I made it home in surprisingly good time yesterday from the 2026 Men’s Spring Knitting Retreat in Upstate New York.

Made It Home With Joy Still Intact

It’s astonishing to me how much of the joy and connectedness and love of the event gets carried home with me each time. Many experiential events can have a fleeting effect. But not this one. It fills me up to the brim with all the joy, intimacy and exuberance I can handle. It also stays with me for months afterwards.

When I was at a non-knitting retreat last year at Easton Mountain, toward the end of it, many of the guys were discussing the anticipated crash. While I had an intense and wonderful time and connected deeply with many of the guys there, I didn’t have any difficulty returning to real life. I felt as If I can back fortified. Refreshed.

That is also my experience with the men’s knitting retreats. I was thoroughly exhausted when I got home yesterday. But I was also infused with a love for this community that is refreshed every time I’m with them. Generally, I think if an event is more about excitement and euphoria, the feelings can be fleeting. But if the event involves more deeply connected interactions and joy of being with the others attending, then the effects can be long lasting. At least that’s my working theory at the moment.

What say you?

Current Knitting

I wasn’t able to finish the second sock, but it still provided an excellent example of the two different types of knit ribbing.

In fact, I pulled out the needles so I could easily let the guys in my workshop feel the differences between the two ribbed cuffs.

Overall, I was quite pleased with how the workshop turned out. I think the guys were too. If anyone would like a concise, one-page version of the Combination Ribbing workshop I led, I’ve posted it here.