Ann Kingstone Announces Yorkshire Knitting Tour

Ann Kingstone image courtesy of Ann Kingstone

Knitting holidays have been around for a long time, usually entailing a weekend away at a seaside hotel with a few knitting classes thrown in for good measure. Craft holidays tend to be popular with solo holidaymakers who want to join a group and learn something new as well. The best knitting holidays, however, are run by well-known designers who can offer their expertise and turn a simple holiday into a one-off personalised experience.

Lovers of Yorkshire wool and people who would like to explore the county's crafting heritage will be pleased to know that local designer Ann Kingstone is running a week's knitting tour of Yorkshire from July 8th to 15th 2018.

Says Kingstone:

"We are going to explore the colour work, lace and cable knitting traditions of this historic county, with visits to Yorkshire's foremost heritage centres, fascinating presentations by knitting historians, and superb knitting tuition for all levels of knitting ability."

The trip doesn't come cheap, costing £1500 for a shared room and £1600 for a single, but excursions include trips to the Bronte Parsonage, Fountains Abbey, York and The Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes. Plus of course there's Kingstone's invaluable expertise thrown in.

Kingstone's patterns caught my eye a few years ago when I bought her Born & Bred pattern book from Baa Ram Ewe. The yarn to knit the Hild hooded jumper is in my stash and on my 'to knit' list. Kingstone's designs are inspired by Yorkshire's landscape and heritage. More recently her Tup Knits pattern book includes very covetable sheep designs.


Shetland Knitting Holidays

Further north the Scottish island of Shetland is a popular destination for knitters who flock yearly to Shetland Wool Week. Gudrun Johnston (aka The Shetland Trader) and Mary Jane Mucklestone lead holidays there showing local knitting delights. This year's dates have sold out - sign up to receive information about next year's holidays when it is released.


Knit for Peace in India

Much further afield the British charity Knit for Peace runs yearly knitting holidays at Mysore in India.  Places are still available for the 20th January to 2nd February trip in 2018, when designer Jane Crowfoot will join the group to provide knitting tuition and guidance.