A Gift You Can Bank On

Here's something that I predict will surprise absolutely none of you: I knit pretty constantly. My hunch is that you probably do, too. This never ending knitting passion of mine elicits ongoing, full-spectrum remarks from friends and family. I hear comments ranging from, "Will you knit me a sweater?" to "It's rude to knit at the dinner table!" and everything in between. Once, I was listening to our local NPR station-- I do some commentary for them-- and I heard the morning DJ talking about me and how "Every time I see that woman she's KNITTING!"

Guilty as charged!

One plus side of having such an out-in-the-open pastime is that it nets me lots of great knit-related gifts. For example: I gave some little friends of mine a drop spindle, they sent me back a ball of homespun. Every Christmas-- though I insist on no gifts-- I always wind up with at least a couple of gift certificates for my favorite yarn store. And for my recent birthday, a good friend of mine gave me the little bank you see pictured above. Isn't that hilarious? I laugh every time I look at it.

Last night, I was hosting a dinner party, and my partner, Ori, was jokingly "bemoaning" how I drag him to knit stores around the country. Truth is, he doesn't really mind. Like the rest of my inner-circle, he knows that the fastest way to make me happy is to do something knit-related with me or for me.

So all this has me thinking-- going on the Knitting and Yoga Adventures retreats is this magnificent gift we give to ourselves. I so look forward to Monhegan Island that the minute we finish one retreat, I have the next one blocked off in my calendar. In one short week (that, thanks to island time, feels luxuriously long) I totally recharge my batteries, stretch my mind and body, and just feel so much better about life. Then, when I get back to civilization, everyone who has the benefit of coming into contact with me-- from the guy sitting next to me on the plane to my four dogs waiting at home for my return-- benefits a thousandfold. I mean, it is a win-win-win-win-WIN situation.

Which is all my way of saying-- if you've been thinking about attending but haven't quite decided yet, please consider this: sure, sure, it's a gift you give yourself. But really, it is the gift that keeps on giving and everyone you know will be so happy you went.

For more information on the Maine and Vermont retreats, just check out the website.

Spike

p.s. I'm working on a knitted yoga mat bag in preparation. How about you?

Shhhh... It's Quiet Time...

Hi Everyone,

Since some of you are new to this blog, let me introduce myself. I'm Spike and I live, write, and worship dogs in Austin, TX. I'm also lucky enough to be part of Lisa's retreat Knitting and Yoga Adventure team. My jobs on retreat: 1. blog about our daily adventures 2. dress in a manner that makes everyone feel better about their own fashion choices 3. provide fodder for evening fireside chuckle sessions.

When we're not on retreat, I post updates over here just to remind you why you really should come away with us to Monhegan Island in September, and Vermont in November. I can list a million reasons all by myself, but this week I want to share with you someone else's thoughts. Because Lisa and I both really enjoyed an article in last Sunday's New York Times called The Joy of Quiet. The author, Pico Iyer, explores the wonders of unplugging, stepping away from all the screens that seem to rule our lives, and just... well, being quiet for awhile. He points out that some people will pay truly unbelievable sums to be ushered to places where they can escape not only the busyness of other people, but the busyness of electronic devices.

It's a great story and guess what? While we truly appreciate Iyer writing it, really this wasn't news to us. Because one of the great things about Knitting and Yoga Adventures is that you can be as absolutely unplugged as you'd like. Sure, sure-- if you insist you can use the Monhegan House wireless. And if you're willing to hike to the cemetery and stand atop the highest tombstone at a particular hour of the day you might even get a phone signal (not to worry-- Monhegan House has a good old-fashioned landline just in case).

But if you want a chance to know what it feels like to not drive, to just sit, or-- if you prefer-- to hike out into the woods and then breathe deeply on a massive rock cliff overlooking the sun's diamond light skittering across the Atlantic Ocean below... well guess what? We have got a retreat for you!

Something I love about arriving on the island and showing up for the first night's briefing: Lisa will remind us all that we don't have to follow rules. You don't have to clean your room or make your bed. You can attend as many knitting sessions and yoga classes as you want. You can go on as many hikes as you like. But also, if you want to just chill, wander off alone for a spell, sleep in late, have some meditative solo moments? These are all options, too.

So check out the article. And imagine this-- imagine an adventure that is the best of both worlds. You'll get community, hilarity, and late night laughter if you please. You'll also get quiet sunrises and peaceful sunsets. I'm getting so simultaneously calm and excited thinking about it all that I might just have to show up a week early an stay a week after the fact. I mean, trust me-- Monhegan is Magnificent. And soon, I'll tell you more about Vermont.

For more information and to reserve your spot on one or both of our Knitting and Yoga Adventures, please visit our website.

See you on the island!

Spike

2012 Resolutions: Monhegan Island! Quechee, Vermont! Come Away with Us!

Hey Y'all,

Happy New Year! Knitting and Yoga Adventures is delighted to announce two Knitting & Yoga Retreats for 2012! As you make your list of resolutions, please remember to put knitting with us at the top of your list. We'll be providing more details as we move along into 2012. For now, here are the dates so you can clear your decks and pack your bags. We can't wait to knit and stretch with you!

Monhegan Island is scheduled for September 16^th– 22^nd

Quechee, VT is scheduled for November 1^st – 4^th

^{Registration opens on January 1, 2012. Visit our website to sign up!}

Best wishes to all of you for a happy, healthy, successful, and wonderful 2012 for all of our families and friends!

Join Us

in

Quechee, Vermont

November 10-13, 2011

Come away with us... and experience a heartwarming weekend in the historic Vermont countryside. Surround yourself in the early American atmosphere of the Quechee Inn at Marshland Farms filled with antiques, warm fires, cozy quilted beds, and uninterrupted knitting.

Lisa has created a fulfilling weekend getaway retreat just for you. With a carefully planned schedule that allows you to be only as involved as you wish, Lisa and her staff provide ample time to knit, hike, visit with new friends, and be pampered with personalized yoga sessions and long walks in the woods of Quechee and Woodstock, Vermont. Enjoy meals prepared by the chefs of the Quechee Inn , known for their exquisite country gourmet cuisine, and afternoon knitting workshops led by Susan Mills of Classic Elite Yarns surrounded by the beautiful Vermont countryside.

Each day will include a full breakfast, time for a morning walk through the beautiful Vermont woods followed by a rejuvenating yoga session led by our own yoga instructor. Take a break for lunch to explore the shops and artisan studios of Quechee or Woodstock or hiking the Quechee Gorge. Afternoon teatime refreshments accompany a knitting workshop led by our guest designer and a restorative yoga session. The day concludes with dinner prepared by the chef of the Quechee Inn and an evening of knitting and relaxing by the fire in the parlor with a cup of tea or a hot toddy.

Click here to register.

Reason #8,572,961 Why I Love the Monhegan Knit Retreat!

Y'all,

We are just a little over two months away from BEING THERE again! And I am counting the seconds. This week I'm thinking about yet another thing I love about the retreat: sharing. Sharing the jokes, sharing the stories, and sharing the lessons learned. I got to thinking about this because I taught my niece to knit a couple of years ago. Now she's getting ready to tackle her first sweater. I am SO proud of her-- I'm actually going to buy her all the supplies. I love sharing my knitting knowledge with her. And as I'm giving her pointers, mostly via email, I'm realizing how much I've learned on the knitting retreats about teaching and learning. Susan's patience, in particular, has helped me progress to places I never dreamed I'd be as a knitter. And paying attention to her teaching techniques has helped me better teach my niece and all the other folks I teach each year. So YAY for added retreat bonuses. Oh I am SO PSYCHED to be there already!

Spike

Roving AND Roving

Well, my spinning class was delayed by several weeks, but I'm happy to report that finally I had my first lesson this week. It was great. I displayed my usual lack of coordination, which is always the case when I try out a new activity that involves muscle memory. I had no idea the wheel could spin both ways and that you sort of have to just train yourself to make it go the way you want. In my version of things, I decided that by silently cussing at the wheel I could make it do my will. Let me save you some time here and report that this method does not actually seem to work. Still, after a couple of hours of trying, I at least understood the basic concept, to the point that-- who could ever have guessed it would come to this-- I want to get a spinning wheel. Really, I do. What next? A bonnet and a butter churn? (Probably not.)

As most of you likely know, the cleaned, fuzzy, combed fleece you use to spin is called roving. As many of you know, I am a wordsmith fond of puns and double meanings. And so, with the lightest of segues, let me say that I am hoping to do some roving for roving while I'm up in Maine. Which brings me to my next point-- a little suggestion for you if you have the time.

I think this will be my fourth trip to Monhegan Island-- or is it fifth? (All the trips blend into a big happy memory blur in my mind). Every year I come back and tell Ori that he has got to come up with me one year. He usually declines, citing that probably since he's a guy and a non-knitter that his excitement would be far less than mine. Of course, he hasn't hiked the hikes, looked out over the cliffs, or built majestic fairy houses. Another deterrent has been that often his birthday falls right during the retreat and he says something about not wanting to spend his birthday knitting. (I know, I know, what's wrong with him?) But this year, the trip is post-birthday and so I have convinced him to fly up just as our retreat is winding down. He'll spend a day meeting you people who I love so much and talk about through the year. Then we'll spend an extra day or two on the island before a road trip around Maine.

I know a lot of you will go with Lisa to Swans Island. For those of you with other plans, might I suggest that if you are able you should spend a few extra days in Maine. I cannot possibly explain how gorgeous the state is. Last year our van driver swore to us that if you could straighten out the curvy coastline it would equal 2,000 miles of straight driving. I'm planning on exploring a lot of it and, as I go, stopping at farms and yarn shops acquiring roving for my new spinning wheel.

Besides all the great fiber opportunities, there is, of course, the promise of changing leaves. Since the trip ends at the start of October, there's a really good chance the leaves will be in full flaming glory by then. Honestly, it is breathtaking.

So there you go, my advice-- if you can prolong your trip to Maine after the retreat, by all means do so. It is such a fabulous state. I'm getting all excited again just thinking about it.

Swans Island Stop on the Way Home: Like a Cherry on Top!

Y'all,

After we finish our week of totally relaxing, knitting non-stop, eating gourmet goodies, stretching and hiking and sleeping like little babies at night to the sound of the sea lapping at the shore... yes, after all that, after you think it can't get any better... well guess what?

Lisa has exciting news for you. On the drive back we're going to take a little detour and go to Swans Island. And just why are we doing that you ask? Because in a wool-centric world, Swans Island is the real-life equivalent of Fantasy Island.

The story of Swans Island is very cool and a little tricky. You can read lots of details at their website, but let me give you a little overview. A long time ago, a bunch of sheep were rowed out to Nash Island off the coast of Maine. With no brush or trees to offer the sheep shelter, they took to huddling together like big fluffy football players. Being out in the elements caused their fleeces to grow in super thick, super luxurious and super-rich in lanolin, all factors that make for exceptional wool.

John and Carolyn Grace, moved to another island, Swans Island, back in the 1990s to live off the land, so to speak. They started a weaving studio using local wool. They moved back to the mainland in 2003, but the company itself and the blankets they're famous for are still known as Swans Island.

Some of the wool comes from the Nash Island sheep. Once a year, in mid-June, shearers from Swans Island head over to shear these amazing Corriedales (that's a 19th century breed). This outrageously fabulous wool is then spun into organic merino. The naturally brown and black wool remains undyed. The white wool is dyed using natural plant dyes like Indigo and madder. The spun fiber is then used to make handwoven blankets which have been recognized internationally and awarded a Smithsonian Blue Ribbon for Craft.

The Graces and some partners who joined them, now work out of a farmhouse built in 1780. In addition to the famous blankets, they also sell yarn. So be sure to bring an empty suitcase (or two) on the Monhegan retreat, because our post-Monhegan trip to Swans Island is a major score-- the company's yarn is available at fewer than two dozen retailers around the country. And just imagine-- you can get it from the source.