JANUARY 22-25, 2024 RETREAT REPORT
Eighteen Guild members gathered together in mid-January at the Viña De Lestonnac Retreat Center in Temecula to celebrate communal knitting and friendship.
To reach Temecula we drove through a rainstorm that broke the previous rainfall record set in 1967. Some arrivals were delayed due to the severe weather. Bright lights and warm temperatures inside our classroom welcomed us as we arrived one by one.
Meals three times each day were a short stroll up to the dining room, delicious no matter what the time of day or night. We were delighted when Freddy, our favorite chef, returned to the retreat center kitchen after a brief absence.
Between meals we worked on a variety of projects: sweaters, shawls, socks, hats, fingerless gloves, and blankets. There was much talent and enthusiasm in our classroom. At times there was complete silence in the room, each person concentrating on her individual project. And then someone would make a comment to her friend beside her and conversation would begin again, sometimes spreading throughout the entire group of 18, so much sharing of knitting and topics beyond the world of fiber and patterns
.It was days and nights of comfort and joy. We had planned to play a game of Knitting Bingo on the first day as an ice breaker to begin our time together. We never played it. The ice was broken the moment we stepped inside a world of warmth and love. We’ll play it in August at our next retreat in Temecula.
— Mary Lovett, Retreat co-ordinator
Gallery of photos from the 2024 Winter Retreat. Click on any photo to enlarge and start a slide show.
