Knitting Retreat #14--a great success!

I hosted the 14th annual Okanagan Knitting Retreat at Sorrento Centre the last weekend of May.  I've spent the intervening week unpacking and putting stuff away, and reflecting on the experience.  I've enjoyed receiving e-mails and pictures from the participants--a selection follows...  (I didn't even take my camera out of the case so none of these pictures are mine.)

Patti Roberts sent me this photo of the Centre's office, the original home on the property,
"Spes Bona", taken just before we headed out on a walk. 

About 10 - 15 of us meet for a walk daily at 6:30 AM.  This year we enjoyed spectacular weather.  Patti also commented, "It was a beautiful weekend. I always leave the retreat full of inspiration."

Diane working on her head-band in the Fair Isle class.  (photo by Kathy Chapman)

Close-up of a headband becoming a toque (photo by Kathy Chapman)

This year we had our youngest ever participant.
This is Zephy in the lace class.  (photo by Zee)

I asked Zephy to speak at our wrap-up session about her experiences.
She's wearing her own creation--she developed one of the
lace samplers into a little scarf. (photo by Zee)

Zephy talked about how she had been wanting to come to a retreat for a few years and her mother finally agreed that she was old enough (she's ten and in Grade 5).  I joked about how she had already been to a retreat in-utero because her mother was at the first retreats.

For other great images from the retreat, check Myriam's blog  

Many positive comments have been received about the retreat.  This is very heartening because it's frankly more of a service to my community of knitters!  This is one way that I "knit my community together" so thanks to all my knitting friends for your support.  One participant remarked "You know an event is truly a success when the participants' biggest complaint is that it was over too soon.  Thanks for all you do...can't wait 'til next year!"  

Retreat #15 will be May 23 - 26, 2013 (It's always the weekend after the Victoria Day weekend).  Registration will open on February 1st on my website  The theme will be Celebrate!  Our favourite topics from previous retreats will be showcased.

Okanagan Knitting Retreat 2011

Registration will soon be open for the 13th annual Okanagan Knitting Retreat scheduled for May 26 - 29 at Sorrento Centre on Shuswap Lake.

Celeste Culpepper will be leading the workshop "Toe-Up Socks using Circular Needles". She sent me some images of the socks she made for her family this past Christmas--she calls these socks Woolie Wellies because they're made from a lovely thick wool, suitable for wearing in your boots.

Explore knitting socks from the toe up using either two circular needles or one long
circular needle (Magic Loop Method).
How…Start with Judy’s Magic Cast On and learn when to start the increases for the heel. Create a gusset heel (no short rows), decide what type of leg pattern to create, and end with Jenny’s Surprising Stretchy Bind Off.
You will be working from a pattern so don’t worry, there won’t be any blanks to fill in. There will be hand outs for other types of cast ons, heel constructions, and bind offs. We will also discuss adapting top down sock patterns into a toe-up format.
Celeste Culpepper of Nelson has been knitting for decades and designing for the last one. Her designs have been published in Hemp for Knitting, the Page-a-Day Knitting calendars, Knit Scene magazine and the book No Sheep for You. Her Teardrop Scarves pattern will be appearing in the upcoming Interweave Press anthology The Best of Interweave Knitted Lace scheduled to be released in fall 2011. Please visit her website http://www.celesteknits.ca/

Another pair of fabulous toe-up socks from Celeste's needles are these ones that she knit for her daughter. The name of this pattern is Deathflake.

The 12th Annual Okanagan Knitting Retreat

The latest knitting retreat at Sorrento Centre was a big success. For the first time we scheduled three concurrent workshops--each of the 56 participants chose one workshop for the whole weekend--and the choices were Contemplative Knitting, Knit Until it Fits and An Introduction to Lace Knitting.




I have opted to post images of close-ups of hands knitting--I just love looking at the different ways that people hold their yarn and needles.

The next retreat is scheduled for May 26 - 29, 2011. The most likely theme is "Socks", and again there will be a selection of workshops--for example, perfecting the fit, different heels and toes, and knitting from the toe-up or cuff-down.