KnoT24 retreat 2024
The concept for the Knit on Texel retreats originated from my deep love for knitting and a desire to share this creative passion with fellow enthusiasts. I imagined creating an unforgettable experience, immersed in a cozy and inviting atmosphere, where we could all come together, unwind, learn, swap stories, and revel in our shared love for knitting.
Texel, a captivating gem of an island, nestled in the northwestern Netherlands, has always held a special place in my heart. It’s the place I grew up, and I couldn’t think of a lovelier backdrop for our gathering. To me, it’s the perfect place to bring people together for genuine relaxation, forging meaningful connections, and nurturing our creativity.
Realizing our very first KnoT retreat in May 2023 was a dream come true. It was a privilege to experience the warmth and camaraderie of our guests and witness the dedication of the fantastic KnoT team. And now, we extend an open invitation for you to be part of the second adventure.
KnoT24 will take place from May 22nd to May 26th. It will remain an intimate affair, limited to a maximum of 30 knitters, with the possibility of non-knitting buddies or partners joining in for some fun.
In the meantime, you will find a KnoT24 thread in the Moonstruck Knits group on Ravelry, where you can join the pre-party fun, and make plans with fellow knitters.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to knit, connect, and create cherished memories together!
Knitting
During the retreat there will be ample time to gather and share our common passion for knitting. Of course, we have inspiring classes planned. For those, Natasja joins forces with both Aimée Gille and Teti Lutsak, to provide a number of interesting and novel knitting classes. We are absolutely thrilled to welcome these two incredibly dynamic and talented women to our island event. Both of them have captivated international audiences with their remarkable skills and unique backgrounds.
Workshop by Aimée
Aimée Gille is an American of Korean descent, a yarn dyer extraordinaire, living and working in the heart of Paris. Now, she has embarked on the exciting journey of taking her exquisite yarns on a global tour. Fearless when it comes to color, Aimée immerses us in her mesmerizing world of creativity. Not only will she host an amazing workshop, but she will also fill our brand-new pop-up store with her beautiful yarns and help you to make all your yarnie dreams come true.
Workshop – Aimée will host Demystifying the Fade: Learning to fade the La Bien Aimée way.
Find out all of Aimée’s secrets of how to build the perfect fade. Most people think you can only use colors that were designed to fade into each other. Aimée will share her methods for fading using purpose dyed fade sets, something La Bien Aimée is known for. She will also show you how to make your own fade between colors you love. With her guidance, you can build a
fade that is truly all one of a kind.
Check out Aimée’s Instagram to find some amazing, inspiring examples of fading and her gorgeous yarns.
Workshop by Teti
Teti Lutsak Coming all the way from Ukraine and now residing in the Netherlands for seven years, Teti has a wealth of knowledge in the field of biology, making her the ideal guide to explore the world of botanical inspiration. Despite the challenges her home country is facing, Teti’s designs are a testament to the enduring and rich cultural heritage of clothing and clothmaking this area has.
Workshop – Teti will take you on a tour through her botanical knit garden and share her design process and sources of inspiration. You will discuss all things stranded colorwork: from an idea to a chart and swatch, touching up on techniques, yarns and color palettes. Teti aims to inspire you to create your own botanical colorwork motif, a keepsake, which will remind you of your time on Texel.
Teti’s Instagram and her website give a lovely overview of her beautiful designs.
Workshops by Natasja
Workshop 1 – Are you fascinated by the charm of mosaic knitwear designs and eager to learn how to create your own? During the Mosaic workshop, Natasja will share her own mosaic designs, and provide practical guidance on choosing yarn, selecting colors, reading mosaic charts, and excecuting the technique. By the end of the workshop, you’ll be well on your way to start knitting your very own mosaic masterpieces!
Workshop 2 – For the retreat, Natasja will create an exclusive KnoT design reserved solely for KnoT24 guests during the event.
The KnoT Design workshop isn’t just about knitting; it’s a hands-on exploration of more advanced techniques to enhance your knitting skills. We’ll also cover how to select the perfect color palette that suits your style while complementing the design.
Through hands-on practice, you’ll gain confidence in these techniques and improve your ability to combine colors effectively.
Accommodation
We will stay at ‘Nieuw Leven’ (New Life), a group accommodation that has won an award for being the most sustainable project in Europe. Without compromising on comfort and indulgences, Nieuw Leven is totally self-sustainable, and is an example for the Netherlands and abroad.
The accommodation is situated in walking distance of Den Burg, the islands main village. Nieuw Leven is surrounded by grazing sheep and from the grounds you have unmatched views over the Texel landscape.
The splendid villas have elegant and warm interiors, consisting of a large country kitchen, beautiful living rooms and spacious bedrooms with en suite bathrooms.
In addition to the private villa gardens, you can make use of the other facilities on site, like the ecological swimming pond with a spacious swimming area and the wellness garden with barrel sauna.
Cuisine
We’re delighted to announce that we’ve once again partnered with chef Karin Gaasterland from Cuisine Carine to curate an exceptional culinary experience. Chef Karin and her wingwoman Barbara Rossbeckova will be preparing our lunches and dinners right in the comfort of our villas, using the finest, locally sourced ingredients from the island.
Karin Gaasterland is not only an accomplished chef but also the acclaimed author of the cookbook, ‘Cuisine Carine’. Her culinary expertise extends beyond her cookbook as she was a co-owner of restaurant Balthazars Keuken, situated in the heart of Amsterdam. Presently, Karin has taken her culinary talents on a global journey, organizing pop-up dining experiences in captivating locations such as Tariva, Mallorca, and Amsterdam.
You can find Karin and her mouthwatering dishes on Instagram.
Pop-up in the garden
Following the tremendous success of local yarn dyer Catharina from Wolverhalen last year, we’ve taken the concept a step further. This time, we’re excited to announce that we’ll be setting up a dedicated pop-up shop in our garden. Our aim is to fulfill all your yarnie desires and to achieve this, we’ve invited La Bien Aimée to host our brand-new shop, offering you a chance to immerse yourself in her exquisite yarns. Be sure to pack lightly, as you probably won’t be able to resist taking home some of these treasures!
Additionally, we’re thrilled to introduce another dynamic contributor, Annette Wall from Pink Hazel Bags, who will be joining us on Saturday afternoon. Annette will partner with Aimée in our shop, where she’ll showcase her latest collection of project bags. Annette was a guest at our inaugural KnoT retreat, and she’s enthusiastic about collaborating to make this year’s event even more extraordinary.
If you are curious about what to expect, check out La Bien Aimée’s website, and Pink Hazel Bags website and Instagram!
Specials
On Thursday night we will enjoy a sunset knit night including a gourmet dinner in one of the loveliest beach clubs on the island. Indulge in the amazing food and the spectacular sea views while the sun sets over the island.
Tour of the island
The retreat includes a half day tour of the island. During the tour we will visit a sheep farm and a shepardess, dunes and dykes and an old fishing village, Natasja will show you the most beautiful and scenic sights on the island. Make sure to take your knitting and some photography equipment!
Knit on Texel swag bag
All knitters will receive a sumptuous, drool worthy KnoT24 swag bag specially designed for us by the amazing Annette Wall from Pink Hazel Bags. We do like surprises, so the content is still a secret, but we promise: It’s going to be good!
Partner program
And of course you can take your non-knitter friend or partner. Since our accommodation and the island have so much to offer, they will surely have a wonderful time too. We can make tailored arrangements for all kinds of activities from shrimp fishing on the Wadden Sea, to guided bird watching tours, to parachute jumping, to some serious wellness pampering and everything in between and beyond.
Texel
The island is only 9 kilometres wide and 25 kilometres long, yet the largest of the Wadden islands, which separate the North Sea from the inshore waters of Wadden Sea. The latter is a UNESCO world heritage site, due to its unique ecosystem. During low tide sandbanks form which attracts loads of different birds and if you get close enough, you will definitely see a seal or two sunning themselves.
The beaches of Texel are beautifully widespread, quiet and perfect for a long walk or a relaxing stroll. With 30 kilometers of coastline, there are lots of different beaches to choose from. On the entire west side of the island the beach borders The Dunes of Texel National Park. The Park landscape is mesmerizing: heather, grass, swamps, woodlands, acres of berries and wildflowers. Don’t be surprised to spot horses, wild cows and sheep.
Texel has seven lovely historic villages. Although each village has its own character and identity, they’re all extremely picturesque and worthy of a visit. You will surely enjoy the small, winding streets, the traditional white houses, the nice shopping opportunities and the many lovely cafés and restaurants.
