There has never been a time in the 13 or so years of the Men’s Knitting Retreat where I wasn’t feeling appreciated.

Make Sure Your Loved Ones Are Feeling Appreciated

Aaron coordinated the latest Men’s Knitting Retreat at Easton Mountain last month. It’s his third year doing it, but this year he had to do it without me.  The challenges of creating a space where community could coalesce were more…well, challenging this year. But it turned out to be a fantastic success.

Aaron added his own special touch to the retreat this year. He made soap for all of the guys to include in their project bag. He also went out of his way to include me by sending me a couple of bars.  I was so thrilled to get this in the mail along with a very nice thank-you note. Thank you Aaron.

Spread It Around

One of the great things about appreciation is that you can easily spread it around. Would you ever want your loved ones guessing as to whether you value and appreciate them?

It’s also incredible when you find a place in your life where you feel valued.

I volunteer my time for a lot of different causes and organizations. Fortunately, I don’t do it for the praise. Because honestly, there isn’t a lot of appreciation being doled out. It’s a great lesson to be able to give without expectations. To serve in a way that doesn’t require something in return.

But it’s amazing when you do something for a group that truly recognizes your value.

That’s how I’ve always felt about the Men’s Knitting Retreats.  And even in a year where I couldn’t participate, they made it clear how much I was missed.

The best part of it is that I’d do what I do even if there was no appreciation shown. Being around this awesome community would be worth any of the effort. So, the appreciation is just the icing on the cake.

My wish for you is that you find a place where your efforts are noticed, valued and appreciated. Nothing like it.

Current Knitting

With the Hallgrim Scarf finished this past weekend, I could focus on the Knitted Cross Stitch Scarf and finish that as well.

I like the colors in this one better than the last one. But since they will all be sold at a craft shows, it doesn’t really matter what I think. I’m happy with both and know they will be sold.

I also started a new cowl project.

It’s a simple striped and wide-ribbed fabric using two colors of subtly different yarns. The idea came from seeing someone knitting the Striate Cowl by Susan Lawrence.  I’m using sport weight instead of worsted weight and I’m not sure if I’m using the same design exactly, but I’m loving the fabric. And I’m loving how mindless and rhythmic this pattern is.