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

I know many of you have been anxious to see what we have in store for you this year. Read on. I will keep updating this page as the details are finalized.

The Basics:

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. Pre-COVID we had 30+ people in each class and that is too crowded for our post-COVID world.

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. 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 - 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 - Topic Coming Soon

Stay tuned for a description of this workshop.

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 or buying tickets in our Scholarship Raffle, both 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.

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

Sheeps Ahoy