2023 Retreat Workshops

Participation in workshops is included in the retreat registration cost!

Facilitators

Nancy Lekx

Nancy Lekx designs and knits cozy items for adults and children—scarves, wraps, cowls, and blankets. You can find her designs in Interweave Knits, knitscene and A Needle Pulling Thread magazines, on company websites such as Cascade and Signature Needle Arts, as well as on Ravelry. Nancy lives on the shore of Georgian Bay and many of her projects evoke local landscapes. She focusses on texture, rather than colour, and knits interesting stitch patterns into simple shapes that can be easily modified and personalized. Nancy also teaches knitting classes and leads knitalongs based on her designs. Her goal is to empower knitters to explore their own design ideas and to create beautiful projects.

https://www.ravelry.com/designers/nancy-lekx

Ravelry Group: https://www.ravelry.com/groups/lekxknits?s=tab

IG handle: @lekxknits

Amanda Hunter

Amanda, the creative force behind Soulful Knitting, is a workshop facilitator who has a deep passion for creativity and exploration.

Drawing upon her own experiences of breaking free from the confines of rigid patterns, Amanda seeks to create a supportive and inclusive environment where participants can unleash their creativity without the weight of frustration or expectation. Her workshops are filled with laughter, storytelling, and a genuine enthusiasm for the craft.

Whether you're a seasoned knitter looking to expand your skills or a complete beginner eager to embark on this therapeutic journey, Amanda welcomes you with open arms. Through her soulful approach to knitting, she guides her students on a transformative path, encouraging them to trust their instincts and forge their own unique knitting styles.

Colleen Jones

Colleen has a love and devotion to yoga for over 20+ years. She fulfilled her passion and became a certified yoga teacher in 2020 at Beyond Yoga Studio & Wellness Centre in Ottawa. She has continued her education with courses in Yin Yoga, Restorative Yoga, Active Aging for Seniors and Chair Yoga.

Colleen loves all aspects of the Yoga world, using the 4 Agreements as a foundation for yoga and life - this concentration helps her to keep growing with a continued focus and movement for mind, body and soul.

After a lifelong municipal government career, she retired in 2021, and relocated to Northern Ontario where she currently teaches studio and community based yoga focussing on gentle, chair and senior yoga.

Workshops

Sequence Knitting Primer

with Nancy Lekx

Sequence knitting is an ingenious method of creating richly textured fabrics. It can be uncomplicated enough for social or television knitting, or complex and sophisticated. The concept has been thoroughly explored by Cecelia Campochiaro in her 2015 book entitled Sequence Knitting: Simple Methods for Creating Complex Reversible Fabrics.

This 2-hour workshop covers four different types of sequence knitting: one row, serpentine, shaped, and spiral. After completing the workshop, participants will be able to make beautifully textured scarves, wraps and cowls, as well as housewares like washcloths, towels and blankets.

three dishcloths, all knit with the {k4, p4} sequence, using the one-row (yellow), serpentine (red) and shaped (blue) methods

a cowl, knit entirely with a {k4, p4} sequence, with the sequence shifted to create four different, textured, stitch patterns

Materials Needed: some leftover worsted or DK weight yarn, and appropriately sized knitting needles (straight, circular, or DPNs); scissors; paper and pen(cil) if you want to take notes

Skills Needed: cast on and bind off; knit and purl

Homework: Cast on 16 stitches. Work 6 rows of 4x4 ribbing (i.e., * knit 4, purl 4; repeat from * to the end of the row). Leave the stitches on the needle and we will continue from there.

Shaping Sequence Knitting For Shawls

with Nancy Lekx

Sequence knitting makes beautiful textured fabrics that are reversible, making them perfect for items like blankets, scarves, and shawls, where both sides are often visible. In this 2-hour workshop, we will learn how to make simple shapes for shawls: 3 bottom-up triangles, 3 side-to-side triangles, and a parallelogram. If time permits, we’ll even look at compound shapes—three triangles can make a beautiful cape, for example. All instructions for the shapes can be written up as one- or two-row patterns that are easily memorized, making them perfect for social knitting here at the retreat.

No previous experience with sequence knitting is needed. By the end of the workshop, all participants will know how to design and knit their own sequence shawls.

a deep, bottom-up, triangular shawl, worked in a {k5, p3} sequence

a boomerang-shaped shawl, knit from side-to-side, on the bias, in a {k5, p3} sequence

Materials Needed: some leftover worsted or DK weight yarn, and appropriately sized knitting needles (straight, circular, or DPNs); scissors; paper and pen(cil) if you want to take notes

Skills Needed: cast on and bind off; knit and purl

Homework: Cast on 10 stitches. Work 6 rows of 1x1 ribbing (i.e., * knit 1, purl 1; repeat from * to the end of the row). Leave the stitches on the needle and we will continue from there together.

Chair Yoga

with Colleen Jones

Friday night - 1/2 hour - “Relax You’re Here!” - Welcome let’s join in together, meet, greet and work out some of the kinks from our travel (be it close or far). A gentle evening class to unwind and decompress. Relax, we made it to our Retreat.

Saturday morning - 1 hour “Rise Up” a gentle chair class that will get us ready for the day - the class will slowly open up our creative pathways by stretching stagnant areas, like shoulders, chest and hips. Get ready to listen, learn and stretch our creativity by easing into the day with clarity!!

Saturday afternoon - Tension Release- no needles required!! Learn techniques to sooth aching shoulders, help with tension headaches, relax wrists and arms - specifically designed chair exercise/yoga class for knitters !!

Unleashing Your Knitting Creativity: Letting Go Of Patterns

With Amanda Hunter

Are you tired of feeling bound by knitting patterns? Do you yearn to break free from the confines of step-by-step instructions and embrace your own unique creative voice? If so, this workshop is for you.

This discussion will empower and inspire you to explore the limitless possibilities of knitting without the need for rigid patterns. Whether you're a seasoned knitter or just starting out, this workshop will take you on a journey of self-discovery and creative expression. By stepping away from pre-determined patterns, you will discover the joy of knitting with a sense of freedom, experimentation, and self-expression.

In addition to the practical aspects, this workshop will also touch upon the emotional and therapeutic benefits of knitting without boundaries. We will explore how this practice can serve as a form of meditation, mindfulness, and artistic release, allowing you to find solace and joy in each stitch.

Whether you dream of designing your own garments, experimenting with innovative techniques, or simply want the freedom to knit more freely as you go about your day-to-day life without needing to focus intently on rigid instructions; this workshop will give you permission to put down the pattern.

Get ready to unravel the magic of knitting beyond patterns and discover a whole new world of artistic expression.