Virtual Knitting Tour to Ireland February 5-7, 2021

Céad Míle Fáilte is an Irish Gaelic phrase meaning "one hundred thousand welcomes".

For our opening night, our dear cairde (friends) will get together to get (re)aquainted and to meet our new traveling buddies.   

In the course of this fun-filled evening, we'll be baking fruited Irish soda bread together. Some of the ingredients will be included in your goody box. 

LUCY HAGUE AND CELTIC CABLES

Join master designer Lucy Hague for a one hour talk covering her Celtic art influences and design process. Lucy will demonstrate some of her cabling techniques, including 2-colour slipped stitch cables and reversible Celtic cables. A 15 minute Q&A session will be included at the end of the talk. Lucy is the author of 'Celtic Cable Shawls' and 'Illuminated Knits'. 

TRADITIONAL IRISH KNITTING WORKSHOP WITH ANNE O'MAILLE

Situated on High Street in Center City Galway, O'Maille's Original House of Style is a mecca for cable lovers from all over the world. Spend two hours with its owner and learn all about the history of Aran knitting and its special stitches. In addition, Anne will share the pattern for a cabled sampler with us.

DUELING DYERS

This afternoon,  we'll compare the unique dyeing methods of Three Irish Girls (Erin McFarland ) and Yarn Snob (Keith Leonard) as they break down their different dyeing styles with personal demonstrations. Watch these genius indy-dyers create semi-solids, variegateds, and amazing speckled colourways. At the end of the session, we'll have a friendly duel in which Erin and Keith will each dye a special colourway inspired by an Ireland photo chosen by Melissa.  

SLAINTE! IT'S IRISH PUB NIGHT! 

Tonight we'll prepare an Irish-themed dinner together and knit and chat while it cooks.

Don't forget to bring your favorite knitted item from the past year to show to the group. Extra credit if it's a project from a previous knitting event with our group. 

Need I mention that there will be PRIZES?!?!? 

BYO Jameson and Bushmills. 

THE KILLARNEY MYSTERY SCARF

Join Melissa Leapman for a two-hour workshop and learn everything you need to know to knit this weekend's group project--an amazing double-sided scarf using the gorgeous 100% merino Soft Donegal yarn in your goody box. 

SIOG STRIPES SHAWL WORKSHOP 

WITH IRISH KNITWEAR DESIGNER CAROL FELLER

Two colour cables are absolute magic: they look like cables twisting effortlessly over the background and are so much easier to work than they look! (Don't tell anybody.)

Carol's unique shawl design uses a unique double garter stitch for the background stitch over which a single colour cable seems to float! 

Learn all the techniques you’ll need in this class to knit the Siog Stripes shawl.

Suitable even for new cable knitters.

THE ENNIS HAT WORKSHOP

This design, using simple mosaic knitting technique, features Celtic motifs on a dotted garter stitch ground.

Melissa will (re)introduce  you to all the techniques  necessary to make the project.

Even colourwork wusses will enjoy mosaic knitting. Despite the complex look, just one colour is used per row!