a little red hen: More Knit Retreat & Safe Sex

Sharing skills was an important part of the experience. Here's Beth, who arrived with 500 stitches (not a typo) she was knitting for a baby sweater gift. Tina gives her instruction on how to spin. It's the ten days since we left Medomak, I bet she's a pro on the wheel. Beth came all the way from South Carolina. She told us about many knitting blog sites and techniques she'd tried. She was also the one who scoped out the vineyard, Cellardoor Winery, in Lincolnville, a non-yarn field trip. I tried and liked their blueberry wine. If you're looking for something different to do, Cellardoor's owners are retiring and the place is for sale. Sadly, the "liquid alert" for air travel happened just before we left; Beth had to figure out what to do with the gifts she'd planned to take home.

Nancy, a librarian at the 42nd Street library in New York, also eluded my camera. She knew Medomak from the time she was a camper at the original summer camp on the site. Hope was the third librarian, and just retired. She brought a huge UFO along. Almost looks as if she has a sheep on her lap. Bill and Geri, our instructors, had a great idea toward the end: we'd make hats for Miriam, our cook, and Christine, the Retreat director. We passed the knitting from person to person. Doing this and surprising them definitely felt like kids' camp.

The final evening I displayed the four knit Condom Amulets I always carry, spoke about Safe Sex. The next morning Geri Valentine handed me two woven pieces that hung from her spinning wheel--one held her oil bottle-- and told me, "Add these to your Condom Amulet collection." I was very moved to receive them, my first gift of these magical objects to ward off evil. Always a timely matter, AIDS 2006, the 16th International Conference began in Toronto on August 13, as I spoke about HIV. Please listen/ look at this Time magazine photo essay. Six women and men talk about The Graying of AIDS--people just like us.

February 2010