1st Deposit on Retreat and Class Choices

November 10th - 12th, 2023 - 9th Annual!
Hampton Inn & Suites, Belleville Ontario 

We are changing things up this year! We are having our retreat at the gorgeous 3 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!

Plus we are having special guests Cabin Boy Knits selling their yarn on Saturday! Saturday evening Christopher and Jamie will be doing a meet and greet with a bit of entertainment added into the fun!

The price below, $650, includes all your meals and your classes for the weekend. Your room you will pay directly to Hampton Inn & Suites.

This payment will be the first installment of $325 plus HST and the 2nd payment is due September 1st.

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 x two nights = $378 plus HST 

Queen rooms with queen beds (that can be shared with another person) are $169 a night x 2 nights = $338 plus HST 

Just to make it completely clear, when you share a room with a friend each of you will be paying the same as last year, $819 for your meals, classes & room (which is split with each of you paying for one night). $650 + $169 = $819 per person.

 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...

Introducing our very own County Teacher, Diane Richer.  Her first best quality is patience and her second is her way to teach.  She will take the time to find many ways to explain so that you will learn and retain the knowledge.  As a first language French speaker, she has a tendency to create new knitting terminology; pattern becomes a menu, a stitch marker becomes a doo dad, and it’s always good fun.

Some people call her ‘our Guru’ as she is a passionate knitter, always waning to share her knowledge and her love of the purl and knit.  Come explore knitting’s meditative power as you follow the natural rhythm of you needles. Come play and learn with her!

After working for almost two decades as a journalist, she decided to put aside all those written words and express myself through threads. NAfter retiring her pen, needles are her tools. Through embroidery, she let colour flow and shape the images that will compose my pieces. Knitting, crochet, spinning and weaving are also textile crafts that she masters and plays with to translate thoughts.

Itinerary

FRIDAY

Arrival anytime after 2 pm at Hampton Inn & Suites, 784 Bell boulevard, Belleville.

Breakfast 8 am - 8:45 am in the conference room on the main floor.

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

1A. "2 color Brioche - Basic and Beyond" with Clara Quintela

Skills Required: Must know how to knit, purl, cast on, bind off, and simple increases and decreases.

In this class, you're going to learn how to knit brioche stitch in two colors, a technique that creates a lofty, double sided fabric.

I will guide you step by step, from the German cast on to the German bind off, and making decreases and increases along the way.

Prerequisite: knit & purl with confidence and know how to differentiate one from the other; yarn over.
Also very important: not being afraid of starting over. And a good mood. Always! :)

Materials to bring: 
• worsted weight yarn in two colours.
• needles - 3mm, 3,5mm and 4mm CIRCULAR (24" long) . Note that for the 2 colours brioche, only circular works.

 

1B. "Mitten Garland" with Diane Richer

What a great way to learn to make mittens.  If you already know how why not try some of the Cast-On you learned in the other workshop.  How about new stitches also like the Linen Stitch.

Materials to bring:
• Circular 2.75 mm 32" or 40" so you can use the magic loop method or double pointed needles.
• Contrasting solid colours of smooth Fingering weight yarn.
• Scissors
• Usual knitting paraphernalia (notebook, pen, tape measure...) 
If you prefer to make the mittens bigger than bring 3 mm needles and DK weight yarn. 

Diane will provide:
• Burlap string and small clothes pin

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. "Portuguese Knitting & Combined Style" with Clara Quintela

Increase your knitting speed and efficiency!
The great advantage of this way of knitting is that this is super fast when you are working the purl stitch and with my method, you won’t have a problem with your
knit stitch either. 

In this class, you’re going to learn how to properly hold thread and
needles to maintain the right tension and keep your knitting regular and fluid.

What you’re going to learn: how to properly hold thread and needles to maintain the right tension and keep your knitting regular and fluid; increases and decreases; knitting with two strands at the same time.

Level: intermediate - this is not a class for absolute beginners, but if you already know how to knit and purl you will be fine.

Homework: none

Materials to bring:
• needles 4mm or 4,5mm
• DK or Worsted weight yarn in two contrasting colors
• Usual knitting paraphernalia (notebook, scissors, pen, tape measure...)

 
2B. "The Cast-On Demystified!" with Diane Richer

So many Cast-On and so little time.  Let Diane introduce these most popular cast-ons and you can decide which one will be your new favourite.  You will learn all the reasons why which cast-on works best for which garment or pattern and then learn the best technique to create it.  And of course practice makes perfect!

Materials to bring: 
• Circular or Two double pointed needles of sizes 3.5 - 4 mm/US #4 - 6.
• Contrasting solid colours of smooth DK or Worsted weight yarn.
• Scissors
• Crochet hook
• Usual knitting paraphernalia (notebook, pen, tape measure...)

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

8 pm - Cabin Boy Knits will be with us to chat & a bit of entertainment is always part of hanging out with Christopher & Jamie!

SUNDAY

Breakfast 8am  in the conference room on the main floor.

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

3A: "Bottom-up, set-in sleeve sweater, almost seamless!" with Clara Quintela

3B. "Bottle Top Gnome" with Diane Richer

 Gnomes are a new fun thing to add to our repertoire.  These two part Gnomes are embellished with a bit of needle felting for the nose and beard.  Perfect way to learn own to use those tools.  

Supplies
• Circular or Two double pointed needles of sizes 3.5mm - 4 mm.
• Contrasting solid colours of smooth DK or Worsted weight yarn.
• Scissors
• Usual knitting paraphernalia

Diane will provide:
• Felting needle

 Homework list: 
None

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

Departure following lunch