I’ve been a bit busy, which has kept me from posting all of the things I wanted to post about.  Well, hang that nonsense.  Here’s what I can think of off the top of my head.

I went to the Knitter’s Review Retreat, which was absolutely wonderful, as usual. My friend Ruadhan was able to go with me for the first time this year, and it was great to share this particular annual event with her.  Clara always does an amazing job finding great teachers, making sure the Inn is just right, and generally encouraging an open, welcoming atmosphere for all of us.  This year felt like the best one yet, partly because I got to drag a good friend into this cozy little circle, and partly because I was reminded of exactly how gracious and kind the KR folks are.  The market was full of goodies, the classes were excellent, the food was good, but what really matters to me about that event is the people.  I love them.

I led the stash lounge organization for the first time this year, as I mentioned.  It was a huge task, but I was floored by the amount of assistance the other retreat attendees gave us.  When we decided to start setting up the lounge Thursday night, so many people volunteered to help that we didn’t really need to walk around the rooms as we worked.  Instead, we were tossing yarn and giggling for a few hours, and then suddenly we had a great, boutique-like space to share with the others.  Throughout the weekend, many folks stepped in to help keep things organized, take in more yarn as additional attendees arrived, and help people find just what they were looking for.  The corps of volunteers was excellent.

At the end of the retreat, another big group of friends gathered to help me box up the remaining yarn so I could take it home and ship it off to Afghanistan. Again, I was astounded by the generosity of all of the people who donated yarn and who volunteered to pay shipping costs for yarn we were sending off to those far away knitters.  I was initially dreading the thought of the final packing and shipping tasks, but, as usual, some friends joined in and turned that into a bit of a party too.  We sorted, boxed, taped, and labeled.  And then we monopolized a postal worker’s time for about an hour.  We kept her giggling the whole time, so I think it ended up being relatively painless for the whole gaggle of participants, postal clerks included.  I’m waiting to hear back about our donations, but I hope it make a real difference for those families.

While I was in Massachusetts, my Mom had her final surgery.  She is officially cancer free, and that is a wonderful thing.

And then, all of the sudden, it was Thanksgiving.  Luckily, most of my family lives close by, so it’s a short drive to my folks’ place for dinner.  It was lovely, as always.  I cooked some, I knit a very cute little baby sweater, we talked and talked.  We did what we do.

And then, Booksgiving took over.  As ever, it was a lot of work, but it felt really good to get together with friends, talk about Mike, share out his library, and generally celebrate reading.  I know not everyone is as obsessive about reading as I am, but I feel so lucky to have so many friends who are.  We encouraged friends to bring books for the baby Ward who will be coming this winter, and who will (I hope) share his parents’ love of reading.  We also made sure that baby will have some hand-knits, but you probably would have guessed that.  We ate, oh how we ate.  I made a huge pile of bridies, and a New York Strip roast, and we had lots of delicious cheeses and desserts and, oh, how we ate.

Now we have a garage full of books to donate.  Remind me later that the hauling and schlepping is worth it, please.  And also, remind me to post some photos of at least some of this autumnal nonsense.  There are some pictures hiding in a camera somewhere.  I’ll try to share some of those.  Well, I’ll try to try.  I may need a nap first, and I definitely need a new knitting project, and some restraint when choosing what to read next.

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