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The Crochet
Sanctuary
Crewe, Cheshire
Duration: one-day or weekend-long
Cost: day £89pp; weekend £499pp
What’s provided: accommodation,
refreshments, materials, meals
Best for: making friends and having funLynda-Rose and Lisa Hesketh have been
co-hosting The Crochet Sanctuary retreat
for around 15 months. Describing the
retreat as a ‘little bit of luxury’, the pair
have created an environment where
attendees can spend time doing what they
love amongst like-minded people.
The events are held at Cranage Hall, a
plush hotel offering ultimate comfort and
beautiful settings. “We choose to host our
events in a hotel setting so that our sole
focus is on our guests,” the duo tells us.
“We are constantly engaged with them at
all times, including workshops and at
meals. All of our guests have their own
double bedroom with en suite and
unlimited access to refreshments. Wealways have an icebreaker at the start, too.”
The Crochet Sanctuary offers a warm place
to make friends, and enjoy your favourite
craft. “We have guests that have been to
every single retreat since our very first, and
we are honoured to class them all as good
friends now,” says Lynda-Rose.
Since the retreats began, the pair have
worked hard at making the next even
better; their biggest development is that
the team now try and theme each event in
order to tie all of the projects together.
“Our last Crochet Sanctuary was a ‘spring’
theme,” says Lisa. “So, the guests left with
gift bags containing bee charms, ladybird
buttons, locally sourced honey, wooden
hooks, Scheepjes After Party patterns and
more.” The next one is themed around a
‘girls night in’. “On the Friday night, we will
be crocheting the Scheepjes forest shawl;
Saturday morning will be a tapestry
crochet lotus flower cushion, the
afternoon is a C2C bag by Zeens & Roger.
In the evening we will be projecting chick
flicks on the wall and having a pyjama
party – popcorn mandatory!” says
Lynda-Rose. Sign us up!
http://www.crochetsanctuary.co.ukDevon Sun Yarns
Lyme Regis, Dorset
Duration: weekend retreats
Cost: from £345
What’s provided: accommodation,
food, workshops, all materials,
hand-dyed yarn and a goody bag
Best for: a seaside getaway with a twistFor avid crocheters, or equally anyone new
to the craft that is keen to learn, Devon Sun
Yarns provides a weekend spent with yarn
in a stunning beachy setting just minutes
from the sea. “We’ve had complete
beginners come, who have never held a
hook before, yet go home with finished
wrist-warmers,” explains owner Daisy. “It’s
really up to each person how much they
want to learn and how much they want to
just relax and enjoy the surroundings.”
Each retreat focuses on its own special
project, such as a shawl or a hook roll, mitts
or a cowl, which attendees take back with
them. “We also dye yarn,” Daisy tells us.
“You can choose which base and weight
and then learn how to dye the yarn exactly
as you want it.” With a workshop offeredeach morning and afternoon, there’s a full
itinerary but plenty of time for relaxing.
Devon Sun Yarns prides itself on being a
place of comfort for all the attendees, with
people booking either solo, with groups of
friends, or for special trips such as a
mother-daughter weekend away. Many of
these ‘retreaters’ will remain good friends
after the experience. One particular group,
Daisy tells us, has made it a tradition to
book the retreat together each year: “Since
the retreat where they first met, the group
meet up regularly, travel to yarn shows
together, holiday together and have been
pillars of support to each other through
life,” says Daisy. “There was a very special
occasion where they all pulled together to
make a retreat possible for one lovely lady
who was diagnosed with cancer. She had a
wish to swim in the sea and so, at the
retreat, we all put on our swimming
costumes and waded in with her to swim
early one morning. I know the group speak
daily and, even though they are spread
across the country, they are now lifelong
friends. It’s so lovely to think that all
started from a retreat!”
http://www.devonsunyarns.co.uk