Port Huron, the Third Coast, and so on....

...so there I was, possessed of a nice room at the Lake Huron Retreat Center on the gorgeous shore of Lake Huron, sitting in an Appalachian chair gazing at almost-oceanic waters (no salt smell!), knitting away on the very boring garter stitch, brightly colored, bias-knit baby papoose that eventually goes to my niece (who already has the baby, for god's sake).  It occurred to me in a flash that I was AT the Third Coast, the namesake of the wondrous fiber festival -- that I should be taking pictures or something.  So I took some pictures to post on my blog.  Yes, THIS blog.  All of this would be well and good, except that I cannot find the cords that hook up the camera to the computer.  Why not?  WE MOVED HOUSES, and I can barely find my underwear.

So pictures will come later.

The Lake Huron excursion was really a teaching experience -- for me and for members of the Wool Gatherers Knitting Guild, which I joined a year ago, and who invited me to teach a course in sweater design and alteration.  It was fun.  It was also exhausting.  When I finally got to bed on Sunday night, I more or less died there until a very late hour on Monday.  But TRULY a good experience.  People say it was worthwhile.  The neat thing was seeing so many of them with their graph paper sketching possible garments, possible cardigans and pullovers, thinking about shape and proportion and fabric.  Good good good good feeling, I must say.  If it never leads to more than a sense of empowerment when they confront a pattern that they want to change competently, I will have done my job.

Later with pictures, truly.

In the meantime:  SIGN UP FOR WORKSHOPS, the SALLY MELVILLE DINNER, and the BOX LUNCHES (one of which has to do with Candace Eisner-Strick's hilarous lunch-time presentation on Saturday -- which is FREE, but please sign up so we have a head count).  Go to www.artisanknitworks.com and follow the Third Coast image to Registration.  Also notice the page with photographs, homework, and supplies.

FINALLY:  Know that all of us are immensely grateful to all of you for help, for telling your friends and guild members, for dropping those notes of encouragement.  This is a first-year event.  It's very hard to know how such things will go.  But we are taking heart!  With any luck at all, Detroit and (most of all) my beloved university will have an annual event we can be very, very proud of.   And, if we pull off the wonderful event that I think it will be, I also have hopes that a couple of Metro-area shops will join me to organize next year's event.  The more the merrier.  All the boats rise, and so on.  For this year, it looked kinda scary even to my best friends.  But there's nothing more contagious then success!!!

Hugs to everyone.   svb