Creating Your Own Project(s) at the Retreat

I had a question about the retreat today, so in case someone else has the same one, I’ll answer it  here: “What if I don’t want to do the projects that you and Kim have planned?”

And the answer to that is, NO PROBLEM. Come anyway! 

Whether you are sewing, crocheting, or knitting, here is the view you will see out a huge wall of windows for 3 days....

Bring along your UFOs, or bring along a new project of your own to start. Kim and I will be there all weekend. While we are both teaching, we also both have long stretches where we don’t have a class. (We are never teaching at the same time, in case there is someone out there who wants to take every single class.) We will be more than happy to help you with anything you wish to do.

If you’re not normally a class-goer, the retreat has many benefits in addition to attending classes. You can hang out with a bunch of kindred spirits doing what you all love best. You get great meals served to you so that you don’t have to cook. You can take walks or even bike rides in a beautiful setting. You can get help when you’re stuck—right then and there. You can talk knitting, crochet, and quilting. Best of all, you do this by getting away from it all—no dishes, no laundry, no cleaning allowed. And we grieve to tell you that the cell service at Raystown is spotty. People may not be able to call you easily. (We have a number they can reach in case of emergency of course!)

The retreat is like a 3-day slumber party for grownups! It gives you me-time, which none of us gets enough of. It gives you quiet if you like, chatter if you like—whatever you wish. It is your weekend! Give yourself permission to relax and have fun!

So spend 3 days knitting, crocheting, and quilting with us, which I bet you never do on your own at home—and think of everything you can accomplish! 

The retreat will be held April 5-7. As I said in the last post, the earlybird deadline has been extended to Saturday, February 9.  (You can still sign up at the regular rates through Feb. 22.) Call us at 814-238-4151 to sign up! We'll be excited to hear from you!

Join us for our Retreat!

First, let's talk turkey--more specifically, Early Bird.

By popular demand (i.e., after that all important "end of the month"), we are moving the Early Bird Deadline to Saturday, Feb. 9.

So you still have plenty of time to sign up for our retreat and save a few bucks! (Perhaps between 10 and 4 during our big sale on Sunday, Feb. 3, would be a great time to sign up!)

Now let's talk about how the retreat works and what we're doing.

You start out on Friday, April 5. You can arrive in the morning or you can wait till after lunch. We of course recommend getting there ASAP to get your weekend started! We'll have a few projects that afternoon to get you going--or you can, as is true all weekend--bring along and your own things and we're happy to help you out with those instead. Your choice.

If you do choose to work on Friday, we've got a couple of projects to choose from. Kim is going to start you on a leaf bowl. It is a very cool, 3-dimensional leaf made from fabric, thread, and a stiff interfacing that can be shaped after heating.

And that afternoon, I'll also teach a class on knitting a Fair-Isle mug cozy. I'm still designing patterns, but maybe something like this would be fun:

Or maybe this:

Oh my. I like that latter one a lot. I think we definitely need to do something with it.

My idea is to learn not only Fair Isle, but also steeking (cutting the work). More on that later.

Friday night we'll have a chicken dinner prepared by a real chef. This is not just regular chicken. The food at Raystown is truly resort quality, and it is delicious.

And after dinner, you can work until 9:00 p.m. And then you can go back to your room to relax and get ready for Saturday!

On Saturday, we'll have breakfast, lunch, and dinner waiting for you. You will be served, and you will not have to do any dishes. Raystown will do all the clean up. (And the cost of the retreat also includes a generous tip for the waitstaff, so no worries!)

Saturday morning, Kim is teaching her "contemporary strings quilt." It will look something like this:

Or maybe this...

...depending on the fabrics you choose!

Meanwhile, I'll be helping people learn to make a cute skirt called Lane Splitter (many thanks to my new best friend, Carol from Toronto, for this wonderful photo):

Saturday afternoon, one of us (or both!) will teach how to knit a beaded necklace. Beads make it special! We're looking through bead books and patterns, and still trying to choose, but we guarantee it will pretty!

And then you can work until 9 p.m. that night. Get a good night's sleep, and be back in time for...

Sunday brunch is at 10:30. (Of course you can start working before brunch if you like!)

Sunday morning, you have a choice of three classes:

Woven basket:

Or, if you crochet, learn Tunisian Crochet with this handy washcloth:

It is nice and thick and wonderful to use!

Or, if you are making the Fair Isle mug cozy, then it's your chance to try steeking! Cynthia will have sewing machine set up and will hold your hand while you cut your knitting and learn how to finish it neatly. Steeking will provide a nice little opening for the mug handle. After you do this, you will be able to bravely cut sweaters and make button bands. Start small, become brave!

In the afternoon, we'll have a choice of making mitered placemats or felted soap--or both!

We'll leave Sunday with only a short drive home, an evening left at home to ... well, let's not think about THAT.

The thing we love best about Raystown (after the food), is that it is close to home so that we can spend more of the weekend crafting rather than driving or flying.

To sign up, just give us a call.

Sign up by February 9 to receive a single-occupancy price of $425, or a double occupancy price of $350 per person. Prices include two nights of hotel, all meals, all gratuities, a nice little goody bag, and all class fees (supplies are extra or you may bring your own). We will have supply lists for you in late February.