Retreating this weekend...

I leave from work on Friday through the afternoon on Sunday. No. This isn't a retreat to Rhinebeck. Perhaps I can squeeze that in next year! (or not.)

This is the annual retreat for the Catholic women of our County and I really need it -- both the spiritual aspects and the actual retreating aspects. Life has been quite stressful over the last two weeks and this escape retreat comes at the right time!

There will be free time and group discussion time and some social hours interspersed with quiet reflection and seminar-style presentations on various topics. At least, I think so as that is how all the others I have attended were structured. So, I'm taking a few smaller knitting projects with me to work on during the 'down' times and perhaps some of the social times. I'm bringing: a Christmas present that needs an inordinate amount of I-cord to be knitted before the felting and putting together of it; newborn/preemie hat patterns, yarn and appropriate knitting needles and crochet hooks; multidirectional scarf (1/2 way done - hope to finish for Christmas!); and the new Transitions skeins I purchased to make myself that hat. I probably won't touch half of this but I'd rather bring it all and not knit, than leave it home and want to work on something!

I hope by bringing a variety of WIPs it will be easier to have something to work on because certain fibers are just too hard for me to work with when it is hot. Temps are expected in the low 60s. That was what was supposed to happen during the last retreat, but it got VERY warm in the house, even with mild temps outside. So, I brought some warmer weather fibers/projects and the really wooly ones - what gets knitted depends on the weather! and I'm really hoping there will be time to work on the things I bring.

I can sing and knit (if I know the song). I can pray and knit - I do it all the time. In fact, knitting relaxes me so I can pray sometimes. There is such a cacaphony of voices and issues and thoughts and problems crowding my brain that I often knit, pray and think to quiet them all. So, knitting would be good for me, but I don't want to appear rude or disrespectful. I'll have to play it by ear.