Behind the scenes at our Machine Knitting Retreat!

Well that's it for another year!  Our 2nd ever Machine Knitting Retreat finished last week and just like last year it went by in the blink of an eye.  Here is a recap of everything that happened when 14 machine knitters & guests got together in Hebden Bridge ...

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The Venue

The venue we used for 2023 (Lumb Bank) was undergoing renovation this year and so was unavailable.  But luckily for us we jumped across the other side of the valley, to the lovely IOU Hostel on the hill just above Hebden Bridge.  It meant that everybody could now have en-suite rooms and that it was a better location for people who wanted to explore the town under their own steam.  It also meant evening pub trips to watch the football were an option for those that fancied it.

The surrounding garden area was a peaceful oasis with the early summer blooms and we even got a sideshow of gardeners planting the beds as we machine knitted.  There were great views over Hebden Bridge for those on the 1st Floor too.

Chef Steve

Just like last year, Chef Steve ran the catering over the course of the week; from the help-yourself breakfasts to the varied hot & cold lunch options and the home-cooked evening meals and puddings provided by our local Tearooms.  The Hostel has a policy of a fully vegetarian kitchen and so meat and fish couldn't be included but nonetheless the hearty meals were just what was needed to refuel a posse of hungry machine knitters - enough so that many were often found back at their knitting machines into the night!

The Machine Knitting Studio

The communal area of the hostel was reimagined as a machine knitting studio and was a hive of activity all week.  The regular staff were impressed by just how industrious everybody was and I think we did a great PR job with those who had never even seen a knitting machine before.  It was certainly on the cosy side for 14 knitting machines and ribbers with an even split between the members of Team Brother and Team Silver who took it in turns for first dibs on any of the meals.  The bright lighting and large picture windows made it a great knitting space with lovely views.

As the weather improved over the course of the week it meant we could open the doors wide and even have al fresco machine knitting demonstrations with Bill King on Thursday!

The Tutors

As mentioned above, Bill gave a great machine knitting demonstration out on the patio showing a neat way of machine knitting three (or more!) colours in the same row of Fair Isle.  He also arrived with two suitcases of amazing swatches for us to examine and quiz him on to give even more ideas for future projects.

As well as a day with Bill, we were treated to a session with Victoria Salmon that introduced methods of varying the plated ribs that were in the machine knitting pattern to give even more options.

Bill & Victoria were on hand all day long to help all of us with any problems or queries and make suggestions.  We also had Ria Burns with us all week to help members with technical and user issues - this worked really well as Ria works predominantly with Brother knitting machines whilst my knowledge is more on the Silver Reed side.

Between the four of us we managed to encourage and support everybody through the week with the garment they had chosen to knit.

The new pattern & yarn

This year the pattern I designed was named after the new venue; the hostel is part of the historic Birchcliffe Centre and we were treated to a private tour of the Birchcliffe on one of the afternoons too.  The Birchcliffe Twinset is a Fair Isle Vest and Cardigan with one Fair Isle punchcard design.  But the pattern is designed with 2 options for machine knitting the Fair Isle; either with the pattern all over or with varying sections of single motif to give a more chequerboard effect.  Members were also encouraged to play around with different variations on their colour scheme for each of the designs too.  The idea being that you can choose either design for either of the two garments (and a reverse colourway as well) to achieve a mix and match effect.  It also included the option of plated ribs on the trims and a plating design for the cardigan pocket for those who really wanted to push themselves. 

The yarn we used for the pattern was 2/17 nm merino lambswool from Z Hinchliffe & Sons and we provided a spectrum of colours for everybody to choose from.  Even though there were some colours that were more popular than others and shared between each other, I'm pretty sure that in the end every garment will be a completely unique design and colourway.

Members aimed to complete one garment whilst on Retreat and then take yarn back with them to finish the other piece.  Most people got close to achieving that and I'm really looking forward to seeing the end results when we meet up on line later next month to see the finished outfits.

Social events

Alongside the knitting activities there was also time for a little R&R and trips to discover the local area.  As well as the private tour of the Birchcliffe mentioned above, this also included a talk from the Artist in Residence at the Hostel, Georgia da Silva who is creating tiny dioramas of local houses using cardboard boxes.

For the hardy there was an evening walk with local author and cartographer, Chris Goddard all the way up the hill to our home village of Heptonstall.

We were blessed to have an outdoor sauna and ice baths on our doorstep within the grounds and it was a welcome relief towards the end of the week when we had it to ourselves to soothe some of our stiff machine knitting muscles!

On the final full day we took a trip out to nearby Fairfield Yarns where much fun was had stocking up on more yarn to take home for all those projects in our future!! And we called in on the way back home to the beautifully curated Beyond Measure for haberdashery and pattern supplies.

We made it back to the hostel for the final afternoon wrap-up to complete the section that was in progress and to gather all the yarns and info needed to complete things once back home.

Time to bid farewell

All that was left was a bus trip up another steep hill - ask anybody from either of our Retreats about the hills! - for our celebration meal at the Robin Hood Inn.  It was a chance to unwind after a busy, creative week and chat about what we'd covered and all our plans for future knitting projects.

Next year?

And so that's it for another year.  It was another great event and Steve & I were amazingly grateful to be surrounded by yet more warm, friendly, generous machine knitters who all showed up with an attitude of positivity and openness.  These events really would be nothing without the amazing machine knitters who come along and share their knowledge and experience.

But already our minds turn to next year and how we can make it even better.  We still have to think about the venue and the time of year to run it and we will be doing this over the coming months, hoping to have some plans in place by this autumn for Retreat 2025.  I will, of course, share details here as soon as we have them.  But if you want to make sure you don't miss them, you can sign up to our waitlist which will automatically send you details as soon as they are out.

>> Link to join the mailing list for Retreat 2025

I always feel slightly sad on the day that everybody leaves.  I really wish there was a way you could bottle the Spirit of Retreat and keep it with you on the lonelier days in the Studio and at your knitting machine.  I guess we have the next best thing here inside the Machine Knit Community and I will be busy working on ways that we can all help each other there too.  Because as the Retreat showed once again, you can't beat that feeling of machine knitting surrounded by others (whether they are in the room with you or just at the end of a screen!)

The MKC will be opening to new members in September 2024 and you can read more about it HERE.

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Photo credits: MKC & Joanne Crawford