Camp...

Sunday night chez Tricky... It's hot and humid outside, I've been trying to enjoy it (and for the most part have).  When it gets like this - hot, sunny, humid, relentless - I try and remind myself of being younger (much younger), where summer was about relaxing in front of the tv every day, spending hours on the phone with friends who lived down the street, eating junk food (like frozen pizza - yum) all day, and seeing how many days in a row I could go without sleep - usually in front of my Ninetendo (or later, my Super Ninetendo).  A sorry youth - you'd think - but when it gets hot and humid like this - and I think back to that part of my life, I feel more relaxed... stronger.  There's something to be said for having not a care in the world, non?

So, I just posted that vid of Andy McKee below (go ahead, skip all what I'm about to write and please go down and watch it - it's freaking amazing - he has two albums on iTunes and they're awesome)... and I was recounting to myself - and all you - how a post about Camp and other happenings was in the works... but as I picked up my most recent WIP, it occurred to me I was lying to you and lying to myself - that no matter how much I'd like to think I'm going to put a post in motion, I'm actually not going to - and the best course of action is probably, actually, to just do it and move forward, then to say I'm going to (like I always do, and then let month after month pass).  Thank G-D you all have bloglines - and maybe I'm still on them...?  All that - and I just looked at my stats on Typepad and realized 2 (T-W-O) people visited my blog today - down from the 70 it was more recently and the hundreds it once was, and felt a moment of deep guilt...  Sometimes, when I'm at work and really bored - or at home even, I remember the first days of the blog - the folks I would correspond with - and it makes me feel a bit lonely (like how I felt when I read the end of HP7, thank you f-in J.K. Rowling).  So, here we are - maybe you're all still out there... Steph? KC?  Joe?  Who knows..

So, let's start with camp - and see where we go...

So, camp started for me on July 5th... those days leading up to July 5th were super busy for me at work - trying to get a bunch of work done and out to a client left me feeling incredibly stressed out.  You know what it's like - your shoulders rise up towards your ears and the muscles around your spine tense up into oblivion... Any of you who know what I'm talking about maybe also know how, if it gets really bad, the muscles around your spine say, "Hey, I bet he'd like a migraine...." and there it is.  So, most of the 4th, I spent wallowing around my apartment in this deep migraine drama.  Anyone who's ever had a really bad migraine knows what this is like - you're awake, you're asleep, you're watching TV, you're eating goat cheese - you're doing anything, and somewhere, in the deep recesses of your mind, a battle to the death is playing out between your desire to be normal and functional, and your body's desire to leave you incapacitated.  Surmise it to say, by 7pm on the 4th (when, if you happen to live in any given capital city, for example, you start to understand someone's getting ready to set off an hour's worth of fireworks and you wish they wouldn't), I was having serious misgivings about going to camp.  One of my absolute fears is being sick and travelling... so, I was, well, unsure.  But, I packed my bags, I made my nametag, I packed yarn to work with, sock yarn, and of course, more yarn, and set my clothes out.  I even called a taxi - on the off chance that I wasn't feeling whimpy, I wanted to be ready.

The next morning, I got out of bed - still somewhat migrainey, but also feeling up to it.  I was not going to let a migraine keep me from my knitting future - I'd deal with it.  So, I pulled my stuff together and headed to the airport and off to Chicago. From Chicago, it was a short and sweet ride to Mosinee - where I met my first three compadres for the weekend.  Squishy Blue, Greg, and Angela.  Now, let me tell you, I'd have plenty of time to get to know Wassau International Airport on the way back, but I had to laugh when I got off the airplane and went into the "terminal".  Hanging from the ceiling were these signs - literally nylon (they looked quilted) that said "Gate 1", "Gate 2"... and on and on.  This seemed kind of weird to me.  Moreso, coming out of the "terminal" and into the "baggage claim" area, we had to pass through this airlock-type thing (which again, I had to laugh - I live in the freaking Nation's capital, and have never seen a freaking airlock to get out of the terminal).  Anyway - long story short, United lost my bag - I didn't really care, I just was glad to have made it, now migraine free, and we set off in the Holiday Inn Shuttle to Marshfield.

This trip to camp was my second trip to Wisconsin - I'd spent a few days in Milwaukee for a conference if you'll remember - so I thought I knew what to expect.  But, northern Wisconsin is a bit different - it's rural, and flat... and, actually, really beautiful.  Our driver to the conference center was kind and a good guide, and led us swiftly to our home for the weekend.  Once there, we set out to get some lunch (at a great little diner and pancake house) and walked the town a bit.  Very cute little hamlet, to be sure.  I spent the rest of the afternoon in this great little park outside the hotel with my mac and it's wireless (which I had just figured out how to work) and did a ton of work on tech editing - which was good, but apparently not enough, because I had a ton to do when I got back.

Anyway, here are some snippets.  Here's what camp is like.  We get up in the morning and we go down to the conference room.  A continental breakfast is out - but you'd be well to go to Lloie's or the Country Kitchen first thing and get your nutrients - you're gonna need them. 9 rolls around and you take your seat at very long tables... and Meg begins to teach.  And she teaches for 3 hours straight - everything from short rows to fair isle to intarsia in the round to more and more and more to the camerman's applied i-cord to the percentage system and on and on.  We break for lunch and then do Show and Tell until 3. Now, normal people, are supposed to stop at 3pm and go do something else, but the rest of us, sit and knit straight on until dinner (and sometimes we eat something), and then, Amy and Joyce are available to assist with issues into the night.

The room is set with long tables of Elizabeth's and Meg's garments up both sides - as above - and you're free to wear these sweaters when it gets too cold and feel them and touch them and be in general awe of them throughout.  Beyond Meg, who teaches under wee video cameras at the head of the room, is another conference room full of goodies to buy - including every book Schoolhouse Press publishes, all their yarns, and a whole host of needles and other goodies (I showed some restraint - only to lose most of it on Day 2, and then lose all of it when I got home and emailed Michelle.  Good job, I know).

Generally, in going, I had some very specific questions that I had to get out of the weekend.  I wanted to understand Fair Isle better - my technique was ok, and I understand the concept, but I've always had issues with the finished fabric.  I wanted to learn Meg's technique (which I did, of course). There were a few other things - but Fair Isle was the main one... of course, I got much more than I bargained for and learned a ton of new stuff which made it triply-worthwhile.  If you were there (and even more likely if you didn't like me or get to know me), I may have been a bit of a pain... I asked a lot of questions.  I wanted to see a lot of techniques and on and on.  I wanted to milk Camp I for every penny it was worth - because I wanted to leave Wisconsin with a full cupboard of techniques in stock for me to play with all year - I wanted plenty to keep me busy (cause I had no idea when I'd be around so many other great folks!).  It felt to me like people had less questions - not that this was a bad thing - but it made me aware of not wanting to seem too, uh, pushy. But, it's true - I got every last drop out of that weekend - typically, at 3pm, when we were supposed to go do something else, I, uh, usually didn't.  I sat there, chatted, worked on my pieces, and knitted late into the night.  Several nights, Sam, Joyce, and I closed it down - knitting until 1 or 2 in the morning!  What fun...

I had the pleasure of sitting next to a great group - really great folks all around me, which made it so enjoyable...Squishy Blue and I spent almost the entire weekend together - it was ironic, almost... and really awesome.  Greg too - except he slept a lot - but was great to be around!  Sam was my roommate - and I couldn't have had it better... Rachel to my right, a Minneapolitan, great to be around... and on and on.  In all, there were four guys including me...

Meg is of course, well, wonderful.  She is gracious, funny, smarter than smart and, well, awesome.

She's got her hand on her hip in this one - I can't help but think she's looking at me taking her photo, but if I remember correctly, she was also answering a question...

It's funny, it's hard to characterize the weekend - you learn so much, you're around great people, you get all your questions (and them some) answered, you get to study with great people (Joyce & Amy- whom I loved being around - that's Joyce Williams - yes THE Joyce Williams standing next to me above - I couldn't believe it when it was 1230 on Saturday night and we were knitting together and chatting...), and at the same time, you're on vacation... you get to handle these garments that belong in a museum, you get to see the amazing work of other knitters in show and tell, hear their stories... looking back, I can't fathom how I would have thought I could say anything else about camp!

I am tempted to tell you all, "Don't go - you'll hate it" - but it's only because I loved it so much and want to go back!

Back in DC, once the last vestiges of my self-restraint crumbled (and oh how they crumbled), I bough enough UnSpun Icelandic to make the Ram's Head Cardigan from Meg Swansen's Knitting (Now, this one, don't miss out kids - it's on remainder and only Schoolhouse Press has got it). 

It's going fast - I'm about 1/2 way up the body.  My Fair Isle looks flawless - aside from that green marker, marking where I made a mistake in the chart.  Definitely good stuff...

Onwards, I'm heading to Italy in 10 days, for 12 days, with the fam.  We're going Newark-Milan-Luggano-Florence-Siena-Venice-Rome-Paris-Newark, all in that short time span... should be a good time... but if I'm not posting, you'll know why!  At any rate, thanks for staying tuned - hope everyone's well.

PS You'll all be excited to know that my post on the America's Next Top Model Application that I posted, uh, I don't know how many months ago is TOP on google - on top of even the application itself.  Go ahead - Google "top model application".  Shoot - what have I gotten myself into now - Tyra is gonna have a hissy!

Comments

[Sean]

Sounds like you had a wonderful time at camp! I'm glad you escaped the migraine early on. Those totally suck. Are you able to take anything for your migraines? I have a prescription for mine. It helps a lot, but nothing gets rid of the headache completely.

Anyway, thanks for sharing the pictures! Looks like great fun!

[Dave]

Sounds like a fun -- and educational -- experience. Some day ......

[knitxcore]

I'm pretty jealous, but glad to see you had an awesome time! You've inspired me to try some fair isle myself. your crocs made me giggle a little, i'm sure there knitted socks under those funny plastic shoes :-)

[gail]

Your Rams sweater is looking fabulous!! You'll finish it just in time to come to Wisconsin for the winter, when we have snow and cold weather! next time you come to wisconsin, take some time to visit Madison. the best city in the state. Have a great time in Italy, what a fabulous trip you have planned. I've been to Florence, Lugano and Rome, and Paris, but none of the other spots. When in Paris, join the parisians on the champs de mars with wine, cheese and bread to watch the lights on the Eiffel Tower. Those aren't all tourists gathered round! And, in Paris visit the fabulous yarn shop called la Droguerie. they have millions of buttons, beads and ribbon as well. Have a good time. Note that you tell the ladies how much yarn you want in grams and they wind it out for you. You don't purchase the yarn already wrapped and labelled in hanks or balls. it is at 9 and 11 rue du Jour, in the 2nd arrondissement. It is quite unlike any American yarn shop you can find!

[Ted]

Told you Camp was amazing...

[Mary-Heather]

Oh, it looks like an amazing time! I'm so glad you went so that I could read your write-up. Have a wonderful trip!

[Ruth]

Camp looks amazing. Have a great trip.

[anne marie in philly]

welcome back! how I envy that you got to meet the one and only meg swansen!

have a good trip to italia! we will be here when you return!

[Jan]

Why don't we have camps like that in Europe and I am really jealous that you are on the picture together with the great MEG!!!!! And by the time you read this you might be in the plane to Italy and I hope you will have a nice trip and drink a coffee on the square in Sienna!!!