My friend, Belinda, and I are back from Interweave Yarn Fest in Loveland, Colorado. We had a great time! The event was held at the Embassy Suites Event Center which was an ideal facility. We drove to Loveland on Thursday, leaving Belinda's place at 9:00 am. We got to Loveland at lunch time. We enjoyed checking out the Yarn Fest's marketplace. Of course we did some shopping. We stayed the night at the Embassy Suites Hotel and we took a class at 9:00 am on Friday.
Our class was "Socks at Any Gauge" and the instructor was Ann Budd. Belinda and I were never really taught much about how to knit socks. I figured out how to knit them by following a really good pattern and asking questions of knitters at my local knit shop. Fast forward a few years and I taught Belinda some of the basics I had learned and she really took off from there. She did not need much instruction; she's a smart cookie and a very quick learner. Belinda has even completed a pair of entrelac socks!
Belinda and I have both made several pairs of socks but we've both struggled with sizing. Mine we often too big and Belinda's were often too small. I knit more loosely and she knits more tightly. We were hoping the class we selected would answer our questions and help us how to figure out how to make well fitting socks each and every time.
Turns out gauge swatches are necessary (drat!) and math is involved (groan!) but Ann Budd walked us through the process of meauring our feet and doing the mathematical formula to help us figure out how many stitches to cast on for our socks. I am looking forward to using what I learned in future socks. Ann Budd's book pictured above also walks one through the same mathematical formula if you are interested in learning more.
Belinda and I did a bit more shopping before heading home on Friday. I'll show more of what we got in future posts. Above is a yarn called "Rainbow Bright". This vendor had this yarn knit up in a pattern called "Aquaphobia" which is a free pattern on Ravelry. Belinda suggested we make the socks as a knit-a-long together so we both bought this yarn. Turns out we bought a few other projects which we both plan to make together. Very fun!
In the mean time, I need up to finish up some works in progress so I can cast on some new projects.
Off to knit!
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