I'm trying something new this year. Last spring, I scheduled to have a tour group here at the farm just before the annual "Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival." The name of the tour was "The Road to Rhinebeck" and it was a literary and knitting tour. Sounded great! I was glad to be included. Unfortunately, with the state of the current economy, the trip didn't fill. I was left with a free day on my hands.
Rather than moan about the loss of a day's work, I have decided that I will take this as an opportunity to have a special ONE DAY RETREAT here at the farm on FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14th. Here's what I have in store for 10 lucky knitters......
Fair Isle and Steeking One Day Retreat
at Leyden Glen Farm
Friday, October 14, 2011
10 a.m.
Arrival at the Farmhouse
Tour of the colorful cape style home and a sheep farm tour
11 a.m.
Casting on for Fair Isle
Using double pointed needles
Learning how to follow a color-work chart
1 p.m.
Farm Lunch
2 p.m.
More Fair Isle instructions and knitting
Sewing and cutting a STEEK!
5 p.m.
Class Departs
You are then free to run off to NY State or spend the night near here. Here is a list of accommodations which are closely situated to our farm. Spend the night here, get an early start and you'll be Rhinebeck before you know it.
How good a knitter do I need to be?
You can be a beginner-ish knitter although you must know how to knit and purl. Fair Isle knitting isn't difficult - it takes patience and time to become good at it.
What is the cost?
$195 includes a goodie bag, instructional hand-out, a Farm Lunch, coffee, tea, seltzer and luscious snacks to keep you knitting. Hands-on help all day long. You will leave knowing how to work with two colors in a row, knit in the round, and having completed a steek on my sewing machine.
What else should you bring?
Two balls of worsted weight yarn in a dark and a light color. You will need to bring a set of size 7 double pointed needles with you and your regular knitting accessories (stitch markers, scissors, etc.)
Where is Kristin's Leyden Glen Farm as compared to Rhinebeck?
Our farm is located about 125 miles from Rhinebeck, the home of the New York Sheep and Wool Festival. (I have driven it and can do it in about 2 1/2 hours.) We are the last town in Massachusetts, just south of the Vermont line, 15 minutes off of Route 91 at Greenfield. We are two hours west of Boston, 40 minutes north of Springfield, MA, and one hour north of Hartford, CT.
Now mind you - you do not need to be going to Rhinebeck to take this class! If you are an interested knitter who wants to learn how to knit Fair Isle with two colors so you can make the projects in my books, this class is for you. The class is being held on a Friday so it may involve you either taking a vacation day or calling in to your job with some awful illness (I won't tell, I promise).
Come with a friend or by yourself. I guarantee a nice day in the country, near grazing sheep, in my colorful studio! Knitting, knitting, and steeking.
To register, go to this page! If you have any questions, feel free to email me.
And lastly, if you and your knitting friends would like to organize your very own retreat here at the farm, e-mail me and I can set this up. I have several weekends available this fall and winter and can teach you very easily during the week if you can make it. I need a minimum of 5 students and maximum of 10. If you would like to discuss classes I teach, e-mail me at knATkristinnicholasDOTcom.
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