SOAR 2008 #1

This is exactly as impossible as Charlene said it would be.  She shook her head when I asked her how people blog this, and smiled ruefully.  Maybe she smiled sadly.

I understand now.

I was in the three day workshop on Spinning and Knitting Estonian Lace, taught by Judith MacKenzie-McCuin, and Nancy Bush.  Judith handed us a skein of 850 yards of laceweight rambouillet from her flock.  Nancy had us wind it into a centerpull ball, by hand, on our thumb.  We alternated knitting Estonian patterns with spinning bootcamp for lace for the next three days.

I came in prepared to scoff at worsted spinning.  I had always thought it was too slow, too unrewarding, too limited a technique to think about seriously.  After three days, I understand the technique, the uses, how to do it, why to do it.  I can evaluate whether worsted or woolen will suit a given fiber and project.  Spinning with intention has deeper meaning.

She deconstructed the techniques I have been using.  It is certainly possible to literally spin backwards.  I did that while plying lace, and had a fix on my hands.  She taught us to master such dilemmas easily.  I made backwards progress because now I know what I am doing poorly (wrong?) and what I need to do to fix it.  I need some relearning.  This makes me very happy.

SOAR is like summer camp for spinners.  Intense immersion really rewires the neural pathways, and digs that learning deep into your soul.

I knew few other than my group of intrepid travelers.  By the end of the first day, that mattered not at all.  Words are worthless.  I suppose I will have to do this in visuals.

Knitting tools are whatever you happen to have at hand.  Cheryl is using her thumb and knees as ballwinder and swift.

Nancy Bush is teaching us the finer points of nupps in the second frame.  Judith and Nancy are modeling Haapsalu Estonian shawls at the conclusion of the workshop.  She had a copy of her new book on Estonian lace knitting for us to preview.  It is excellent.

Abby is spinning on her new Lendrum.  It came equipped with a special flyer.  Gord Lendrum said it provides a ratio of 60:1.  The only brake on the bobbin is the friction of air.

Stop and think about that for a moment.

There are about 20 in existence.  Abby is spinning cotton.

This is Gord Lendrum and Jan Louet looking at a pocket wheel from Washington state.  They took it apart, put it back together, becoming boys again figuring out how the wheel maker did what he did, and why.  The building could have burned down around them and they would not have noticed.

Kim was wearing an Orenburg shawl.  I stuck my foot in it: 

Etherknitter:  Did you BUY that from Galina??  WOW.

Kim:  No.  I knit it.

Etherknitter:  *pulling foot out of mouth*  What yarn did you use?

Kim:  I spun the cashmere, and used a second ply of reeled silk from Treenway.

Etherknitter (after an uncharacteristic moment of stunned silence):  How long did it take?

Kim:  A year. 

I don't remember what I said next.  I left a burnt offering in worship at her door early the next morning.  I plan on appeasing this goddess in whatever manner she wishes so that she does not smite me for my knitting transgressions and stupidities.

The shawl in the picture is handspun mohair and reeled silk.  Another Orenburg.  *yawn*  (Go ahead, Kim, smack me good.)

I met a remarkable group of talented people.  I learned bottom whorl spindling (Abby), how to spin mohair without needing carpal tunnel surgery afterwards (Robin Russ0).  I spun my first cashmere (Robin again).  I learned dyeing techniques and algorithms (Sara Lamb).  I learned blending with silk (Judith MacKenzie).  I spent enough continuous time so that I FINALLY got lace.  I finished the center of my shawlet at dinner, at breakfast, yes, in public.   (The nupps were a mere speed bump on that path.) 

Nancy Bush told us that we could not have dinner and we were not allowed to sleep until the shawlet and edging were done.  We would sew them together during the last day of the workshop.  (She was barely kidding.)  The other SOARites pitied us.  All that homework.  The first night it was spinning.  But all that knitting??  I'm sure many wiped their foreheads in relief that they did not take THAT workshop.

When Deb Menz assigned a large bump of merino on Thursday to all her retreat participants, there was an equal amount of plaintive whining.  Homework had gotten a miserable reputation.  But one DID need something to ply, so the labours began.

Marcy approached this task differently.

She baited the gathering room with wine.  She lured in various spinners.  Then she set up her Alden Amos wheel. 

Can you picture this?  Every spinner on the planet wants to try an Alden Amos wheel.  She had her bump of merino set up, and spinner after spinner sat down and did her homework for her.  Deb Menz watched all this, and laughed at the Tom Sawyerly twist that events had taken.

Until she, too, wanted to try the Alden Amos.  And ended up helping Marcy finish her homework.  Someone has a picture of this.  PLEASE leave a link in the comments.

Everything I had dreamed about SOAR came to life.  And more.

Comments

[claudia]

I am super happy that you got the good time and funtasticness that you deserved.

[margene]

Kim's shawl is stunning. It sounds like you were ready to learn anew and had the insights needed to create the yarn you want. Isn't it cool you get to reprise it again this weekend!?

[pumpkinmama]

I've been waiting for the reports on last week to start being posted! Sounds utterly fabulous.

[Carrie]

Wow. Just...wow.

[elizabeth]

I wish I'd come up and said hi to you, Laurie, but you were always busy and I can be shy sometimes. Your summary is perfect, although I only arrived on Thursday so can only vouch for that part. I still haven't figured out what to say about it.

Thanks to your pictures, I've realized it was Judith MacKenzie-McCuin who told me I looked very peaceful knitting in the lobby yesterday. Wow.

[Caroline M]

Thank you for trying to put it into words. I've spent some time this week working out how I could ever go myself and it's just never going to happen so I'll content myself with watching everyone else.

[Cheryl]

I've got a rather crappy iphone pic of Deb on Marcy's wheel. I'll get it up someday . . . or maybe i'll just e-mail it to you.

[Marcia]

I'm just whimpering here in envy, really. I had convinced myself I didn't care, but I guess I was wrong, so wrong! But, I'm sooo glad that you listened to "certain people" who told you you MUST go to SOAR and MUST experience Judith (and Nancy..I haven't used a ball winder or nostepinne since learning the thumb trick!) who appears to be BLONDE, and all that is SOAR. Oh, and by the way, Judith also converted me to bottom whorl spindling in the first class I ever took with her. Friday is going to be fantastic!

[Stasia]

Thanks so much for the great post - really got a feel for it! Glad you had a great time.

[Carole]

If you thought you couldn't blog it you were wrong. I feel like I was there. Except I wasn't and now I'm totally bummed that I made the wrong choice about this.
Really, it sounds amazing. I hope we can still be friends now that you know all this stuff that I don't. ;-)

[Marcy]

Well done, L. No one could possible get it all, but you got enough of the essence to share a taste of the experience. Thanks for the excellent photos--especially of Kim.

[Manise]

Wow, you nailed it girl and I didn't even go. Pleased as punch that it was everything you dreamed of and more. My wish? That I could have been there to soak it all in too with you. I'm still going to pick yer brain for info and carve out a few new neural pathways in the process. :-) Thanks for letting us who couldn't go live vicariously through you.

[Rachel H]

I'd say you did a pretty damned good job of blogging SOAR. And it was so lovely to see you.

[Lynn]

Now I REALLY wanna go back.

[mamacate]

Consumed with envy. I'm so glad you were there, and hope that I'll see you someday (no Rhinebeck for me) and can maybe get you to teach me a little fingernail's worth of what you learned.

[Chris]

Well! Certainly seems like you nailed it on the blogging it. Sounds like an amazing immersion experience.

[Angie]

Wow. I really need to go to SOAR someday. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences.

[Dyepotgirl]

But who would have thought that we would have so much fun doing homework, and in both cases it was so worth it!!!!! And yes, I'm with you on how do we tell people about how amazingly, awesomely, wonderful SOAR is without sounding like a 7 year old with a limited vocabulary!!! I probably shouldn't say that because the both times I went to SOAR I felt like a 7 year old. There's that much to learn! I told all my friends that SOAR was like going to the world's best summer camp for adults and they didn't quite get it but my friends Alison and Donna went this year too and they now they understand (and agree wholeheartedly!) The hard part now is that if you can't go next year, you'll know what you are missing! It took me 4 years to get back to SOAR but boy was it worth the wait. It was a pleasure meeting you, and being in class with you. I'm going to try really hard to knit a shawl. I bet it takes a year LOL! If I'm really lucky, maybe I'll get to SOAR next year and I'll have my own shawl to show off!

[Dyepotgirl]

But who would have thought that we would have so much fun doing homework, and in both cases it was so worth it!!!!! And yes, I'm with you on how do we tell people about how amazingly, awesomely, wonderful SOAR is without sounding like a 7 year old with a limited vocabulary!!! I probably shouldn't say that because the both times I went to SOAR I felt like a 7 year old. There's that much to learn! I told all my friends that SOAR was like going to the world's best summer camp for adults and they didn't quite get it but my friends Alison and Donna went this year too and they now they understand (and agree wholeheartedly!) The hard part now is that if you can't go next year, you'll know what you are missing! It took me 4 years to get back to SOAR but boy was it worth the wait. It was a pleasure meeting you, and being in class with you. I'm going to try really hard to knit a shawl. I bet it takes a year LOL! If I'm really lucky, maybe I'll get to SOAR next year and I'll have my own shawl to show off!

[gayle]

Well, you managed to describe SOAR so well that I could just weep because I wasn't there...
I'll have to start saving my pennies. Or maybe start buying a lottery ticket now and then. Or both.
I'm so happy for you that you got to go and enjoy. Learning and growing are always good.

[Marcy]

Oh, and as a postscript to my nefarious plot? Deb Menz declined to do my spinning for me in class. Can you imagine? Humpfh.

[Kim]

Laurie, now why in the world would I smack you?! Those were perfectly sensible, reasonable questions. It takes a certain kind of insanity to do what I do for fun, so clearly if I appear normal you start with the normal questions.

Oh, by the way, next time you choose to worship me could you skip the burnt offerings and go straight to wine, chocolate or flowers - it left an awful mess in the hallway for housekeeping and serious stench that lingered for days. :)

[Charlene]

So, you'll be back next year in Oregon?

Pretty good job, BTW, of successfully blogging SOAR. I haven't yet caught up on sleep enough to blog anything - being at work is in itself enough of a challenge!

[Sylvia]

Charlene is one of my favorite people in the world. What did you think of her necklaces?

So glad spinning is clicking for you. Take Stephenie Gaustad's bast fiber class -- line flax is a religious experience.

[Lee Ann]

Everything I have to say starts with mumble mumble sniff sobbbb...

I'm going to go wallow in my fiber basket.

[Danielle]

I'm happy for you that you had such a good time and learned so much. And, at the same time, insanely envious. Some year I too shall attend.

[Cathy]

And I whined after reading Cyndy's (riverrim) post with photos....

Arrrgggghhhhhh!

:-))

[Melissa G]

I haven't gotten to wheel spinning (yet) but it's way cool to know that Lendrum and Louet are names of real live people.

[Lucia]

You rock! You do make me feel like I was there. Almost. Hey, where did all these little green hairs come from?

[Juno]

I TOLD you it was good.

[Kim]

sigh.....it sounds beyond wonderful! I'm thinking that I may have to take a road trip to get some lessons from what you learned!

[Teyani]

what a fabulous write up.
I am so happy for you that you got to attend :-) One day I will be able to go to a SOAR conference.
Total immersion = good retention, eh?
Laughed long and hardy at the Ton Sawyer concept. too funny.
thanks for sharing all your joyful week.

[Aubrey]

I'm with Lee Ann... and until they change the weekend, I can't ever, ever, EVER go to SOAR. Sniff. Sob. (With a wee touch of Jealousy Thrown In...)

You did a wonderful job bringing us there with you.

[Kathy]

After my workshop on Saturday, I now want to go to SOAR. At some point . . . So happy that it was wonderful!

[Maia]

SOAR was so fun! I loved meeting so many people I only knew from blogland. Yay! The countdown for Bend has started.

[Jennifer]

It was so great to meet you at SOAR, and then get to see you again at Rhinebeck!! Thanks for sharing your photos :-D