Into the Wool Fiber Retreat 2018
Y'all. I have been looking forward to this event since before I even got in! Yes, there's limited space available each year, and I have to admit that that's one of the reasons I loved it as much as I did. It's set in the beautiful Tennessee countryside on Lake Francis with simple cabins (but with bathrooms!), a cozy cafeteria, and LOTS of porch spaces for knitting, crocheting, spinning, and chatting. But there's also time and space to get away here and there, which is really great for those of us who get to feeling that overwhelm every now and again and just need to, as Dana (our fearless leader) put it, go "introvert" for a bit!
The schedule for the event is loosely packed with various fiber (and other things) swaps, a few classes, some just for fun events, and, of course, some (pretty awesome) door prizes. I was delighted to be teaching an Intro to Crochet class, but I was also excited about taking a couple classes myself, including Chair Yoga, and Spinning!
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Let's start at the beginning of this trip. On Wednesday morning, I got up and took the kid to preschool just like normal. Then I went back home and loaded up the car. Around 11:30, I went and picked him up because I was being all nervous nelly about leaving him for FIVE NIGHTS. The longest I'd been away from him before was two nights. He took it pretty well, though, and I knew he was in good hands with Grammy (my husband's mother) until I returned.
The drive the first day was long. About seven hours. But I played some loud music, sang my little heart out, and admired the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains as I drove westward. Watching the sun set over Tennessee was so inspiring that when I got to my room for the night, instead of going out to get a bite to eat, I pulled out my notebook and started feverishly sketching and making notes for a new design idea. I haven't started it yet, but I DO think I've found the yarn...
The rest of the night and the next morning was filled with peace and creativity. It was absolutely soul replenishing. In fact, I probably could have stayed right there for the next four days!
But then I wouldn't have met all the wonderful people at Into the Wool!
So I packed up again and hit the road for a short couple hours to Lake Francis and check in. Which was thwarted when I realized I'd forgotten a towel and had to head back into town to get one. But checked in I got and then it was on to the cabins to settle in!
I was staying in the Oak Cabin along with three other gals, only one of whom I'd previously met in person. We did get to visit a bit via email beforehand, though, and I even did a snail mail exchange with one of them - she knit me socks and I crocheted her a cowl! I still feel like I tricked her for some reason...
The welcome goody bag was pretty outstanding. It included yarn samples, stitch markers, bags, notions, coupons, a cup - I mean, just LOOK at this haul!
Sponsors included coordinators Dana of Unwind Yarn Company and Tiffany of The Project Bag, as well as Arkansas Yarn Company, Katrinkles, Daizie Knits, Leon Alexander Yarns, Miss Babs Yarns, and more - follow the link on the picture to my original Instagram post where I tagged as many as I could!