2008 Knitter's Review Retreat
Williams Inn
Williamstown, MA
November 21-23, 2008

Pricing and nitty gritty details
Registration Form

Please note: Registration is now full but we are maintaining a waiting list. If you think you'd like to come, feel free to send us a registration form and we'll contact you if a spot opens up!

Join us again in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts as we celebrate our seventh year of bringing like-spirited people together to relax, gain knitterly inspiration, share ideas, and form lasting friendships.

Who'll Be There
Hosted by yours truly (your Knitter-in-Chief Clara Parkes), the Knitter's Review Retreat is truly about sharing our collective skills and experiences with one another in a relaxed, low-pressure environment.

We're delighted to have two special friends join us this year and add their skills and experience to the mix: Melissa Morgan-Oakes, author of 2-at-a-Time Socks; and longtime Retreatee Shelia January, whose designs are featured in Clara's book, The Knitter's Book of Yarn.

Where We'll Be
Our new home is the Williams Inn, a family owned and operated inn in Williamstown in the Berkshire Hills region. Home of Williams College, the Clark Art Institute, and the Williamstown Theatre Festival, Williamstown is approximately a three-hour drive from Boston and three-and-a-half hours from New York City.

What We'll Do
The weekend agenda strikes a balance between programmed time for learning and sharing, and unprogrammed time for relaxing and playing. Highlights include:

Friday night show and tell, with a modified version of last year's new format to help us get to know one another without staying up until 2am.

Read about previous retreats:
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002

A choice of Saturday morning workshops:

In one room, Melissa Morgan-Oakes will lead us on a wild ride through the land of knitting two socks at once on a single circular needle. Put an end to that dreaded second sock syndrome!
In another room, Shelia January will show us how to make beautiful and well-fitting fingerless gloves and mittens to keep our hands toasty warm and show off our knitting skills.

Plus...

A marketplace featuring special guests Spirit Trail Fiberworks, Foxfire Fiber & Designs.

And a special Sunday morning program designed to set our knitterly sails for the year to come.

Thursday Extension
Sorry, the Thursday extension is now full. We're accepting waitlist applications only.
For retreat alums who wish to make a long weekend out of it, we have a limited number of spots in the Thursday extension. Guests arrive Thursday afternoon, November 20th, and on Friday morning Shelia January will teach an in-depth lace intensive.

Clean Your Stash
A favorite retreat tradition is the Stash Lounge where attendees bring extra items from their own stash (perhaps a bag of yarn you intended to use for a sweater but never did) and pick up something new from another person's stash. It's a great way to clean out your stash and know that it's going to an appreciative knitter—and you pick up some great new finds in the process.

Knit for Others
Every year we invite attendees to knit an item (or two) for charity and bring it to the retreat. This year we are collecting hats for boys, girls, men, and women as part of the Hats for Hugs program. Your contribution of a soft, seamless handknit hat will be distributed to cancer patients in radiation, chemotherapy, and oncology centers throughout Southern Maine.

The Details
Weekend	Cost for the weekend is $380 per person double occupancy, $500 single occupancy. Lodging is in simple, Colonial-style motel rooms in the main inn building. Each guest room has a full bath with tub and shower, television, telephone, voicemail, and separate climate controls. You can either let us choose your roommate or specify a roommate on your registration form. Please make sure your intended roommate sends in his/her form at the same time as yours—we are unable to hold rooms for missing roommates. This rate covers everything: all classes and activities, two nights' lodging, all your meals from Friday dinner through Sunday breakfast, snacks and beverages throughout the weekend, plus all taxes and gratuities. The Williams Inn was unable to accommodate our group for a separate lunch on Sunday, which is why breakfast is our last meal of the day. Once your registration is confirmed, however, you're encouraged to reserve a spot for Sunday brunch directly through the inn. We hear it is legendary!
Thursday Extension	The Thursday extension is now full. The cost is an additional $280 for single occupancy and $200 for double occupancy. If sharing a room, both roommates will need to be registered for the extension—we cannot split single/double occupancy over the weekend. The fee covers everything—meals, lodging, snacks, and materials for the workshop.
Day Visitors	We have a limited number of slots open for nearby residents who would like to join us just for the day on Saturday. The fee is $125 and includes the morning workshop, lunch, the marketplace, afternoon tea, and dinner. (Please note we are not able to provide breakfast for Saturday visitors.)
Bringing Family	Space for a non-knitting partner, spouse, friend, or child is limited and will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. We regret we are not able to accommodate children under 12 without a non-participating adult caregiver, as child-care is not available. We will make case-by-case exceptions for babies, but once the child reaches toddlerdom, it will need a non-participating caregiver. The cost for adult non-knitting companions sharing a room with a participant is $320 for the weekend, or $460 with the Thursday extension. This includes lodging, meals, snacks, and all taxes and gratuities.
Register	REGISTRATION FORM Simply print out the above form, fill it out, and return it to us with your payment. The registration form is in Adobe Acrobat .PDF format. Most computers already have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed, but if you don't, you can download a free version. You may return the registration form by fax (888-653-5558) or by mail to: Knitter's Review P.O. Box 1617 Blue Hill, ME 04614 We will make every effort to send you email confirmation of your registration status within 14 to 21 days. Space is expected to fill quickly. Waitlisted registrations will be assigned a priority based on their postmark or date/time of fax received by us. Once your space has been confirmed, your credit card will be charged for the full registration fee on August 30th or, in the case of waitlisted applicants, upon confirmation of your space.
Cancellations	Cancellations are fully refundable until September 15th, at which point they will be subject to a $100 cancellation fee. After October 1, all cancellations are non-refundable.
Getting There	The Williams Inn is approximately a three-hour drive from Boston and three-and-a-half hours from New York City. The region is served by major airports in Boston (Logan), New York (LaGuardia, Kennedy, Newark, and Albany), and Connecticut (Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks). The closest airports are Albany International (one hour) and Bradley International Airport (two hours). We are not able to provide event transportation from area airports to the inn, but most participants have been able to coordinate carpools and ride-sharing from airports through the Forum in the past and we will do all we can to help coordinate this.
Questions? Comments?	Visit the 2008 retreat forum thread.