A Weekend Away

          Every once in a while it’s nice to get away. To leave your routine and your responsibilities behind and seclude yourself among the trees with some friends… and some knitting. That is exactly what a group of us Yarnologists did about a week ago. A friend and customer of ours owns a very beautiful cabin on a lake in northern Wisconsin and she invited us to come experience the peace and quiet that it offers. Though there was still snow on the ground and the water was frozen solid, we were not deterred. A cozy fireplace, comfy sofas, and our knitting was all we needed to enjoy our time away.

            In anticipation of a weekend filled with knitting, those of us going on this mini-retreat massed together multiple projects that we would take with us. They had to be fun and interesting, of course, but they also had to be simple enough that we could chat while we worked and not be concerned with counting or following a difficult pattern. I will confess that I brought along three knitting projects as well as my spinning wheel; you never know when you might need to switch things up. I may have been a little overzealous though. I did spin a little bit, but I only really worked on one project while up north.

We have this great new yarn at Yarnology called Pluscious by Cascade Yarns. It comes in both bright and pastel colors and is as soft as soft can be. They recommend it for baby blankets and projects like that, but I would love it made into something for myself. Since it came into the shop I had been eyeing those pretty colors, wanting to knit with it but not knowing what I would make. On the Friday before we left on our little retreat I gave in deciding that my little “niece” who is turning two could use a cuddly little blanket. I decided to ignore the fact that I already gave her her birthday present. I really wanted to use that yarn. On Saturday I casted on using a simple diagonal dishcloth pattern and realized that this was the perfect no-brainer project for our weekend up north. I am happy to say that I was right. The blanket turned out beautiful and it took me only a day to make; I bound off late Sunday night. I’m not going to take too much credit for being a super speed knitter (though I can hold my own), the reason it didn’t take me long to complete this project was mainly due to the fact that we really didn’t do much other than knit. Well, knit and eat. :-)

            The food that we ate on our retreat was simply amazing. Each morning we woke up to hot coffee and something tasty cooking on the stove. Our dear friend and host is an amazing cook and was so enthusiastic about creating beautiful and delicious meals for us. There is nothing quite like the feeling of sipping fresh coffee and eating farm-fresh eggs while gazing out of floor to ceiling windows at a bright new day. And knowing that the only thing expected of you on this day is making progress on your knitting. We stayed curled up by the big fireplace for hours enjoying conversation and each other’s company all the while being productive with our crafts. I highly recommend spending a weekend in this way. At night we switched from drinking coffee to wine and gathered at the long, centuries old wood dining table for an elaborate spread of food. I swear I must have gained five pounds during the two days we were there. The food was just too good I couldn’t stop eating!

            Though we were all a little bummed when the time came to leave, we packed up the cars fully appreciating the relaxing weekend we had all shared and knowing that the next time we come (I am counting on there being a “next time”), it might just be a little warmer. Which means we can move our knitting circle from the fire to the deck! :-)