Paper & Book Camp 2.0, Shake Rag Alley, April 2026

This multi-day workshop was held April 24th - 26th at beautiful Shake Rag Alley in Mineral Point, WI.  I take many classes there.  I'm also a volunteer at Shake Rag.  Karen Robison, our instructor (and a friend) is a wonderful teacher.  She is very knowledgeable and down-to-earth! 

Most workshop supplies were provided.  Students were invited to bring additional items from home if desired.  I brought lace, in addition to paper. Lots of lace!

We learned many interesting techniques!  Among them tea dyeing, cyanotype, layering, masking, and more!  Some students choose to bind their papers into books.  Karen showed several binding techniques. Other students are using their dyed/manipulated paper/fiber creations for collage projects.  

 

 

All text and images ©️Suzanne Myers Otto

Old Faithful Winter Expedition

Our fifth visit to Yellowstone National Park took place early this year. "Lodging and Learning" vacations are offered through Yellowstone Forever, the educational arm of the park.  All of our trips to Yellowstone have centered around their lodging and learning offerings.  

We'd originally been scheduled to go on this trip in February of 2024.  We had to cancel that trip due to unforeseen circumstances.  So, we decided try again this year!  This was our first wintertime visit to the park.  The program we attended, Old Faithful Winter Expedition, was held February 12 - 16.  We flew from Madison to Bozeman, MT on Monday, the 10th.  We then traveled to Mammoth Hot Springs on Feb. 11th, via Zanterra’s winter shuttle service.  We purposely arrived early in order to acclimate to Yellowstone’s high altitude.

Our expedition group included 10 participants plus a naturalist guide and a snow coach driver.

Winter is a great time to see Yellowstone.  Only two of the park lodges are open during winter and we stayed in both of them.  While the lodges were full, there were FAR fewer visitors than we've seen on any of our previous trips.  Most of the roads are closed to private vehicles in the winter.  Travel is only by snow coach or snow machine (snowmobiles as we call them in Wisconsin).

I took hundreds of photos on this trip.  I'm posting just a few of them here. Usually we'd drive to Yellowstone, but this was a winter trip, so we traveled via Delta Airlines.  The first photo shows the Bozeman/Yellowstone Airport.  The setting is very pretty.  Other photos show scenery near, or in, Yellowstone.  The last photo (which doesn't want to be centered) features my yarn haul from "STIX" in Bozeman.  I bought the locally produced yarn on the last full day of our trip. I then had it shipped home to Wisconsin. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                      

                    All text and images ©️Suzanne Myers Otto

Go Pack Go!

My husband won a pair of tickets to a Green Bay Packers home game at Lambeau Field.  As part owners of the team, we were delighted to attend a game.  We’ve been to a few Packers games, but it had been awhile since we’ve been to Lambeau Field.  The game was the Packers vs. the Ravens on Dec. 27th. Our seats were in a suite (!).  They were donated to a Middleton organization by a generous woman who lives in Beaver Dam.  All of our food and drink was included, as well as a stop by a dessert cart outside the suite during halftime (who knew?).

Not wanting to drive to Green Bay on a winter day, we found chartered bus transportation through a local Packer fans club.  We've DONE the drive to Green Bay in winter.  And it is not pleasant!

While the Packers went down in defeat, the trip was still enjoyable.  We were able to visit parts of Lambeau Field we'd never seen before. 

 

 

All text and images ©️Suzanne Myers Otto

Knitting Retreat, Sievers School of Fiber Arts

October 2025 was a great time to visit Washington Island, WI.  I was there to attend my first-ever knitting retreat.  An intermediate knitter at best, I was game to attend a retreat with fellow knitters!  It was a great experience all around.

The "Open Studio Knitting Retreat" took place from Oct. 7th - Oct. 12th.  I journeyed to Washington Island, WI one day ahead of time.  I stayed at the Inn at Frog Hollow, a charming B & B I'd stayed at before. The entire experience was wonderful.  Fellow knitters at the retreat were very welcoming.  Many have been attending this retreat for years.  The retreat typically fills quickly once registration opens.  There was an instructor-lead knitting class running concurrently in the other studio. Those knitters were friendly as well. The staff at Sievers is top notch. Don't hesitate to go there if the chance arises!

I took the Washington Island ferry on October 6th, arriving a day ahead of the retreat.  The day was initially blustery.  The weather improved upon arrival on the island.  I drove around on the island.  I visited Schoolhouse Beach.  Eventually I stopped in at the Sievers School of Fiber Arts gift shop.  It's simply the best gift shop around, especially for those who are into fiber, basketry, and other handmade goods. 

Photos are pure eye candy!  Some show scenes from Sievers, the world’s cutest dog spotted outside a gift shop, the Inn at Frog Hollow, signage at the knitting retreat, and, riding on the ferry to and from Washington Island.  Oh, and there’s a “class” photo too!  I'm in the row that's standing. I'm wearing an orange print shirt.  Last photo shows the two shawls I worked on while at the retreat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All text and images ©️Suzanne Myers Otto