TNK "Knittin' at the Lake" 2007: Full Disclosure

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(Relax -- it's not real)
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If you've been reading along over the past few days, then you know that some folks from our knitting group, plus several knitters from other parts of Virginia and North Carolina attended a knitting retreat in Clarksville, VA at a hotel on Buggs Island Lake (aka Kerr Lake).

The retreat was organized by the very capable Robin H., and there are excellent descriptions and pictures on her blog. Other bloggers in attendance were Jane and Emmy, so be sure to stop by and read their accounts, as well.

I arrived much later than expected Friday night because I stopped at a friend's house in Amelia for dinner on my way down, before continuing on to Clarksville. A few die-hard knitters were still awake when I got there after midnight, knitting in their PJs, but went on to bed shortly after I arrived, and so did I.

I have to admit that I was a little worried about the Best Western accommodations, but was very pleasantly surprised. The hotel graciously agreed to house all of us in the same building as the conference room, which is right at the water's edge, and I believe most of us were given extra large lakeview rooms with a patio or balcony (depending on first or second floor), and kitchenettes, which made the stay even more enjoyable. My room was just a couple doors down from the conference room, making it extra-convenient.

Saturday morning, knitters gathered in the conference room and immediately began knitting, some not stopping except for meals, until the wee hours of Sunday morning!

Everyone brought beautifully knitted items to display around the room, which became a feast for the eyes. Robin H.'s mom also brought some beautifully hooked rugs to show us.

Robin H. had gathered tons of donated door prizes, which were given out throughout the day. I won a hat pattern, a pair of size 17 straight wooden needles and a 2007 Knitting Pattern-a-Day calendar, which I'd been wanting and hadn't gotten around to purchasing yet, so, Yippee! I can't wait to sit down with that calendar and look at all the patterns.

By early afternoon, knitters were ready for shopping, and luckily we had ample opportunity. Mary Jane from Unraveled brought tons of yarn, books, patterns and notions to sell, and quite a few folks succumbed to the siren song of Noro. Jane, Issy and Sheddy decided then and there to purchase yarn for and begin knitting the Sursa Shawl, and made a bit of a competition out of the process! Jane finished hers first on Sunday morning and modeled it for everyone. Mary Jane also had a selection of Jane's sister's Lawre's Laine bags for sale.

Robin H. brought soaps and butters to sell, as well as some of Patsy's hand-dyed, handspun yarns. Robin's dad brought beautiful handwoven baskets, and many were snapped up before I'd even gotten back from lunch. Another retreat attendee brought beautifully beaded stitch & row markers, scissor fobs and earrings. I bought a pair of earrings and a set of stitch markers from her.

Lunches and dinners were eaten at restaurants in the quaint little town of Clarksville, within easy walking distance from the hotel, (although I rode with a group that drove, since it was so cold out).

Sunday morning was more of the same -- knitting, chatting, yarn shopping, but folks started clearing out in late morning when the weather became foul. I left a little after noon, and battled ice accumulation on my windshield during my entire drive home, although the roads were fine.

It was hard to come home to a quiet house after such a fun weekend with chatty knitters. Many thanks go out to Robin H. for organizing this event. Can't wait until next year's!

And by now, you're probably wondering, WHERE ARE THE PICTURES??!!

Fear not, there are pictures, and plenty of them. They can be viewed by clicking on the image below, which will take you to my Flickr Photoset for this event:


(I recommend viewing the pictures via "detail view", so you can see photo titles and descriptions. Otherwise, try viewing them as a slideshow.)

Thanks for stopping by!

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