Knitting holidays in France - spaces still available

Enjoy an early Spring in the Charente-Maritime we still have a few spaces available on the following three knitting and crochet holidays -

Thursday 20th March - tuesday 25th March 2014 - knitting and crochet holiday with optional workshops on various knitting techniques and basic crochet. For further details click here.

Thursday 27th March - tuesday 1st April 2014 - knitting and crochet holiday with optional workshops on various knitting techniques and basic crochet. For further details click here.

Thursday 24th April - tuesday 29th April 2014 - knitting and crochet holiday with optional workshops on various knitting techniques and basic crochet. For further details click here.

Come on your own to enjoy the company of fellow knitters or bring along a partner or friend (we can also arrange woodturning or painting classes on the same holiday if wanted). The holidays are open to all skill levels.

Knitting and Crochet holidays in France

The dates for the next two knitting and crochet retreats at La Verderie are -

Thursday 20th - Tuesday 25th March 2014

and 

Thursday 27th March - Tuesday 1st April 2014

Cost for 5 nights: £325 per head (based on two people sharing a twin room) and £395 per head for a single room.

For further details email Sue

Come and join designer Sue Culligan at her home in the Charente-Maritime for a relaxing holiday, in some (hopefully!) warm spring weather.

The cost of the holidays includes transfers from Angouleme or La Rochelle to La Verderie, (£20 supplement for transfers from Bordeaux), full board, wine with meals, optional workshops and outings to local towns. All you pay for is your travel to France and any expenses incurred on outings.

You are welcomed into Sue and Culli's home as house guests, the comfortable old farmhouse can provide accommodation for up to 5 guests at a time in three single rooms and one twin room. There is a light and airy studio for workshops, a courtyard garden for enjoying the sunshine and comfortable old sofas to relax on in front of an open fire.

The delicious home cooked meals use fresh local produce and dietary requirements can be catered for.

The holiday is open to all skill levels, workshops are optional but if there is a particular technique you would like to learn or improve it is a good opportunity to try it out. Sue has a large library of knitting and crochet books and a stash of yarn oddments to play around with. If you are already competent at knitting and crochet you can share your skill and ideas with other guests. If you have a problem with a project bring it along for some help and advice.

Itinerary (can be changed to suit guests requirements)

Thursday - arrival

Friday - workshop on chosen subject in the morning, shopping and sightseeing trip to Saintes or Cognac in the afternoon

Saturday - visit to the market at St Jean d'Angely in the morning, optional workshop in the afternoon or just relax with your knitting and crochet project

Sunday - visit to a Brocante in the morning and a bit of sightseeing, optional workshop in the afternoon

Monday - day to finish off projects and go over any final techniques

Tuesday - departure

relaxing in the garden at La Verderie

the river at Saintes

Paella supper

the yarn shop in Royan

knitting and crochet sample

October 2013 Knitting Retreat

Yesterday we spent the morning with our knitting. Franziska is getting on really well with her ipad cover, Angela and Verna are experimenting with cable, intarsia and fairisle, working on small samplers that may or may not become a finished project and Jennifer is jumping between her cardigan project and a pair of socks in a gorgeous soft yarn in a heathery green shade.

After lunch we went to the Chateau at Crazannes and joined the guided tour (in French), our dreadlocked guide was full of enthusiasm and clearly enjoyed his job, I think everyone got the gist of it and enjoyed the lovely gardens and blue skies.

After supper of antipasto starters, butternut squash and wild mushroom bake and tarte tatin for pud, we settled down for more knitting. Our four legged visitor Puck has found a friend in Angela and they were soon snuggled up together on the floor.

With wind and rain forecast for today we opted to spend the day at home, working on projects this morning and learning how to do buttonholes and in the afternoon a master class on beading! I drew up a simple beaded heart, but everyone got the hang of it quickly, Franziska is all geared up to start on a cable and beaded cowl tomorrow.

Tomorrow a trip to La Rochelle.

Knitting Basics workshop, final day

By the end of Sunday morning most of the patches on the bags were finished and the ends sewn in, time for a lesson on pinning and blocking followed by a long leisurely lunch in the garden then back to knitting bases for the bags. A demo on picking up and knitting stitches and how to make a neat finish around the neck of a sweater, then the final leg of knitting the sides and strap for the bags.

Monday was the last day of the workshop and at lunch-time everyone had completed their bags except for  sewing up the side seams. Considering this was meant to be a workshop for beginner's I think the results were absolutely fantastic. The knitting basics workshop is mainly for encouragement and convincing students that they can go on to knit just about anything, as they all left clutching yarn and patterns, enthusiastically looking forward to the next project hopefully I have achieved just that (but will they sew up the final seams on the bags I wonder....?)

Culli and I drove Liz and Barbara back to Bordeaux airport with a quick detour into Ikea on the way back for light bulbs and a new rug for the sitting-room. Today it is back to catching up on emails, pattern checking and a  new window for the kitchen so currently every work surface is covered in junk, I should be painting window frames and doors but it is freezing cold and raining and there is a huge pile of laundry to be done....... Looking forward to the next knitting retreat already, but with just a week to go there is a lot to be done.

Knitting Patterns

I am still plodding on with the getting the website up-dated. Got a bit side-tracked today with some old knitting patterns that I have been adding to the website, they range from really useful waistcoats and cute fairisles to some fairly wacky picture jumpers, there must be someone out there who wants a sweater with a peacock on it......

Knitting holiday in France with Rowan tutors Carol Meldrum and Nicole Wilson

Spaces still available for the Knitting workshop in France (12th-18th June). I have just two spaces left in single rooms and one space in a shared room, for more details email sue@kangaroo.uk.com or visit Workshops at Kangaroo.

The knitting week at Chateau St Julien l'Ars is approaching fast. Tutors Carol Meldrum and Nicole Wilson are working on the programme (see here). It is going to be design based with lots of useful hints and tips to include embellishments, beading, fairisle, intarsia and a bit of crochet. 

We are so lucky to have the run of this beautiful Chateau, it is the most gorgeous place for a knitting holiday. The first floor sitting room is perfect for working in, with natural light from the huge windows. Guests can retreat to their comfortable bedrooms for a bit of peace and quiet, relax on the sunny terraces or explore the acres of parkland attached to the Chateau. I am looking forward to starting to plan the menus, having got back into cake baking for our weekly dog walk here, feeling thin at the end of the week will definitely not be an option!

The projects from the French knitting workshop

More projects from the French knitting workshop

More projects from the French knitting workshop

Wednesday at the Chateau

Wished I had gone to bed before 1 am! Never mind another busy day ahead and soon get into the swing of things, still a beautiful sunny day but there is a threat of thunderstorms. Today everyone starts on their project, with a bit of fairisle and intarsia tuition to start them off. The workshops are very relaxed and although this one is meant to be all day, the guests can come and go as they want, disappear to find a comfy sofa or go and sit and knit in the sunshine. Sarah and Emma are great, always on hand to provide useful hints and tips and tons of inspiration. The menu for tonight is Cassoulet, Fish Pie or Roast Peppers stuffed with lentils and feta cheese. Culli has taken it upon himself to encourage the guests to drink more, I think he is worried that they are being a little timid - I am thinking great we won't need to buy any more wine, but looks like I could be wrong, they are rising to the challenge! Mary is doing an impromptu lesson on sock knitting for any that don't know how.

Bag design

Inspired by a postcard that she had brought with her, Felicity produced this wonderful design for a knitted bag featuring colourful cupcakes with glass beading.