Knitting
Retreat
In the Santa Cruz
Mountains
January 8-10, 2010
Contact: knitdragon@yahoo.com
The retreats
are designed to be low cost and low stress. There are no classes or time
schedules (except for meals). If all you want to do is nap and knit, that's
great. People bring their knitting, crocheting, weaving, and spinning wheels.
Although there are no classes, there are experts that are always happy to help
with problems or teach a skill.
At most retreats for an additional fee, you can attend yoga given by a certified
instructor, and/or get a massage.
There
are two ways you can attend the retreat. You can come for the entire weekend
(staying Friday and Saturday night and leaving Sunday early afternoon), or you
can come for Saturday only.
If you would like to be added to the email list for these retreats,
send email to knitdragon@yahoo.com.
If you would like to attend this retreat, fill out the registration form.
This page contains the following information.
About the Retreat
For
Saturday only attendees, you can arrive as early as you like and stay as late
as you want. Breakfast and dinner on Saturday are included. You can sign up for
a massage and join in the gift exchange game (where everyone brings a
wrapped fiber related gift and the gifts are stolen and traded throughout the
game) Saturday afternoon.
For
the entire weekend attendees, the retreats start on Friday with an optional
yarn crawl, where we visit various yarn stores in the bay area and have lunch
together. We end up at a coffee shop after shopping at Cost Plus.
At
about 4:15p we drive up to the facility (the
You
may arrive after 4:30 p.m. on Friday evening. Do not arrive too early; other
groups use the same facilities and we do not want to intrude. Dinner is served
around 6:30 p.m.
Saturday
attendees: arrive as early as you like and stay as late as you like. The main
lodge room will be unlocked, and muffins and coffee are served early at 7:30
a.m.
The
rooms sleep two people and have two beds, a dresser, sink, and heater. We have
4 full bathrooms and two ½ bathrooms that we all share. You need to bring
towels and bedding or a sleeping bag. However, you can rent these items from
the center.
We
have a chef and two helpers that do all the cooking and cleaning. On Sunday all
you need to do is wipe down the sink in your room and take out the trash. The
helpers clean the bathrooms, room floors, and lodge.
The
food is really good. At 7am homemade rolls/muffins, juice, coffee, and tea are
set out for anyone up at that hour. At 10:30 a full breakfast with eggs, meat,
and cereal is served. Dinner is around 6:30pm and always includes a wonderful
dessert. We don't do lunch because breakfast is late and large. Everyone brings
munchies that we eat throughout the weekend. Also many people bring wine or
other liquors. Coffee, tea, and juice are provided. There is a large
refrigerator where you can store any other type of food or drink you bring.
Cost and Refund Policy
Cost
Weekend
attendees: The
cost for the entire weekend is $225, which includes your room and food for the
weekend. A $100 non-refundable deposit is required when you register for the retreat.
Final payment is due 3 weeks before the retreat date.
Saturday only attendees: The
cost for Saturday is $75, which includes all meals on Saturday and the facility
day use fee. The $75 is required when you register for the retreat.
Refund Policy
Weekend
attendees: If you cancel at least 3 weeks before the retreat date, your
refund is your payment less the deposit. If you cancel less than 3 weeks before
the retreat, no refund is given.
Saturday only
attendees:
If you cancel at least 3 weeks before the retreat date, your full payment is
refunded; after that time, no refund is
given.
What to
Bring
Spinning
wheels and table looms are welcome. A swift and ball winder will be available.
What
to bring:
o
Bedding (sleeping bag or sheets/blankets), pillowcases (pillows
are provided), towels, and soap and shampoo. A very limited number of linens
(sheets, towels, pillowcases) are available from the facility for a small fee.
o
A flashlight.
o
A nightlight may be useful in your room.
o
Coffee, tea and juice are provided. Bring any other drinks you
would enjoy. Alcohol is allowed.
Optional:
o
A snack or drink to share, such as cookies and baked goods,
cheese and crackers, nuts, chips or crackers and dip, wine.
o
(recommended) A lawn or folding chair. There is some
sofa-seating available and plenty of straight-back dining chairs, but we can
always use more chairs. In the summer, these are used to sit outside.
o
A floor-model lamp.
o
Summer: bug repellent (it’s not always needed, but some years
are worse than others).
o
Summer: an electric fan and extension cord. This will be used in
the main lodge and can be moved to your room at night.
Facility Policies
NO
PETS are allowed at the
The
Smoking
is very restricted. It is not permitted at any time in any of the buildings or
on any of the trails. Smoking is limited to the hard gravel parking lots
outside of the kitchens at the lodge, and outside the Casa de Luz.
After
10:30 p.m. and before 7:00 a.m., please limit noise. After midnight, it is
expected that there will be no noise. (There are other residents in the area.)
You
can receive phone calls at the center at the telephones near the dining
facility. The number at the Orchard Lodge is 831-336-9665.
Parking
is very limited. You are strongly encouraged to share rides to and from the facility.
To help is setting up carpools, a week before the retreat, you will receive an
email listing the contact information and city of all the attendees.
Gift Exchange/Game (optional)
Plan
to participate in a gift exchange game on Saturday afternoon. We use the
following rules for the game. Remember that this game is *voluntary* but it is
lots of fun. You’ve all played some version of this “white elephant” gift
exchange, I’m sure. But this isn’t a
joke gift game. Please bring a gift you would like to receive. Most of the
gifts in the past years have been truly wonderful.
Bring
a wrapped (or at least covered) knitting/fiber-related gift valued at around
$15.00. NOTE: This is a SUGGESTED value if you are purchasing a new item. If you
want to exceed the $15.00 limit, it is entirely up to you. Just don’t be upset
if the gift you receive does not exceed the limit, too! Also, according to past
participants, items from one's stash automatically have a value of $7, no
matter what their original monetary value.
When
considering the gift possibilities for others, please consider if the gift you
bring is one you would be pleased to bring home.
All
gifts are placed in a pile.
Participants
draw numbers.
Play
proceeds in rounds. A new round begins each time a gift is open from the pile.
Player
#1 chooses a gift from the pile and opens it.
Player
#2 can either steal the previous gift or choose a new gift from the pile.
Remaining
players can steal any previously opened gift or choose a new gift from the
pile.
A
gift is temporarily out of play when it has had THREE OWNERS during any one
round, in other words it has been stolen twice. However, that gift is back IN
play when a new round begins.
You
cannot steal a gift back that was stolen from you in the SAME round. You CAN
steal that gift back during any following round.
No
fair ‘hiding’ a gift you choose and don’t want to lose! But whining at players
who want to steal it is perfectly acceptable.