Knitting Retreat in Monterey Bay, California

As we’ve shared before, one of the reasons Karen and I founded Seascape Knit Trips was to bring more knitting events to Northern California. We are happy to announce that our next knitting event will be a retreat on the stunning coast of Monterey Bay, California, October 9-12!

Our classes at the retreat will focus on Form, Fit, and Function — which means your next knitted garment is going to be the best one yet. You’ll walk through creating your own personalized sweater map, while I’ll be helping you explore yarn choice, substitution, and how to really understand how the yarn is going to behave in a garment. Plus, we’ll have a Sunday lecture, “Size Inclusivity and the Maker.”

The retreat runs from Thursday evening until Sunday midafternoon and includes all meals from Thursday dinner through Sunday lunch, four workshops, Kim’s lecture, and all our evening activities. The price of the retreat is $1095, which does not include lodging. You’ll receive a link to book your room with the hotel once you’ve registered for the retreat; our special room rates range from $179-$229 a night.

Classes at the Knitting Retreat

Our classes are appropriate for knitters at all levels!

The Sweater Map: Understanding Body Shape and Sweaters

A Two-Part Class — Kim believes that visual tools such as schematics are essential for us to understand visual crafts like knitting and crochet. Her Sweater Map concept is one such tool. At its simplest, the Sweater Map is a personalized schematic built on your measurements. At its most complex, the Sweater Map provides a blueprint for understanding what ease looks like, a blank slate for labeling stitch and row counts that you need to create a sweater that fits you, a model for what your sweater will look like as you’re knitting it, and an at-a-glance view of your whole project.

Secrets of Substitution

There are so many things to consider when substituting yarns: Grist, fiber characteristics, ply structure, and more. In this workshop we’ll learn the best ways to identify a yarn’s attributes, explore the importance of each, and work with specific substitution tools.

Don’t Make Me Swatch!

Why are we told to swatch, and why do we hate it so much? Are gauge swatches really just lying liars that lie? Sometimes they truly are; we’ll find out why and what to do about it so you can actually believe what your gauge swatch is telling you.

You can read more about the class details here (scroll down).

Location

The knitting retreat takes place at a beautiful little boutique inn called Lighthouse Lodge and Cottages. It’s located in Pacific Grove, California, just down the road from the iconic lighthouse and a few minutes’ walk from the breathtaking coastline. The property is filled with spaces to knit, indoor and outdoor fireplaces, a pool and hot tub.

The inn has two types of rooms: Lodge rooms, which are set up like typical hotel rooms with a patio or balcony; and Cottage rooms, which are a bit larger and have mini kitchenettes and a little sitting area. Both types of room have gas fireplaces and many have jacuzzi tubs. You can read all about the room choices and descriptions here, or see even more photos on the inn’s website.

Retreat Meals and Schedule

For some of you, the fun will begin Thursday morning as we board our private mini coach for a special guided tour of the Monterey Peninsula. That’s an optional pre-tour treat — scroll down to learn more.

For everyone else, we’ll kick things off Thursday evening with an al fresco dinner and welcome gathering. We’re working with a wonderful local chef to make sure the food is just as wonderful as the setting.

On Friday, we’ll spend the day in classes. Half of the group will take Kim’s two-part class while the other half will have my classes. Friday evening we’ll have a little walk down to the beach to toast the sunset, followed by dinner and evening knitting in front of the many fireplaces on property.

Saturday morning we’ll have classes again, with the groups switching teachers so that everyone attending will get all four classes. Lunch will be arranged so that you can take it to go if you wish, because Saturday afternoon is time off to explore! With so many amazing sights in the area, we knew you’d want a chance to take it in. Whether you decide to visit the world-famous Monterey Bay Aquarium, drop in on Monarch Knitting, walk the coastline, take a whale-watching excursion, stop by Point Pinos Lighthouse, look for butterflies at the Monarch Grove Sanctuary take advantage of the pool and hot tub, or just relax, the afternoon is yours. (We’ll happily provide a list of our favorite recommendations, though!) We’ll gather once again Saturday evening for dinner together and an evening activity.

Our final classes will take place Sunday morning, followed by lunch and then Kim’s lecture, “Size Inclusivity and the Maker.” Afterwards, we’ll say goodbye to our (hopefully many) new friends and head home. Or if you wish to stay an extra night, the hotel will extend our special rates so you can spend a little more time relaxing and soaking in the coastal air.

You can see an outline of the times and travel recommendations here.

Non-Knitting Companions

Because the Monterey Peninsula — with its golfing, bird watching, beaches, hikes, and charming towns — is a world-famous destination, it occurred to us that some of you might want to bring a non-knitting companion along. You can do that! We will be able to include them in all our meals for $460 if they’re staying in your room with you. Just let us know when you register.

We also have a Facebook group for those interested in or attending the retreat. It’ll be a good place to find roommates or plan shared travel, etc.