Squam Fall 2017
I've been home from Squam for a week and a half, but I am still totally basking in the afterglow.
A post shared by Camille DeAngelis (@cometparty) on Sep 10, 2017 at 2:26pm PDT
I was on the support staff full time this go-around, but there was time each day to go for a swim. The weather was glorious. G-L-O-R-I-O-U-S. I have never gotten to spend this much time in the lake—swimming every single day apart from the Sunday we arrived—and I felt so very lucky for that. I did indeed sleep on that screened-in porch every night; I kept thinking the temperature would plummet (when I slept outside in Vermont at the end of September 2010 I remember shivering no matter how many layers I put on), but I was perfectly snug. From my pillow I could see the moon shining through the trees, and in the morning I opened my eyes to the rising sun glimmering on the water.Pine resin sticky in my crazy cropped hair; pond scum between my toes. Bliss, I tell you. BLISSSSSSSSSSSSS.
A post shared by Camille DeAngelis (@cometparty) on Sep 18, 2017 at 5:02am PDT
This was quite possibly the most special retreat since Elizabeth first started organizing them, because she announced after dinner on Friday evening that our friend Meg Fussell would be taking over as retreat director next year. You can read more on how that decision came about on the Squam Art Workshops blog. Meg is an utterly delightful human being. She has the magic combo of organizational prowess and social finesse one would need to rock this gig, and I'm so excited to watch her put her own stamp on the retreat and continue to expand our creative community. I expected to make myself useful (this was the first time I got to drive a golf cart, but it definitely won't be the last, heh!), celebrate with friends old (as in longstanding) and new, enjoy the lake and the woods and the loons and the stars like I always do—but I did not expect to feel quite so inspired or quite so loved by people I am only just getting to know. You're going to hear a lot about my new friend Dr. Giavanni Washington in the months to come: she is an intuitive percussive healer and coach who regularly hosts sacred circles and retreats for women of color in the LA area, but her work really is for everyone. I have no doubt that we have known each other many times before, but even so, it's kind of mind-boggling how quickly someone can become one of your dearest friends.
A post shared by Camille DeAngelis (@cometparty) on Sep 19, 2017 at 9:44pm PDT
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There's a good bit more I could write—isn't there always?—but I'll just leave you with this. On Saturday night, across the road from the art fair, our friend Em Falconbridge was doing her doTERRA "oil fairy" goodness while her daughter Yindi was offering hand massages using said oils, and Giavanni set up her space for oracle card readings, all in the same warm inviting room.Yindi didn't have any "customers" yet, so I went over and asked for a massage. I told her that I used to do the same for my grandfather, and that I was definitely going to cry while she did it, and she was so sweet and kind to me. I am getting quite comfortable with crying in public, let me tell you. Afterward I asked her if she was taking tips, and she gave me this incredulous look—imagine "nooo!" said by a ten-year-old girl in the most adorable Australian accent.
It was healing, and I was grateful.
A post shared by Camille DeAngelis (@cometparty) on Sep 17, 2017 at 3:05pm PDT
Spring Squam 2017
It'd been awhile since my last Squam Art Workshops retreat: I taught a writing class there in September 2014 and daydreamed about returning as a student again for printmaking and other yummy classes, but life conspired against it. And like everyone else, I was sad when I heard 2017 would be Elizabeth's last year running the retreats—though I know very well the desire to move on from what you've already proven you're good at. 
A few weeks ago Elizabeth seemed anxious to connect, and when we got on Skype she told me her writing teacher had pulled out and could I fill in. COULD I?So I got to go to Elizabeth's last June Squam after all. My iPhone is busted and I decided not to pack Aunt Kathy's Nikon, so this post is going to be 100% other people's photographs. It was lovely not to spend the energy documenting everything. I texted a few pictures of the cabin to Matt from my dumbphone and got on with the nature worship.
I drove up with Elizabeth on Sunday and helped decorate and organize registration stuff—the most relaxing and enjoyable "work" you can imagine. Check out Elizabeth's blog recap for a nice photo of Meg and Coop, a.k.a. Team Squam Mice (Meg arranged the table above)—and here's a photo of Terri and me taken by her partner Tom at the end of my last class on Saturday morning:
It's a wrap! Camille aka @cometparty and I taught for SAW again this week. It is always inspiring to have Squamies in the house. #squamlove #squamlove2017 A post shared by Terri Dautcher (@tldautcher) on
(You may recall I took Terri's woodworking class in June 2014. Elizabeth likes to say she is an angel passing for human and I wholeheartedly agree.) 
So many fabulous memories from #squamlove2017. Incredible to see so much creative energy in motion. I loved watching the delight in my students as their blankets came together. I adored catching up with old friends and meeting and getting to know new ones. Plus, the magic of the lake ✨the best! Thanks for having me @squamlove! A post shared by Anne Weil / Maker (@flaxandtwine) on
I hadn't seen my dear friend Anne in three years, so we really reveled in getting to be roomies again—talking about our families and creative aspirations on the sun-baked dock and late into the night.
Writing on this porch, enfolded in the magic of the trees..💖 #squamlove A post shared by Jane (@sepiaandglitter) on
Both my classes were full of smart, enthusiastic, open-hearted women of all ages, teens to seventies. In theory we were writing personal essays (for a clear definition of what constitutes a personal essay as opposed to memoir, read this), but in practice each student shaped those six hours to her own ends. The mind mapping was a big hit.
No one is making me breakfast this morning. #imisssquam #lovegroupdining #squam2017 #squamlove2017 #squamlove #ineedmaplesyrupA post shared by Sue Greene (@suegreene) on
I connected with mind-blowingly talented teachers (see if you can spot me above having our last breakfast with my cabin-mates Mary Jane Mucklestone and Karen Templer), caught up with friends I made way back at my first Squam in 2011, and got ideas for future projects that absolutely light me up. More on that...eventually.
Evening lights at my cabin Cragsmere. We are all cozy. #squamartworkshops #squamlove #squamlove2017 #rdcsquam A post shared by Cordula (@handherzseele) on
My block printing!! I only cried a little while drawing. #squamlove #saw2017 #squamartworkshops Class with the beautiful @penelope_dullaghan! A post shared by Jessica MF (@jessica.mf) on
I know I keep saying I'm going to get back into blogging more frequently and consistently, but after teaching this time around I do feel more motivated—I had several conversations with similarly ambivalent bloggers ("I feel silly writing and putting it out there when it feels like nobody's reading it"), and I figured we could just make a point of reading and responding to each other's work. Community is what we come for, after all! See plenty more pics where these came from using the Instagram hashtag #squamlove2017.
Fall Squam 2014
Each time I blog about the latest Squam retreat I'm reminded of how inadequate language truly is. It's impossible to convey the transformative magic of this place to someone who hasn't been here.This was my first time teaching, and while I came with the express intent of stepping into my teacherhood, I received SO much more than that. People (who'd taken my class, or had heard good things) kept asking where else I was teaching, if I offer e-courses and the like, which has me thinking deeply again about creating my own opportunities. I connected with kindred spirits—special shout outs to Liv White, who picked me up at North Londonderry a day early so we could help decorate the playhouse, and who has one of the purest hearts I have ever encountered; and to Sarah Greenman, whom I love with a fierceness that is eerily disproportional to the precious-little time we spent together IRL. I did the woo-woo thing with my wonderful cabin-mates (and fellow teachers), some of whom (fortunately for me!) live in the Boston area. I shared a story from my childhood at lunchtime on Saturday and wound up bawling onto my empty plate; it was a huge breakthrough and I'm so grateful to Dixie for her insight. Even when I found myself in conflict with a very dear friend, I could (eventually) see it for the gift that it was.Because EVERYTHING is a gift. Even when it's hard, it's a gift. How else are we supposed to grow? 
I also can't adequately convey just how excited I am about life right now. I'm hatching all sorts of plans for workshops and books that will go even deeper than I had time for in only six hours, and I've taken down the old stuff on my "learn with me" page to make space for these new projects. I'm so, so grateful to my dear friend Elizabeth for giving me the opportunity to share what I've learned, and go on learning as I do so.
A parting gift from @ccerruti at @squamlove. pic.twitter.com/LlOeWSyfAS
— Camille DeAngelis (@cometparty) September 14, 2014
Plotting the Course
My Up & Writing workshop prep has been somewhat addicting. I love shaping and refining my thoughts for (what will hopefully be) maximum impact. I leave for Squam bright and early tomorrow morning! 
June Squam 2014, part 3
("Blossoms unspooled from her mouth"; June Squam 2014, part 2; all Squam entries.)
Why has it taken me two and a half months to finish blogging about June Squam? I guess I've wanted to focus on drawing rather than writing about drawing. I'm doing it, I'm really doing it—one drawing a day for eight minutes (or more, depending on how much I'm into it). Some drawings are meh and others I'm really proud of. Either way, the point is, I'm doing it, for almost sixty days in a row now!—and I'm tweeting my drawings. I'm so grateful to Kerry Lemon for giving me the space and encouragement to make that breakthrough.
An essential part of this drawing-and-sharing process has been learning to recognize the stories I tell about myself—stories that are outdated, or were never accurate to begin with. In this case, the story was I'm a better writer than I was an artist, with variations on that theme:
If I were talented enough, I would have run with it when I had the chance.
I didn't get that portfolio together in time to apply to art college, and that was MEANT TO BE.
I should leave drawing and painting to people who are real artists. People with VISION, who know what they're doing. It's enough for me to appreciate and support the real artists.
I can't draw faces.
And so on, and so on. Most of these "stories" are nonsense, and yet we live out our lives believing them, and letting them hold us back. It feels so good to have reached the point at which I don't care what anyone says or thinks of what I make, if anyone considers it "worthwhile." It's my time, so I get to be the person who decides that. And anyhow, everyone who saw my drawings said lovely supportive things, so it's not like I have any naysayers buzzing nearby. I'm so blessed to have friends and family who support me no matter what I want to do. 
There'll be more Squam awesomeness coming soon, since this time I'm going back to teach!
June Squam 2014, part 2
(June Squam 2014, part 1.)
Retreats like Squam Art Workshops are becoming more popular as people (okay, mostly women) realize how important it is for their emotional and spiritual well being to reconnect with their creativity, not to mention nature: the pines! The stars! The loons calling across the lake at night! You drink it all in and you are replenished.That said, I've noticed some people seem puzzled when I try to explain just how profoundly Squam has changed my life. I almost feel like they want me to justify spending that $1300—there's this implication hanging in the air between us, as if that money were better spent elsewhere. On something, you know, practical.Let me tell you something. The older I get, the more I understand that I can do very little good for anyone else if I am tired and depleted. You want to be with me when I am EXCITED ABOUT LIFE, right? You want some of that joyful energy to rub off on you.Sure, I draw inspiration from lots of places. But when I go to Squam, I "fill up" in the most mindful way—it changes me every time. I want each new experience to change me. That's something I first learned at Harmony Homestead Farm, and it allows me to find meaning in even the most seemingly random encounters.I may overuse the word "random" in casual conversation, but I know nothing truly is. I'll never forget the moment Anne sat down beside me in the playhouse back in June 2011 while the Yarn Harlot was giving one of her typically hilarious talks. Obviously we couldn't introduce ourselves until the talk was over, but we were absolutely communicating without words. I knew her. I knew we were going to be friends—no, that we were already friends, and had been for a very long time.So this year it was mind-blowingly delightful to be able to fall asleep in the same room after reminding each other just how far we've come over the past three years. Anne's blog is more popular than ever, and she is now under deadline with Potter Craft (Random House, NBD!) for Knitting Without Needles, coming out August 2015. I have a new home and a two-book deal under my belt. (Anne moved too, way farther than I did!)Anne's is one of the most satisfying friendships of my life, and you can't put a price tag on that. Squam has given me a wealth of satisfying friendships—Elizabeth and Amy Lou and Kath and Amiee and Jen, plus many more wise and beautiful women. I can't tell you how many times I heard someone call my name, embrace me, compliment my sweater, and how it made me feel to be recognized and appreciated for my creativity. It sounds so simple, but love and joy and unconditional acceptance aren't complex concepts. 
I need to write about Terri's woodworking class and Kerry's drawing class—a BIG breakthrough in Kerry's class especially—but I think I've written enough for one entry. I'll tell you more next week, including more about Sarah Sousa's poetry. (And Anne took my new author photo!! I'm so thrilled! I'll post those pics separately.)
Getting delightfully messy in @kerryannelemon's art class this past weekend at @squamlove: pic.twitter.com/CsvnX27MOF— Camille DeAngelis (@cometparty) June 9, 2014
It was a parade of smiles last night! Love seeing all my students in their new frocks. #squamartfair… http://t.co/hvXLiwWuyv— cal patch (@hodgepodgefarm) June 8, 2014
@cometparty @flaxandtwine I LOVED spending time with you on this hike. So glad we kept going! It was worth every single mosquito bite :)— Jeanne Lewis (@foundermom) June 9, 2014
Laughter and thoughtful conversation on a sunny lakefront porch with a favorite friend @cometparty… http://t.co/cRXXQPLfQY— Anne Weil (@flaxandtwine) June 7, 2014
Blossoms unspooled from her mouth
(A line from poet Sarah Sousa, who gave readings on Friday and Saturday nights at June Squam.)
Proper recap coming soon!
Up and Writing!
I'm thrilled to announce that I'll be teaching at Squam Art Workshops next fall! The class is called Up and Writing and it's designed to help you evolve from a person who daydreams about being a writer into one who actually writes. You may look at my books and see a gulf of experience between you and me, but there isn't, really—as I mention in my first Flashwrite episode, I spent a good deal of time talking and thinking and reading and dreaming about shaping words into stories before I developed a writing practice in earnest.How did I become a "real writer"? More to the point, how can you? Sign up for the workshop and find out! A week at Squam is an incredibly life changing experience in general—you breathe in the delicious pine-scented air, go swimming in the lake, count stars (and lose track), listen to the loons calling at night, learn a lot, get crazy inspired and make friends for keeps. Squam is the closest thing I have ever found to heaven on Earth.Registration doesn't open until January, but you can pre-register to save your spot. I just pre-registered for Spring 2014 and I'm over-the-moon excited. A really cool online workshop with Harriet Goodall—Gift of the Heart—just launched today as well!
The Magic of Myth
You know how much I love Squam Art Workshops. I'm a much happier and more confident person for having attended, and writing that feels like an understatement. When I think of founder Elizabeth Duvivier, who over the past two and a half years has become a very dear friend, I often remember a book my sister wrote a report on in elementary school called Magic Elizabeth. That's how I think of her, because she's given so many people the space and the love they've needed to reconnect with their creativity—to see themselves for who they are, not just who everyone else expects them to be.
It was Elizabeth, too, who encouraged me to dig into the work of Joseph Campbell, and you might remember how much I loved his interview series with Bill Moyers. Joseph Campbell's most famous words are "follow your bliss," and the knowledge, inspiration, and friendships I've received from Squam have made it much easier for me to act on that advice. You can just imagine how excited I was when Elizabeth told me about her new online seminar, "The Magic of Myth"! This isn't just Elizabeth's take on the hero's journey—it's ours. Our lives don't happen to us, we create them, and I'm so looking forward to discussing myths and archetypes and how we can apply them. I signed up for the seminar today, and if you decide to take it too, let me know in the comments!
Happy Stitching
Some things I've been stitching since June Squam 2012:
A gift for Olivia, stitched in Jessica's class.
A few shots of Kate's birthday present, the angry rooster translated from Colombian graffiti, which I began in Rebecca's class: Dissolving the Sulky Solvy (the product you use to transfer the design).
A wedding gift for my cousin Jenni. She asked me to read this poem during the ceremony, so I thought it would be fun to stitch up my favorite lines, with alternating mirror-writing to add some visual interest.
Olivia really wanted to stitch, so I got her some yarn embroidery kits from Jo-Ann for her birthday. (She's six already!!!)
A mystery gift (lyrics! I bet you can guess the song.)
For Kelly and Jeff, with lots of ♥ from Mealey D. (See Cocktails & Calico and Musings from a Beginning Quilter; proper quilt post coming soon!)
Fall Squam, part 2
The table o' writing prompts, before my workshop began.(Fall Squam, part 1; recap on the official Squam blog.)This week I've been feeling wonky in a good way, if that makes sense. Marie Manuchehri's Squam workshop changed my life, but not at all in the way I expected it to. Looking back, I went into it Friday morning all blithe and giddy, like la la la, she will give me lots of pretty, shiny insights! (In case you would rather read on than follow Marie's link first, she's a psychic medium and energy healer in the Seattle area--and a tremendously kind and generous human being.)Silly grasshopper. Insights don't always make you feel good—at least not right away—and truly, it isn't much of an insight if it doesn't yank you out of the confines (emotional or otherwise) you've laid out for yourself. Sometimes you have to deal with the ugly stuff first, and the really amazing thing is that once you stop avoiding the ugly stuff and take a good hard look, it doesn't seem so ugly anymore. Fear makes everything look dark and scary.I know I'm being vague here, but you know I'm doing it on purpose, because this is private stuff. Let me just say this: you can always, always be more honest with yourself. Maybe it's time to be brave, or maybe you're not quite there yet, but either way you'll eventually get your hands dirty digging for truth. I made "fortune cards" for my Saturday morning writing workshop, putting them face down on the table, and Crissy (who was in Marie's workshop with me) chose my favorite Flannery O'Connor quote (thank you, Ann Napolitano): The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it. In other words: it is what it is, so you might as well face it.Thank you to everyone in that class—you were so patient with me, and helped me in the most surprising ways. And thanks most of all to Elizabeth, who I strongly suspect knew I needed to be there. Elizabeth is magical like that.
Okay, we're done with the woo woo stuff. I don't generally do a play-by-play of everything that happened at the retreat, but there are a few fun things I want to share. I also wanted to tell you that I really lucked out with my travel buddy: Alisha and I met on the Squam Community Board, and we drove up and back together, stopping at a hotel in Merrimack on Tuesday night. She is one of my new very favorite people, and I'm bummed we didn't pause for a photo together. (On the upside, I can see her pretty much any time we like!)
On Thursday I went into Kayte Terry's Color and Composition with zero expectations besides playing around with paper and fabric and having a lot of fun doing it--and I did. Kayte isn't into rules and theory, and that suited me really well; I made friends with my exacto knife, and experimented with echoes and negative space and painting on pages torn out of an old dictionary. I'll be posting a "part three" once I've had a chance to finish the projects I started in her class.
(That's a pic of me and Kayte that Julia took with her nifty neo-Polaroid camera.)
First game of Cards Against Humanity with fellow Squammies - so wrong it's right. #fb-- Kathleen Sweeney (@Sweeneybird) September 14, 2012
I went over to Long House after Thursday evening's entertainment (Maya Stein and Jonatha Brooke) to see if Kath (a.k.a. Sweeneybird) wanted to play some Scrabble. I found her with a bunch of people I didn't know yet playing Cards Against Humanity, and I joined in. It's like Apples to Apples, except completely perverted. (Kelly would have loved it.)
Some of the tamer cards in my hand.I used to be one of those people who is way too easily offended, so now I find myself getting even bigger laughs out of stuff like this to make up for all the time I wasted being prudish. This is no judgment on anyone who finds this game to be in poor taste; I totally see why you feel that way. But I had a LOT of fun.
Easterleigh, where I stayed this time.Friday night Amiee, Jen, Karen and I went for a 'swim' off this dock--I use quotes because we just stood in the water, chatted, and looked up at the stars. That was one of my favorite moments.
The writing prompt table, happily picked over.We only had an hour and fifteen minutes for the Saturday morning writing workshop, so I just gave everyone who showed up a little pep talk (make a beginning! any beginning! it doesn't matter if you're only talking about writing right now; I've been there!), then I showed them my collections of words and images and asked them to run with whichever they felt drawn to.
I also talked a little bit about the "mind mapping" technique and put my examples on display. You can read more about that in my Ideas, Part 2 post.
The lovely lady on the left chose my grandparents' wedding photo outtake (my grandfather's hand is hiding his face and my grandmother has this really odd expression on hers, which I've always found intriguing) and the shadow picture of me and Seanan in the Cotswolds. My photo and art postcard collection feels extremely personal, so I loved seeing which pictures the writers connected with on their own terms. (My friend and cabin-mate Julia, on the right, had just come from a Thai massage. I think we were all a little envious.)
Above and below are Amiee and Jen scribbling away--I feel so blessed they were in my cabin, and that we had plenty of opportunities to support and talk each other through the changes we're looking to make in our lives.
By the way, if you took the workshop on Saturday but forgot to add yourself to my email list (or if you weren't there, but are interested), leave me a comment and I'll forward you the email of fun inspirational links I sent out this morning.On Saturday afternoon, after Marie's book talk, I walked up Rattlesnake on my own. I needed to burn off some excess energy and sit in solitude for a little while. What a view, eh?
I had a mission at the art fair Saturday night--to buy $20 worth of raffle tickets for a Squammie who couldn't be there in person. Guess what? She won! (Third prize, a lovely vase from Gleena.) You know that if I'd bought those tickets for myself, I wouldn't have won--and I say that as in 'isn't that marvelous?,' not 'wishing I were luckier.' I already know I'm very, very lucky.
After the art fair I played Scrabble by the fire with Kath and Karen. I did not, however, get a photo with Karen. Next time!Alisha and I had a great deal to talk about and 'process' aloud on the seven-hour ride home, so much so that we never once stopped talking apart from the occasional navigational stuff.
Slightly disconcerting, no? (The truck cab was being towed.)Thank you to everyone this past week who smiled at me, listened to me, and let me listen. I'm so grateful!
Fall Squam, part 1
The ice house. (The iceboxes in the cabins use ice cut from the lake.)I know I say it every time, but this time it's extra-specially true: Squam changed my life, yet again--thanks to Marie Manuchehri (whose workshop I took on Friday) and a whole crew of wonderful friends, new and old.I also facilitated a really fun writing workshop. Eighteen people showed up and scribbled furiously for a good while. It was great.
No-stress story-telling with @pettymagic @squamlove instagr.am/p/Pmd0FPtCT7/-- Finch (Alexandra) (@LittlestFinch) September 15, 2012
For inspiration.
Exercise #1 in Color and Composition (still in process) with Kayte Terry.
The dock at Easterleigh, 7:30am.More soon.
Squam 2012, part 3
(Me, stitching. Photo by Jessica Marquez, who has a book coming out soon!)
I leave for Squam again in a little more than three weeks. I've heard the "vibe" at the September session is quite different than the gleeful fiber-fest that is June, which is just one of many reasons I'm looking forward to the experience. The September session has painting and mixed media classes, jewelry making, and some rather "woo woo" stuff as well. I must say, I'm very excited for the "woo woo."Most exciting of all, though, is the writing workshop I will be facilitating on Saturday morning. I'll tell you more about it afterward, but here's a peek at my prep:
The workshop is called "No-Stress Storytelling." I'll be building on some of the exercises we tried out in my library sessions to get everyone creatively limbered up. Of course, they'll be coming off two full days of art workshops, so some people will be ready to go, but others will need a bit more encouragement. The prospect of a blank page can be paralyzing, especially when you have a nasty little voice in your head telling you you're not a writer, who do you think you are, blah blah blah. The beginning is a tender spot, and I want to honor that. So: there's no pressure. No one else is going to read what you write, unless you choose to share it. You are a writer--a writer is someone who writes, not just someone who has published a book or gets regular bylines. And so forth.Squam is usually on the surface of my thoughts, no doubt because I've been working on my embroidery from Rebecca's class:
Bonnie put this photo of me (with Rebecca and Jeanne) on her blog, and it made me laugh. (See why below.)
Now check out my art club yearbook pictures:
(That's also me in the top left, holding my "Birth of Violet.")I like to think I've grown a great deal since Mr. Heusser took those photos in 1998/1999, but it's comforting to see that the best parts of me--that passion, that single-mindedness--those I get to keep forever.(Squam, part 1; Squam, part 2; Anne's post on Squam 2012.)
Squam 2012, part 2
(Squam, part 1. More Squam recaps here.)
When you come looking for sugar,your bag will be examinedto see how much it can hold;it will be filled accordingly.
--Rumi
Evenings at the Playhouse. Incandescent Elizabeth. Ahhhhhhhhh.
I made new friends, and grew to love my "old" ones even deeper. It is the loveliest feeling to know there's noplace else you'd rather be, and no one else you'd rather be with.
So in love with @pettymagic. One of the most beautiful people I know! http://t.co/3Nswl36b— Anne Weil (@flaxandtwine) June 10, 2012
Mumsy came along this year, and we had a great time. We took an embroidery class together, and she also took Helene's food photography class:
Savory scents wafted out of the Deephaven kitchen while we worked on our personal monograms in Jessica's embroidery class:
Jess's "E," Crystal's "J," Carol's "B," my "O," and Suzanne's "S." The "A" in the background is Jessica's sample. What a great gift idea! And Jessica is a fantastic teacher.
This shot is so Amy.
Bonnie had her sampler from Rebecca's class last year beautifully finished.
Renee's project inspired some serious embroidery envy! (There's a flamingo on her head!)As you can see, I took two embroidery classes, and they were both awesome. Jessica and Rebecca have very different styles, and I really admire them both.
I was a total enabler at the art fair ("should I?" / "BUY IT, BUY IT!") That gorgeous dress Anne's wearing is from Hodgepodge Farm. My goal for next year is to draft that pattern out of Cal's book and get it sewn! Also, the lovely sweater I have on is Bonnie's Pomegranate. I can't wait to knit it!(I will also be blogging soon about the dress I'm wearing in that photo. Yes, I made it!)
Squam 2012, part 1
Anne, Amy Lou, Jill and Jeanne, Saturday afternoon, Greenwood dock.
Evening light reflected by the surface of the lake.
Remember this?
A cicada shell (?) stuck to the porch screen.
Cragsmere.More soon.
Squam!
Welcome to Nirvana! (I never get tired of that joke.)This past week I was in New Hampshire for an incredibly fun and relaxing fiber arts/needlework retreat, Squam Art Workshop. Home again, I'm a little sad it's over (missing my new friends!) and crossing my fingers I can go back next year, but I'm also feeling really inspired by all the lovely things everyone was making.
Mary Jane makes beautiful swatches. 'I could knit worms all day!'It was a delight to be able to sit and knit and chat with other people who are just as obsessed with their knitting as I am, but more importantly, I realized just how few creative risks I've been taking lately. I need to figure out how to snap out of my routine (writing-wise and creative-wise in general) and find new ways of looking at the world. Last week I like to think I made some headway.
I took a class called Inventing Stitch Patterns with Cat Bordhi. By no means the prettiest stitch pattern in the world, but you've got to start somewhere!
It was really magical to be able to fall asleep (on the first night, anyway; after that it got too cold to keep the windows open) to the sound of the lake-waves lapping on the shore, and the loons making their eerie night-calls. I dunked my feet in every day and tried to swim once, but I couldn't feel my skin and so decided a thirty-second dip was plenty long enough.
Mary Jane's class, in which I finally got the handle of proper colorwork technique.
Here's a (totally crappy, sorry) photo of Jonatha Brooke performing at the Playhouse on Wednesday night. I've been a huge fan of hers since I was in my early teens, so it was pretty amazing to be able to chat with her over dinner. She's a lovely person and an absolutely incredible songwriter. (Check her out on Youtube. And then on iTunes!)(I also got to meet Barbara Delinsky, who was very nice and interested in hearing more about my books! A bunch of us had a knitting circle-slash-chat-about-publishing on Saturday afternoon.)
How gorgeous is this quilt? My awesomely talented roomie Lizzy House designed it. I picked up the pattern at the Squam Art Fair even though (realistically) it'll be years before I get around to making it. In the meantime, though, it's nice to dream about.
Amy, Anne, and Lizzy at Lizzy's table. I also got to see Cal Patch, with whom I took a patternmaking workshop a year and a half or so ago (blogged about it here). Every day in the dining hall was basically a Cal Patch fashion show!
Noel and Elizabeth, who organizes the whole workshop. She is awesome.And of course, even though I said I was NOT going to acquire any more yarn, ahem, I did.
Merino-cashmere sock yarn hand-dyed by the marvelous Jill Draper.
I didn't have to leave too early on Sunday, so I got to hang out on one of the docks with Amy and Noel for awhile. We had a great old chat about books (among other things).So what is it, 360 days until the next spring session? Haha!(Oh, and there are more photos on the Squam June 2011 Flickr group.)