Come to North Carolina!

Come back to Little Switzerland and the Blue Ridge Mountains for two fun filled retreats. Each session will be different - stay for 1 or stay for both!

Kyle Kunnecke is joining us for the entire week!  Jessica Kaufman is joining in for Session 1 for Shibori dyeing and Block Printing. Ann Weaver is joining for Session 2!

See Kyle's work

See Ann's work

See Jess's work

Jess earned her Masters Degree in Craft Education and teaches workshops in textiles, fibers, and surface design full time! In 2016, she founded WAXON Batik & Dye Studio in Asheville, NC. Focusing on wax resist and other dye techniques, Jess teaches from her studio as well as traveling to teach. When not dyeing fabrics, Jess weaves baskets from barks and vines, knits sweaters, spins yarn, and sews quilts and clothing. Find her at waxonstudio.com and happygocrafty.com. 

Big Lynn Lodge is about an 1 hour and 15 minutes from Asheville and about 2 hours and change from Charlotte. It sits atop a mountain with breath taking views. The perfect place to relax. 

Session 1

Knitting in the Shadows: an Introduction to Shadow Knitting with Kyle
This technique is truly magical. Working with one color of yarn at a time, and only knit and purl stitches, a fabric can be created that reveals an image when viewed at an angle. In this workshop we explore shadow knitting, become comfortable with navigating its instructions, and then explore the general methods involved in creating shadow knitting patterns of our very own.

Stranded Knitting: Unlocking the Secret of Locked Floats with Kyle
Ever looked at the "wrong side" of a stranded, hand-knit garment and see no floats? Do you wonder what was done to hide those floats and make it so beautifully finished? The answer may very well be what some refer to as "Armenian Knitting," or what I call "Locked Floats." The technique is simple and creates a wonderfully even fabric. In this class, we will first review how to carry floats across the back of the work (traditional) and then be introduced to this simple technique that results in a beautifully woven "wrong side." You'll learn some valuable tricks and leave inspired by the possibilities created.

Shibori Dyeing with Jessica

Shibori– traditional Japanese style tie-dye– is simple, pleasing to the eye, and a lot more varied than you think! We clamp, bind, fold, or wrap the fabric to achieve dozens of patterns. Learn to create a traditional one-color effect with a low water immersion technique. Each participant gets to make their own dye bath. This workshops gives you tons of information about the dye chemistry, the patterns you can make, how to fold them up and bind them, and how to dye them. Materials fee includes 1 item to dye. Addt'l blanks to dye will be a la carte. (Instructor is bringing: bandanas, tote bags, infinity shawls, socks). Please feel free to bring a garment you’d like to dye if you prefer— needs to be 100% plant fibers, and no larger than a t-shirt (1 yard of fabric is fine!).  

Color Block Printing with Jessica

Unlock the empowering craft of carving and printing with your own custom stamps! Learn how to create a design, evaluate how to carve it, transfer your drawing to the block, and carve your block using Speedball Lino tools and a soft, beginner-friendly carving material. Then learn how to ink and print your blocks onto paper and fabric! Leave with patches, yardage, and stationary. Much discussion will be around safe carving, proper inking techniques (a skill unto itself) as well as curing inks and caring for fabric. Materials fee covers carving tools for you to keep, blocks to carve, inks, and test papers/fabrics. Pack items you’d like to print on—think tea towels, tote bags, jackets and vests, etc! Smooth fabrics give a better look than textured. 

Session 2

Colorwork Basics with Kyle
You CAN knit colorwork! This all-in-one introduction workshop will provide an introduction for a variety of colorwork techniques including stranded knitting (Fair Isle), intarsia, mosaic, helical, and slip-stitch knitting. We will learn about color dominance, how to read charts, manage yarns, swatch both flat and in the round, and more. This class is ideal for the newer knitter interested in building confidence as they explore various colorwork techniques.

"You want me to do WHAT to my knitting?!" – an Introduction to Steeks with Kyle
Cutting our knitting may seem like the stuff of nightmares, but in a controlled environment following a few simple steps, it's a tool that makes stranded knitting a dream. In this workshop we will face our fears while learning to master the skills required to steek knitted fabric and explore the steps necessary to create a beautifully finished edge. Once we have learned a few ways to divide the fabric, we will continue our adventure by learning how to install a zipper by hand.

 Mend and Embellish with Ann

Curious about methods to fix knit fabric? Intrigued by visible mending? Interested in personalizing and embellishing your knits? In this workshop, you’ll learn all these skills. We’ll start with an overview of mending techniques, including darning and patching. Then, we’ll cover a few simple ways to add both strength and beauty to fabric, including duplicate stitch. You can apply what you learn to many types of fabrics, not just handknits!

Skills needed: Picking up stitches, weaving in ends

Skills learned: Darning, knit patches, duplicate stitch

Materials needed:

• Tapestry needle (be sure your needle has a blunt end)

• US Size 2 or 3 double-pointed needles

• Darning egg or mushroom (you can also use a lightbulb!)

• A variety of odds and ends of fingering-weight yarn

• Scissors

• Items with holes if you have them! I'll provide wool swatches for practice.

Homework: None!

Braid-o-Rama: Latvian Braids and Variations with Ann

In this workshop, you'll learn how to work Latvian braids and multiple variations using the technique: braids with long floats, clumps of braids, multiple-color braids, dense layers of braids, and a twisted two-color cast-on. You'll leave the workshop with a host of techniques and inspiration for braiding!

Skills needed: Knitting, purling, knitting in the round on a circular needle, basic stranded knitting (knitting with two colors per round)

Techniques covered:

• Twisted two-color cast-on

• Braids!!! SO MANY BRAIDS!

Materials needed:

• US Size 6 16-inch AND 24-inch circular needles

• One stitch marker.

• Worsted-weight yarn in five colors, approximately 100 yards of each. You can mix and match different worsted-weight yarns if you like!

A copy of the pattern Braid-o-Rama (provided)

Homework: None! Come with two colors of yarn wound, ready to knit.