Becoming an Outdoors Woman Knitter

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, like other agencies throughout the country, runs a program entitled Becoming An Outdoors Woman. For the last 10 years this program has been offered at the Eastover Resort in Lenox, Massachusetts. I first attended 8 years ago and have been back as an attendee several times. I have also attended as a groupee, as Dale’s band plays for this program every year – during an event affectionaly termed “Call of the Wild.” This year’s concert was on Friday night and the sock and I tagged along. I had 3 hours of knitting time in the car and I also knitted during the concert. It was a totally female environment (except, of course, for the band) and the women were really curious about my knitting. I met one woman who is a brand new knitter and she is all excited about trying socks once she gets a little more experience under her belt. I met another woman who was an avid knitter 20 years ago and is now determined to start again after seeing my beautiful sock yarn. It was a really great evening! As for the program itself, it’s a great opportunity to learn all about the outdoors – whatever part of the outdoors you’re into – and I highly recommend it. The resort is beautiful, the instructors are knowledgeable, and the band is okay, too.

Dale and I took a motel room for the night and spent Saturday morning driving around the Berkshires. I visited a terrific yarn shop called “Wonderful Things” and oh boy did they have lots of yarn! I came home with some great scores for the Summer of Lace, plus some worsted weight for a vest for Dale.

Look at this beautiful Merino Lace from Skacel. There’s 1375 yards there – plenty for a Flower Basket Shawl.

And here. This is Anne from Schaeffer Yarns. Hand painted Merino and Mohair, 560 yards. I can picture a beautiful shawl from this. Maybe Kiri? Oh, and that’s an old pair of my father-in-law’s workboots, planted with Hens and Chicks, by Hannah.

This yummy peach/orange/cocoa yarn is called Peach Tree and it’s made by Malabrigo in Uruguay. There’s 980 yards of kettle dyed pure merino goodness in this hank. It was only $12 and I would have bought more but this was the only color they had left and (sob) they can’t get anymore.

I spent over an hour in this un-airconditioned store and it was about 90 degrees out. Dale sat in the car and read, without complaining, the whole time I was in there. So, of course, I had to make him happy by buying yarn for him. I picked out 5 skeins of this Double Twist Worsted Weight from Green Mountain Spinnery. The color is called Mulberry (isn’t it pretty lying across the hosta?) and it’s going to become a Cable Moss Vest, pattern by Lisa Lloyd. Dale has driven me on more yarn expeditions than I can count, not to mention the drive to New Hampshire just so I could meet the Yarn Harlot. The least I can do is knit him this vest!

While in downtown Stockbridge the sock was pleased to visit the former site of Alice’s Restaurant.

You know the song, right? Seems like it’s still pretty relevant today, doesn’t it? Just saying. You can read more about Arlo Guthrie here.

In closing, I feel the need to point out that while my perennial garden is in the backyard, the hostas are in the front. I have managed to stay hidden whenever I’ve taken pictures of the yarn in the flowers. Until now . As if my neighbors don’t think I’m weird enough for dressing up in 19th century clothes on the weekends, now they’re wondering why the hell I’m taking pictures of yarn lying in a bush. The Civil War reenacting I can blame on Dale, however, yarn in a bush? I will never live this one down.