Needlers' Retreat 2023 - Nov. 3-5, 2023

Nov. 3 - 5, 2023

The Glen House Resort (off the Thousand Island Parkway)

Registration Fee: $350.00

The Glen House costs (payable at check-in or when you call to make special arrangements):

$514.60 (single),
$423.65 (double) and
$343.10 (triple).

Cancellation Deadline - Oct 20, 2023

All prices are in Canadian dollars and include tax and gratuity, if applicable.

This year, we will have fewer participants in order to ease congestion in the classrooms.

You can pay the registration fee by credit card from our website by clicking here.

Please send an email to deb AT sheepsahoy DOT com to tell us your preference for rooming and, if you are not in a single, who your roommate(s) will be.

Check-in time is 4pm Fri. Nov. 3 and check-out time is 11:00am Sun. Nov. 5.

We will start our retreat at 5pm on Friday, November 3 with a social gathering and wrap up on Sunday, November 5 with lunch. We will fill every minute between with knitting fun and merriment. Our full itinerary can be found at the bottom of this page.

We are gathering at The Glen House Resort on the St. Lawrence River in Gananoque, Ontario (off the Thousand Island Parkway). Check out their website at smugglersglen.com if you want to see what this resort is like.

Our instructors for this year are Fiona Ellis, Deb Gemmell and Amanda Schwabe.

There are 3 workshops and each participant will have the opportunity to attend all 3 workshops over the course of the weekend.

Fiona Ellis - Bonus Yoga Practice (Optional)

For those who wish, Fiona (a certified yoga instructor) will lead us in a yoga practice after class on Saturday afternoon in the Admiralty Room (4pm). Fiona will be with us all weekend inspiring us to get creative with our knitting and leading a short chair-based yoga session designed especially with knitters in mind. Fiona encourages participants to approach their practises with a playful, open mind, exploring their own individual capabilities whatever they might be. Fiona always brings a sense of fun and energy to her classes delivering them with a bright disposition and patience. Her classes are designed for all ability levels. There will be limited space for a small number of mats, should you choose to bring one.

Fiona Ellis - Designing Your Own Cables (Using Existing Patterns)

Advanced beginner.

There are several ways of creating your own cables and using patterns that already exist can be a great springboard.

With so many lovely cables found in stitch dictionaries we can create many exciting combinations. Setting them horizontally across the width of the fabric to give a beautiful traditional look. Or, additionally, Fiona finds it inspiring to come up with vertically arranged combos. In this class she will show you how try both these approaches, giving you chance to create something unique and exciting for your next cable project.

Materials: 1 part ball of light coloured medium weight yarn, appropriate needles, cable needle, graph paper (optional), stitch dictionary sources; books or online, or charts that you may have (optional)

Homework: None.

Deb Gemmell - Scatter the Increases

How many ways are there to move from the neckline to the bottom of the yoke in a top down sweater? Let's find out.

Materials:

50g of Worsted Weight yarn to experiment with.

Circular needles: 40cm & 60cm long in appropriate size for your yarn (4.0mm to 5.0mm).

Markers: You may need as many as 16. Different types of markers are also helpful.

Homework: None.

Amanda Schwabe - Two Colour Brioche

We're going to knit two-colour brioche rib! This squishy, reversible, striking stitch pattern is the basis of many modern designs, and it can be used as a ground for interesting stitch patterns that twist and turn across the fabric.

This hands-on workshop will focus on creating a strong foundation for understanding both the process of creating brioche rib and the underlying structure of the stitches. You'll learn to identify common mistakes and fix them.

We'll be knitting a flat swatch in class.

As a bonus, if you have any brioche projects with problems that need troubleshooting, feel free to bring them along for the weekend for some extra help at the end of class.

Materials:

- 4.5 or 5 mm knitting needles, the kind that have tips at both ends. (A 60cm/24" circular, some 8" dpns, or whatever you have on hand that's close. A longer circ is fine, but longer than 80cm/32" would be very awkward.

- 2 contrasting colours of smooth, worsted-weight / #4 yarn

- 4.5 or 5mm crochet hook

- Clippy stitch markers (optional)

Homework: None.

The cost to register for the weekend will be $350.00, payable to Sheeps Ahoy. This reserves your place at the retreat, and covers the costs of running the event – meeting room rentals, coffee breaks, opening reception, and workshops. This fee is non-refundable from Oct 20 onward. Before Oct 20 your fee minus $28.25 will be refunded only if your spot can be filled from our waiting list.

The remaining cost for accommodation and meals is payable to the Glen House Resort on check-in or when you call if you are making special arrangements: $514.60 for a single room, $423.65 for a double room, and $343.10 for a triple. There are 4 cabins available on a first come, first served basis. Each cabin has a common room with kitchenette, two bedrooms with 2 beds each, and 2 full bathrooms. Please contact deb AT sheepsahoy DOT com to inquire about booking a cabin.

The only extra costs are the ones you incur at our Vendors’ Night on Saturday evening.

If you need to contact us, please phone 613-823-2469 or 1-877-740-2469 or e-mail us at deb@sheepsahoy.com.

We keep rooming information from previous years and so does The Glen House. If your rooming arrangements are different this year, please let us know.

If you would like to be a vendor at our Vendors’ Night, please contact us so we know how many tables to set up.

If you have specific issues (e.g. dietary, mobility, etc.) or will be arriving early or staying late, please make arrangements directly with the Glen House. They can be reached at 1-800-268-4536 or 613-659-2204.

Please, if you can, get both the flu shot and any COVID vaccines before you come to the retreat. It helps all of us.

Our full itinerary for the weekend is as follows:

Fri. Nov. 3:

5 - 6 pm - Welcome Reception in Smuggler's Lounge (complimentary wine & cheese courtesy of The Glen House)

6 pm - Dinner in the Dining Room

after dinner - Show and Tell in the Admiralty Room

Sat. Nov. 4:

7:30 - 8:30 am - Breakfast in the Dining Room

9 - 12 noon - Classes in the Navy or Lake Fleet Room. Admiralty Room is available.

12 noon - Lunch in the Dining Room

1:30 - 4:30 pm - Classes in the Navy or Lake Fleet Room.

4:00 - 5:00 pm - Yoga with Fiona in the Admiralty Room

5:00 - 6:00 pm - VENDORS ONLY - setup in the Admiralty Room

6pm - Dinner in the Dining Room

after dinner - Vendors Market in the Admiralty Room

Sun. Nov 5:

7:30 - 8:30 am - Breakfast in the Dining Room

9 - 12 noon - Classes in the Navy or Lake Fleet Room. Admiralty Room is available.

11 am - check out time

12 noon - Lunch in the Dining Room

Stay well my knitterly friends. Get the vaccine. But, most of all, be kind.

Sheeps Ahoy