“Will you bring back SOAR?”

Now we can share the news: from September 17 to 22, 2020, we will welcome spinners to a different kind of Spin Off Autumn Retreat!

The event will take place at the Boulder Chautauqua, a historic landmark near downtown Boulder, Colorado, with lodging and incredible views. The instructors come from a rich range of spinning traditions, with familiar and new faces alike. The first part, a two-day retreat, will offer students a chance to sample a variety of techniques, traditions, and applications for handspun yarn. The following two-day intensive provides the opportunity to dive deeper into a single subject. In the evenings, students are welcome to gather for spinning, entertainment, and informal learning from fellow spinners.

Missions House Lodge.

For more than 30 years, SOAR was a beloved institution, gathering far-flung spinners every fall. Like many long-running events, it came to mean something different for every attendee: a time to see friends each year, an opportunity to learn from instructors from around the world, a great shopping experience, an escape. SOAR began as small, informal groups of spinners gathering at the Colorado State University mountain campus, moving to church camps and then resorts as the event grew. Eventually, to allow spinners from across the country equal access, SOAR changed locations every year.

As we plan the first SOAR since 2013, Linda Ligon and I want to welcome spinners to come together in a place that’s special to us, rooted in the Colorado Front Range where Spin Off began over 40 years ago. SOAR 2020 will be a smaller event, with lodging and classroom accommodations for about 65. This Spin Off Autumn Retreat will be different from SOARs of the past . . . but what else is new?

For more information about SOAR 2020, please visit www.spinoffretreat.com.