In which the Mutant Sock and I Go to See the Yarn Harlot in Denver

I had a fabulous time last evening at a book-signing and presentation by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee at The Tattered Cover in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. There were hundreds of knitters there, all of us knitting and laughing and generally enjoying each others' company. My friend, Tracy, and I had fun with the fact that it was our first book-signing, and we greatly enjoyed the fact that we now each have found a "yarn friend" in each other.




















Look at all these wonderful knitters! And I love that there were men there, knitting in public with the rest of us!












This is the Author taking a picture of us with her Traveling Sock. Most of us were taking a picture of her taking a picture of us. --->









In my world, I believed that I could not attend a Yarn Harlot gathering without a sock in progress to photograph with the Author. So last weekend, I cast on my first pair of Toe-up socks in some lovely Koigu, a nice mindless Stockinette sock for distracted knitting in public. As people walked by me last night, as I was knitting, several folks stopped and looked and when I saw them looking said "That is a beautiful sock." So, I believed that maybe, just maybe, even though I thought it was coming out a little bigger than I expected, that perhaps it really was going to be OK. So I kept knitting it. And people kept saying it was pretty. (The fact that when I showed it to Tracy she burst out in laughter should have been a big clue.)
I now realize that what they were most likely thinking is "Oh My Gosh! Look at that enormous, bizarre and deformed sock!" but were too polite.


When I got to Stephanie's table, I showed her my sock, hoping to get a photo of she and I and the sock. The sock which I would treasure as the "Book-Signing Sock", to commemorate my first book signing and first time to interact with a real author. After a short banter, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, the "Yarn Harlot" whose books I enjoy and read and re-read, who is a true knitting celebrity, giggled and said "What were you thinking?"


This is Stephanie and her normal-sized human sock being held in front of my own Mutant Giant Sock:


All in all, it was a wonderful evening, despite the fact that the bookstore employees were apparently a little frustrated with the sheer number of us, and I think a little scared of the giant crowd with pointy sticks. I really hope that she comes back to town again on her next book tour.