It’s not any weirder than a yoga retreat, but a knitting retreat is something it never occurred to me existed. But Vogue Knitting is launching a series of “destination weekend experiences” across the country. Their first stop: Maupin, Oregon’s ethically committed Imperial Stock Ranch, whose yarn division, Imperial Yarn, boasts Anna Cohen as its creative director. From May 18-21, participants will be treated to classes with knitwear designer and author Nicky Epstein, a “a five-course meal with regional wine pairing prepared by Executive Chef Mark Hosack of Gracie’s at Hotel deLuxe,” plus other Eastern Oregon-style tourist activities like sheep wrangling and “cowboy entertainment.” Just imagine all the City Slickers-style hijinks that have the potential to ensue (“Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’, keep them dogies rollin’, man my ass is swollen…”) I have a line out to find out how much the package costs, but it sounds like a fine way to get some fresh air. Plus: sheep wrangling seems like something you should probably know.
- Anna Cohen
- Anna Cohen for Imperial Yarn
My mom used to put on a knitting retreat up at Fort Warden in Port Townsend Washington. 100 people, mostly women, would hang out for the weekend, knit, eat, drink wine, and share time together with fellow knitters. It sounds dorky, but it was a lot of fun. Hope to hear more info about Vogue’s weekend destinations. Thanks for writing about this!