I know – it seems like Spring Fling was ages ago! (April 21-25). And here we are, just getting to the recap and contest. Life has been a little a lot crazy for the past few months. But we loved having so many of you here for the Fling and we sure appreciate all of the lovely notes and emails you have sent since you arrived back home! Here’s a little recap, with a contest (and a reminder) at the end:
Although the Fling starts on Thursday, quite a few Flingers arrive a day earlier. We had Franklin Habit do his B is for Purl talk about historic knitting patterns on Wednesday night for anyone (Flingers or locals) who wanted to attend. I left wondering why anyone in their right mind would want to tackle knitting an antique knitting pattern. (Seriously. ????)
Both Wednesday and Thursday during the day we had fun hosting some of the Flingers for shopping and knitting on the red couches. (And I had fun doing color consults for several people!)
Thursday evening we had a lovely lovely dessert reception with delicious choices and no photos. sigh. And Franklin did his Five Women, Five Shawls talk, about shawls he had designed in honor of five women in his life. Interesting talk and beautiful shawls.
Friday brought the beginning of classes and shopping trips to Loopy. We had Franklin, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, Joanna Johnson and Marilyn King as our Fling teachers this year, and had great feedback from all of the classes. They did an amazing job.
I like to go on the Loopy trips (even though I am always sorely tempted to sign up for the great classes that are going on at the hotel.) It’s SO fun to have everyone wandering the aisles, helping each other with color choices, and then hanging out and knitting on the red couches until the shuttle bus returns.
Friday night is dinner on your own and then knitting in the knitting lounge – always fun! And at the end of that evening, that’s where my part of the story ends. I woke up during the night with such a pain in my lower back that I thought I must have kidney stones. (I have never had them, but I have heard they “are more painful than anything else” and that’s what this felt like. I could barely get out of bed.) A quick trip to the ER on Saturday morning showed no kidney stones, but my sciatic nerve causing the pain and numbness down one leg. (Never had that before either. Never ever ever want it again.) Since I couldn’t sit up or walk, I was sidelined for the rest of the weekend. And I was SO SAD!!!! But the fun went on just fine without me. 🙂 More classes and Loopy shopping trips on Saturday during the day.
Loopy Elf Michael went above and beyond the call of duty by heading to the hotel to take the group photo on Saturday late afternoon. It looks like almost everyone made it to the photo shoot. It’s always hard to get everyone looking up at the same time, though.
Fortunately, Web Guy and Knitting Daughter did a grand job (from what you all tell me) with the doorprizes and wrapup on Saturday night, with a little help from Claudia for prize distribution to the different winners. (That means running the prizes to the different tables. She’s quick!) We had such lovely donations from many wonderful companies, and it was fun to give all of that away.
A huge shout-out and thank you to Blue Moon Fiber Arts, Dream in Color, Cascade, Malabrigo, Soak, Lorna’s Laces, Shalimar, HiyaHiya, George Sichterman Woodwork, Atenti, Appalachian Baby, Kelbourne Woolens and Blue Sky Alpacas for their generous donations! And to my friends Sheryl (who takes off work to help at the Fling) and Janice (who flies in from Iowa to help at the Fling) for being on-location at the hotel, making sure everyone was happy and everything ran smoothly each day! And to my friends Claudia and Maria for popping over from Germany to help and hang out with us all weekend as well. So wonderful to have them all here!
And that brings us to the contest. I have one Goody Bag that I saved for a blog drawing. It even includes the special Loopy coffee mug that we gave out to all in attendance on Saturday night. Who would like it? Leave a comment below and we’ll do the drawing next week and will ship the whole thing off to some lucky person!
Our next Fling is scheduled for October 5-8, 2017. (All of the September weekends are already booked there for 2017. FPS.) We will have more wonderful teachers, fun classes, happy shopping trips, and another great goody bag for you, and we hope you all can attend!
One last thing – Camp Store Week One ends tomorrow (Wednesday, May 18th) so if you’d like a discount on Project One Yarn or Fabric, get those final orders in. And if you signed up for Camp Club, be sure to check out with your first month’s kit, which is in your shopping cart.
Sheri anxiousforthenextFlingtoarrivesinceImissedoutonhalfofthisone!
What a fun goodie bag! I’d give it a very good home, if you drew my name.
The fling sounded wonderful as always…maybe one of these days I can get there for the fling. But definitely for another trip up from Tampa to Ft. Collins :)!
The Fling sounds & looks like so much fun! Sorry that you weren’t well and had to miss some of it. Of course, I’d love win that fabulous goodie bag!
A trip to Fling is on my bucket list:)
Sorry to hear about the sciatica. I hope it’s gone for good.
If it’s possible, I had more fun at this Fling than previous Flings – must be because I got to see ‘old’ friends and make some ‘new’ friends …
Spring fling sounded wonderful. Too bad Colorado is so far away. I would love a goody bag if my name was drawn
Franklin Habit is the bomb!
It looks like a fun time, maybe one of these years I will get to attend.
I had the most marvelous time at Fling! I received a bunny gift bag and purchased the hippo bag because they were so awesome! And I’m so excited the Fall Fling will be in October is tax extension busy season, so I thought I’d have to wait for the next Spring one. Yeah!
Who wouldn’t want to be at a Fling and to have that super great goody bag? I’m hoping that now that I live closer to TLE and am retired that I can put my name in for Fling in the future. It sounds like such a lot of fun, and a great opportunity to meet many of the knitters on TLE Ravelry group in person. Having all of them to ‘talk’ with has been a great boon to the past few years.
Wowsers! What a great goody bag! To win this goody bag would be almost (but not quite) as good as being there in person…congratulations on another successful Spring Fling!
Hope your body heals quickly…it was probably all the stress!
That is a great and fun bag!
#1 – I hope you never have another attack of Sciatica!
#2 – There will be several wonderful reasons put forth by folks as to why they’d like to win this goody bag, but I think I have the best. That’s my picture all over that Bungalow 360 bag!
Looks like the fling was a lot of fun! Maybe someday I’ll get to go to one….
What a treat that would be! Other than visiting your store, of course, which I hope to do some day!
I’d love it! Maybe I can even attend the next fling!
Winning a goody bag would not be the same as being there and getting one…but I’d take it!
I would love to win, looks fab!
spring fling sounds like so much fun! i wish sometime to attend!
I’d love to win it for a Ravelry friend who didn’t get to come, this year, because of family issues. She would be so thrilled!
Have had the sciatic pain and I agree. Never, ever want that again! Maybe a really soft, knitted cushion or two would help for sitting? Feel better!
So sorry to read about your trip to the E/R! I hope you’re feeling better! This goody bag looks amazing! I would be so excited to win! Thank you! Stephanie (indigodogmontana on Rav)
Fling sounds so wonderful (except for your sciatica — no more of that) that I really need to attend some day. I’m going to start planning and saving my $$ for next year, but I’ll also see you in a week or so when I come to Fort Collins to visit my son. I can’t wait!
Oh my, so sorry to hear about the Sciatica. I met my DH during his bout of that, he thought it was a miracle I ever spoke to him again. The really great news is that he has been very good about doing a few brief stretches/exercises for his back and he has been fortunate to avoid that. IOW, check out some PT if you haven’t yet.
Sounds like another fun and successful Fling! Would really love to attend one someday. The Goody Bag looks awesome!
The Loopy Fling is on my bucket list. Someday!
That hippo bag is too cute!
I collect coffee mugs and the rest of the goody bag is really nice too!
Hope you’re feeling better
I always love seeing the Fling Recap pictures – so many smiles, and so much fun knitting!
Great bag! All the goodies are great too. Thanks for saving a goody bag for a blog giveaway. Are you feeling better?
Me! Me!Me! I so loved attending the last Fall Fling. I hope to make it to another someday. A goody bag would sure ease the wait til next fling.
Didn’t get to go to this years fling but loved last years. Your goodie bags are really great!
Wow! What a great idea! Thank you for thinking of all us blog lovers who can’t attend!
Looks like lots of fun — being in Colorado in the spring is the icing on the cake!
Looks like an amazing time had by almost all! Sorry to hear that you were down during the weekend! Maybe one year I’ll be able to join the festivities!
Sherri- I hope you feel better soon! It sounds nasty about the sciatic nerve thing. Anything back related is never a good thing.
Fling sounded fun! One of these days for me!
Someday, I’m gonna make it to that Fling …
What a great goodie bag! I’d be very happy to give it a good home.
Fling sounds like it was so much fun! Since I could not make it, I will be happy for those who could be there! Maybe next time for me!
What a great lineup. I hope to get there someday!
Whoa! What an amazing giveaway!
Love following this blog and seeing all the fun things everyone does with beautiful yarn!!
That looks like so much fun!
And while I’m sorry for you that you didn’t get the September weekend you wanted, I actually squeeled when you announced the date for the next Fling. See, I teach HS, and never have break when you have the fling and don’t feel like I can take days off, but we have a chance of having vacation that week (I don’t know the schedule yet, but should know before the lottery) and as we usually have the first week of October off, I might be able to go! I’m really excited. 🙂
Thanks for the recap Sherri! I’ve always wanted to go to a Loopy Fling -maybe next year I’ll make it
Oh my, how I would love to have this goodie bag! Mostly would love to go to the fling! Maybe in a year or so, as I love the yarns I have bought, knitting my socks that I proudly wear! Sorry you were ill and hopefully your sciatica will never return!
Some day I will visit your store…right now I am so, so far away!
What an amazing gift you are offering us – thank you for your generosity. I am always inspired by your blog posts, beautiful selection of yarn and amazing customer service! Hope to be the lucky recipient of this gift 🙂
I hope you are doing better. What a rotten thing to happen during the Fling!
I could find a home for all those goodies!!
Ooh, thank you for the chance to win wonderful goodies! Glad you’re feeling better now.
Fling looks and sounds like so much fun! Maybe one day ….