Knitting on the Lake 2008

This past weekend my friend Carol & I traveled from Northern VA to Clarksville VA and attended a 3 day Knitting Retreat. This is the lake from our room. The terrible thing is that this lake is at least 15ft lower than it should be. If this keeps up we will be Knitting at the crater!

The drive each way was nice and sunny and according to "Jack" Carol's GPS the drive was 3.5 hours each way. This is our room. Very nice size with a kitchen. Small patio out the back door where I took the shot of the lake. We arrived on Friday about 3:30. Settled into our room and registered with Robin. I've been "talking" with Robin for over 8 months and was only surprised by her southern accent. We both live in VA but those 3.5 hours sure make a difference. Around 5 o'clock Robin made dinner reservations for 15 at the Lake House Restaurant (built in 1890). It sits on the corner of the main street and you have to climb up the front steps that are way UP. Then we climbed way UP to the second floor to what once may have been a sitting room or bedroom. Here all 15 to 17 knitters sat at small tables. Tami & Norma were a pair. Their antics had tears coming down my eyes. Mary has some pictures on her site

Here is Norma taken by surprise by Tami in the bathroom.

This is Tami showing us a lamp from the bathroom.

It is a vase made into a lamp and she has one at home that she would like to do the same.

Dehydrate-Hydrate-Tami ordered a beer and water.

Here is Robin our wonderful host. See how close the bathroom is! There was a young pregnant gal from another room who kept coming in to use the BR. Mind you, there was another entrance outside of our room on the landing but she could only see the sign here and cut through.

The project I brought along with me was two socks on magic loop for the first time ever. Phyllis & Sally (below) wanted to learn. Thank goodness for Becky. Phyllis wanted to cast on and I did not know the proper way. I cheated by knitting one sock for about 1" and than started the other on another needle and than past in onto the same needle as the 1st sock. Anyhow, Becky was able to teach Phyllis the correct way to cast on. When we parted on Sunday afternoon, Phillis had about 2"+ of two socks going. Add to that, she loved the pattern for my Nine to Five Socks so I wrote down the pattern repeat for her and she was doing that for the first time.

Speaking of my Nine to Five Socks. I was making them for Robin for PIF. I was going to mail them to her but decided to gift them to her at the retreat. Every penny saved on shipping will go back into yarn. Here she is trying them on for the first time.

Robin C, Renny & Tami

Shawn, Carol, Phyllis, Sally and Clarine

Clarine & Shawn drove up from NC. It was also their first time and I hope we see them back next year. It was a very relaxing and fun weekend.

Carol and PatsyClarine, Shawn and Carol

Carol with her door prize

I was very lucky! My first door prize was this skein of Spirit Trail Fiberworks yarn

After the first round of drawings and based on the amount of door prizes, Robin would started over. My second door prize, stitchmarkers by Jennifer

At the end there were two "grand" prizes. All our tickets were put back in for the final drawing and my number came up a third time!! I have never been this lucky before.

Carol's stitch markers, the ones on the right were a door prize donated by Jennifer

I could not pass up on these stitch markers a a row counter.

We have already made our reservations for next year!