November 8th - 10th, 2024 - 10th Annual!
Hampton Inn & Suites, Belleville Ontario 

We are having our retreat at the gorgeous 4 year old Hampton Inn in Belleville! It’s only 10 mins from the train station if you want to travel on Via Rail and grab a taxi to the hotel.

This luxury hotel has lovely spots to sit and knit and socialize in their common area, plus it even has an indoor swimming pool!

With this retreat you will each contact the hotel directly (613-779-2000) and book your own rooms and pay for those separately from the rest of the retreat.  

I negotiated a group room rates for us and this rate is good until October 1st if paid in full. 
King rooms with 1 king bed are $189 a night

Queen rooms with queen beds (that can be shared with another person) are $179 a night

 Meals

I am working with caters, San Souci in Belleville and we are working with to make sure we have choices for dietary restrictions of gluten free, vegetarian and dairy free. I’m working on the menus with them now. The meals will be a buffet style with numerous choices. 

Workshop details are near the bottom of this page. 

Please note, there will be a $100 fee for cancellations before October 1st, 2023. After October 1st, 2023 no refunds will be available.

Our Instructors this year are...

Fiona Ellis is an incurable creative. From early lessons in creating knits with her grandmother, on to studying for a bachelor-of-arts degree in fashion knitwear design, and throughout almost three decades of work as a professional designer, her river of creative ideas just flows and flows. She has shared her creative concepts and designs through her books, her on-line lessons, her live workshops and in person. Fiona has developed a mindful approach to her work and teaching, rippling out of her experiences as a yoga instructor. She loves to share her passion with her students - let Fiona change your world by drawing out your own inner uncurable creative!

Fiona is the author of the books Inspired Cable Knits, Knitspiration Journal and Inspired Fair Isle Knits & is also an instructor at Craftsy.

She is also a qualified Yoga instructor.
You can find out what she is currently doing at www.fionaellisonline.com also see her extensive design portfolio on Ravelry: http://www.ravelry.com/designers/fiona-ellis

Itinerary

FRIDAY

Arrival anytime after 3 pm at Hampton Inn & Suites, 784 Bell boulevard, Belleville.

Breakfast 8 am - 8:45 am in the hotel front room next to the lobby on the main floor.

Saturday Morning Workshops 9:00 am - 12:00 pm (Choose one)

1A. "Cable Confidence" with Fiona Ellis

Skills Required:>Fiona would like to teach the whole world how to knit cables because she LOVES the technique! In this workshop she will show you how to twist in different ways, and how to read, not only charts, but also your own knitting. For newer cable knitters there will be time to get up close and personal with charts, abbreviations and terminology. And more experienced cable knitters will be encouraged to try their hand at CSI (cable stitch investigation) from samples that Fiona will provide.
Fiona will move onto showing you how to add your own cable ideas to simple projects for stunning details. This workshop is a must for newer knitter who love the look of texture, or knitters who need a refresher with a twist.

Materials to bring: 

• ball of light-coloured medium weight yarn
• appropriate sized needles & cable needle

 

1B.
A handy tool to help knitters understand and breakdown pattern instructions with ease."Introducing; Row Maps" with Chad Lewis

Have you ever fallen in love with a pattern, only to get lost in the instructions right from the start? You may see something like: “Repeat section two 16 times, alternating CC1 for CC2 every fourth row, decreasing every third row 5 times, then once every sixth row 2 times.” Yikes!!!
What the heck does this mean? Sometimes the complexities of written instructions can cause you to abandon a project before you even start.

This class teaches easy tips and tricks to help you better understand patterns, decipher
confusing instructions, and introduces you to a wonderful new tool called “Row Maps.” These tools and tricks will give you confidence to take on any written instruction challenge, so that you can master all your favourite patterns with ease.

Materials to bring:

• Feel free to bring any patterns you may be struggling with.
• along with a notebook and pen, and get ready to see patterns through a whole new lens.

Lunch 12:30 pm in the conference room on the main floor. Also from 12:30 onward we will be able to check out our vendors goodies! Cabin Boy Knits and Baad Girl Yarns (aka Lesley from Rosehaven's dye kitchen) will be showcasing their hand dyed yarns, accessories & tools.

Saturday Afternoon Workshops 2:00 pm - 5 pm (Choose one)

2A. "Tectonic Techniques - Slipping Snowflakes" with Fiona Ellis

Fiona loves to explore the idea of “morphing” patterns - patterns that shift and change. She has recently begun to think of this as “KnitQuakes” – patterns that fracture apart, slip & slide and reform into new configurations.

In this workshop Fiona will encourage you to play with chart patterns that she will provide (or bring your own) to explore your own unique ideas and create a snowflake inspired chart suitable for a cowl or maybe even a yoke for a sweater.

 Materials to bring: 

• squared paper and pencil
• paper scissors
• tape / glue
• Please note you may not get to knitting your chart in class, so the following is optional: 5-7 part balls from your stash (a few yards each) of differently coloured yarn in a medium weight and yarn appropriate needle.

 
2B. "Just My Style" with Chad Lewis

Adding personal touches to patterns to make them uniquely your own.

The world of knitting is full of gorgeous patterns. Oftentimes we feel called to switch up a section here or there to suit our own taste. Then we hesitate because we are afraid our stitch counts will be off, or it won’t turn out the way we envision it. So we stick with the instructions as is, and pass on the chance to spruce it up with our own unique touches.

This class will give you confidence to veer off the pattern path and head down the road that is calling your name. This could be something as simple as adding a stripe, or small detail here and there. Or something a bit more complex like switching up a hemline, collar design, or even creating a completely different size.

Together we will explore ways to alter designs, and easily implement them into any pattern.
By the end of this class, you’ll be personalizing patterns with design touches all your own.

  Materials to bring: 

• Feel free to bring along any patterns that you’d like to add your own touches to.
• along with a notebook and pen.

 

Dinner 6 pm in the conference room on the main floor.

8 pm - Show & Tell! Storytime! This is your chance to show us something you have created that has maybe a fabulous story for you, or you are super proud of what you accomplished or you just want to show us what you are up to!

We all love to see what you are creating and share with each other so here is your chance!

SUNDAY

Breakfast 8am in the hotel front room next to the lobby on the main floor.

 Sunday Morning Workshop 9:00 am - 12:00 pm (Choose one)

3A: "Back To Roots" with Fiona Ellis

Letting go of bold colour roadblocks.

I love seeing fun, bold colours out in the world, but am often afraid to use them in my knitting. I just can’t envision how a bright pink, neon yellow, or tangy turquoise will fit into one of my favourite knits. Stepping over this barrier is quite simple.

Once you’ve taken the colour plunge it will become easier and easier to trust a brighter colour pallet.

In this class we will learn fun ways to explore colour, giving us a clear idea of what will look good and what might be too much. We’ll learn how to add pops of bright colours here and there, and go totally crazy, using many wild shades to create one of a kind masterpieces that everyone will go nuts for.
Together we’ll cast on a few wacky colour swatches that combine neutrals and bolds, and will help your mind open to a whole new world of colour. You’ll leave the class with all the confidence you need to buy that bright skein and proudly turn it into a bold and beautiful piece of art!

 

Lunch 12:30 pm in the conference room on the main floor.

Departure following lunch