WEBS Annual Knitting Retreat September 14-17, 2017 We’ll be welcoming knitters to the beautiful Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts for a weekend of classes, late-night knitting, after-hours shopping sprees 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. Registration opens February 8, 2017. CLASSES We’ve got some of the hottest instructors sharing their expertise this weekend: Anne Hanson, owner and designer of Knitspot, author and designer Frank- lin Habit, international rock star Olga Buraya- Enjoy cozy comfort and deluxe accommoda- Kefelian, NYC couture knitting designer Josh Ben- tions at Hotel UMass, our home base for the nett, and toymaker and designer extraordinaire Su- weekend. Fabulous, fresh meals and snacks, Shopping Spree at WEBS san B. Anderson. nooks for knitting and a ‘late-night lounge’ with Steve and Kathy Elkins with desserts, drinks, and a chance to knit and talk knitting with those who understand your After-hours exclusives fiber passion. with trunk shows, yarn reps and Free Shipping for all your purchases! WEBS Fall Knitting Retreat is a weekend of fiber, friends, food & foliage Your registration fee covers all your meals from Thursday’s Welcome Reception through Sunday brunch, two full days of classes on Friday and Saturday, and transportation to WEBS for an After-Hours Shopping Spree with owners Steve and Kathy Elkins. There will be late-night knitting get-togethers with snacks, desserts, and cocktails, plenty of time to meet up with friends or make new knitting buddies, creative meals, and lots of yarn to see, feel, and buy. Make sure you leave extra time before you travel home on Sunday to explore the beautiful downtown Northampton area. Have a late lunch, browse our many clothing boutiques and local artisan galleries, On Saturday night, you’ll enjoy a trip to WEBS after a special dinner. Luxury motorcoaches and leave with wonderful memories, new friends will take attendees to a shopping spree at WEBS, America’s Yarn Store. You’ll have 2 super made, and a resolve to join us for our WEBS Knitting -special shopping Sherpas: Steve and Kathy Elkins, owners of WEBS! The icing on the cake Retreat 2018. is that whatever you buy 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 SHIP- PING! Our Promotional Partners will make your weekend as unique and luxurious as possible starting with giveaways and sump- tuous 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 yarns and garments. Anne Hanson Classes Advanced Lace Knitting: Taking It to The Next Level: This is an all-day intermediate to advanced level class covering knitted lace (motifs with Susan B. Anderson lace knitting on RS and WS of the fabric), chart reading, working with Shawl Shapes Design Workshop: Grab that languishing ball of fingering weight yarn or incorporated edgings and knit-on edgings, shaping for shawls of various a favorite skein you’ve been saving for just the right project, your needles, and a pencil types, and fielding specific lace knitting questions from students. Prereq- and away you’ll zip, designing your very own shawl in one of 10 selected shapes, be it uisite: Students should have completed at least two beginning- crescent, triangular, long-ended for extra wrapping, half-hexagon, asymmetrical, semi- intermediate lace projects, have a complete understanding of increas- circular, or more! Your shawl may have garter stitch, lace, stockinette stitch, many tex- ing/decreasing and intermediate knitting terminology, experience with a tures, stripes, beads…the sky is the limit. variety of lace stitches, and be able to execute a crochet chain stitch. Yarn Voyage for Knitting and Design: Ever wonder why, when you Build-A-Toy Workshop: The students in this class will become toy designers for a day achieved exact gauge, your finished object looks nothing like the original (and hopefully beyond). Students will be given patterns for a wide variety of different in a different yarn? Much more than a discussion about yarn weights, toy parts that include bodies, arms, legs, tails, and ears. The possibilities are endless! this explorative class for knitters of all levels covers myriad yarn charac- Students will learn tons of toy-making techniques including stitching together effective- teristics and their effect on knitted fabric. Participants will learn how ly, stuffing tips, gauge discussion, face embroidery, seamless toy knitting tips and op- yarn type relates to gauge needle size, texture, and fabric integrity, and tions, and much more. Prerequisite: Must be comfortable knitting in the round on a how to use that information to make better choices and/or substitutions small number of stitches on double-pointed needles, as well as increases and decreas- in their projects. Prerequisite: Students should have intermediate es. knitting skills with the ability to execute simple patterned motifs from Fair Isle Fingerless Mitts: Pull together 150-200 yards of worsted weight yarn to make a written or charted instructions pair of beautiful colorwork fingerless mitts in class. We’ll work on the corrugated rib, A Survey of Color Knitting Techniques: Let’s tackle something new to- the Latvian braid, and the two-handed colorwork technique in class. You’ll be provided gether and take the fear out of color knitting! This class is an exploration with the recipe for the mitts but you’re encourage to create your own version. Lots of of color knitting techniques including slip stitch, mosaic, intarsia, and options and charts and examples will be shared in class to help you pick and choose stranded colorwork. We’ll start with intarsia, then move on to slip stitch- your own mitt adventure. Prerequisite: Must be comfortable knitting in the round on es and mosaic using two colors. Finally we’ll try stranding, where both double pointed needles, (or another technique for working in the round such as Magic two-handed and one-handed techniques will be demonstrated. Materi- Loop). als fee $15 covered in class cost. Prerequisite: Students should have Sheep! Workshop: Joined renowned knit-toy designer Susan B. Anderson for some intermediate knitting skills with the ability to execute simple patterned seriously fun sheep knitting and toy-making tips. The pattern will be provided in class motifs from written or charted instructions. and students will work on knitting their own Sheep! Toys in either a textured wrap stitch, a loopy stitch, or some simple stranded colorwork. As students work on their Olga Buraya-Kefelian sheep style, loads of general toy-knitting tips and tricks will be taught as well. Tips and Modular Knitting Basics: This adventurous beginner class is based on guidance on face embroidery, stuffing tricks, fiber choices, gauge information, and ways the Asanagi Wrap design (pattern provided) and is worked in modular to get your toys to look great and stand the test of time will be shared. Prerequisite: technique. You’ll learn the theory of modular knitting and create this Must be comfortable knitting small number of stitches on double-pointed needles. stunning ombre wrap of scalloped patterning with the yarn of your choice. Even more importantly, you’ll learn the numerous vital tech- niques as a knitter which will be crucial to your future skill set. Tech- niques taught include: basic Modular knitting theory, various cast-on methods and their benefits, several ways of picking up stitches on both knit and purl sides, and different methods of knit and purl decreases. Prerequisite: Know how to cast on, knit, and purl. -continued on next page- -continued- Olga Buraya-Kefelian Brioche and Beyond: Ever wonder what the difference is between Brioche, Tuck, and Franklin Habit Fisherman’s Rib, what they have in common, and how to work them? This class will fill Garter Party: Garter Stitch Gone Wild: Poor, plain garter stitch. So often con- in the gaps in your brioche knowledge, and give you the confidence to use any of these fined to the edge of the party. But not today! Today, garter stitch breaks out into methods for a beautiful fabric by making a reversible colorwork cowl. Prerequisite: fully-fledged stranded color patterns, courtesy of an intriguing but little-known Know how to knit, purl, cast on and bind off. technique called garter jacquard. We’ll learn to work charted garter jacquard patterns and also explore other fun techniques that play well with this fabric: I- Colorwork Cowl: Want to knit colorwork faster and in a way more suited to your cord edgings and “afterthought” openings created by cutting into the knitting. knitting style? Learn 3 different methods to work colorwork flat by knitting the Swiss Prerequisite: Fluency in basic knitting techniques including working from color Cross Cowl in chunky yarn, as well as several ways to trap your floats to create a con- charts. sistent fabric. Under careful guidance, students will complete their cowl by grafting the beginning to the end edge with Kitchener stitch in pattern for an invisible seam. Prereq- Now You See It, Now You Don’t: Shadow Knitting: Color and texture meet and uisite: Know how to knit, purl, pick up stitches, and have some familiarity with color- mingle with startling results in the subtle, intriguing fabrics created by shadow- work. knitting. Stripes, garter stitch, and stockinette combine to create patterns that appear or vanish depending on the angle of view—perfect for hiding secret mes- 3-Dimensional Knitwear (2 hours): This class is part demonstration, part swatch-fest, sages in your work.