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| Vivan Hoxbro, Anne Modesitt and Shirley Paden |
Are four days at Interweave Knitting Lab at the San Mateo Marriott enough to absorb, feel, remember, and tell the story of the experience? It will have to be, because Knitting Lab is over. The designers, authors, teachers, experts, vendors have all gone home or to their next teaching assignments.
But the memories linger on. And what great memories! Here's a sampling of what I experienced.
On the first day, Thursday, November 3, I was on the waitlist for Annie Modesitt's Charted Entrelac & Entrelace class. I had never taken a class from her before, and it was not to be this time. My scheduled class was with Galina Khmeleva, Broken Borders: Lace Restoration Therapy. This class was therapy indeed. See a full review here. (I got so excited, I wrote a full review on Day 1 when I got home that night.)
COOKIE A: Sock Innovation
On Friday, I took a day-long sock design class with Cookie A. I'm not a sock knitter by category, but I do enjoy the architecture and design of socks, which is something Cookie and I have in common. Cookie is a bit of a mad scientist, weaving patterns and motifs together to build incredibly beautiful sock designs. She communicates her theorems like a high school math teacher. We used Japanese and German stitch pattern books to pick a chart or two to integrate into our designs.
Cookie loves ribbing. That sounds a little racy, but actually, she made me think about it more than I ever had before. How does the ribbing of the sock flow into the pattern? What makes a good ribbing or a bad ribbing? We counted the repeats required to go around the sock. We designed our ribbing to flow into the charted pattern. We figured out how much we needed to increase or decrease after the ribbing and still make the pattern flow into an elegant, balanced design.
And then, of course, there was suckage. This is Cookie's term for what happens when you include a cable pattern in a sock design. The cables cross and suck the sides of your sock inward, making for an uncomely appearance, and sometimes an uncomfortable sock. Each of us in class was tuned in to the suckage problem, so much that it became part of our class vernacular. "I've got a 3x3 cable, so how much suckage do I have?" "What are you going to do about the suckage?" We also talked about the reverse problem: the extra girth provided by lace patterns in socks. But no relative term was coined. I need my jargon, so how about: "I've got 5 yarnovers in each repeat, so how much blimpage do I have?" or "What are you going to do about the Zeppelin effect?" You decide.
We also talked about dividing stitches for the heel, and how to center the design attractively on the top of the foot. We talked about the shapes of feet, and making a wedge toe and other toe shapes to make the sock comfortable and fit properly. Cookie announced that she has Fred Flintstone feet, squarish across the toes.
I'm not an expert yet, but I feel equipped to design a good sock now, not a simply adequate one.
JUNE HIATT: The Principles of Knitting
June Hiatt came to speak on her book The Principles of Knitting. The book will be released in February, totally rewritten, revised, re-researched. June spoke as if she were Tom Hanks in Castaway, emerging from her exile of researching and writing. She spoke about how she spent a decade writing the first edition, back in 1989, and how she spent about the SAME amount of time rewriting this new edition. She looked at every piece and made changes, typing it from scratch.
She remarked about how some people have tried to explain how one technique was different or better than another technique, and she would answer, "It's my book," while continuing on her way. She explained that she didn't interview or ask anyone questions, since the techniques were well documented in books and on the Internet. I noticed many people in the room glancing at each other, wondering if we were all thinking the same thing at that moment.
THE EVOLUTION OF THE KNITTER: FROM HEARTHSIDE TO HIGH-SPEED - a panel discussion
On Tuesday, November 1, those who had their hearts set on seeing and hearing Barbara Walker speak on her amazing career and life received an email from Interweave that an emergency would prevent her from coming to speak at Knitting Lab. For many, Ms. Walker's appearance was the primary reason for attending this event. At first, I was saddened and hoped that she was well. Information was revealed on-site that she was having gall bladder surgery. We all wished her well.
In her stead, we were treated to a lively panel discussion which included the following speakers: Vivian Hoxbro, Annie Modesitt, Marilyn Murphy, Shirley Paden, Susan Strawn, Meg Swansen, Eunny Jang, moderator.
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| Eunny Jang, Susan Strawn, Marilyn Murphy, Meg Swansen |
Aside from the sheer brilliance of this panel, their variety of skills and knowledge and their cultural and generational attitudes represented something like a United Nations of knitting. I felt completely at home in their presence, and delighted to be a part of this unique event, befitting the new tradition that is Knitting Lab. I hope this panel discussion becomes a part of every Knitting Lab event in the future and that additional experts from more countries and backgrounds are included.
I've admired Shirley Paden's designs and dressmaking techniques for many years, yet I had never heard her speak. I now wish I had been able to squeeze into one of her classes. I was able to speak to her for a short time after the panel discussion and she encouraged me to join her Ravelry group (called We Love Shirley Paden, started by a fan).
I also enjoyed listening to Susan Strawn's remarks and recollections. She's an absolutely brilliant speaker, and I certainly would put her class on my wish list for next year's Knitting Lab curriculum. Susan is a historian, a teacher of dress and culture history at Dominican University in Illinois, and has written the historical reference Knitting America.
THE SAN MATEO MARRIOTT
My roommate and I hadn't taken time for a meal break on Friday night, so we headed to the restaurant. I had a delicious mushroom risotto and an adult beverage. The food we were served at dinner each night was tasty, and I had no complaints. Also, the service was very pleasant, and my friends remarked that the employees made an effort to keep us feeling happy and welcomed.
The American breakfast buffet, included with the guest room stay, was fantastic. A wide assortment of breakfast items included: omelettes made to order, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, bakery items, fruit, yogurt, cereal, smoked salmon, coffee, tea, juices ... I'm probably forgetting something, but it was fabulous and got us off to a good start each morning.
However, the lunch buffet for conference attendees was expensive and not satisfying. The Caesar salad in a box was $12 with minimal protein -- just lettuce, a few soft croutons, a sprinkling of packaged shredded parmesan and a tiny piece of chicken breast, together with a pouch of lemony, un-Caesar dressing. Not acceptable. The sandwiches were $8 -- either roast beef or turkey with a piece of lettuce and tomato on plain white or wheat bread. Blah. Nothing makes a conventioneer more cranky than a blah lunch. To protest, I did order a quesadilla from the restaurant for lunch on one day that was acceptable and tasty (though not traditional, I did enjoy it).
The rooms were lovely; however, there was a shortage of refrigerators. I like to have a cold drink and maybe some fruit or cheese in my refrigerator at a conference, so I asked specifically for a room with a fridge. They told me there was a shortage and "would you like to be put on the waiting list?" "No, thank you, I'd just like a room with a fridge." They miraculously found one for me, after I complained a bit.
The meeting rooms were appropriately sized for the number of students. In some cases, the rooms were very cold. Luckily, we were all wearing sweaters or shawls.
The sound system in the Inspire ballroom where we heard the evening speakers needs to be improved. Occasional feedback and muffled sound marred the speaker's delivery. For this reason, my friends and I made an effort to get into the ballroom early and sit in front.
Getting around the hotel was amusing. The guest room elevators were down a corridor, away from the lobby and the conference elevators. With everyone roaming around and getting lost, I found myself in the elevator with various famous designers and teachers on several occasions. Meg Swansen and Amy Detjen asked me how to find the room elevators, so I walked them down the hall like a tour guide. Shirley Paden, looking elegant in a white blouse and navy slacks, chatted amiably with students on her way down to the lobby.
The collegial atmosphere seemed to uplift and encourage everyone to mingle and get to know each other. It felt different from Stitches West, another knitters' convention that explodes every February in Santa Clara. At Stitches, many people are there for the Market, and you lose your student experience in the hustle and bustle. At Knitting Lab, the majority of attendees went to at least a class or two. I also found myself having discussions at a more intimate level than at Stitches. The pace seemed a bit slower, a bit more conducive to learning. I was tired and fulfilled at the end of each day.
Coming soon: Part 3
