Stitchin' Styles: Yarn Retreat

A soda cozy from the retreat.

Hannah with part of my lace-knit cowl on her
shoulder...and me.

A couple weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending the some-what annual Knit Unto Others yarn retreat. We went to Iron Mountain lodge and marina and a few of us stayed the night in a cabin. All the ladies brought a little something to eat, and so we feasted on pizza and crab mold and spinach dip from my grandmother’s recipes. Beverages of all kinds were present, but the classy kind, of course. We stayed up until midnight, sipping wine and knitting and chatting.

The next morning, more ladies showed up. Claire, the owner of Knit Unto Others, prepared a raffle, a Dirty Santa type game, and a variety of workshops to keep us all busy. I won a set of US11 wooden square needles, a ball of linen/cotton blend yarn, and a cool sheep pouch made by Lantern Moon. Some of the ladies brought yarn to swap, and I feel like I made out like a bandit with the three yarns I liberated. Mary Jane did a Fiber Boa workshop, where I learned how to string out fiber boas with all kinds of different yarns. Sabrina did a needle felting class where she taught some ladies how to make a bunny, but I skipped out on it in favor of eating some delicious lemon blossom cupcakes and sandwiches for a late lunch. Claire gave us insight on how to cast on loosely. We celebrated Jessie’s birthday with a lighter because candles were nowhere to be found.

I tend to get flak from some people because I hang out with an older crowd. I see it as these ladies are my friends. We share a love of yarn and creating with luxurious fibers. I learn so much from the ladies that I couldn't possibly learn in school. They are kind and feisty. They are good company, and there’s no shame in hanging out with them. Besides, you'll see from the following pictures that young people do this kind of thing, too.