I'm writing to you this week from the middle of a beautiful Oregon forest. The Spin-Off Autumn Retreat (SOAR) is well underway, and as usual it is a sight to behold. The beautiful Sunriver Resort has been taken over by 300 spinners, weavers, and felters, and magic is in the air (our dining hall (left) even looks a bit like the Great Hall at Hogwarts!). By day, the country's foremost spinning masters impart their knowledge to willing and excited students, by night spinners gather in corners to swap drinks and fondle yarn, crazy yarn tricks abound, and stories are shared.

I've peeked in at Michael Cook teaching students how to reel nearly microscopic silk filaments, Stephenie Gaustad demonstrating on a charka, and Sara Lamb explaining how to warp rigid heddle looms. A few rooms are coated in plastic wrap in preparation for dying and felting, there are fleeces laying everywhere, and bits of fiber line the pathways. In short, we're having a grand spinnerly time!

I sat near a woman at this year's welcome ceremony who has been spinning for decades yet is taking Maggie Casey's Spinning 101 class this year. She told me that no matter how much you know, you can always learn something at SOAR - and I think that's the perfect sentiment to sum up the spirit of this event. No matter what class you take or how much you know before you get here, you will always leave amazed by what you've learned, both in class and out.

If you've never been to SOAR, I encourage you to try to come at least once - and if you're a SOAR lifer, then we'll see you next year for even more adventures!