Big Hugs! You've worked hard, and it will all come together.

No worries... Patiently hitting refresh. ;) ((HUGS))

We know you are working hard, we are just so excited!!!!

Awww, if you were on Ravelry I'd be clicking your love button. Crap happens.

I think it's funny that the geeks have discovered the power of knitters. And, this is just the sock knitters!

Okay, back to pounding on the server...

We're all waiting patiently. Sorry this is happening to you guys. I told my husband last night I was afraid this would happen...and he laughed at me. Ha. We showed him the power of sock knitters.

Ahh the power of knitters. The world doesn't understand us. Yet.

No worries. This is just one more indication of what a big group of people we really are, eh? It's all data... :)

Thank you for the update!

AND HUGE HUGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm so sad for you! I was hoping this was going to work perfectly. I was hoping enough that I sent my mom to take my 14 year old to get her braces put on, so that I could be here by the computer. I was hoping enough that... well, you don't need to know that... Hope it's better soon!

We are Knitters, and we are Mighty! Thanks for the update!

squee! knitters crashed the internet!

Well --That should teach them a lesson to take you and Tina seriously!

ARGH .... I am one of the people sitting and waiting - hoping to get to registration in order to sign up for the one spinning class ! I'm sure you all are wild and crazy and exhausted and frustrated ... OMS ... for everyone !!

My husband is laughing and saying next time, make sure your server guy has a wife who's on Ravelry -- no IT guy who hasn't been exposed to the knitting world can possibly understand. *hugs* to you ... we'll all survive.

Big hugs to you and Tina!! Thank you so much for doing this for all of us crazy sock knitters. :)

On the plus side, now you know there will be lots and lots of people attending!!

Those non-knitters never believe us. I'm sure it will all work out. We knitters are patient people(mostly).

You know we knitters can be patient! I think we all suspected the server would underestimate the number of knitters all trying to register at the same time. Try to relax. You are not in charge of fixing this, and we won't just go away because there are problems.

not your fault!!!!! big hugs

Last year during the campaign Barack Obama asked his volunteers to donate some money to something like the Red Cross. His people warned the group, and warned them, and within ten minutes Obama's fans crashed the whole website, they were so eager to help.

Crashed the Red Cross.

The power of knitters.

BWAAAAAAH!
I am making myself nuts, When I get there I am sure others will be there too!
I so want to come, I already have my ticket from SW FL!!

Justification! repeat after me...Justification! To all those muggle geeks: see! crashing server equals Justification!!

I don't know whether to laugh or cry.
At least I'm having fun anyway because it will all work out in the end.

We will just be patient and knit! You have done a fab job, so no worries. It's going to be ok.

Staying up all night testing something does not mean you can trust it. It's just trying to lull you into a false sense of security before it sends you careening into server hell.
I'm a knitter married to a computer geek. I wonder what this means for our offspring.

I will take it as small consolation for the fact that there's no way I can attend. Thus, I'm not cursing at my computer at the moment.

It'll come together. And I will live vicariously through your reports of the fun & fellowship had by all.

They always are underestimating us knitters! Hang in there. That which does not kill you makes you stronger . . . .

As I posted on Tina's blog, you did warn them. Now maybe they will respect the power of the knitters!

Oh, and when anyone at the convention center questions you guys about other things, you can now provide the tech guys' contact info as a reference as to the power of knitters.

I'm so sorry - as a knitter and a techie, I feel ALL of your pain. Make sure the tech geeks feel your pain too - nicely, of course, as you are a nice person.

No worries. I am sending good yarn and beer vibes your way!

Aww. Don't be in hell. At least it's all knitters you're working with here, and knitters are some of the nicest people on the planet. :)

We love you! And hope the non-believers are sweating blood right now. Or at least wearing really scratchy underwear.

Sorry you're in hell Stephanie!! Yet again, the techies have grossly underestimated the powerful force of knitters ... wanted sock classes. WHen will they get it? Good Luck. In the meantime, I have a dr's appt within the hour to get to and I hope upon hope that some classes are left that I will be happy to take. :o) With so much being offered even my lesser choices are winners.

Honestly, it's okay. It really, really is. I think that y'all on the SSTeam are feeling the worst. The rest of us are just fine.

Here are some small words for your tech guys: Big data center. Scalable bandwidth. Lots of knitters.

Do post the stats when things cool down, would you? I'd love to see the numbers on how many hits came in before everything froze up.

Big hugs!!!

(((Hugs))) to you and Tina. I remember Tina posting in her blog her frustration about not being taken seriously in the business world because what she was dealing with was considered "just knitting".
Well, the sock knitters have just crashed the server. We are powerful.....seriously...
I'm patient, I've got knitting.

That's okay! I have my sock to knit while I wait! Thanks for all your hard work!

Y'know what?
It is ok! Noone is going to die because of this (if they do well that is a little over the top! No point having a heart attack over it cos then it means you can't go! ;-).

Sending you the most positive vibes!!!

Take a deep breath. The traffic is all knitters and we are a much more understanding breed than most. Think of the whole thing as frogging a sock to get it just right. It will make you happy in the end.

I copied your post about being in hell to my hubby at work, and I.T. guy working on servers all the time at his job. He said to give you his sympathy, as he knows how this feels. He also discussed multiple computers and something called "load balancing" but that's when he lost me. LOL Hang in there!

Obviously there's a new career for Casey from Ravelry - Consultant to Tech Geeks for Knitting Events. He could get big bucks, don't you think?

It will get better.

It just goes to show that no matter what you tell muggles about how many knitters there are, they will never believe you. Not your fault!

We knitters always say something like "dude, there are a lot of knitters" and the muggles says "trust me, I know what I'm doing." And then the muggles are amazed at the number and power of knitters. Always happens this way. When will the muggles learn to listen?

thank you for the update! We all love and appreciate you!!

Yep. Figures. Bandwidth. Crashed the Alaska Volcano Observatory, too, when Redoubt started erupting. Never planned for, I don't think. How frustrating for all of us! Thanks for letting us know...

Hey guys FYI, just got on the site. Got my first choice in classes and printed out my confirmation numbers, and it only took thirty minutes. Not bad at all. Smooches, its working, just slowly.

Look at it this way. The tech-geeks have just been impressed with the fact that there is a large group of people who employ a low-tech skill called knitting, and we way outnumber them. If they want to be cool, this is your chance to convert them with the power of hand-knit sock gifts.

I did it! I registered! I'm in! I got the one class I wanted! Sock Summit, here I come!!! (Can you tell, I'm just a little excited?)

Luckily, the people trying to access your crashed site are knitters -- who come with built in "patiently waiting" skills (ie. knitting!).

No one is mad! The last thing we'd want is to have someone who makes fun things like sock summits happen get stressed and sad. It's all good :)

Don't worry I won't get at you. Part of living on the other side of the world and not enough funds to attend fun events only allows me to live vicarously. Everyone will live to fight another day.

Lots of love to you all. I love the power of SOCK KNITTERS could have this effect.

(You can add this adventure to your speeches.)

Have you looked at Sally Melville and her daughter Caddy's new book? I wondered if you would like to do your own spin on the 'Camelot' coat - it might be a very useful travelling item, in a 'knitterly way'. Wouldn't stand coffee abuse though.

Bless you! It must be so frustrating to have to keep telling people (tech geeks, bookstore owners, et al), "No, really, there's a LOT of knitters out there." It makes me wonder -- how come there's so many of us and so few people know we exist? Are we like the Masons? You have to BE one to know the secret handshake and be aware of the others?

Now I know ya'll are in hell, but in a perverse way, I would have been almost disappointed if the server hadn't crashed. I like the visible, forcible display of the power of knitters. No matter how well prepared the tech folks thought they were, they couldn't comprehend the reality of the knitters. Go knitters!

And definitely, go tech support! Get that site back up and let the knitters get their Sock Summit!

It worked. Beautifully (even if it was late). The biggest THANK YOU you can imagine.

If we could get some news coverage on the crash, perhaps we could get a little more respect for our numbers.

Madly ROTFL (or the working-place equivalent on one's lunch hour) as this is just yet another lesson to the unfibered worlde of the power of the yarn and those who (create or) weild it. It's not bad enough that bookshops do not believe that a lady coming to chat about her knitting book is going to stuff the place into not only their rafters, but the next block's rafters, with knitterly folk. Now the geeky world, despite all of us who tread in both realms, has learned the same lesson. (Can't giggle - I'm on a conference call.)

Looks like it's up.. I got in, finally, and all of the classes (every single one) that I'd mapped out were already sold out.

You can tell the IT geeks are in no way knitters, nor do they know knitters. Otherwise they would have been prepared for this. Once again, muggles underestimate those with a fibery fetish, and it's fun to watch them freak out!

Hang in there! No one's pissed at something you have no control over.

10:05 PDT? I think you mean, "It's beer o'clock." Have two.

I'd say by now knitters know that we can crash servers and those who are trying are patiently hitting refresh. (yeah right)

ARRGGH! After 45 minutes of patiently trying over and over, I finallly got in and the classes I wanted were filled up! Oh well...

I went to check out and got booted. All my classes are gone. I'm crushed.

I've been trying since open at 10am and everyone of the classes my wife wanted to attend is sold out, she is just heartbroken.

You all are awesome. What a job!!! Good for you to get it back up so very fast! Now maybe they will believe you and Tina- that you actually do need a storage pod that big, and yes, the loading docks are necessary, and yes, the money was made legally....... ;-)

Well, I have to say a big thanks to you and Tina... that was sort of fun and sort of awful. Kind of like being tickled till you puke...

I managed to register. Now I can go to work. I am still shaking.

must say that I am so dissappointed - i know you guys worked hard, but by the time my computer would let me in none of the buttons worked properly - i even had a bunch of classes selected but there was no check out button on the bottom. It is there now, but not before my session expored. Now all the classes ar gone. RATS!!

No worries! I'm just so happy an opportunity like Sock Summit exists, and people like you have the love of knitting to endure the stress of such a task! Thanks for doing it, hard as it may be.

Although Portland is drivable, I am sacrificing. After soul searching and lots of meditation, I am opting not to try to register. I would love to be there, but honestly, I am not a sock knitter. I'll be one less person trying to register, if that helps. To all the lucky ones who get there, I'm counting on lots of photos, lots of stories, reports of wonderful knitting, and more. Words fail me at the magnitude of your gifts to the knitting world, Stephanie and Tina. Thank you.

HELP ! The sign up for the sock summit did not acknowledge my firsteffort at signing up and so I missed the spinning class which I desperately wanted - it also refused to accept my request for dinner - 2 tickets and panel 1 ticket ! Then it signed me up for the same class twice instead of acknowleging my removal !!!! I went ahead with paying because I didn't want to be thrown off a third time !!!! HELP !!! HELP !!!

This is simply yet another example of how people really underestimate the volume of knitters that are out there. I remember your blog posts a while back about places being amazed at the number of knitters that came out of the woodwork when you were there to speak, and this is the same thing, except in cyberspace, as opposed to physical space.

I am somehow really amused at the fact it happened, although I understand it must be incredibly frustrating.

just wanted to say - hurray!!! could not attend anyway, but this was a terrific example of the "power" of knitters. especially socks - BTW - how about gum to chew and warm compresses for ears - oh, yes and please use zicam or some other nasal blocker for germs on a plane - much more prevalent than "snakes".

You know what the best part of Sock Summit is going to be? The people.

They're going to be there, regardless of registration snafus.

I'm a knitter and a computer geek tester. My gray hair and I understand completely. Deep breaths, bend and stretch.

Testing servers, sock summit, it all sounds like so much fun. Too bad my 3 year old won't let me go.

(Oh and I finally saw Star Trek. So awesome!!)

Very disappointed about the sock summit. I was trying to get on from the very beginning and could not even get to the shopping cart until all the classes were gone. I am angry too because I never had a chance.

I know you all worked so hard and I appreciate that. But the registration process was hell. Numerous server time out messages interrupted the registration process but in fits and starts I got all the way to sending my credit card number only to have the final server time out exceed my 15 minutes. I'm disappointed.

Sad times...I was SO looking forward to taking your class. (Silly computer problems!) Another time perhaps! Thank you again for organizing this for us.

You should have warned them about what happens to people who don't believe. They are not knitters, are they? It reminds me of the story you shared about the bank cancelling the sock club account, not believeing anyone knit socks.

Having been a "geek" for a number of yeas, I can tell you that it doesn't matter if you test it for 100 or more hours - if the traffic is really, really high, it'll blow you out of the water. Take pity on the geek guy. He had no way of knowing that 8 million knitters would hit the server all at once.

On the other hand, my sympathies to you all. I sure wish I could go. If I could, I'd have helped create that traffic problem.

Unfortunately, this is a test checking just how large the souls are of those of us who don't have a chance of going.

In at least one case the answer is small. Really small. Microscopic. Infinitesimal, really.

I can but heave a sigh. I know how hard you guys worked, but it did me no good. The darned thing kicked me out at a hundred inopportune moments (i.e. -- never when I was in the middle of reading my confirmation) and it looks like I'll be taking a lovely and nearly sock-free vacation to Portland in August.

I still love you guys.

I'm totally bummed that by the time I got in, all but one class I wanted have been filled. I can't justify the trip/expense for just one class. Hope you all have a good time.

So super sad I didn't get into the Sock Hop. Stupid server crashing.

Congratulations on virtually selling out the entire class schedule in less than an hour! When's the next Summit going to be and will you offer more of the same classes?
Disappointed not to have gotten all the classes I'd hoped for, but feeling fortunate to have even two. I just wish I could have registered for two spaces so my sister and I could have attended together. By the time she was able to log on the slots in all her top 3 choices for every day were taken. We'll both attend the luminary panel, though, so that will be a lovely finish to the weekend.
Thank you for what must have been an unimaginable deal of hard work and stress! Hope to see many blog readers in PDX!

I keep getting booted out. I hope I still get the one class that ended up in my cart!!

Makes you understand why some places still only take registration by snail mail with a lottery, doesn't it?

If it makes you feel any better, load testing a server for the kind of load you're getting this morning is really freaking hard, and anyone who expects something like this to work without hiccups has pretty unrealistic expectations.

REGISTERED! And confirmation email clutched in hot little fist. (Figuratively.) No classes, as money unexpectedly ran low this month so I decided this morning to pass on the one I was thinking of. But I got the opening reception and the luminary panel! The rest of the time, I'll spend hanging around with the PDX Knit Bloggers and everyone else not in classes. The PDXKB haven't discussed any plans yet that I know of, but I have a feeling we might be easy to find. *g*

Stephanie, sending mojo your way...er, well, since I don't know *where* you all are, sort of in a vaguely west-ish direction from out by the airport. Hope you and Tina and the rest of the teams don't collapse after all this is done. Breathe, and have a beer; it's past noon in Toronto. ;) You deserve it. Nothing this monumental can always go perfectly...especially when it's making history. Hugs to all!

Not the greatest experience in the world. Know it's not your fault. I had most of the classes I wanted in the cart and it timed out on me. I was sure I was under the 15 minute limit. When it refreshed my cart was empty and all the classes I really wanted were sold out. And because it didn't always tell me which classes I had successfully added to my cart I ended up doubling up on things. Not good. Any one want to buy my extra Turkish Stitches and Knitter RX slots?

I got timed out over and over again. So I gave up. I hope the one class I'd gotten into my cart became available for someone else. I'm glad I hadn't booked/paid for my flight.

Stephanie, congratulations for a roaring success, in spite of server overloads. This is going to be a landmark event, one knitters will talk about for years, whether they attend or not.

Sigh. Alaska really must be a backwater. Others got on a good half hour before I could even see the page. All sold out. Worst part is having to pay Alaska Airlines $100 to get my mileage back. I'm pretty disappointed. At least I won't have to find a dogsitter.

Congratulations Stephanie! Just in case you wondered if we (all) would really come...

I was able to register and got my first pick classes.

Thank you so much for organizing this summit, and for being patient with us and your tech guys.

It's going to be a blast! See you in August.

Yay! I got in and got all of my classes that I wanted. The Sock Summit Team is amazing. I don't think there was a way for us to not crash the site. There are just so many of us. The power of knitters is amazing. I am so amped up, I don't think I can get any work done.

I made it, with my chosen class still available. It almost didn't happen and I am grateful and my heart goes out to those who didn't make it as I could easily been one of them.

For all the times you two got blown off... Vindication is like a teenage child: oh soooo sweet, and dang so frustrating.

Will there be any kind of a wait list? It took so long for pages to load that my fifteen minutes (which was definitely NOT fifteen minutes) kicked me out just as I hit the payment key. Nothing for me...

Couldn't get any of the classes I wanted either. Luckily I hadn't purchased my airline ticket yet. It must be fate, so now I can go to the Michigan League of Handweavers 50th Anniversary conference that same weekend. You definately have a success on your hands. Congratulations.

You have email notification of the progress of the Sock Summit. If you gave the techs the number of subscriptions, do you think they would have believed "a lot"? Maybe. But then the other folks not subscribed would have increased the numbers significantly and the servers would have crashed anyway.

Enjoy, everyone! It looks like I'll have to pass.

Another teckie who was misjudging our power !!!!

To everyone who got in, have a great time!! To Steph and Tina, Great Job!! To those who didn't get in, start sock knit alongs on Ravelry to share the sock knitting karma generated at the Summit. Me, I'm going to China and will take sock knitting with me, hoping to start some conversations. I plan to knit everywhere I go, in public. Maybe next year there will be a Chinese Sock Summit!! The power of knitting knows no political boundaries!

There's probably NO way to test it for 2 bajillion simultaneous hits at once ahead of time! How could you?
WE knew what was happening!!!!

Maybe I'm just being dippy but do you have a link to the Summit on your web site? I can't see it so just ignore this if it is staring at me and I'm just needing to look better.

I so appreciate how much work you have put into Sock Summit. I'm totally bummed that the only part of the registration process that worked for me was the 15 minute time limit. Even with 1 class in my shopping cart, I got pushed off the server every time I tried to move on in the process. Hit F5 for the next 5 minutes and by the time I got to the payment page my session had expired. Of course, nothing was left when I got back in. I'm trying to deal, but I'm so bummed.
Thank you for working so hard to make it work for all of us. I do totally appreciate your efforts, even if the outcome wasn't ideal.

STRONGLY recommend AFRIN or the like a couple hours before you fly. Dries up the sinuses so you can equalize pressure.

For hysteria, I recommend "legs up the wall" pose; if you have weights of any sort (sandbag, sack of flour, lead brick, laptop computer), have a friendly, soothing sort of person (okay, another hysterical person works in a pinch) place them on the soles of your feet when you're upended. Take 5. Breathe.

Very disappointed. 10:05 computer down. Finally on at 10:35. Only one of my choices was left (Argyle socks). Tried to register, error message, kicked out. Back on but by then Argyle socks was closed as were all my other first options. Chose lower priority classes, hit register, got timed out because your 15-minute clock was running even though I had been kicked out by Error. Logged on again. All my choices now gone. Settled for Friday and Sunday events. Sooooo - the classes were a lottery, with very long odds at that. Thankfully I live in Portland, maybe I can stand by on-site. Meanwhile, I saved a lot of money, and I won't be looking for ways to spend it at the Sock Summit.

Once again, the power of knitters is underestimated.

Look on the bright side the traffic (meaning the Sock Summit is incredibly popular) has crashed the server. Everyone will wait their turn and the Summit will be a great success! Good work!

Don't listen to the grumps, you have worked so hard on this and done everything you can to ensure it worked.

About the "testing" and those who are expecting high volume, there's two types of testing which should be done in scenarios like this. (I test for a big web retailer)
1) The flow works. One person trying to register, cancel, etc from signing up to checking out, notification/conf email all good.
2) Load and Performance. @$#%#$^%&%^ knitters hammering the server all trying to do that flow - exactly what can you expect that a single server with XYZ tech specs can handle.

So then you know what each server should be able to handle and that it will work. There's definitely server side tweaks that can be done to get things to work a little better in cases like this.

BTW, one dedicated server could be overwhelmed by the hordes of knitters, depending on how well the software runs and the server's setup.

Props to the geeks who got it back up so quickly. And that will teach them to say "I don't believe there are that many knitters" when you give them the demand numbers, based on how many subscribers you had to the newsletter. And besides, it is extra revenue for them even if the server's full capacity isn't used. They were warned, I think they need to give you some money back and a big fat apology from the head honcho.

Wasn't it the Blue Moon Fiber Arts sock club that was caused all kinds of havoc two years ago? The bank didn't believe them that all these people were interested in sock yarn, so they shut down their account suspecting that money laundering was involved?

I've been involved in load testing - and if they don't believe you regarding the load to be expected - well, they end up learning the hard way.

I was also involved in two projects where we TOLD them the size of the pdf and tiff files to be stored - and they didn't believe us then either. Then they whined about all the storage space we were using.

Kudos however to whoever has resolved the problems. Wish I could be there...

i love how non-knitting/non-fiber geeks totally underestimate the power of yarn and socks.

Sadly we knitters are getting used to this. Someday a GeekKnitter is going to come up with the perfect system that can handle everything our community throws at it! ;) Almost makes me want to go back to school...

Never underestimate knitters. We will one day rule the world.

Love and extra love to you and Tina.

Not only did your server shudder, the water supply to this huge university where I work SHUT DOWN at 10:00 PDT!!! vis:
"Re: Campus Wide Water Outage

At this time, there is no water being supplied to the campus.
Consequently, restroom facilities have no water pressure. Physical Facilities is working with the Goleta Water District to restore water to the campus as quickly as possible. We will keep you informed of the situation."
The water is on now, and I got my SS09 classes!
hugs, hugs, and a round of frosty cold ones to you all.

Silly servertech guys who didn't think knitters could crash a server. I can hear them now. "What, like thirty old ladies will want to sign up for some knitting classes? Those two are crazy if they think this server can't handle it."

Of course, we would probably be amazed by the number of servertech guys who would show up at a programming etc convention.

We love you, Tina and Steph. Mercury's still in retrograde. HUGS to you!

Sad here too. Any chance you could add another Speed & Efficiency class? That was the top of my short list......

I can't say enough thanks to both of you for even thinking about planning this. Of course I'm over the moon because I got into your class, Stephanie! I keep pinching myself. I also got into one of Barbara Walker's classes. This was after mini panic attacks at being knocked off and getting 'Try Again' buttons over and over. I'll bet your tech person had never seen anything like this. Thank you again. I will bring chocolate to class.

Holy crap, what an adventure. We all ended up in the same classes but nearly had a nervous breakdown doing it. Bandwidth! we need more bandwidth! Yes, I was once a computer geekess...I remember watching usage shoot thru the roof and beyond, grinding the system to its knees. I made those noises too!

Sad to say we could not get into your class...but still I am sure we will get to meet you.

I don't mean the royal we - just my sister, daughter and I.

Another non-knitter surprised by the power of sock knitting! Give the man a pair of needles and tell him to stop fighting it and just go with it!

Like you said, they never quite understand just HOW many thousands you are talking about. OH well, the muggles never get it.

There are two unusual places to see in Portland-Voodoo Doughnuts and Powell Books. They are both pretty unusual. Voodoo Doughnuts takes doughnuts where they have never been before. If you don't understand that, check out their website. Powell Books is one of the largest, and most comfortable book stores I have ever been in. Have a great time, from one of the drones who will be working while you celebrate in Portland!!!

My husband-turned-website-programmer had pretty much exactly the same reaction when the knitters crashed our website during our after-Thanksgiving sale last year. Whilst re-coding the website, he kept going off to take a shortcut, and then I would remind about the web tenacity of knitters and he'd go back and do it The Right Way. I'm so proud to say he seems to be the first web programmer who has actually delivered on the "SURELY this will be enough to handle it." I think it has something to do with the sheer quantity of yarn his wife has amassed in their home... behold the power of knitters!

Didn't you try to warn them that they would be underestimating the knitterly demand, no matter how big they thought it could be?

You and Tina both need hugs, beer and chocolate. It will all work out in the end. And even if someone is disappointed because a class is full I seriously doubt that anyone would be angry with or blame you and Tina. I think it's wonderful that the response has been so overwhelming.

Hevens to Betsy! Your poor ragged nerves! I would be a complete mess! It sold out so quickly!

You don't happen to have the room to double the classes, do you? Expand a little in the wee venue you have rented? Phone every flipping knitting teacher known to anybody (reputable) to throw on classes?

. . .

Well, maybe not.

People are going to need to deal with the dissapointment, that is all. Ouch. I am sending every ounce of serenity, strength, and good humour I can to both you and Tina.

You must be exhausted! and we freekin' LOVE you and everyone who is organizing this event. I would hug you when I see you in Aug. except for fear of being wrestled to the ground by security for my over exuberance!!!!

You warned them that there were more knitters than they could imagine, and the tech guys are still shocked! When will the muggles learn? Probably not until they're no longer muggles....

Took an hour to get in and not booted out, and then could only get 1 of 4 classes on our schedule, and Lumineries..would've really liked to attend the welcome dinner Thursday. Any chance of openings or additional classes to be added? A cancellation list?

You guys took on an amazing project! Who knew we sock knitters were so intense and driven! Thanks for your efforts! Any chance of Sock Summit 2009 Part 2?

If technology is involved then you know you can't trust it... now you may ask yourself why?

THINK for a minute... What are computers made of - computer chips, and what are they made of - silicon - and what is silicon made of - sand.

What does the good Lord tell us about sand? Don't build your house on it or it'll fall flat!

It's great when it works though ;)

I project manage web development for my company and I have to say, in a slightly perverse way, I LOVE the fact that knitters managed to crash a server! It really is amazing.

Wait 'til I tell them at work. They already think I'm a bit odd, and think my knitting is strange - but now I can show them that actually we rule the internet! (And don't even ask about the looks I got when I tried to explain that there were thousands of users on Ravelry. They really don't get it.)

You guys ROCK and yes I'm one of those IDOTS who has a double booked class and ALCOHOL was in my evening...but I just wanted to leave a comment to say that this is the Knitting (notice Cap "K") event of the Century and it's right here in my home STATE and we couldn't be prouder. In reading your books you have taught me to lighten up on myself when it comes to this craft, but oddly enought I have become a better knitter because of it. I hope your cold is better and that Portland treats you well while you are here. Go to the COAST enjoy the BEACH! You deserve it!

I don't have time to read all the comments, and someone may have suggested this already.

What you tested was how the server ran the process. There is almost no way you can do a realistic "load test", which is what manages the number of requests against the server.

When the server is up and running smoothly and the dust settles, get the tech guys to write you a technical specification of the server configuration that finally worked. It should talk about the server components and things like ports, and how this volume of traffic should be handled. The tech guys should write it down so that it can be done again.

It's safe to say that any other adventure of this sort will require a similar setup. Use the information the tech guys give you as a technical jumping off point for the next adventure. This is called "configuration documentation" and if you can get it written down, you won't regret it. And neither will the tech guys, if you go back to them next year and they don't remember what they did.

FWIW, it's really hard to stress test something without...well, stressing it. Which co$t$. So please don't feel bad.

Look. Next time you deal with a techie, or a book store, or someone who has never dealt with you before, have for this person a short list of blog posts about these experiences to give them. Show them the post about bookstore that put out four chairs and simply couldn't believe the number of chairs you needed. Show them your NYC book launch. Show them this with the crashed servers. Seriously. It's time you walked in with a resume that made these guys stop and take you seriously *before* you crash their servers. You are a rock star in the knitting world. They've just been living under a rock for too long and need to have their eyes opened (perhaps with a carefully placed knitting needle).

Just sayin'

Dear Stephanie,

I can only imagine the difficulty in organizing an event such as the Sock Summit and in that regard I suspect my imagination is severely limited. I’m sorry you had a difficult week. I was sad to read some of the griping over at Ravelry.. try not to look. But some posters have tried to put a positive spin on things. I did have a bit of trouble with registration but not enough to spit fire over. I want you to know that I’m really appreciative of your efforts in putting this together. Aside from technical server difficulties I think your biggest problem, if you want to call it that, was that you had really great advertising and promotion for this event. Sometimes the power of the Internet is more than we think. In a small scale comparison I am reminded of the deluge of scarves collected for th Red Scarf Project a couple of years ago due to Now Norma Knits blog.

In terms of advertising I’m only vaguely aware of other knitting conventions and wouldn’t consider flying to any of them. I am so excited that this is going to be close to home in Oregon! I am looking forward to attending the event and I hope everything goes calmly and smoothly.

Thanks for all your hard work.

Amy

Dear Stephanie,

I can only imagine the difficulty in organizing an event such as the Sock Summit and in that regard I suspect my imagination is severely limited. I’m sorry you had a difficult week. I was sad to read some of the griping over at Ravelry.. try not to look. But some posters have tried to put a positive spin on things. I did have a bit of trouble with registration but not enough to spit fire over. I want you to know that I’m really appreciative of your efforts in putting this together. Aside from technical server difficulties I think your biggest problem, if you want to call it that, was that you had really great advertising and promotion for this event. Sometimes the power of the Internet is more than we think. In a small scale comparison I am reminded of the deluge of scarves collected for th Red Scarf Project a couple of years ago due to Now Norma Knits blog.

In terms of advertising I’m only vaguely aware of other knitting conventions and wouldn’t consider flying to any of them. I am so excited that this is going to be close to home in Oregon! I am looking forward to attending the event and I hope everything goes calmly and smoothly.

Thanks for all your hard work.

Amy

Hi stephanie,
I am writing an essay on brain waves and am also a keen knitter, i seem to remember you mentioned something about brain waves and knitting and woud love to quote it in my essay. Is it in one of your books?
hope you can help
lucy

Hi Harlot,
Wow got the drift of the uglies from co knitter yesterday and went on Raverly today and now your wonderful blog.
All I can add is bless you, your family, your friends, your energy and your knitting buddies - those of us who don't yell at people.
So it's true...there are some out there that equate sock summit problems with getting listed first on an organ transplant list...sigh.
Love you, always have, always will.