I got home from teaching at Squam late on Sunday evening. I have been letting the trip marinate in my mind for a bit before posting... There's so much to say, so much I did, so much I learned and so much I opened my mind to. I came home with a sense of fullness - not my tummy - my brain and my spirit.

Before I left a friend said to me "be prepared to have all of the feelings." We laughed and she gave me advice on what to pack, but the thing is, I did have all the feelings. I laughed myself silly sitting around the fireplace with the other teachers, I cried on the docks while watching stars I hadn't seen since I was a kid, I became friends with people I felt like I had known all my life, I picked up a stick and some yarn and started weaving. There are so many "I's" in this paragraph, but I went for the students and to teach advanced lace, but I got more out of it than I ever anticipated. All of the friends and students thanked me, but it's them who deserve thanks. They woke something up in me and my sense of adventure, creativity and some personal issues I've been struggling with seem to have started to untangle.

A lot of words like "magical, inspirational, life-changing" are thrown around regarding Squam, and while those are all good words to describe it, when I think of my experience there, the word I come up with is "grateful."

If you ever find yourself in a position to attend (and there are multiple workshops throughout the year in different locations), I cannot recommend it enough. The founder, Elizabeth, has started something incredible out there in the woods of New Hampshire on Squam Lake. I hope to be part of it again in the future.

A boatload of new patterns is heading your way (some photographed at Squam!) so hang tight while I unpack and get back to reality.