It is black and drippy out. A lot like Blade Runner without the murderous androids. It makes it hard to take a decent photo.
There is a stash sale at the retreat. I am proud to say that I sold more than I bought.
This is a cone of light gray sport weight alpaca, a skein of charcoal merino lace, two old Rowan magazines and Marianne Kinzel's First Book of Modern Lace Knitting. All at rock bottom prices.
We also visited Dinah's Yarn Shop in Port Hadlock. They were having a sale--20% off everything in the store. Dinah's is a shop I like to lump into the "yarn museum" category. There isn't anything in there that is less than three to four years old. But you find amazing stuff that has been long since discontinued and the prices are also three to four years old. I was particularly drawn to all the old Noro yarns she had.
This is three skeins of Cotton Kureyon (50% off!), two skeins of Cash Laine (20% cashmere, 80% wool) and one skein of Sahara (40% spiky angora, 30% camel, 20% silk, 10% wool). I'm planning on making wrist warmers or fingerless mitts with the Cash Laine (the photo is dreadful but it's a purple/black colorway). I'm thinking some kind of hat/scarf thing with the Cotton Kureyon. The Sahara was a lonely single skein. I want to use it for the cuff on some mittens. Or I might just keep it around to squish and pet.
On the way to the retreat a group of us stopped at The Artful Ewe. Heidi is a lovely and gracious woman who dyes some terribly beautiful yarn and roving. She also sells spinning supplies online at some of the best prices you'll ever find. If you're going to be in Kingston, WA give her a call and visit her place. Plan to spend a long time there. It's not a shop. It's her house so you must call first. But what a house.
The entire house is arrayed with bundles of roving, hanks of yarn, fiber over every surface and hanging from the ceiling. It overflows from one room to the next in the most exquisite way.
There is so much more to say about the last five days. I visited with friends, made new friends, had the chance to get to know people really well. I also learned that knitters are boozehounds. Lord. Around 3:30 every afternoon the air would fill with the ch-shink ch-shink of martinis being shaken. Then the wine would flow all night. And then they'd make more martinis. And more wine. I don't drink so it was quite interesting to observe all the goings on. I also learned that putting 150 women in a room the day after Halloween will result in a snack table like this.
I conducted a scientific experiment to see how long a person could subsist only on fun size Snickers bars.
I have the time for next year's retreat blocked out on my calendar already.
