What’s Included?

Lodging at the UMass Hotel and Conference Center

All of your meals from Thursday night’s Welcome Dinner through Sunday brunch with Keynote Speaker, Patty Lyons

Late-night get-togethers with snacks, desserts, and cocktails! With plenty of time to meet up with friends or make new knitting buddies, and lots of to see, feel, and buy!

Two days of classes on Friday and Saturday with some of WEBS Spring Knitting Retreat the most talented knitting instructors April 30th - May 3rd, 2020 Transportation to WEBS for an exclusive WEBS Knitting Retreat is a weekend of After-Hours Shopping Spree with owners Steve and Kathy Elkins on Saturday evening. fiber, friends, food & flower blooms! We’ll

be welcoming knitters to the beautiful Plenty of fun surprises throughout the retreat! Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts for a weekend of classes, late-night knitting, an after-hours shopping spree and more! If you’ve been waiting to make a pilgrimage to America’s biggest yarn store, now’s the time to make your move! Instructors Hotel UMass

We have some of the most Enjoy cozy comfort and deluxe talented instructors sharing accommodations at Hotel their expertise this weekend! UMass, our home base for the weekend. Fabulous, fresh Shopping, Sponsors, and Swag Lily Chin meals and snacks, nooks for Gudrun Johnston knitting and a ‘late-night On Saturday night, shuttles will take attendees Patty Lyons lounge’ with desserts, drinks, on a trip to a shopping spree at WEBS, America’s Yarn Store. You’ll have 2 super- Laura Nelkin and a chance to knit and talk special shopping Sherpas: The owners of WEBS, Keith Leonard knitting with those who Steve and Kathy Elkins! The icing on the cake is Josh Bennett understand your fiber passion! that whatever you buy, you will get FREE SHIPPING! And in case you can’t make a decision on Saturday evening, the store will be open to shoppers on Sunday, and again, FREE SHIPPING!

Our sponsors will make your weekend as unique and luxurious as possible starting with giveaways and sumptuous swag bags. They will also be on hand Saturday night at WEBS with trunk shows, reps and designers ready to show you their most popular and garments.

Pro Tip: Feel free to give yourself some down time during your stay so you can recharge your batteries and fully enjoy yourself during the retreat! Teacher Bios

Lily Chin Gudrun Johnston

Lily M. Chin is an internationally famous Patty Lyons Gudrun was born in Shetland in the 70’s while knitter and crocheter who has worked in the Patty Lyons (http://pattylyons.com/) is a nationally her mother, Patricia Johnston, was running the yarn industry for more than 30 years, as a recognized knitting teacher and technique expert successful knitwear design company, The designer, instructor, and author of 8 books on who is known for teaching the “why” not just the Shetland Trader. She has made a name for knitting and crochet. Lily teaches around the “how” in her pursuit of training the “mindful herself among a new generation of knitwear world and now has instructional DVDs out as knitter”. She specializes in and designers, using the internet to directly well as some online classes. She has created sharing her love of the much-maligned subjects of interact with an international community of and . Patty teaches nationally at looks for the New York Fashion Week runway knitters. She has self published two collections guilds, shops & knitting shows around the country collections of designers Ralph Lauren, Vera of knitwear inspired by the Shetland islands, such as Vogue Knitting LIVE, and STITCHES. Her Wang, Diane von Furstenberg, and Isaac The Shetland Trader Book One and Book popular classes can also be found on DVD and Mizrahi, and her work has been on the backs Two and also collaborated with one of her online at Interweave, Annie’s and Craftsy. She also favorite yarn companies, Quince & Co to of celebrities and super models. She was runs wildly popular video sweater classes on her publish a Mother and Daughter knitwear named a “Master Knitter” by Vogue Knitting. group. Patty designs and knitting skill collection called Knit With Me. Gudrun has She is regularly cited in media across the U.S., articles have been published in Vogue Knitting, also been published in several prominent including the Late Show with David Interweave Knits, Knit Purl, Knitter’s Magazine, Cast magazines online, including Brooklyn Letterman, Martha, CBS Morning News, CNN, On, Knit Style, Creative Knitting, Twist Collective Tweed, Twist Collective, Amirisu and . HGTV, Knitting Daily, Knit and Crochet Now, and Mason Dixon Knitting where she writes a She also loves to design using seamless and more. Lily Chin has lived in New York City monthly knitter’s advice column: “Ask Patty”. Patty’s designs have construction and is all her life and has also been included in always adding new been involved in pattern collections techniques to her some aspect of from Classic Elite, seamless knitting the fashion Noro, Cascade, Tahki skills. Gudrun now industry since age Stacy Charles, Sugar runs fiber 13. Bush and Willow related trips to the Yarns. Shetland Islands. Teacher Bios

Keith Leonard Laura Nelkin Josh Bennett Keith gained a love for knitting at the age Though she has a degree in apparel design of eleven when he joined a lunchtime Josh Bennett grew up in Pennsylvania where from Cornell University, Laura took to knitting knitting program at school in his hometown he learned to knit from his grandmother when years ago and hasn’t looked back. Her designs of Haworth, New Jersey. After working at he was 8 years old. After moving to New York and techniques are innovative, fun and will City in 2001, Josh worked at a yarn shop on the four major knitting stores in Upstate New challenge you to think in new ways about your York, New Jersey, and New York City, he Upper West Side that wrote custom patterns knitting. She is currently enamored with realized there was no specialized service for their customers. Josh has collaborated unexpected sweater construction, lace, and for knitwear finishing. He took the initiative with CFDA Award winner Michael Bastian on a with incorporating beads into lace, so most of to start his own business, called Knits All hand knitted line. They have also worked her designs lean in this direction. She travels Done, a service for knitters to outsource together on projects for the Folk Couture. He often to teach these techniques their knitted items for professional was the Men’s Sweater Designer at Tommy at workshops around the country and online finishing. Keith’s expertise in finishing and Hilfiger and has also worked with and designed at Craftsy.com, and in her spare time she knitting then led to requests from yarn for GANT by Michael Bastian, Perry Ellis, leads knitting tours abroad. She runs 2 super shops and knitting guilds to teach his Alexander Wang, Rowan Magazine, Vogue techniques. He now travels the country fun clubs every year, The N Club, and Lola's Knitting, and other knitting publications. He is teaching classes while also selling his own Choice, and she has a line of knitting kits, self- the designer of his own exclusive capsule custom Zen Yarn Garden, Three Irish Girls, published patterns, and runs mystery Knit-A- collection of men’s hand knitted sweaters at Malabrigo and Koigu yarns and colors. He is Bergdorf Goodman, Josh Bennett + Longs multiple times a year. Her also the Goodman’s. Josh book, Knockout American studied Menswear Knits, was distributor for Design at the released with Soulwool, a Fashion Institute Random House in hand-dyed of Technology September 2014. Merino yarn (FIT). from Israel. Classes Lily Chin Patty Lyons

Tips, Tricks, and Hints: Learn all the little secrets to A Cornucopia of Cool Color-work Techniques: Learn all make knitting life easier and better. Find out how to the techniques of one of Patty’s most popular pattern, cast on in 2-tail method without running out of that the Labadee Cowl. In this class we will work a mini sample second tail. Join a new skein of yarn or a new color Gudrun Johnston and learn all the secrets like the magical “unvented” without losing that first stitch. See ways of attaching contrasting color i-cord cast on, chart reading, slip stitch buttons as you work. Create invisible circular bind-offs Shawls of The North Atlantic (Full Day): In this class we knitting, lifted floats, how to knit in your tail as you go, on a neck where the beginning and the end are will look at 3 different shawl styles from Shetland, the the contrasting color i-cord bind off and so much more. absolutely imperceptible. Weave in those little ends Faroe islands and Iceland. We will explore the We’ll also learn some lifesaving tips on yarn control, that are too short to put through a darning needle. constructions and patterns used in each tradition by jogless joins, tips, swatching in the round Take away lots of “fix-its” and improve those details. making mini samplers. and even fixing mistakes. By the end of the class you’ll be ready to tackle this incredibly popular pattern AND you Afterthought No-Sew Pockets: We never have enough Shetland Hap (Full Day): Learn how to knit a traditional can order the kit that includes the yarn to make the cowl, pockets in our clothing! And most knitters avoid Hap (shawl) from the Shetland Islands. This beautiful and a promo code to get the pattern! seaming like the plague. Learn this innovative and heirloom shawl makes a great gift for a new baby and is a revolutionary way of applying inset pockets to any great introduction to Shetland . We will make HELP! I Took a Wrong Turn: Miraculous Cable Fixes: In garment or accessory after the fact. Work up a a mini version of this shawl in class (as a half hap) and this class we will go over basic chart reading as well as miniature sample in class and plan placement perfectly students will leave with the necessary skills to make their two tricks to reading your cables on your needle. Next up beforehand. Never lose a cell phone or scrounge own full sized version at home. A copy of a Hap pattern we will master fixes while your stitches are still on the around for a tissue again. will be provided via email after class. Gudrun will also give needle, getting comfortable with unkitting cables, a brief slide show explaining some of the history behind dropping cables to move them to a different row and Join-As-You-Go Knitting: Most knitters hate to seam. these shawls. recross them. Finally we will learn some pretty amazing When working garment pieces or different colored fixes you can make to your cables after your stitches have strips, seaming can seem daunting. Learn how to join been bound off. Learn how crochet cotton, and a scissor as you go in any situation, including edgings. Join a new can rebuild any cables! piece to the left or to the right of an existing piece, or to the top or bottom of a finished fabric. Knitting ER: Tragedy & Treatments: We’ll learn how to read your knitting and master the basics that every knitter Designing and Charting Your Own Original Cables: needs to know, how to unknit, how to pick up a dropped You’ve done cables before and you want to get into Sunday Keynote Speech by Patty Lyons stitch in stockinette, how to fix garter, how to fix a more complex cable patterns. Maybe you want to mistake in a stitch pattern such as rib or seed, and how to design your own cable. Learn how cable patterns are Patty’s Big Box of Knitting Fails fix your stitch mounts to avoid twisted stitches. We’ll also formed, and what the basic traits, characteristics, and learn a few fancy tricks like picking up a dropped stitch at manipulations of the cable are. When you have a better Professional knitting teachers and knitwear the end of your row or using a small needle to safely rip understanding of cable patterns work, not only can you designers never make mistakes in their knitting, right, down to. Everyone makes mistakes, now learn that it follow the instructions a lot better, you’ll make fewer RIGHT? Well . . . welcome to Patty’s Big Box of Knitting doesn’t have to ruin your knitting! mistakes and maybe, be able to look at a cable pattern Fails, a sometimes educational, and understand how to knit it without directions! Shape Up!: We will explore all the ins and outs of shaping Students must be comfortable reading knitting symbols sometimes enlightening, always hilarious your garment while keeping your stitch count correct and and stitch charts, as well as having worked cables exploration of the knitting tragedies that befall us all! staying in pattern. We’ll begin by exploring and before this class. options for knit, purl patterns, then move on to Don’t leave Patty hanging, come with your own tragic cables and finally tackle shaping in lace charted and not tales and be ready to “testify”! charted. You’ll learn how to read your knitting and use

visual cues to shape perfectly.

Classes Laura Nelkin Keith Leonard Shetland Lace Basics: Laura will cover some history of Flawless Finishing: Learn to professional assemble your Josh Bennett Shetland Lace and then delve into techniques to help knitwear from the finishing master, Keith Leonard, you knit it successfully. The class will cover basic owner of Knits All Done. In this class, you’ll use Josh Bennett’s Design Workshop: In this 2-part class, increases and decreases, walk you through chart reading, prepared swatches to learn Keith’s tricks for five you’ll go from sketch to pattern. In class 1, You’ll look at and get you on your way to becoming a more advanced different seams. You’ll also learn the correct way to pick upcoming trends and forecasts in the knitwear industry lace knitter! up stitches across both the top and the sides of your and sketch designs using these or your own inspirations. Save Your Stitches: Fixing Lace Mistakes: Laura will knitting. Be amazed as the magic unfolds and walk away From your rough sketches, Josh will pick a design that demystify the anatomy of your lace with you and teach with the proficiency to finish your knitwear you will be able to write a pattern to make. We’ll discuss you how to know when you can fix, and when you need professionally for years to come. design aspects to help your design look fashion-forward to rip (or perform surgery). You’ll learn how to replace and wearable. In class 2, we work out the pattern math yarnovers, insert missing decreases, rebuild sections of No-Fear Brioche Stitch: Brioche stitch is all the rage! to make your design an actual garment. We’ll also your knitting, and most importantly—how to avoid Gazing upon a brioche pattern may be intimidating but discuss techniques to make your design more making mistakes in the first place! this class will break down the components as you professional-looking and have better wear. master this unique and oddly constructed stitch Knitting A Novus Sweater: In this class Laura introduces pattern. Brioche stitch makes for lofty and squishy Josh Bennett’s Tips and Tricks for Making Your you to the “Novus” construction, her seamless yet fabrics, perfect for scarves, sweaters, hats, and Garment Look More Professional: In this class you’ll structured modern approach to the side-to-side sweater. blankets. Come join the fun and learn some new learn ALL of Josh’s tricks for making your garments look She’ll cover how the construction works, how to modify knitting abbreviations such as “Bark” and “Burp!” more professional and polished. He’ll demonstrate it to fit your body, any necessary skills needed for the different cast-on methods, increases, decreases, body construction, (i.e., provisional cast-on, lifted increases, Fun: Short rows, anyone? In this class, Keith shaping, and other special techniques used by German short rows), and how to plug a stitch pattern or will teach you how to properly work short rows using professional knitwear and couture designers. motif into it. Class will also discuss yarn selection and two colors, or yarn to create 1 of 24 squares that cast on for a sleeve. combined will turn into a beautiful afghan named “Lizard Ridge.” Learn how short rows build your knitting Mouette Scarflette: This two-color beaded patterned and where to use them in different projects. Disclaimer: Brioche scarf is an anti-Alzheimer’s design, as Laura once started, this pattern will be hard to put down— says—it will take ALL of your brainpower to master the prepare for addiction, laughter, and bursts of color. skills involved. Don’t worry, though, because Laura’s tips and tricks will help you to become a Mouette Master! Class Schedule Retreat Schedule

Friday, 9:00am-12:00pm Thursday, April 30th Shawls of the North Atlantic Gudrun Johnston Check in at UMass hotel and Retreat Registration before 5pm. (all day) 6:00pm: Welcome Dinner hosted by Valley Yarns and Steve and Kathy Elkins Sweater Design Workshop, part 1 Josh Bennett 8:00pm: Late-night knitting and socializing with cash bar in the late night lounge Tips, Tricks, Hints Lily Chin A Cornucopia of Cool Color Work Patty Lyons Friday, May 1st Flawless Finishing Keith Leonard 6:30am-7:30am: Yoga Shetland Lace Basics Laura Nelkin 8:00am: Breakfast 9:00am–Noon: Morning classes

12:15–1:15pm: Lunch

1:30–4:30pm: Afternoon classes Friday, 1:30pm-4:30pm 6:00pm: Dinner with cash bar Shawls of the North Atlantic Gudrun Johnston 8:00pm: Late-night knitting and socializing with (cont’d) cash bar in the late night lounge Josh Bennett’s Tips and Tricks Josh Bennett

Afterthought No-Sew Pockets Lily Chin Saturday, May 2nd Miraculous Cable Fixes Patty Lyons 6:30am-7:30am: Yoga No-Fear Brioche Stitch Keith Leonard 8:00am: Breakfast Mouette Scarflette Laura Nelkin 9:00am – Noon: Morning Classes 12:15– 1:15pm: Lunch Retreat Prices 1:30pm – 4:30pm: Afternoon classes and Yoga Single Room Package: $1499 Saturday, 9:00am-12:00pm 4:30–5:30pm: Pre-Shopping Snack Double (shared) Room Package: $1309 Shetland Hap (all day) Gudrun Johnston 4:45pm: Bus leaves for Northampton *Pricing includes food, lodging, and classes* Sweater Design Workshop, part 2 Josh Bennett 4:55pm: Bus leaves for Northampton Join-As-You-Go Knitting Lily Chin 5:10pm: Bus leaves for Northampton Knitting ER: Tragedy and Treatments Patty Lyons WEBS Shopping Spree with Steve and Kathy Elkins, Flawless Finishing Keith Leonard featuring trunk shows, special deals and FREE SHIPPING for purchases. Knitting A Novus Sweater Laura Nelkin 8:30pm: Last bus returns to UMass Hotel. Lounge area set up with food, cash bar and Yarn Tasting.

Sunday, May 3rd Saturday, 1:30pm-4:30pm 9:00am: Breakfast with Keynote Speaker, Patty Lyons Shetland Hap (cont’d) Gudrun Johnston 11:00am: Check out of hotel. WEBS will be open from 11:00am until 1:00pm for last minute Josh Bennett’s Tips and Tricks Josh Bennett shoppers. Designing and Charting Cables Lily Chin

Shape Up! Patty Lyons Make sure you leave extra time before you travel home on Sunday to explore the beautiful downtown Short Row Fun Keith Leonard Northampton area. Have a late lunch, browse our many clothing boutiques and local artisan galleries, and leave Fixing Lace Mistakes Laura Nelkin with wonderful memories, new friends made, and a resolve to join us for our WEBS Fall Knitting Retreat in September 2020.