Lea and I were among the sock machine hobbyists that met in 1999 at Freeport, Illinois. We are pleased to be listed as founding members and appreciate being recognized along with the other founding members at the 2002 CSMSA Conference. I captured a few informal pictures of the conference activities to include in the Antique Knitters Circular.
       A formal coverage of the CSMSA Conferences and Society business is provided in SockMachine Knitting, published by Bonnie Smola, Yellow River Station, 304 Scott Hollow Road, Monona, Iowa 52159.
       If you are not currently a member of CSMSA, please consider becoming a member by sending Bonnie Smola a check for $16.00. That covers Dues and the SockMachine Knitting newsletter for one year.
       Lea and I made the 950 mile drive from Rochester, NY, to Des Moines with a one-night stop. We stopped on the way to visit the Amana Woolen Mill at Amana, Iowa, and bought some coned yarn that they use on the looms. They don't stock the yarn for resale, but will sell small quantities of coned yarn for $8.00 a pound. The size is just right for my 72 slot Gearhart.
       Amana is one of seven historic villages in the Amana Colonies. If you travel to Iowa, it is a wonderful place to visit. The food alone is worth the trip. The Amana Woolen Mill produces a wide variety of blankets. Visitors can tour the mill and watch the looms operating. The mill store is full of items that would interest admirers of fiber arts. The mill manager is Cindy Slaymaker. For more information, write to Amana Woolen Mill, 800 48th Ave. , P.O. Box 189, Amana, IA 52203.
        See page 6 for glimpses of Amana Woolen Mill.
        A nice thing about the CSMSA Conference is meeting friends from previous conferences and from the Socks List. While checking in at the Savery Hotel, Lea and I were given a message to call the Mowrers  room. Ten seconds later Dick and Marion Mowrer walked up to us. We had met at the 1999 conference and have been friends ever since.
       I felt as though I knew almost everyone there because I made the name tags for all who pre-registered, and many of the people had been to the Conference at Clearfield, PA, last year.
       It was a delight to have a vendors table next to John Loeffelholz and Pat Fly, two individuals who give generously to help the CSM community.
       There was something going on everywhere. The elevators in the three-story Iowa Historical Society Building were kept busy as people went from floor to floor visiting, learning, and yearning for instruction on the operation of antique knitting machines.
       Peter Oswald set up a place to work on machines just outside the main entrance to the museum. The location was shaded from the sun and provided the ventilation needed for cleaning materials.
       The museum had a Gearhart sock machine and a Lamb Flatbed Class One Knitting machine in storage. Those machines were brought out of storage for the occasion. I cleaned up and lubricated the Gearhart machine and set it up to knit. It had very little wear and knitted tubing on the first try.  Peter cleaned up the Lamb Flatbed and removed the rusty needles from the slots. A set of needles would be required to make it operational. Hopefully, the museum will place the machines on display for the public. I furnished the Historical Society with reprinted instruction manuals for both machines. Hopefully someone in the area will adopt the machines and operate them for the public on special occasions.
       Sock machines were on display or in use just about everywhere in the museum. Members brought their machines so they would have a machine to learn on at the classes that were in session both days. Supplies of yarn were plentiful. Several yarn retailers had flyers in the goodie bags that members received at registration.
       The CSMSA Conferences elevate the stature of the Society by bringing the machines and owners in contact with the public. Each conference builds enthusiasm of the members and motivates members to develop their skills and extend their knowledge about the history of sock machines.
       I hope you enjoy seeing a few of the unofficial snapshots I took at the CSMSA Conference 2002. The pictures represent a small portion of the Conference and do not give the full impact of all the excitement or the extent of hard work that went into planning and conducting the conference.
       I add my thank you to Deb Oswald, Bonnie Smola, Donna Story, Lu Kelce and all others who helped make this conference one of the best yet.
       May next year bring a successful CSMSA 2003 to Riverside, California, or where ever Lu Kelce chooses to have it. Southern California is full of tourist attractions and exciting places to visit. I can hardly wait.