3rd Annual Fiber Arts Retreat

My First Blog Entry!

I live in the north, where winter is snowy and cold and a great time for fiber activities.

One of those activities occurs in a couple weeks: the 3rd Annual Fiber Arts Retreat at Twin Lakes Camp, near Traverse City, Michigan (February 5-7, 2010). What better way to spend a weekend in winter than to sit and spin in a pine-paneled lodge next to a stone fireplace surrounded by cheerful folks with fiber obsessions!

The retreat schedule is largely unstructured, allowing folks to work on their fiber activities, or go snow shoeing, or gaze into the fire, or enjoy a cup of tea. The only scheduled event this year is a spinning workshop that I’ll be leading. There will be a short session on Friday night and a follow-up session on Saturday afternoon. We’ll cover aspects of controlling thickness and twist on Friday, and strategies for consistency from bobbin to bobbin and from skein to skein on Saturday.

The retreat is organized fabulously well by Elizabeth Koeppen and Jenny McCain. You can contact Elizabeth or Jenny at: fiberartsretreat@gmail.com

Here’s a bit of info from the flyer: “The purpose of this retreat is to encourage and foster a close knit and supportive community of women that love fiber arts. Please feel welcome to bring any of your finished projects as a show and tell. If you have any items for sale and would like to showcase them, we will have a display table available. We hope this event is fun, encouraging, and time well spent with friends!”

Twin Lakes Camp is owned by Grand Traverse County. Although near to Traverse City, it has a quiet, countryside location, with lots of hiking (snow shoeing, skiing) trails. Gilbert Lodge is the building where we gather to carry on with fibers and such. I love its wood floors, large windows, and enormous fireplace. It also contains the kitchen (always available for tea, coffee, or snacks). There’s a separate dormitory building for staying overnight.

Here’s a picture I took from last year’s retreat.