SOAR:
Spin-Off Autumn Retreat
By Barbara diJeannene

As I sat down to write about my experience at SOAR this year, I was overwhelmed at the notion of putting 5 days of constant activity into a few sentences. The anticipation leading up to the trip was almost dizzying. What to take – how to pack, making sure I had enough room for the treasures I knew awaited me at the SOAR market. I was afraid that I would not know anyone and would end up sitting by myself once I found out that my friends from Phoenix would not be going. Groundless fears as it turned out – it was like a big family reunion. There were women I met that I felt instantly connected to and look forward to seeing again.

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On the shuttle ride to the resort I re-connected with Shirley from Lambspun that I took the Deb Menz workshop with last year and met Maggie Sefton who has written some mystery novels set in the Lambspun shop. Now I have to run out and get the other two of her books. To top it all off, Stephanie Pearl-McFee - the esteemed Yarn Harlot – was slated to be the keynote speaker. It was raining and cold, the water was seeping in under the doors to the tent and we all sat there enthralled by her. She kept us laughing the whole time and every word she said echoed true for me.

The setting was great – mountains, trees, water – the fireplace in my little room was perfect and cozy for spinning at night after dinner and all the merrymaking. I only attended the retreat and am determined that next year I will be able to take the workshop classes too. I took 4 retreat classes and had a hard time picking from the choices - everything sounded like something I wanted to learn more about. The mentors conducting the classes were wonderful in their attempt to convey enough information in 3 hours to complete a project and to whet the appetite for more.

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And then there was the Market. Oh my goodness. There are two LYS where I live that have some spinning supplies and I order a lot from online vendors, but nothing compares to being able to fondle and select from the amazing assortment of fibers, tools, books and knowledge that the vendors at SOAR bring. There were dyed fibers galore – the colors alone were staggering. I wanted some of everything. Exotic fibers were everywhere – cashmere, camel, silk, soy silk, ingeo and optim. And then there was the wool – sheep's wool – in all it's glory. Unwashed and washed – natural colors and dyed in the lock. Not to mention the mohair – kid mohair so light you could barely know you were holding it – dyed locks that looked like fairy hair. Whew! Prior planning on my part ensured that I had a huge empty duffle bag ready to carry my plunder on the plane ride home (barely within the 50 pound limit)

I'm already planning my SOAR excursion next year. I hope to see all my newfound friends again and to make even more.