Preparing for the fall retreat

Good morning and happy Saturday! In less than seven weeks, a total of thirty six guys will converge at Easton Mountain for the second North East Men’s Fall Knitting Retreat. We filled all the remaining spots, the agendas and personal information for all of the attendees is being finalized, roster, name tags, and bag buttons printed, and the Saturday field trip to the Adirondack Wool and Arts Festival is set.

It may seem like too far off to even think about packing. For most of the guys attending the retreat, that would be true. For myself and Joe Wilcox, who put together this and the spring retreat, the packing started long ago, or maybe it never ends. I’m not sure which.

I came home from the spring retreat with the bags, notebooks, pens, and other bag items for the fall retreat. That large box with all of those things has been stored in the garage all summer. I need the shelf space out there now, so I don’t mind moving it to my craft room for the next few weeks until it all goes to the retreat. I have been regularly organizing, decluttering, and sometimes de-stashing enough lately that it really won’t be an intrusion. Especially considering how little time I spend in there working on something these days.

Last night I spent some time setting aside some other things that I will need to bring to the retreat. I volunteered to lead an “expert table” at the retreat with a card weaving demonstration. I’m far from an expert at it, but I am confident enough in my knowledge of the basic principles to give at least a demonstration of the warping process, threading the cards, and explaining the turning sequence for an easy sample piece that everyone can work on. There some drafts that I have time to explore before the retreat and make some additional samples, and I have several books full of additional information and history on this style of weaving.

This wooden box with a dragon design burned and painted into the lid was given to me years ago by a friend, and holds all of my card weaving supplies and samples.

Also in my pile of things for the retreat is my collection of Spin-Off magazines that I have decided to donate to the tag sale table, and what is left of last year’s bags if anyone wants one. I will likely make another pass through my yarn and fiber stash to find a few more items to donate to the tag sale table and add to the pile.

Lastly, I have set aside the reeds and warping pegs that go with my Kromski Harp. The guy who borrowed it at the end of the spring retreat after using it in the rigid heddle workshop he took, will be returning for the fall retreat. He’s welcome to take the remaining accessories to explore all that the rigid heddle loom can do if he chooses. I also have to remember to set aside the various books I have that he may find useful.

Typically, I come home from each retreat now with at least as much stuff as I bring, if not slightly more, and that’s okay. Its a small price to pay for the very humbling opportunity to help put together both retreats with Joe.

That’s all for this morning. We are taking Jade and Halo out shopping at the pet store this afternoon, and to visit the monthly Italian Greyhound Rescue event there as well. Then, a rare treat for us, going OUT to dinner with friends later. It will be a completely dog free experience for all of us as they have two dogs in their home, and we are all looking forward to it.

Have a great weekend!