the airplane ride to and from the West Coast to look forward to)!