This is beginning to be an annual thing. My good friends and I grabbed our current knitting projects, packed some food, and made our merry way to the West Coast of Scotland.

We had booked a little house with some magnificent views.

This is the view from my sea-front bedroom window. I could have stared at this all weekend long. Wait. I think that's actually what I ended up doing.

 

Watching the weather report like hawks, we decided to go for a walk on Saturday morning. I quickly decided to just ramble about on the nearby shore.

I really wasn't wearing the right shoes for rambling.

Later same day we realised we had made the right decision when .. what we know in Scotland as "weather" .. rolled in.

Huzzah for staying indoors with good friends. Some travelled quite far just to be part of our little group and it felt so special just to have to time to talk, work on crafty projects, and forget all about the outside world. I enjoyed the open fire and the assorted 1980s films we watched. I had never seen Labyrinth or Flash Gordon before. My life is definitely enriched.

The little house had some really fantastic needlework and upholstery. Whoever had lived there previously had loved needlework and had collected a nice variety of display items - including this sampler from 1844.

Sadly, by the time we were heading home, the weather had turned even worse and we caught the very last ferry back to the mainland.

We are already talking about next year's retreat but we think we might try to find somewhere on the mainland as some of my friends did not enjoy the choppy seas. But it is becoming an annual tradition and I am grateful. The beginning of the year is always a bit bleak as we wait for spring to arrive. The knitting retreat gives us all a boost when we need it the most.