WEBS Knitting Retreat May 2-5, 2019 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! Enjoy cozy comfort and deluxe accommodations We have some of the most talented instructors at Hotel UMass, our home base for the weekend. sharing their expertise this weekend! Fiona Ellis, Fabulous, fresh meals and snacks, nooks for Patty Lyons, Susan B. Anderson, Nicky Epstein, knitting and a ‘late-night lounge’ with desserts, Michelle Hunter (KnitPurlHunter), and Julia Far- drinks, and a chance to knit and talk knitting with well-Clay will share their expertise, tips, and those who understand your fiber passion. tricks of the trade with our students. Shopping Spree at WEBS with Steve and Kathy Elkins After-hours exclusives with trunk shows, yarn reps and Free Shipping for all your purchases! WEBS Spring Knitting Retreat is a weekend of fiber, friends, food & flower blooms! Your registration fee covers all your meals from Thursday’s Welcome Dinner through Sunday brunch with Keynote Speaker Patty Lyons, 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, and leave with wonderful memories, new friends made, and a resolve to join us for our WEBS September Knitting Retreat 2019. On Saturday night, you’ll enjoy a trip to WEBS. Luxury motor-coaches will take attendees to a shopping spree at WEBS, America’s Yarn Store. You’ll have 2 super-special shopping Sherpas: Steve and Kathy Elkins, owners of WEBS! The icing on the cake is 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 yarns and garments. Teacher Bios Julia Farwell-Clay Julia has had many teachers, and nowhere is this more true than in knitting. She learned to wrap yarn around needles first from her mom. She made her first sweater in college and broke the boyfriend knitting rule quickly after that. She learned about Patty Lyons color from many places, but most of all Patty Lyons is a nationally recognized knitting teacher and technique from Kaffe Fassett. Julia was a college English expert. She specializes in sweater teacher for about 10 years, where she learned design and sharing her love of gauge and about the joy of approaching material with blocking. Patty teaches nationally at students. She eventually connected with the guilds & knitting shows around the knitting scene on the Internet where passion is country such as Vogue Knitting LIVE, literally viral. Knitting has since inspired her to write a blog, then articles STITCHES, and the Knit and Crochet Show for magazines, to help start an online magazine, and for a few years now, and her classes can also be found online to offer patterns for the things she primarily makes for herself. Julia teach- at Interweave and Annie’s and Craftsy. Patty’s designs and knitting skill articles es a few times a year at select events and locally at a favorite yarn shop. have been published in Vogue Knitting, Interweave Knits, Knit Purl, Knitter’s Magazine, Cast On, Creative Knitting and Twist Collective magazines, where she also writes a knitter’s advice column called “Patty’s Purls of Nicky Epstein Wisdom.” Patty’s designs have also been included in pattern collections Renowned knitwear designer, Nicky Epstein has gained worldwide from Classic Elite, Noro, Cascade, Tahki Stacy Charles and Willow Yarns. recognition for her distinctive, innovative work and informative workshops. She has authored numerous books including the top selling Knitting On The Edge, Knitting Over The Edge, Knitting Beyond The Edge, Nicky Epstein's Knitted Flowers, Knitting On Top Of The World, Knitting In Tuscany, Knitting A Kiss In Every Stitch, and her latest, blockbuster best selling Knitting Block by Block. Her designs have been featured in many knitting publications, as well as on television and in museums. She has also expanded her artistic talent by creating a line of designer buttons, clasps, scarves, and artwork, all to be found on her website www.nickyepstein.com. Teacher Bios Susan B. Anderson Susan B. Anderson is the author of Itty-Bitty Hats, Itty-Bitty Nursery, Itty-Bitty Toys, Spud & Chloe at the Farm, and Topsy-Turvy Inside-Out Michelle Hunter (Knit Purl Hunter) Knit Toys. Her popular knitting blog, Knitting and education have always gone hand susanbanderson.blogspot.com, won the in hand with Michelle Hunter. The thrill of Reader's Choice Award on About.com for the learning a new technique or discovering a top-knitting blog/website in 2012. Susan also different way to execute a favorite stitch has has a YouTube channel with dozens of always been a love of Michelle’s. As a former instructional knitting videos that can be found schoolteacher, she brings her two passions under SusanB. Anderson. She lives in Madison, together as an author and knitting Instructor, Wisconsin, with her husband and four children. broadening her students’ knowledge and bringing success to their projects. Her passion for knitting education led her to create a series of skill building books including The Best of Knit Purl Hunter, Building with Lace, Building Blocks, and Building with Color, all designed with a step-by- step plan for better knitting. Fiona Ellis Fiona escaped from career-captivity in the early 1990’s to pursue fashion design at De Montfort University. She graduated with a degree specializing in Knitwear design. Fiona then founded her independent design business, selling designs to major fashion houses in New York, Paris and London. Her contacts in New York helped her to add design for the independent knitter to her repertoire. This led to her published patterns in major print and on-line magazines, and two successful books published by Random House. Fiona helps people escape from the mundane and bring creative design sensibilities to their knitting. Classes Julia Farwell-Clay Susan B. Anderson Steeks for the Timid: Yup, we're going to cut our knitting! Be it Smooth Operator Socks: Join sock knitting expert, Susan B. Anderson, and work stranded or plain work, cut steeks are (if you'll allow for the pun) a shortcut for through her twist on the perfect fitting afterthought heel. In class you willbe knitting in the round and can accommodate design aspects that might not be covering loads of sock knitting tips and tricks, and working through the Smooth possible otherwise. But before we touch our scissors, we'll stabilize our work, and Operator afterthought heel together in class. Techniques covered will include tips explore finished (or not!) edges after they've been cut. for making matching socks, putting in a waste yarn place holder in a different way, Continental or Combination Knitting: Which is Better for You?: This introduction to several ways to get rid of those pesky holes at the sides of the heel, a surefire tip to Continental and Combination knitting techniques will allow knitters to try out for remember the Kitchener stitch every time and how to get rid of those donkey ears, themselves to see if it really is the fastest method for them. Practicing both knit and a no-Kitchener version of heels and toes, and so much more! Come to class ready to purl for both methods, we’ll talk about why it’s a hoot to scoop. work hard on your sock techniques through large group discussion, small group technique demonstrations and individual help. Seams and other Finishing Touches: Join me in this adventure all about (you guessed it) joining, and see if I can convince you that a good mattress stitch is every Fair Isle Fingerless Mitts: Pull together 150-200 yards of worsted weight yarn to bit as satisfying (and fun) as a yo k2tog, and that some sweaters benefit from a stable make a pair of beautiful color work fingerless mitts in class. We will work on the framework. We’ll also look at how to pick up stitches for seamless joins and button corrugated rib, the Latvian braid and the two-handed color work technique during bands, and work button holes for different sized buttons. class. Susan provides lots of large and small group demonstrations and individual attention during class. Students are walked through skills and everyone succeeds. Introduction to Intarsia: In this class, we’ll cover intarsia basics, move on to yarn Students are provided the recipe for the mitts but you get to create your own management strategies, and trouble shoot some samples to keep the weaving in of version. Lots of options and charts and examples will be shared in class to help you ends to a minimum, and work a sample argyle design both flat – and if you're feeling pick and choose your own mitt adventure! You will leave a much more confident brave– in the round.