SPA 2018, The Details

February 27, 2018 By Carole

So the thing with SPA is, other than whatever fiber craft you choose to pursue, everything else you do – well, actually everything you do – is completely up to you. Want to sleep late and relax in your jammies all day? Go for it. Want to get up early and take Craftsy classes in your room? Absolutely. Want to spin until the wee hours? Have at it!

Want to eat at great restaurants and hang out with your friends for 3 days? Now you’re singing my song.

Thursday night dinner: Azure.

Friday night dinner: Broad Arrow Tavern.

Saturday night dinner: Tuscan Brick Oven Bistro.

And in between all those fabulous dinners with friends? Lots of time to talk and catch up, drink coffee and cocktails, knit and spin and learn and just . . . be. Be in a place with like minded individuals who love wool and the things we can do with it.

Is it any wonder I look forward to this weekend all year long?

SPA Spinning

February 26, 2018 By Carole

SPA is always a lovely weekend away with friends and I’m going to tell you much more about it tomorrow. For now, though, behold the fruits of my labors. And by labors I mean spinning.

362 yards of cormo and merino/bamboo/silk. I spun the cormo over the course of the weekend and then plied it with the merino/bamboo/silk singles I had spun … last year at SPA.

For my next trick I will turn that skein into a Baby Surprise Jacket for Jackie. If that takes another year I’m in big trouble.

How was your weekend?

SPA Friends

February 28, 2017 By Carole

That there is a not-that-great picture of a truly-great group of women. Some of them I see frequently, some occasionally and some only once or twice a year.

And yet.

Every one of them is my friend. Every one of them gets the bond that exists among members of this fabulous fiber community. Our friendship exists because of a mutual need to create and play with wool. It also exists because we all have a healthy appreciation for snark and an underlying need to avoid all drama at all costs.

They are a fabulous bunch and I’m so very fortunate to call them mine.

Fiber Revival 2015

August 10, 2015 By Carole

I believe, and I’m not being corny, that every day is a gift. Every morning we get a chance to do the things we love, to spend time with family and friends, to work hard and play hard and to live. Some days, though, the things we get to do are a bit more fun. Vacation days, Jimmy Buffett concert days (this coming Saturday – eeeek!), SPA, beach days, and – of course – Fiber Revival. It was this past Saturday and it was just as good as ever.

The weather? Perfect. No humidity, blue skies and slight breezes and comfortable temperatures.

The food? Delicious. Sandwiches and cookies (even the ones Sharon brought that had kale in them) and snacks galore.

The beer? The Ipswich Beer Truck was there. Need I say more?

The shopping? All of my favorite vendors. Hand’s down.

The fiber? There’s nothing like one of Josette’s batts on my wheel to make me fall in love with spinning all over again.

The scenery? The Spencer Peirce Little Farm is a hidden gem, my friends.

And speaking of friends? Absolutely perfect. Having the chance to spin and knit and catch up with these friends of mine is my favorite thing about Fiber Revival. There is nothing, and I truly mean this, but nothing like sharing stories while spinning. Truths are told, hearts are revealed, laughs are shared and tears are shed, it’s a tremendous time of bonding and I’m so blessed to be a part of this circle of women and so lucky to call them my friends.

So, yes, every day on this side of the grass is a good one. But some days? Days like Fiber Revival? They might just be better than the others.

Weekending. Yes, On A Wednesday

March 4, 2015 By Carole

I must have my days all mixed up – last week I did Eye Candy Friday on Thursday and this week I’m doing Weekending on Wednesday. I’d say I’m being flexible but you all know me better than that so I’ll just say I’m adjusting my blogging to fit my life rather than the other way around.

And so, the weekend.

SPA was, in a word, fantastic. I mean, really, what’s not fantastic about 3+ days with some of my favorite people on earth? Not to mention that those days are filled with spinning and shopping, delicious food and cocktails, knitting and yarn and fiber and not a bit of anything that isn’t 100% F.U.N.

Jo-Ann and I headed up on Thursday and our first stop, per tradition, was it Gritty McDuff’s. Not only did with both get flights of beer but we both got lobster tacos. And let me tell you, those tacos were delicious! I made a vow right then and there to have lobster every day while we were in Maine. Turns out, those tacos were the only time I had lobster, so I’m glad they were really good.

We spent the rest of the afternoon greeting friends, settling into our room, doing some knitting and maybe a leetle drinking. Dinner that night was a wonderful cheese tray followed by even better pizza at the Tuscan Brick Oven Bistro with our friends Kelly and Diane.

Friday we were (finally!) joined by Sharon. The day passed quickly as we greeted even more friends, set up our wheels and did some spinning, shopped at the vendors, and sampled a bit of bourbon. The bourbon sampling was prompted by this article and the fact that I found two of those bourbons at the awesome grocery store right around the corner from the hotel. Dinner on Friday night was a bigger crowd – there were 14 of us! – at the Broad Arrow Tavern located in the Harraseeket Inn. I had a wonderfully tender filet mignon and that, along with the company of my friends, made it a perfect dinner.

Saturday was more of the same but that shouldn’t be construed as being anything but awesome. More spinning. More laughing. More shopping and more yarn and fiber. More, more, more = good, good, good. We had to take an earlier than normal dinner reservation because of our party of 12 but, honestly, what a good problem to have, right? I kept thinking, how lucky am I that all these people want to have dinner together and that they trust me to arrange it?

Anyway, back to the Tuscan Bistro we went and I had the amazing short ribs, a repeat of what I had last year. They weren’t on the menu but I had mentioned how much I loved them when I made the reservation and – guess what? – the chef made them for me and also offered them to anyone else in our group.

I also split an incredible burrata appetizer with Jo-Ann and we shared this great chocolate cake as well.

That chocolate cake must have served me well because I managed to stay up until 1:30am. Those of you who know me well know that I am definitely not a night owl so this was unusual. It was also incredibly fun and I had a great time, first spinning until well after 11:30 and then hanging out in Kelly’s room, drinking cosmos and laughing and just really reveling in our last night together.

Sunday morning arrived with a whoooosh. We had our last breakfast at the hotel, shopped the vendors one last time, and sat at our wheels together for the last bit of spinning we could eke out of the weekend.

I am so blessed to have these friends, to share this time together, to practice our craft and share our stories, to talk about books and movies, to confide in each other and support each other and catch up and make plans for next time. Because, if I have any say in the matter, there will most definitely be a next time.

Maybe I’ll even take pictures of things besides booze and food. Maybe.