retreat from retreat

The weekend retreat made me feel better. I slept well, the food was plain fare but was just fine and I walked more in two days than I normally do in two weeks. The asthma went along for the trip and made his nasty presence known. The chain of events in my asthma attacks are these - Sneeze. Lather rinse and repeat at least three times until sinuses are completely engorged. Then, begin coughing. Cough until those around you move away. Far away. Continue coughing and wheezing until inhaler can be located.

Mentally, I was moderately well. Too much stimulation at first. Too many people to talk to, too much to see. Saturday was less overwhelming; more calm. (I did leave after breakfast Sunday in order to see Sweetie for a little bit before he went to work. I missed the bunnies, too, and was worried that some one of them needed me. [Remember my last trip?] They were all just fine.) Sweetie had made progress setting the fence posts.

The retreat was at St. Meinrad Arch Abbey, a Benedictine Order. This is one of two Arch Abbeys of this order in the United States. It began thriving about one hundred years ago. Thriving among the farmers and river people and a burgeoning Roman Catholic population. Several of us attended vespers Saturday and while it was not a spiritual moment for me, it was a lovely experience. At the gift shop, I bought a St. Francis of Assisi card with A Prayer for my Pet on one side and a rendering of the saint on the other. It can't hurt and any help during a bunny burial I won't deny.)

I brought along my drum carder in hopes of showing others how to blend fiber on it, and I did. Then, Miss BettyBob showed me a few carder tricks that she learned from a Deb Menz workshop. That was worth the price of admission, right there. Also, Miss BettyBob has arranged to get Katharine Cobey to teach another knitting workshop for us at next year's retreat. Hot dog! (I missed the last class because I was bound, hand and foot, to my store.)

As far as my knitting goes, I am sick unto death of the current shawl.



Why am I sick of it? The boring yet monotonous color, f'rinstance and mostly. I'm sick of spinning it and I'm sick of knitting it. It took ten minutes to ravel what had taken about two weeks to knit.




The ball weighs one ounce. (I seldom do this sort of "frogging" - mostly I like what knit.) I have learned from experience when to quit, to cut the dog off the loom. When not to throw good money (effort) after bad. But do not fret! I am spinning up something very nice and should be able to get going with the knitting needles either tomorrow or the next day.

My plan for this week is for a lot of dying. I want many ounces of merino, silk and angora done by Friday.

By the way, my silk noil outfit was the bee's knees over the weekend. Thank you all for the nice comments. I have hopes to stitch and dye three tunic and pants outfits to S.e.l.l. online as I have just opened a store at Etsy Store, but more on that later.