This weekend was one of those times when I’m most joyous. When I was truly in my element!

What Does It Look Like When I’m In My Element?

First of all, I thrive when I’m busy. Especially when the tasks that are keeping me busy are appreciated by others.

This past weekend, we opened registration for the 2023 Men’s Spring Fiber Retreat at Easton Mountain.

For the past few years, the retreats have sold out very quickly. But like most other things, the price of renting the retreat center for the retreat has increased. So we had to increase the price of the retreat accordingly. I had also heard about a few of the “regulars” who weren’t going to be able to make it this year.

Truth be told, selling out in under 10 minutes isn’t all that great. There are a lot of disappointed guys. It leaves little room for adjustments. And a few other things. But if it doesn’t sell out right away there’s also the financial worries of not selling enough spots. The Men’s Fiber Retreats are not-for-profit, but we also strive very hard to be not-for-loss either.

Well, I needn’t have worried. The retreat sold out in about 8 minutes this year. And yes, there were some disappointed guys. But there are currently 36 very happy guys. Including me.

The Busy Part

And now comes all the exciting parts of assigning housing (it’s a veritable jigsaw puzzle!), finances, workshops (another even bigger jigsaw puzzle), communications and helping guys get the information they need.

I love this part.

It lets me do some of the most joyous activities for the next few months. All the while, dealing with a most extraordinary group of guys. I am truly blessed to be able to get to do this.

Current Spinning/Knitting

I forgot to include my spinning activities in the last blog post.

To make sure I’m carding enough of the roving to spin, each time I start a new batt, I card two more batts.

It’s coming out quite fine, and I’m enjoying it a lot.

I also finished the OpArt Baby Blanket this past weekend.

The blanket and the bear have now been sent off to their intended recipient.

Finally, I started another helical, garter hat (and finished it).

As of now, I’ve created two medium-sized hats and one small (and a couple of headbands). Honestly, I was trying to make a large size this last time. So I’ll have to try again.