We are pleased to announce our very first Fall Fiber Retreat - October 7th to 9th, 2011!

Come out and relax with us at Wilderness Edge Retreat and Conference Center in Pinawa, MB, about 1 hour away from Winnipeg. Let someone else do the cooking, and take some classes - with both knitting and crochet options, there will be something for everyone. We're even introducing a Beginner Rug Hooking course!

October 7-9, 2011

Pinawa Wilderness Edge Retreat and Conference Centre
Pinawa, Manitoba

Call 1-800-263-8002 to reserve. Our hours are 10am-6pm Monday to Saturday. Thursday evenings we are open until 8pm

This is our first Fall Fibre Retreat and we are really excited! It will be held in Pinawa which is situated about 110 kms Northeast of Winnipeg, Manitoba on the shores of the Winnipeg River and on the border of Whiteshell Provincial Park.

Activities:

Lots of fun activities are planned for the weekend, and all are included in the cost of the retreat. After checking in on Friday, we will all have a chance to get to know each other at a casual craft-along - bring anything you're working on at the time. Afterwards, we have booked some time at the hot tub, which of course is optional, but bring your swimsuit if you want to join in!

After breakfast on Saturday, we'll have our first round of workshops, break for lunch, then have another class in the afternoon. There will be the option to go on a hay ride later in the day. In the evening we'll gather for a movie.

On Sunday, there will be one more round of workshops in the morning, followed by lunch.

Schedule:

Here is what we are planning:

Saturday Morning: 10am-12pm

Crochet Flowers with Lori Franko
Learn to make some cute flowers to add to your crochet repertoire. They make great embellishments for various crocheted items and garments.

Beginner Socks with Courtney Black (Knit)
Lose the fear of turning heels! Courtney will show you how easy it is to turn heels and make seamless toes like a pro.

Cables Demystified with Melissa Schwartz
Learn how to knit cables and read charted cable patterns. Basic knitting knowledge is needed for this class; no previous cable experience required.

Beginner Rug Hooking with Judy Trefry  *All Day*
Don't miss the chance to learn this East-coast craft, where beautiful designs are made by pulling loops of yarn (or fabric) through a backing material to form a design. This is different from the more-recent latch hooking, which uses short pieces of yarn. We will be hooking a simple design using wool yarn. This class will continue after lunch.

Saturday Afternoon: 1pm-3pm

Crochet Granny Squares with Lori Franko
Learn to crochet various styles of Granny squares, and how to join them smoothly to make an afghan.

Toe-up Socks with Courtney Black
Toe-up socks are fully customizable for any length or width of foot, any amount of yarn, and any tension of yarn. Once you knit a toe-up sock, you'll never go back! For this class, you should already be familiar with general sock construction.

Intermediate Cables with Melissa Schwartz
We'll cover everything from two-colour cables and cabling without a cable needle to design ideas. Basic knowledge of cable knitting is required.

Beginner Rug Hooking with Judy
Continued from the morning class.

Sunday Morning: 10am-1pm

Colours and Fibers with Courtney Black
Learn the basics of colour theory, and how to choose colours that will look great together. We will also look at different kinds of fibers.

Knit and Crochet Q. & A. with Lori Franko
Bring your current works-in-progress (WIPs) to this fun knit/crochet group. If you have WIP-related questions, this is the place to get answers.

Thrummed Mittens with Melissa Schwartz
Ever wanted to try thrummed knitting? Now is your chance! We will be making thrummed mittens.

Rug Hooking Q. & A. with Judy Trefry
This hook-along group is for those who want some help with their current rugs-in-progress, or for those who want to continue from the Saturday class.

Meet the teachers:

Courtney Black is a Ram Wools member whose many, many WIPs vary wildly, but always seem to include socks. She loves double pointed needles, hand-dyed yarn, listening to audiobooks while knitting, and taking long walks on the beach.

Lori Franko is a Ram Wools lifer. She has been working and designing for Ram Wools for the past 15 years. She has also worked for Canadian born, British designer Mark Fast. Lori will knit or crochet just about anything from cargo pants to tiny sculpted houseflies.

Melissa Schwartz  is a more recent member at Ram Wools. She loves to knit, crochet and design in her spare time. Her favourite thing to knit is anything in the round - from socks to hats - especially if it has cables in it. She is looking forward to sharing her love of cable knitting at the retreat.

Judy Trefry has been hooking rugs for years. Her work has been showcased across Canada. In her spare time she runs dyeing workshops from her home. Take a look at Judy's work online in The Beausejour Review.

Accommodations:

Accommodations will be done in groups of 4. If you prefer to bunk with certain people, let us know in advance and we will do our best to accommodate your request. Otherwise, groups will be created randomly. Each room has 4 beds, so no one will be forced to share a bed. Some rooms may have bunk beds, so please let us know in advance if you need a room without bunk beds. If you have any other special requests, please us let us know.

Meals:

Meals will be provided for Saturday breakfast, lunch and supper, and Sunday breakfast and lunch. Snacks will also be provided. All meals are buffet-style. Let us know in advance if you have any particular dietary needs or allergies.

Transportation:

We plan to charter a bus that would take us directly from our store to the retreat. Because some may prefer to drive their own cars, the cost is not included in the package. The cost to ride on the bus will be $37.00/person.

Cost:

$290/person if you register on or before July 31, 2011

$320/per person if you register after July 31, 2011

This includes all accommodations, meals, snacks, classes, and activities as listed above, as well as a grab bag of knit/crochet goodies! You can reserve your spot at the retreat for just $100, with the remaining balance due in September.

This includes all accommodations, meals, snacks, classes, and activities as listed above, as well as a grab bag of knit/crochet goodies! You can reserve your spot at the retreat for just $100, with the remaining balance due in September.

Note: If you live in the area and would like to sign up for classes only (no hotel stay), the cost is $40 per class, and $5 for the craft-along on Friday night. Meals would be extra. Registration ahead of time is still required if you don't intend to stay the night.