Men's Fall Knitting Retreat 2008 (Conclusion)

Men's Fall Knitting Retreat 2008
Originally uploaded by mikewade

You know what they say about all good things.... The Men's Fall Knitting Retreat was no different.

The last day was a fairly sad one for lots of folks. It really did seem much, much too short and, yet, so exhausting (for me... perhaps not for others).

Our final day was filled with two more classes. Harry taught the Mosaic Knitting class. I was in the class and I must say that it's a pretty nifty technique for dipping your toe in the color work pool. Its a method the requires manipulating only one color at a time, but creates lovely "tiled" or "tessellating" patterns that are so kewl. Harry had an cool pillow (which sadly, I didn't photograph) that showed the technique off to perfection.

The final class was Magic Loop taught by David. I think lots of folks came away from the weekend with this technique in their arsenal of fiber skills.

I did some final administrative work on the feedback forms and on paperwork for the Y. Stephen and I recorded audio for the next episode of Yknit. We took our requisite group shots. I even took a hike over to see the Point Bonita lighthouse.

Then came the daunting task of packing up my car. I thought that I'd come home much lighter but somehow, I still had a full car of stuff. The magic of fiber mitosis and the out of control generosity of my new buddies.

From the feedback, I'd say the event was a RESOUNDING success. The only real issue was with the sleeping arrangements and I believe that we can ameliorate that for future retreats. At the moment, I can't even THINK about another retreat might look like, but I'll be riding the high from this one for quite some time.

I made LOTS of new wonderful guy fiber friends. I'm excited about the possibilities of publishing, of spinning and of knitting. But, most of all, I'm just so happy to see the seeds of these crafts planted so firmly in the souls of my brother men.