Sock Summit - Day Three and the Market!

Day 3 of Sock Summit seemed to be the day for sensory overload. I took a beaded baby booties class in the morning which seemed to set the tone for the rest of the day. I really like the beaded booties pattern and look forward to working on them in the future when I have time to concentrate on the casting on at the toe technique. Thankfully some friends provided some helpful pointers and web links to learn more which should set me on track to be able to complete the project. Beads combined with fiber - it can't get much better than that! Naomi and Arlene filled me on the Barbara Walker lecture which sounded absolutely fascinating. After lunch, we browsed the market and then headed back to the hotel for an evening of relaxing and knitting on socks and some Nihon Vogue projects. We had a long discussion about teaching and learning and what makes a good teacher versus someone who may not be clued in to a student's needs or how to change their teaching style to better reach their students. It made us appreciate Jean Wong and her patient, thorough style even more. Her experience as well as that of someone like Lucy Neatby who are able to connect with their students and know how to respond to questions for a variety of situations makes their classes so worthwhile. I realize that experience and deep knowledge of the subject as well as time in the classroom with students, entails them to troubleshoot and handle questions in a way that less experienced teachers are not. That can make a world of difference for the students. I have especially enjoyed spending time with my friends as well as getting to know other knitters who have come from near and far to attend the Sock Summit.
The market has been quite remarkable as well as a chance to knit on the world's largest sock, peruse the sock museum and look at the the winners of the Dye for Glory contest.
Some of my favorite vendors and products have been:

Good to Be Girl - Darling knitting project bags and stitch markers
Signature Arts Needle Arts - Customizable needles to die for... and save for!
Paradise Fibers - Friendly, service oriented store based in Spokane, WA who carries a large variety of goods
Della Q - Organization pouches for needles and projects
Jennie the Potter - Sheep and knitting motifs on pottery
Acorn Street Shop - Long established yarn store based in Seattle
Kitchen Sink Dyeworks - Hand Painted Yarn
Jenkins Woodworking - Amazing Turkish spindles
Webs - Bagged yarn at great prices
Skacel - Extremely popular circular needles
Miss Babs Hand-Dyed Yarns and Fiber - Hand Dyed Yarn from Tennessee
Fiber Optic - Hand Painted Yarn
Itty Bitty Witty Knitties - Whimsical Cards and paper goods
Liberty's Yarn - Hand Dyed
Close Knit Friends - Unique scissors and stitch markers