Sock Virtuoso

How our resident maestro is echoing the hues and rhythms of music through his latest passion: knitting

BY ANDY RICE

The PRISMA Festival and Academy is returning June 12-24 and artistic director Arthur Arnold promises a series of classical music performances that will knock your socks off. But did you know he’s recently acquired the skills to be able to knit you a brand-new pair?

Since December, the international orchestra conductor, who makes his home in the qathet region for part of each year, has been cranking out colourful footwear on a vintage circular knitting machine.

PRISMA ON THE FOOT: When he's not preparing to conduct Dvorak, Brahms, Mahler or Stravinsky for PRISMA, you can find Maestro Arthur Arnold churning out socks on his antique circular knitting machine. Pairs are available at maestrosocks.ca

Photo by Andy Rice

Cones of yarn are everywhere in his Hammond Street home; unfurling over his piano, spilling off his music stand, rolling against the side of his cello case.

“I might have a bit of a problem,” said Arthur with a chuckle as he darns the toe of what he is pretty certain is his 80th pair. “I seem to have to always use my hands for something, though it doesn’t necessarily have to be for music.”

Socksmithing first piqued his interest after visiting a sheep farm in Dorset, England last year and hitting it off with the owners, Ruth and David. Ruth was making some socks as a gift for a friend one night as they chatted. Captivated by the history and craftsmanship of the 120-year-old device she was using, Arnold made a note to track one down back in Canada – a formidable challenge given that so many were melted down in the scrap drives of World War II.

Lo and behold, the assistant of PRISMA’s luthier happened to have one on loan to longtime PRISMA supporter and qathet Symphony Orchestra conductor, Kevin Wilson. Kevin hadn’t been getting much use out of it, and so a few days later it was in Arthur’s living room. Over Christmas he dove head-first (or perhaps feet-first) into his new hobby.

“At the beginning, there was a lot of swearing,” he recalled. “It would go wrong the whole time. Stitches would drop, the weight wasn’t right, the settings weren’t right, but Ruth was on the other side of the phone coaching me patiently.”

By his wife Kim’s birthday on January 10, Arthur had five pairs ready to go on a makeshift clothesline strewn across their kitchen. Surprised and delighted, she posted a photo to Facebook and the requests for socks started to come in droves.

“After the first few dozen orders, I thought I’d better design a logo and build a little website, maestrosocks. ca,” said Arthur, who now stocks an array of products named after some of his favourite orchestral pieces: “Rite of Spring,” “Firebird,” Pulcinella,” “Scheherazade,” “Bolero,” and others.

Although production will have to take a pause for at least two weeks this June during the PRISMA Festival & Academy, keen eyes might be able to catch a sneak preview of some prototype patterns peeking out from above the maestro’s shoes on the podium.

“They’re the only socks I wear now, and incredibly comfy if I do say so myself.”