I flew from Seattle to Chicago. I spotted this sign which just makes me laugh for some reason at O'Hare. I guess I keep imagining an entire congregation of these stick figures who are all scared of flying and are hoping a little last minute prayer will save their asses in the air.
(Boring travel details deleted.)
I arrived at the new hotel to find my roommate and fellow returning camper along with my other good camp friends right there in the lobby. We unpacked, caught up and headed to dinner. There were nearly 20 campers that had attended the same Camp 1 that I did returning to camp. I couldn't believe how many remembered me as I recognized faces and struggled to remember names. We had our little sandwich buffet dinner and got into the "classroom" where we got our camp bags, welcome packets and goody bags (free cheese!). Then we knit and knit and knit.
It was basically four days of knitting and laughing ourselves to death. It was heaven.
Meg is still the same lovely, lively, funny, insanely knowledgeable person she was last year. Amy is still the same hilarious jokester and amazing teacher she was last year. Joyce is still the same inventive designer and knitting technician she was last year.
Camp 2 is very different from Camp 1. We had no curriculum to follow. Meg just answered questions we gave her and we skipped from topic to topic. Everything was less formal which felt more like a giant knitting circle of friends than a classroom. There was show and tell each afternoon and on Saturday there was Market Day. I think Camp 2 must not be much fun for first timers. We were a little high schoolish in our cliques. There were a lot of groups that came together, four or five mother/daughter pairs. It may have been hard to join in as a new person.
Mostly I knit on my Bohus hat. I bought the kit last year and convinced myself that I couldn't buy new yarn until I knit something I bought last year. It was excellent for practicing my two-color knitting. I felt much more competent by the time I finished. I also started a Bavarian twisted-stitch cap. I really wanted to learn how to read traveling stitch charts. I think I understand it now and would like to make the Chalet socks from Folk Socks to practice.
The show and tell was amazing. Everyone had great projects, successes and failures, funny stories. This year shawls-that-grew-to-enormous-proportions seemed to be a theme. I brought Rogue and Birch since I felt like I had accomplished the most when I finished knitting them.
The funniest/most horrifying moment of camp came on Market Day. Mielke's Farm, Kimmet Croft Yarns, Joslyn's Fiber Farm were there. There were campers selling some items as well (dyed roving, handspun, glass beads and buttons). But in the middle of the room I saw a face that made me gasp. I turned around and frantically told my friend, "That's my Thursday from two weeks ago!" She told me, "You better hope she doesn't read your blog." I ran for my camera and started snapping photos all over the room and finally got one of her set up.
There's the prize winning project right on the table. I didn't go too close. I thought I would somehow be found out. I am a very bad person.
I heard the pool and waterslide at the hotel were great. I wouldn't know because I couldn't put my knitting down long enough to go look.
(To be continued.)
