It's Been A Minute

Hi Friends!

It's been a minute on the blog post aspect of things - many, many minutes. I want to jump back into it with a few things. 

PeaceTree is partnering with Shaina Bilow for a fabulous crafty/knitty tour in Greece. It is going to be spectacular! There are 7 spots left! Here's the link to Shaina's blogpost that includes a Greece inspired reading list and movie list to get you dreaming of days and nights in Greece. 

Read Shaina's post here!  You can find additional details here and here.

This year we are also going North Carolina and Utah! There are only 4 spots left in North Carolina. 10 spots in Utah. 

Knit North Carolina 2024 Info

Knit Utah 2024 Info

As always, we are back to Vermont in November with a new location - lovely and picturesque, Norwich Vermont. 

Knit Vermont 2024

We hope to see you this year! Questions - feel free to reach out www.peacetreefiberadventures@gmail.com

Happy Knitting!

Christine

See Ya 2020--Bring on 2021!

Hello Friends!

I just read this, posted by a friend: "I am what time, circumstance, history, have made me, certainly, but I am, also, much more than that. So are we all. --James Baldwin 

That about sums up 2020, yes? Many of us have certainly discovered what we are made of this year. Whether it was figuring out how to homeschool the kiddies when you aren't a teacher, how to work and homeschool simultaneously, learning to live at home with all adults working from various spaces, to live without seeing family and friends, changing up your whole life to fit into a quarantine. Perhaps jobs were lost. Perhaps homes were lost. Perhaps lives were lost. 

While so many struggles this year have seemed insurmountable, I am choosing to believe that this year is teaching me--resilience, patience, contentment. I am also choosing to believe that this year has shown us that humanity exists, people are mostly good and community is critically important. How we show up for each other will help keep us going. I am choosing to believe these things because I must. I know them to be true and I have seen them in a million tiny gestures and words. 

You have shown up for me big time. I am eternally grateful for the support you have shown me and PeaceTree Fiber Adventures. You can imagine the horror of taking over a business that was almost immediately not viable in it's current state. I had no option but to persevere and do what I could to survive in my little corner of this community. I appreciate and thank you for coming along on this wild ride! I am so hopeful for 2021! 

My promise to all is to continue to welcome you, expand to nurture you and your creativity, explore to create a diverse community for us to grow within, to learn from you and with you and to always give back. 

I wish you all a happy, healthy and joyous New Year!

In 2021 we welcome you to the following events: 

Jan 22-24--Virtual Knitting and Yoga Retreat with Laura Nelkin and Mieka John, sponsored by Moss Fibers 

Feb 19-21--Virtual Knitting and Yoga Retreat with Tanis Gray and Amy Snell 

March 19-21--Virtual Knitting, Crochet and Yoga Retreat with Ellen Deckers and Shaina Bilow

April 15-18--Knitting by the Sea in Cape Ann MA, instructor TBD (Fingers Crossed!) 

May 13-16--Knit Niagara Falls with Norah Gaughan (Fingers Crossed!) 

Sept 2-5--KnitMaine 2021 at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle ME 

Nov 4-7--Knitting in the Mountains of Vermont with Alison Green, Quechee VT 

Registration for all events is open! 

January includes classes: 

Beading 101 and Side to Side Sweater Construction with Laura Nelkin 

Snip your Knits with Confidence: Steeking and Thrumming 101: Cozy Mittens with Mieka John 

Meet the Maker with our featured dyer, Gabriella from Moss Fibers. There will be a giveaway from Moss in each class as well as an exclusive coupon code for our students!

Click here for more details!

I look forward to more adventures together in 2021!

Peace, 

Christine

June 2020

Hello Friends!
I hope this email finds you and yours healthy and safe. It has been a minute since we last visited and the world is still so unstable for so many reasons.

Our Fall 2020 retreats are still on as of now--we will keep you posted as time goes on.  What I do know is that the Instructors for Way Up Maine (Denise Bayron + Kristin Drysdale), Quechee VT (Mary Annarella) and Cape Ann Fall Edition (Louis Boria) have all agreed to teach virtually if we are unable to meet in person. More on that as time goes on and decisions are made. Something to look forward to regardless!

To that end, I thought to myself "Why not start virtual classes now?"  Let's do the hokey pokey and turn ourselves around! I am thrilled to announce the beginning of our Virtual Knitting World Tour! 

Kicking off June 26th we begin our "Greetings From" Series featuring:
Greetings From Maine with Alicia Plummer
Greetings From Edmonton with Melinda Measor

Alicia will be teaching a class on her beautiful sweater, Campside Drop, full of instruction, tips and techniques. Class attendees will recieve a copy of the pattern. Her second class is a lecture explaining and demonstrating live how wool gets from "Sheep to Sweater". 

Melinda will be teaching a Sock FUNdamentals class increase your confidence to embrace sock knitting. Her second class features "Breaking the Mold" when it comes to sock patterns. Learn to make the necessary modifications for toe up or cuff down, regardless of how the pattern is written. 

All details are on our website and registration for class is OPEN! Stay tuned as more classes will be added. We are hoping to add a little Yoga on to the ends of our classes to help recover from the 2 hours of Zoom. Give our neck and shoulders a little love!

As we move forward with whatever the world brings, I am committed personally and professionally to stand with and for our BIPOC friends. I pledge here and now to donate a portion of our proceeds for the remainder of the year to various racial justice organizations beginning with Black Visions Collective. 

I hope to see you soon whether we are ZOOMing or in person! 

Until then.....

Peace, 
Christine

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View this email in your browser March 2020 Newsletter Hello Friends! I hope this email finds you healthy and safe. There is so much to share this month! I will jump right in. Our Cape Ann Retreat is just around the corner. We are so excited to welcome Denise Bayron --we will be working on 2 amazing projects with her, practicing Yoga and enjoying time on the ocean at the Yankee Clipper Inn.  Denise just released a pattern, The Wave of Change Jacket and has a KAL that just began, if you want to give that a look over in the Bayron Handmade Group on Ravelry. You may have seen over on Instagram or Facebook that we have a very exciting addition to Knit Maine! We are thrilled to welcome the Queen of All Things Orange to our final night Farewell Party--Welcome GG of GGMadeIt!! GG will join us on Saturday night where we can come together and celebrate the community we have been a part of at Knit Maine. We can hang out in our comfies (PJs welcome!), knit, laugh, play some games and round out our weekend with a final, fun activity! If you are considering attending Knit Maine--it is going to be AH-MAZING. We can't wait! Here is some thrilling news--We are adding an additional destination in 2021!!  Knit Niagara Falls is scheduled for May 13-16, 2021. We will stay at the Niagara Crossing Hotel and Spa overlooking the mighty Niagara River in the quaint town of Lewiston NY.  Join us and guest Instructor Norah Gaughan for a weekend of knitting instruction, yoga and a trip to see majestic Niagara Falls! And that's not all folks--since there isn't a yarn store in Lewiston--we will be bringing one right to us! Western NY's very own mobile yarn store Knit Buffalo will be on hand for your yarn shopping needs. Let's face it--we have yarn shopping needs! Lastly, we previewed some new merchandise on Social Media. We are loving our new PeaceTree Fiber Adventures t-shirts featuring our new logo. We hope to add more merchandise that can be ordered in the near future because that's just fun :) Hope to see you soon! As always, don't hesitate to reach out with any questions. Peace, Christine Copyright © *|CURRENT_YEAR|* *|LIST:COMPANY|*, All rights reserved. *|IFNOT:ARCHIVE_PAGE|* *|LIST:DESCRIPTION|* Our mailing address is: *|HTML:LIST_ADDRESS_HTML|* *|END:IF|* Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. *|IF:REWARDS|* *|HTML:REWARDS|* *|END:IF|*

Feels like Groundhog Day

Hello Friends!

It is in fact Groundhog Day as I write this--and apparently the little guy did whatever he does that indicates 6 more weeks of winter. Boo hiss! It is snowing outside my window now so I guess that's true.

If you've been over on Social Media, you know I introduced the PeaceTree Fiber Adventures new logo. I love it to pieces! My best friend drew it for me, making it even more special. Looking forward to growing this brand and living the theme that everything grows from a place of Peace. If you haven't seen it, zip on over to our Knitting and Yoga Adventures Facebook page or @knittingyogi on Instagram to read the post.

Registration for all 2020 Retreats is in full swing. Cape Ann is full, Vermont has 6 spots open and Knit Maine (being a much larger event) still has plenty of room. What is interesting to me in receiving all of the registrations and questions is the vast array of people interested in attending. From beginners to advanced knitters, younger and older, from all over the US, attending with friends or attending solo--it's fantastic! All of these people trying to carve a weekend out that is just for them--I am all about time for self-care!

In answering the question about "is there something for me?" at the retreats around emerging, beginner knitters--the answer is a resounding "Yes"! At Knit Maine, there are lots of choices for learning, building on and improving skills. At Cape Ann and Vermont, we have a wide range of skill levels in our participants but the projects are always do-able. What's even better still is that the more advanced knitters are always willing to help those who need it, during class and in the evenings when we are just hanging out together with our projects.

Looking back over the years when I first started attending these retreats, I realized that my skill level has really sky-rocketed. Much more than had I been on my own, I'm sure of it.  The exposure to the amazing instructors that we bring in and the people that you meet, gives you so much confidence and the guts to try something new. To name a few, I've learned color-work and stranded knitting with 2 and 3 colors, a bit of design, shawl designs, fancy schmancy mittens and I learned something that I hadn't known about myself--I can learn and execute complicated cast-ons like it's my job. Who knew??

Denise Bayron and me in Rhinebeck.
This Entrelac shawl is one of my very first
"Just Be Brave and Do It" projects.  

Don't let your abilities, or perceived lack there of, keep you from attending. Instead consider this the perfect opportunity to dig deep into your awesome hobby and take it to the next level. For the more advanced knitters, there is always more to learn and even the most seasoned knitters will have a moment of "Wow. That's a great way to do that!".

I look forward to seeing you soon! Please feel free to keep the questions coming.

Peace,
Christine

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year Friends!

I hope this post finds you well and recovering from the holidays. This is the weirdest time of the year when no one knows what day it is or where we are supposed to be. I had no idea the kids were off of school the entire week after New Year's Day and tried to convince my daughter she had to go to school on Jan 2. I am NOT the Mom who knows what is going on!

Which brings me to my topic of this post--self care. What do you do for yourself? How do you care for you? As adult humans, we have so much on our plates. Work, Kids, Parents, Homes etc etc. The list goes on and on. When is there time for us? That is what drew me to these retreats in the first place. It was high time to put the focus on me for a hot minute. I had just started Knitting seriously, as opposed to dabbling in it, and a weekend in Vermont knitting and doing yoga felt like just the ticket.

Rhinebeck 2019

I grabbed my friend Ann and off we went! Best decision ever. Within just a few hours of being there, we met 20ish other women who were taking care of themselves too. Everyone was from different places, at different stages in life, had different reasons for being there but we all love to knit. We chatted, learned from one another, laughed together. A real sense of community.

Knitting has brought more to my life than I could ever have imagined. Through knitting retreats I have met the most amazing bunch of people, I have improved my skills by leaps and bounds, I have seen new places and experienced new things. I have started a new career! I have cared for me. My grandmother, who taught me to knit, believed that knitting and crafting in general, was the key to keeping your mind sharp. If you asked her why she crafted so much that would have been her answer.  I think we can all agree that while this is true, the real answer is that it keeps us grounded in community through a shared love of fiber. It helps us care for ourselves. On a side note, my grandmother would have been 96 today.

Learning to Knit in 2003--Myself, my brother and grandparents 

My tagline for this venture has been--"The best time of the year. Your time." I think this is so true and valid. These retreats are so nurturing to the soul. Relax, recharge, learn. It makes me a better person in the rest of my life. Most of us have spent a lot of our lives being spouses, raising kids, taking care of others, working and now it's our time. Even for just a long weekend!

Treat yourself to a Knitting and Yoga Adventure. Registration is OPEN!

Anxiously Awaiting

Hello Friends!

I hope this holiday season finds you well and just the right amount of "whelmed". I try so hard not to become overwhelmed but it's an uphill battle every year! I have delighted in getting about 90% of my shopping done from my couch this weekend. Bless you Internet.

Not to rush things along, but I am so anxious for 2020 to get here--bringing us that much closer to  Retreat time! Let me brief you on 2020....

The Cape Ann Retreat with Denise Bayron is full but we are accepting Waitlist registrations.

Jan 1, 2020--Registration Opens for Knit Maine and Quechee VT. WooHoo!

Knit Maine is Sept 3-6, 2020--the Instructor Introductions and Class Lists are available on the website if you would like to start planning your dream schedule. We have an amazing group of talented instructors teaching an unbelievably exciting and varied list of subjects.  Knit Maine is being sponsored by JaggerSpun Yarns, Green Mountain Spinnery, Berroco and Knitty.com.  The Marketplace will feature yarns and swag from On The Round, PortFiber, Madder Root, DirtyWater DyeWorks, Seacolors Yarns, North Light Fibers and JaggerSpun. Information on cost and accommodations can be found on the KnitMaine page of our website.  This weekend is going to be phenomenal!

Mary in her "Farrah Fowler" sweater.

Quechee VT is November 5-8, 2020--We are thrilled to welcome Mary Annarella as our Instructor for Quechee in 2020! Mary's designs are beautiful, wearable and fun. Our weekend in Quechee at the Quechee Inn at Marshland Farms will include 3 classes with Mary and a special field trip Saturday Afternoon is in the works. Information about the Quechee Retreat can be found on the Quechee Retreat page of the Website. Everyone always loves Vermont!

I hope to see you all in 2020. Please do not hesitate to contact me at peacetreefiberadventures@gmail.com with any questions.

From my home to yours, I wish you peace, health and joy in 2020 and always. May your holidays be merry and bright!

Warmly,
Christine