2009 Winter Knitting Retreat

Baby, oh baby!

What a great time we had in Boone this year at the 2009 Winter Knitting Retreat sponsored by Baskets of Yarn from Charlotte, NC.

While there were classes galore, the only time I had to snap photos was during dinner in the evenings, so my photos are fairly specific to that time of day.

We had some new teachers this time: Tricia Fagley, Patty Frame, and Glenda Tennis; and some who returned from years past: Lisa Kartus, Laura Guinan, Sue Dial, Betsey and me. There were classes to knit sweaters, afghans, hand warmers, and shawls; and there were classes to learn how to crochet a scarf and the old standby Granny Square, as well as a class to knit two socks at the same time starting with the toes! Polymer Clay classes were a huge hit (Sue even offered an extra class because so many people were excited about it!), as was the spinning class.

The Alumni Suite at the Broyhill Inn was the home of the Baskets of Yarn hospitality suite, where the knitters could always find a skein of something warm and yummy to fondle (and usually a beverage of some sort) and congregate with old and new friends. The weather warmed more and more each day until by Saturday the knitters wanted to sit outdoors and knit while they "caught some rays" and enjoyed the breathtaking view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. A few knitters had to lather on some sunburn cream that evening and the next day.

Annual Pajama Party night on Friday brought out the creativity in several knitters. We even viewed knitting needles with lights in one person's costume! It's amazing how inspired knitters are when it comes to "dressing for the occasion"!

My favorite part of the weekend was the Sunday night pajama party, which started with a full-body massage for those who stayed the extra night. What a treat!

Baby Liza let her presence be known all during the retreat weekend, be it laughter or insisting that she be fed (as babies often do). She was so adorable, no one could resist her engaging smile. And it was fun to welcome Maisie during her short visit. She was very glad to see her mommy!

Seeing our favorite people from last year and meeting new friends is always an experience we can't forget. Laughing and crying together every day (sometimes the crying was just laughing so hard it brought tears to our eyes) made our memories even more special. Each year has its own special moments, and I always wonder if this year will be as much fun as last year was...and it never disappoints.

Tribute to Daisy

We lost our beloved pet, Daisy, today. She was a faithful member of our family for over nine years and we'll miss her very much. This comes right on the heels of losing our other dog, Liberty, within the last year. Our home seems very quiet tonight, and hearts feel empty.

Winter Wonderland!!

This is what we awoke to this morning. Over four inches of the glorious, wet snow decorated God's earth last night. Friends who live nearby measured 6 inches of the stuff!

No school today! Lucas is thrilled, of course.








And even Sheba, the cat, is curiously happy about the new plaything.


I'm hoping it melts today so I can drive the roads tomorrow, but we'll take it as it comes. We're thankful that we still have electricity!

More Excitement!

Isn't life grand? There's never a dull moment, and if I ever think for one second that things are getting monotonous or boring--well, that's when God surprises me with something spectacular! He is awesome, isn't He?

Our news is that we're having a wedding in the family!! My son, David, has found the love of his life in Ashley, and they are to be married on May 2. That's not a lot of time to plan a big wedding, but somehow it's getting done. Ashley is an amazing young woman, and David is blessed to have found her--and we are blessed to add her to our family. We wish them all the best and pray that God will bless their union.

In addition to that "little tidbit" I am packing for the 2009 Winter Retreat in Boone next week. Printing patterns, making up notebooks, knitting swatches and samples, making list after list after list--where did I put those dpn's?? and what did I do with that black yarn I was going to make into.....??? Here's one of the technique classes I'll be teaching. We'll be adding beads to our knitting. And here is a block I've knitted for one of the charity projects at the Retreat: And here's one of the blocks from the Great American Aran Afghan, a big project at the Retreat:
and here's another block from the GAAA:
I plan to take many pictures to post when I return. I hope to see you there next week!

Everything "old" is "new" again!

Basketweaving! What is better than a hand-made woven basket? Hand weaving your own basket! My friend Maggie taught 7 of us how to weave our own baskets today. Each one was unique and beautiful--and very functional! Isn't it fun learning a new craft?

I hope to see you on Saturday, Valentines Day, at Baskets of Yarn where I'll be teaching the Karabella Open Long Cardigan. Betsey has a fun-filled day planned, so come by and see me!

Great American Aran Afghan

What a week full of knitting this has been! And a glorious week at that! I started the actual knitting of the Great American Aran Afghan a week ago and have completed 2 of the blocks, except for the actual 'blocking', which I plan to demonstrate at the Baskets of Yarn 2009 Winter Retreat next month. My class on the afghan will include the various cables and other stitches used to knit the afghan, as well as how to read the charts and how to make the charts easier to understand. I'm very excited about knitting this project, and having completed the first two blocks gives me a lot of confidence that I will be able to finish it by May, which is my goal. I have chosen the recipient of the finished product, but I do not want to reveal the name just yet.

Saturday at the Baskets of Yarn shop I took a class with Sue Dial, the Wet Felted Rose. It was very productive (I actually finished my rose!) and so much fun. Sue is a wonderful, generous teacher and so artistic. Accidentally sipping the soapy water was not much fun, but aside from that I can't complain about anything. It was a wonderful day.

Saturday afternoon I sat with 5 other knitters who wanted to make the Starry, Starry Night beaded scarf. Their yarn colors and beads were yummy, and I can't wait to see how they all turn out. Stringing the beads can prove to be tedious, but the result is well worth the time it takes.

On a very sad note, tonight we learned that two teenage girls in our community were killed in an automobile accident. Our hearts and prayers go out to the families of these girls and to their very young friends who will grieve their loss forever.

Happy 2009!

Wow! I can't believe how long it has been since I've posted. To those of you who read my blog, I'm truly sorry to be so lax. I recently attended the 2009 Myrtle Beach Quilt Party and one of the instructors, Cathy Bogan, told me she reads my blog. Shock and surprise! Well, it reminded me that "if you post it on the internet, they will read it" (remember Kevin Costner's 'voice' in "Field of Dreams"?), so I promise to be more faithful to the blog.

Let's see, since my last post I've been to SAFF, celebrated Thanksgiving (in Florida with my son and his family), watched my grandson play in a baseball tournament at Disney's Wide World of Sports in Orlando, celebrated Christmas at home with my children, attended the Quilting and Needlearts Extravaganza in Statesville, NC, and attended the Myrtle Beach Quilt Party in South Carolina.

I've also completed quite a few projects since I last posted: a number of Quilter's Tote Bags, the Wall Street cabled vest (Elizabeth Zimmerman design) for DH, the A-Line Jacket from Runway Knits for my mother (who did not particularly care for it), a beaded and felted purse for my niece (never heard one way or the other),a purple Popular Girls Shawl (owner is yet to be determined), and a felted heart-shaped purse knitted with mitered squares for my dear friend Sonja (who loves it). I'll be teaching the mitered square purse class at Baskets of Yarn on February 7--appropriate for the upcoming Valentine's Day holiday, right?

I also learned with the help of my friend Sue Dial how to make this beautiful necklace:

Hammered silver-plated wire and lots of beads resulted in a really beautiful piece of jewelry, don't you agree? It was lots of fun, too, hammering that wire--very therapeutic! Sue is an amazing artist and fearless when it comes to trying new things. I'm blessed to call her 'friend.'

The Myrtle Beach trip was fantastic! Soooooo much fun! We had a group of 6 women staying in a 3-bedroom condo that had closets bigger than my office. We had lots of room to spread out and relax, and that we did! We took quilt classes, ate in local restaurants, shopped in the local craft stores (beads, scrapbooking, fabric) and laughed and laughed (which is the main reason I go at all). The only pitfall was that my DDIL came down with a stomach virus on Friday evening (after dinner at Carrabbas) and spent a miserable night running to the bathroom. Poor thing! She missed her Saturday class and ended up going home Saturday evening before the banquet. We missed her, but we all understood how sick she felt and how much she wanted to be in her own bed. Next year is the 20th year for the party, and it should be great fun. I've already started researching the property where it will be held next year. Mardelle, the hostess, always does us proud.

My sock project (2 socks at one time, toe-up, on circular needles) is going great guns, thanks to my sock-wizard instructor Trish at Baskets of Yarn. I'm knitting a pair of socks from a hand-dyed sock blank that was dyed by my son Lucas. He keeps insisting that he'll actually wear them, but I'm not-too-secretly hoping they'll 'accidentally' end up in my sock drawer. Here they are in progress:


Another knitting project that is very exciting to me is a beaded scarf that I just designed. Here it is in progress. I'm scheduled to teach this at Baskets of Yarn on February 7, and I know it will be great fun. It's truly a piece of jewelry, so heavy with beads. I can't wait to show it off!

This gives a brief synopsis of my activities since the last post. I hope to get back more often and fill you in. I hope you will let me know what you are up to these days.

2008 Fall Quilting Retreat

We really made lemonade out of lemons this year. Less than 48 hours before we were to arrive at the top of Beech Mountain and pick up our keys to the cabin, my phone rang. It was the real estate agent telling me that our cabin was not going to be available after all. The kitchen was being remodeled (we knew that in April) and would not be ready (after 6 months!!!) for us to occupy. AND he had no other cabins that large, so he was offering us a smaller cabin.

After a short time of deliberation, gnashing of teeth and pulling out hair, we decided we really had no other choice but to accept his offer and agreed to meet him at 9 a.m. as we had originally planned.

Elizabeth agreed to ride up the mountain with me, so we left her house about 6:30 on Saturday morning, 10/4, and had a pleasant and uneventful trip. The real estate agent met us and immediately put us in his car and drove us around Beech Mountain, the town, and showed us the recreation sites. He was most pleasant and accommodating. We finally agreed on the cabin he offered, thinking we could "make do" (isn't that what quilters are known for?) and "get by" with the limited space. He even offered to help us unload our cars and carry gear up all the stairs into the cabin! He brought us additional chairs from the fire station when we needed them and sent the plumbers when we developed a leaky shower.

We crammed 11 quilters (Carla, Eve, Sandy, Robbin, Nancy, Sandy, Ellen, Ronni, Sandy, Elizabeth, and me--all women, thankfully) into a cabin meant to sleep only 8, complete with tables, sewing machines, and ironing space. We cooked meals every day, sewed every day, stayed in our pajamas as much as possible, and had loads of fun. We read daily scripture selections, prayed together before meals, and shared intimate details about our lives. I can't imagine enjoying a week more than that one. The leaves changed as we watched them during the week, creating a palette of color that rivaled technicolor!

The hot tub was an unexpected pleasure for most of us, one that we requested for next year.

We played games, worked a jigsaw puzzle, made a couple of prayer quilts, worked on our own projects, and learned a few new things, too. We made time for knitting and playing with polymer clay, as well as learning new techniques for traditional patterns. We had one night scheduled just for "show and tell" to show off all our work from the week. The food was excellent and plentiful, the fellowship was friendly and meaningful, and the mountain was majestic. And even though my car wouldn't start when we were loaded up and ready to leave (and I had to buy a new battery on the way home), I am already looking forward to next year!

Look here for new things in the future!

So many new projects, so little time--and so much fun!

The third annual Lake Norman Piecemakers' Quilting Retreat starts Saturday, October 4. This year our one-week hideaway is at Beech Mountain in the beautiful and majestic Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. We have 11 quilters this year, a record number, and it's our first time in the mountains. We have rented a large 5-bedroom, 4-bathroom cabin that will sleep 13. Meals are planned, as well as kitchen detail, classes, shopping excursions, and lots of time for sewing, knitting, crafting, and relaxing. We are taking sewing machines, lamps, ironing boards (and irons), tables and chairs. It will be a "sweat shop without the sweat", and lots of laughs to go along.

Be sure to attend SAFF this year to see my Quilted Knitter's Tote Bag. It will first be released for sale in Sue Dial's booth, Clay Cat/Harvest Moon Handspun at SAFF on October 24.

I hope your fall is healthy and prosperous. With the gasoline shortage, banks failing, and stock market crashing life seems shaky at best these days. Let's remember to pray. And don't forget to vote in November!

Fall Is Upon Us

It's that wonderful time of year--cool evenings and mornings with sunshine and warmth in the afternoon. The kind of days you want to spend outdoors every single minute. Open the windows, air out the stuffy house, pull out all that luscious wool and sort the sweater patterns. And, if you're like me, get to the quilting stage on that unfinished quilt top!

I managed to 'sandwich' 2 quilt tops last week that I intend to get quilted very soon. One of them I plan to take with me on my "Beech Mountain Quilting Retreat" the first week of October, the other is a gift for my youngest son that I hope to give him for Christmas.

I've also started a very special project that I've been mulling over for months: Knitters' Tote Bags. They are just starting in the production stage of the cycle, having been in the concept and design stages for far too long. You'll see them first at SAFF in Sue Dial's booth (look for Clay Cat/Harvest Moon Handspun booth) and hopefully after that at Baskets of Yarn in Charlotte and the Winter Knitting Retreat in Boone, NC, next March. For a better peak, click on the small photos and they'll pop up larger in a new window.

Soccer goes on, and on. Four games this week with no end in sight. I look forward to November for so many reasons: spending less $ on gasoline is just one of them. Cooler temperatures, knitting by the fireplace, cooking stews and soups for dinner, electing a new president, and spending Thanksgiving with my family are more reasons, and not necessarily in that order.