Knitting Day Retreats
The focus on these days will be a relaxing day knitting one of Whistlebare’s patterns in Whistlebare yarn, as well as of course, visiting the animals on the farm, lashings of cake, and lots of yarn! We hope you will leave feeling refreshed, inspired, looked after and having done some lovely knitting.
A Whistlebare Retreat includes a Whistlebare pattern of your choice and the first skein of yarn
Several of our patterns are single skein and therefore your complementary skein will be enough to finish your project. If the pattern you choose requires more than one skein then the rest may be purchased with a 10% discount on any yarns bought on the day.
We will have a tutor to help you start your project and support you throughout the day, and by the end of the retreat we hope you will be confident that you can finish at home.
We have had a number of enquiries about getting to Whistlebare and it is true we are in a very rural area. We are however, close to the main East Coast Line. Our local station is Berwick-Upon-Tweed which is 40 minutes from both Newcastle and Edinburgh stations and we are going to provide a bus service from and to Berwick station. Please let us know if you are interested in travelling by Whistlebare Bus!
For information about what to do and where to stay in Northumberland read our blog post on visiting Northumberland
For more pictures and information about the day see our Retreat blog post.
Saturday 13th May 2023 10am – 4.30pm SOLD OUT
Saturday 8th July 2023 10am – 4.30pm
Saturday 16th September 2023 10am – 4.30pm
If you are buying more than one place please let us know the contact details of the other guest, either by sending us an email, or adding their details to the comments box. This helps us make sure everyone has all the information they need about the day, and allows us to check on any dietary or other requirements. Thank you.
£95.00
INCLUDED IN THE DAY ARE
- Whistlebare Pattern and skein of Whistlebare Yarn.
- Tutor on hand to help with pattern.
- Morning coffee/tea and cake.
- Home cooked lunch of soup, bread and local cheese.
- Afternoon coffee/tea with yes, more cake!
- Meeting the livestock and easy farm walk.
- 10% discount on any yarn purchase made on the day.
We are very proud of our livestock husbandry and the environmental care we take of our land and we know that our customers care about this too. So we are offering to show you all around Whistlebare and introduce you to our goats, sheep, and chickens and ponies.
Lunch will be made from local produce, all diets can be catered for but please let us know in advance.
Diane White (verified owner) –
I had a fantastic day. It was a bit of a gamble bringing my mum but she thoroughly enjoyed herself too. I managed to get some lovely photos and knitting good too.
I will be recommending your retreats to all my knitting friends.
Alice –
Hi Diane, it was lovely to see you both here at the farm and we all thought your mum was great :). Very glad that you enjoyed yourselves and hope to welcome you to Whistlebare again soon. x
Laura Stevenson –
Yesterday’s retreat at Whistlebare was an absolute delight. I’ve never been on a retreat so was a bit unsure what to expect, but my expectations were exceeded. We arrived to a warm welcome, with a little briefing of how the day would look. I chatted with existing friends, but also made new friends too. I liked that we had a seating plan to encourage us to mingle. We were treated to tea, coffee and scrumptious cake. I can highly recommend the Victoria sponge ?
I had already selected the pattern I wanted to knit in advance, so just needed to select my yarn. So much choice, and so many gorgeous colours, but I eventually narrowed it down with the help of the group.
Whilst our yarn was being wound we received a tour of the farm. I was wearing boots, but I would highly recommend bringing wellies so you can carry on with the more carefree attitude they bring. The animals were charming, hilarious, sweet, and mostly willing to pose for photos (the little bits of fruit and veg we were provided to feed the animals with helped).
We returned to a freshly wound cake of yarn and our pattern choice waiting for us. Time to sit and knit. There was support on hand where needed, great when there were the odd little stumbling blocks.
Lunch was a delicious spread of veg, fruit, nuts, cheeses, breads, crackers and dips. We also received a warming bowl of soup. The meal with finished off with a yummy lemon dessert served in an espresso cup. There was plenty of food for all, and I was stuffed for the remainder of the day.
Back to knitting and chatting for the rest of the afternoon. What is not to love.
If you are looking for a day to get away from life I cannot recommend Whistlebare enough. Even if you go on your own you will soon make new friends. I had such an enjoyable and relaxing day, and I’m looking forward to returning with friends in the future.
Alice –
Hi Laura, thank you so much for leaving such a lovely review. We are all delighted that you enjoyed yourself and are now enjoying the wonderful local coffee you left us. Hope to see you again soon. x
Fiona –
Brilliant day. Has a bit of everything. The history of Whistlebare, feeding and petting the animals, yarn (lots of yarn), home nade cakes. Will definitely vusit again.
Alice –
Hi Fiona, thank you for coming on our retreat yesterday, it was lovely to see you and so glad that you enjoyed yourself. x
Mica, Edinburgh –
Wonderful day-out for knitters! Delightful encounters with friendly goats and delicious home-baking and cooking set in a beautiful location. Tea and Coffee on tap and friendly expert help at hand for all your knitting projects. The day-retreats are hosted in a beautiful studio with stunning views. What’s more, the entire range of Whistlebare yarns is on display to buy and beautiful samples and custom-designed patterns invite to cast on all the things immediately! I will be back!
Susan Anderson (verified owner) –
I attended a retreat on the 14th March 2020 and will be booking another one when I can!
The day started with coffee and cake and choosing yarn for a project from the walls of Whistlebare’s own wool. It was exactly like being a kid in a sweet shop!! While we had a farm tour our chosen wool was wound into a ball for us to start the project over a lot more cake, a lovely lunch and relaxed chat around the table. It was a perfect day for me and one I’d highly recommend.
Alice –
Hi Susan, so glad you enjoyed yourself, seems almost like a different World now! We look forward to welcoming you back soon. Best wishes, Alice
Carol Richardson (verified owner) –
I attended the March retreat and I’m still benefitting from the experience! I’m in Edinburgh and even the journey down (there and back on the same day) was a pleasure. It was such a great way to reset life, shifting focus onto good company, good knitting, amazing food, and all in the most wonderful setting. I reckon we were there to entertain the goats, however. Boy, do they stare back! Though it was just a few hours, it felt like a lot longer (in the best possible way). I plan to return, hopefully getting a place on the best retreat (as soon as we know if we can leave our homes!). And just need to post the result of the retreat on Ravelry… a Canny Lass in Yeavering Bell.
Alice –
Hi Carol, thank you for your lovely review. I know what you mean about our goats, they are all little princesses each and every one ?
Janice Bastow (verified owner) –
Very early start travelling from Yorkshire, but well worth the effort. An amazing day with like minded ladies. Alice and her ladies were perfect hosts, nothing was too much trouble. Lots of help choosing yarns and help with knitting queries. Lovely tour of the farm meeting the animals and learning lots about them. Food was absolutely delicious, tea, coffee and cake flowed all day. Hope I’ll be able to visit again.
Alice –
Ah Janice, thank you so much for the lovely review we’re delighted the you enjoyed yourself.
Kate holdridge (verified owner) –
2nd July 2022 day retreat. Fabulous day, Alice showed us round the farm and explained everything about the goats sheep and horses beautifully. The colours and wools are to die for making choosing extremely difficult but fun. The food outstanding nobody left hungry. So good I’ve booked next July’s retreat within two weeks of returning home. Thank you Alice for a wonderful relaxing very enjoyable day.
Alice –
Thank you Kate, so pleased you enjoyed your day and looking forward to seeing you again next year! 😊
Karen Thomson (verified owner) –
What a wonderful day we had yesterday visiting Whistlebare for their Knitting Retreat Day. Taking along a friend for the first time she commented at the end of the day, ‘today was everything you said and more’.
It’s a real treat being looked after by Alice and her attentive team, the attention to detail throughout the day is commendable from the beautiful studio to the most wonderful lunch. It was delightful taking a tour of the farm and meeting the animals, and this is THE most beautiful yarn from very happy goats.
It’s also very helpful that all the designs are knitted up and can be seen in the studio.
An inspirational day of wellbeing!
See you again next year!
Alice –
Thank you Karen, we are so pleased that you both enjoyed your day!
Wendy (verified owner) –
Such a joyful day! Happy goats, knitting ,lovely home made food and good company. Thank you so much!
Alice –
Thank you Wendy 😊