It looks like I’m never going to get around to telling you all about sock camp in blog-form. So how’s about a stroll down Monkey Memory lane?

Listen to Y KNIT episode 007 for an audio peek into the fun that was had! This is just the tip of the iceberg (how it snowed!).

A HUGE HUGE HUGE thank you to Tina, the Sockateers, Rosie and Debra, the instructors and all the crazy campers. And a special thanks to my mom for flying across the country to hang out with me!

Sadly, the camp song about STR sock club didn’t make the cut (poor audio quality), but here are the lyrics if you want to karaoke it yourself:

Addicted to Yarn
(to the tune of Robert Palmer’s Addicted to Love – zombie backup band is optional)
inspired by Tina, with help from Meg, Deb and Ann

Your mailman’s here, but it’s not at home.
Your mind is not your own.
Your heart sweats, your body shakes,
Another skein is what it takes.

You can’t sleep, you can’t eat.
Theres no doubt, you’re in deep.
Your throat is tight, you can’t breathe,
Another kit is all you need!

Whoa, you like to think that youre immune to the stuff,
Oh, yeah!

It’s closer to the truth to say you can’t get enough,
You know you’re gonna have to face it, you’re addicted to yarn.

You see the (blog) posts, but you can’t read.
Your mailman’s at a different speed.
You heart beats in double time.
Another kit and you’ll be fine, a one-skein mind!

You can’t be saved,
Socks That Rock is all you crave
If there’s some left for you
A chevron scarf, you’ll do.

Whoa, you like to think that youre immune to the stuff,
Oh, yeah!

It’s closer to the truth to say you can’t get enough,
You know you’re gonna have to face it, you’re addicted to yarn.

Gonna have to face it, you’re addicted to yarn

Tina’s your dealer, you’re addicted to yarn!
Cat is a genius, you’re addicted to circs!
Stephanie is crazy, you’re addicted to socks!
JC’s cool Jumbo-tron, you’re addicted to sproing!
Cookie traveling stitches, you’re addicted to leg!

Sock camp is done, we’re going home.
We’ll be knitting, on our own.
Your hands sweat, needles grind,
Another row and you’ll be fine.
Whoa, you like to think that youre immune to the stuff,
Oh, yeah!

It’s closer to the truth to say you can’t get enough,
You know you’re gonna have to face it, you’re addicted to yarn.

Gonna have to face it, you’re addicted to yarn!

Cockeyed and Hot Flash, you’re addicted to schnapps!
Tammy, Etta Mae, you’re attached to the shop!
Rosie (we miss you!), you’re addicted to dye!
Can’t forget Debra, you’re buried in yarn!
Might as well face it, we’re addicted to yarn!
Might as well face it, we’re addicted to yarn!

In lieu of words, here’s a peek into what camp was like. This video shows the camp instructors posing for photos on the last night.

From left to right: Tina (dyer and dealer, of Blue Moon fame), Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (author and blogstar, yarnharlot.ca), Cat Bordhi (sock architect and mad genius, catbordhi.com), Cookie (hole-y and twisted designer, cookiea.com, and JC (cast-on queen and technician extraordinaire, jcbriar.home.comcast.net).

Our final episode from recordings at Stitches is up at YKNIT.com.

We chat with Lucy Neatby about her colorful adventures on the sea and in front of the camera filming her instructional DVDs.

Enjoy!

PS Many, many interviews were conducted while at sock camp. There will be an upcoming episode featuring Tina Newton of Blue Moon Fiber Arts and thoughts from my fellow campers.

As you know, I’ve been away for a week at sock knitting camp. We arrived home yesterday, after a LONG day driving Mom to the airport at 5:30am, waiting for a greasy spoon to open to get breakfast, almost missing our plane, awaiting the return of Janie Sparkles. Needless to say, I’m exhausted.

It was go-go-go all week long, between classes and antics and knitting and eating (and eating and eating). Leaving the island on Saturday was also a jam-packed with waiting for the ferry, driving back to Seattle, visiting Bad Woman Yarn, getting Chicken Knittle and Megpie to the airport… then, we had to meet up with Mr. Man who had been in Seattle since Friday. Later that evening, we had a drink with my dear friend from college, her adorable daughter and husband, then dinner before crashing.

All this is to say, I haven’t had time to edit my photos or compose a camp recap post. And in my rush to get home and transition back to reality, I forgot that I had also requested today off! Just for this very reason, to ease back into life and decompress from the knitting overload.

So I didn’t need to spend the day at work. Alas, I had already driven to Berkeley, I decided to stay.

I don’t need to write my mom, because she’s here with me at sock knitting camp, so I’m writing y’all.

I’m having a swell time with all my new friends, returning campers and the counsolers. There’s so much to say and pictures to share and conversations to podcast, but interweb access is spotty.

Just wanted to say that I miss you and access to the wider world. I gotta run, ’cause we need to eat before tonight’s underwater knitting competition!

Oh, and thank you a thousand times for all the super birthday wishes! It was so rad to have loads of love coming in from the wide wide world of the web.

PS I’m hanging out with three hot babes, only one of whom is my mom.

It’s today… I mulled on what to write today, but I didn’t have anything prepared.

In the vein of useless New Year’s resolutions, my mind raced with things I’d do this year to make it the best yet. I’ll workout or knit or write or meditate or run or draw or blog everyday… but I don’t want to be disappointed.

I had toyed with doing The Compact as an extension of my non-yarn buying since August (which was violated for a hank of laceweight at Stitches). But I’m not sure I really want to set up that expectation for myself either.

It doesn’t really matter in the long run, does it? 35 feels no different than 25. Inside, I’m the same 16 year-old who was excited at seeing The Cure and worked at Dunkin Donuts. Only my paycheck is bigger, I have deeper friendships and I don’t worry about what I wear to school everyday. Oh, I have a man I love in a City I love, and a little black dog, too.

I guess I missed the maturity class that was supposed to kick in sometime in the past 5 years, ’cause I still don’t feel like a “grown” adult. And, that’s OK, too.

I’m happy. Really, really happy. And I hope you all have a happy my birthday, too.

All year long.

homemade with the freshest ingredients!

Thanks, Flickr video!

ummm, hello?

Sitting here at 8am, before showering for work, I’m already missing the weekend. How can I cram more fun into 2 days than I do all week? If only they all could be this much fun!

Since I have to run and get ready, I’ll try to make this brief:

• Knitting chez WonderMike morphed into a surprise pre-birthday celebration! Thank you, Mike, KnitSonya, SpeedyNeedleFreeman, Knit Ya Ya!, Kim-Chi Crafts and PuNk rAwK pUrL. You guys are too sweet!
• Courtesy of the Netflix, I finally saw RIZE, a glimpse into the LA crump and clown dance scene, as filmed by photographer David La Chapelle (NSFW: artistic nudity).
• And, 12 years after moving to the Bay Area, at long last I went to the Alameda Point Antiques and Collectibles Faire. Deadslow photographed Tammy fingering the needles, while Carrie scoured the crochet hooks and I leafed through a 1950s Columbia Men’s Book of patterns.

The only thing to look forward to this week at work is its brevity. Only four days, if I take Friday off.

This time next week? I’ll be flying through the air to Seattle for BMFA sock knitting camp.

Lace in Your Face, the 5th episode of Y KNIT just went up yesterday. We barely scrape the surface of the holy, hole-y world of lace knitting with guys from across the country (including Monday’s visitor Mel).

Lacy Knitters Guild members Gene and Lew share their thoughts from over 150 years of knitting experience (combined).

The ImagiKnit blog has a photo of our two other podcast guests, Doug and Troy, and store owner Allison, from their visit to San Francisco.

Photo of me by my lovely co-hostess with the most-est, WonderMike. It’s gang violence against my first lace project, the beautiful of Hanami stole.

Be sure to listen to the very end, for something even more embarrassing than this photo!