Tired, Fat and Deliriously Happy

The entire weekend was beyond delightful in more ways than I could possibly describe.

Perfect Balance
On many levels, this event was brilliant...not because of any specific aspect, but because of how it all melded into an incredible experience.

The People



This was by far the most amazing aspect. We had an incredible diversity of guys at the retreat. Diverse in age, in philosophy, in education, in knitting experience, in background, in careers and every other possible aspect you could imagine. And they weren't just diverse...they were wildly diverse. And yet the group still came together in one of the most balanced, well-working group I have ever been with. Each person brought their best quality and threw it into the mix and the result was extraordinary. I fell in love with everyone there.

The Venue



Easton Mountain is quite an amazing place. It's in a stunningly beautiful location and the philosophy and rationale for the retreat center permeates all groups that stay there. They also have a chef and kitchen staff that prepare three amazing meals each day with plenty of excellent food.

The Program
The agenda was relatively loose and informal, allowing guys to take part in participant-led workshops, just hang out, or go off privately and meditate (i.e., nap).

The Sponsors
Ted has a lot of respect in the knitting and fiber community, and as such, when he's involved in an event, there are a lot of folks that want to have their products represented there. 17 yarn/fiber businesses generously donated some of their products to the participants of the event in exchange for having their business card, flier, catalog or coupon included in our handout materials. It helped make the event a huge success by surprising the retreaters with gorgeous yarn and fiber prizes.

And BJ of the Mars company will forever be my personal "Dove" for helping us out with sweet snacks for the guys. Those CocoaVia chocolate bars you sent were EXCELLENT.

Current Knitting
I was one of the few attendees of the retreat that barely picked up his knitting needles or put his foot on the treadle of a spinning wheel.

In fact, the one time I picked up the Ichida lace, I made a mistake and I need to correct it.