
We all need a break, sometimes. A peaceful respite is always welcome in our busy lives! A great gift for the maker you know or even (dare we say) a gift for yourself would be a retreat or away-from-home workshop. It could be a way to hook up with far away friends, or just spend some down time while being productive and reigniting the creative fires. No matter where you live, chances are there is a retreat or workshop week(end) that can fit your budget or timeline.
Some of the retreats Cal & (or) I have attended include:
Squam Art Workshops These workshops cover a wide variety of disciplines and are held either in the gorgeous NH woods (pictured above), stunning Outer Banks or this year ITALY!
Yarn Cupboard Winter Fiber Arts Retreat Cal & I both taught here last year and will be again this year and we LOVE it! A relaxing and fun weekend surrounded by other fiber lovers, making, chatting and learning!
Peter’s Valley Workshops in NJ an amazing place to take classes over the Spring & Summer with a fine art & craft focus, the new list of 2012 classes isn’t up yet but promises to include blacksmithing, woodworking, printmaking and ceramics so it seems like almost anyone could find something they’ve been wanting to learn more about here.
Some retreats we haven’t been to but sure sound good:
Rip Van Winkle Sock Knitting Retreat hosted Claudia of Country Wool a weekend in the Catskills that covers almost everything you would want to know about sock making.
CIA Boot Camp Don’t worry, in this instance the CIA stands for Culinary institute of America. They offer a wide range of week & weekend cooking classes in Hyde Park, NY, St Helena, CA or San Antonio TX. These are the kind of “boot camps” I can see myself in, the kind that involve butter and wine and don’t require gym clothes.
Alabama Chanin Workshops A weekend in Florence, AL making a gorgeous garment with Natalie Chanin herself using her patterns, and materials sounds absolutely amazing, plus how many weekends away can you come home with with a couture garment?!
There are tons and tons more covering so many different skills and scattered all over the world. Have you been to a retreat that was mind-blowingly amazing? Tell us about it!