Monicello, Illinois - Crankers of Wonderful Socks 2021 report

 I just returned from the COWS seminar in Monicello.  I was so happy to see my friends Julie and Dorinda from Michigan again!  

I made a few new friends also.  This is Jan, and the back of her sister's head.  I sat across from a lovely woman named JoAnne who teaches at a local yarn shop in Noblesville, Indiana.

I observed this abbreviated pattern posted on a yarn mast. Short and sweet!

There were a few men in attendance, including one who brought his spinning wheel. 

Here is a skein of Kroy sock yarn on my bobbin, ready to knit. 

I took a photo of the yarn label, resting on the door prize I won, a tool caddy.  It is a wooden disk with a hole in the center, made to fit on top of a bobbin. 

Here is another take on a visual pattern.  I may adapt this one for my use. 

The room was pretty packed with crankers. 

There were a lot of variations on tool chests and caddies.  Dorinda suggested I adapt my Auto Knitter wooden box that I use to tote yarn and tools to put a lid on it, with a hinge, to make something like a gateleg table, or sewing table extension,  so that I have more surface area to work with. 

I made a pair of matching socks using my sock yarn, spun by Zeilingers from my "free" Craigslist wool.    It is a little heavy for the 72-cylinder, but that is the only cylinder I have for my Master Machine Home Profit. 

This is the cone of my yarn on the bobbin, waiting to be knit. 

And Jan took a photo of me.  That is Julie, Dorinda, and JoAnne in the background. 

I took two classes, both from Jenny Deeters.  The first was on tension and measuring your socks so that you can make them to fit all sizes of feet.  The second was knitting a lace cover, including sparkling Crystalettes, for a  4-inch glass or plastic Christmas tree ornament.  The Crystallettes are available from Jamie Mayfield or from Yadasi Beads.  

There were many more classes available, but I wanted to concentrate on making friends with my machine again.  I have not used it for two years prior to the seminar, since we moved from Michigan.  My pattern is not written down, (at least not in a portable form) and I was trying to do it from memory.  The pattern aids I saw on other's machines will help me. I made three good socks, 1 mistake sock, and a tension swatch. 

The hotel was doing a great job dealing with soooo many guests (I think it was full every night) while still coming out of COVID-19 restrictions.  

I had a great time, thanks to the meeting hosts Peg Wileaver and  Pat Lane.  I managed to come home with less than 10 new skeins of yarn, and I left some there.   

I also got to take some fabulous bike rides around Monticello.  See my blog on bicycles http://brightmeadowbicycle.blogspot.com for more info.