Cookie,
Look for the North Meet II thread in the Meetups area. Dont sweat that you don't know anyone. It can be a bit wierd turning up to one of these things where nobody knows anyone else. I went to my first recently, and despite ballsing up my arrangements and turning up late people are really friendly and eager to share some of their skills. At the north meet Eric M soldiered on through gales with a round the clock leatherwork workshop, Groovski smashed a lot of flint and explained some of the esoteric mystery of nodules and flakes,d roughed out a few descriptions of tools; and two really generous folk whose real names I forget now put together a smashing vege curry for everyone. There were spontaneous bowdrill sessions around the place as well (the, er 'changeable ' weather intervened a little during most of those!). What am I trying to say. um it's worth the effort: come along, you will learn something, and you'll meet some top folk.