Twenty-eight knitters enjoyed a fantastic four days on Block Island—one of the Nature Conservancy’s top 10 destinations worldwide—that included classes every morning, island activities every afternoon, delicious meals, beautiful hotels and time to make great friends.
Later that evening, everyone got to know the designers and each other over a glass of wine before Deborah Newton gave a kick-off presentation about her life as a designer. The welcome dinner was amazing, with food at the Atlantic supreme.
On Friday morning, we all had champagne breakfasts at the 1661 Inn before going to class at the Manisses Hotel or the Spring Street Gallery next door. Each day, the participants rotated classes taught by Carla Scott, Rosemary Drysdale, and John Brinegar, so everyone was able to enjoy a different knitting experience. The teachers were outstanding, and we learned a lot.
On Friday afternoon we took a bus tour around the island and stopped at many beautiful locations including the famous North Light, where the group picture was taken. After taking some time to knit, we toured the North Light Fibers Micro Yarn Mill. To get there, we walked through the alpaca pasture, where it was fun to feed and pet the animals. The mill was fantastic, and we learned a lot about fibers and yarn making. First we learned about washing and dyeing different fibers, and then we had a hands-on demonstration of fiber separating, carding, spinning, plying, skeining and more. That night we had dinner at Kimberly’s restaurant and enjoyed drinks at the Manisses hotel bar.
Saturday was another beautiful morning with great classes. After lunch, many of the participants relaxed and walked through town shopping, while others went on a nature walk and banded birds with the Ocean View Foundation or enjoyed a guided tour of the Southeast light. After some down time and shopping at the mill yarn store, we all headed to Oar restaurant for a sunset dinner overlooking the marinas and the harbor. On Sunday we enjoyed another morning of great food, outstanding classes and good lunch as people slowly headed to the ferry on their way home after a truly relaxing and fun filled trip.
The experience exceeded everyone’s expectations—in fact, many of the participants have started a Ravelry group to keep connected! This exclusive event with North Light Fibers was everything we could have hoped for.
