Fun
MDK Knitting Getaway 2019: Registration Opens Today!
We are thinking about June.
Next June, specifically, from the 6th to the 9th, when the second annual MDK Knitting Getaway will take place.
We are basically living on a moment-to-moment basis until we can get ourselves back up to Sewanee, Tennessee, and the campus of St. Andrews-Sewanee School.
Next summer, for the second time, Shakerag Workshops in Sewanee, Tennessee will kick off its traditional two weeks of arts programming with a long-weekend getaway just for knitters, hosted by us!
A few years ago, when Claire Reishman (the creative and organizational powerhouse behind Shakerag Workshops since its inception in 2005) approached us about teaching a workshop at Shakerag, we told her about our dream for a different kind of knitting event. That’s how this weekend got started.
What Is the MDK Knitting Getaway?
The MDK Knitting Getaway (June 6-9, 2019) will be a true escape: a few beautiful days for knitters to gather at the St. Andrew’s-Sewanee campus to enjoy: good food, beautiful natural surroundings, knitting, and each other.
There will not be formal classes, or at least not the kind of classes you may be used to. Instead, we will knit and hang out; eat and drink; hike Shakerag Hollow; swim in pristine water; do yoga; paint yarn with natural pigments; spend a couple of hours learning from one of three beloved teachers (whose names we cannot wait to announce).
Each participant will do all of these things, any of these things, or, perhaps, none of these things—exactly as we wish.
The constant will be: relaxation and knitting in the company of  knitters. We’re planning on laughing a lot.
The Schedule
Please note: the schedule is still in formation, but it’s going to go something like this.
Arrive on Thursday evening in time for Happy Hour and a delicious supper in the dining hall.
On Friday and Saturday, all participants will have four “class-like” options, with time to do them all if desired:
-
Paint yarn (perhaps yarn in the form of a sock blank—we’re still working out details) using natural pigments, guided by master natural dyer Donna Brown (who will be teaching during Week 1 of Shakerag’s regular schedule, for those who want to extend their stay in paradise.)
- Learn something new during a morning or afternoon session with three of the knitting world’s nicest teachers and designers (list in formation and will be announced soon).
- Other delights currently being brewed. (We think a knitting party needs to have raffles and/or door prizes. We’re right about this, yes?)
Morning activity options will include swimming, yoga, and hikes in the beautiful woods of the Cumberland Plateau.
The main afternoon option is a swim in the pristine lake that Shakeraggers call The Res. Swim out to the dock or knit on a rock; it’s up to you, and it’s heavenly.
(THIS IS THE RES. THOSE TWO TINY PEOPLE ARE SHAKERAGGERS, HAVING THE TIME OF THEIR LIVES.)
Each evening will begin with a Happy Hour, followed by one of the locally sourced dinners for which Shakerag Workshops is beloved.
(THE SHAKERAG DINING HALL IS LIKE HOGWARTS BUT WITH HOMEGROWN TOMATOES and a legendary bread pudding.)
Evening entertainment will be something where knitting is encouraged. (We cannot definitively rule out a singalong. We like changing the words to songs.)
It wouldn’t be a knitting getaway without a little shopping, right? We got this! We will bring back the MDK Pop-Up Shop, and are planning some special treats for your needles.
On Sunday morning, we’ll have one last delicious breakfast and say our goodbyes. Some of us will stay on for the first week of Shakerag Workshops. The rest of us will put our names on the list for the next MDK Knitting Getaway.
The Details
(DORM SWEET DORM. there are a limited number of single rooms, BUT DOUBLE OCCUPANCY Is the prevalent mode.)
The Details
Our plans for the weekend (and for the two subsequent weeks of Shakerag programming) can be found here on the official Shakerag Workshops website. (Did we mention that we get to live in dorms?)
Participation in the MDK Knitting Getaway at Shakerag Workshops is limited to 100 people.
Registration is open today, and will close on Wednesday, August 22 at 11:59 PM CDT.
Details on tuition and fees are here.
No payment is required with registration. (This is a change from last year’s process, to make life easier for all.)
If we have more than 100 registrants at the close of the registration period, we will select 100 participants by lottery.
There will be two lottery groups.
The first group will be for 2018 attendees who wish to return in 2019; 40% of the total number will be pulled from that group.
The second group will include all new registrants and returning 2018 attendees who were not chosen in the first group.
Registrants chosen from the lottery will be notified by email during the week of August 27. Payment of 50 percent of tuition and fees will be due within two weeks of notification. (Watch your email inbox, including your spam folder.)
Remaining registrants will be notified by email and will be given the option to be placed on a waiting list and notified if a place becomes available. (Note: while we can’t predict what will happen this time, in 2018, everyone who chose to remain on the waiting list eventually did get to attend. People’s plans do change unexpectedly.)
Note: the availability of single rooms is very limited. Once we’ve drawn the single rooms for each of the two lotteries, we will be admitting only people who requested double rooms. (In other words, requesting a double room will increase your odds of being selected in the lottery.)
If you are registering for a double room with a specific person, your roommate will automatically be included if your name is selected in the lottery.
What’s It Like at Shakerag?
For more photos and a taste of the Shakerag experience, here’s our blissed-out report on the 2018 MDK Knitting Getaway.
Innovations for 2019: we will have hangers in every closet, and soap and hooks in the showers! Possible Happy Hour Kickball. The Return of Movie Night, aka Some Movie We Can All Yell Things At.
We Can’t Wait
We hope to see you there, and make our virtual happy place a real place, if only for one long weekend.
Love,
Ann and Kay
It was the best weekend ever. Crossing fingers that i’m in again!
Gee, that series of pictures above brings back happy memories of the 2018 retreat! Ann, Kay, Claire, it certainly was the very best ever! There was such great attention to detail. It was all done from the heart, and I felt that at every moment. The memories are still warm me and make me smile, and remind me also that I have to keep working at finding ways to balance my work time and my free time. It was a very rich experience fir me. Thank you so very much!
Such a happy time! SO tempted to throw my name in the (knitted) hat again but already have lots of travel happening next spring/summer. Sniff.
Registered with fingers crossed! 🙂
Me too, Laura!
Good morning Ann and Kay,
I checked the link for registration on the St Andrew’s Sewanee School, and in the registration paragraph, they have the registration dates as August 2019 (not 2018). Might want to have them check that so there’s no confusion!
Thank you for your eagle eye!
O.I.WISH!
THINK OF THE GOATS, QUINN. xo
I am tearing up at the very prospect of attending. The last knitting workshop I attended was Sock Summit 2009 and it’s my happy place when I need to escape, mentally. Thanks to all for the hard work setting the whole thing up, it’s very appreciated.
Dang dang dang! And other expressions of dismay. That WOULD be my 35th college reunion weekend elsewhere, so you MUST have a 3rd getaway in 2020 (which might double as my 40th at SAS — I’ll have to check).
Please 🙂
Anna! Count on it!
Have you considered doing some sort of contest for those not able to afford to attend the getaway an opportunity to actually be able to go? A scholarship or something?
ThAnks
I have a feeling if you gave 1st choice to last years attendees, there’d be no open spaces! Fingers crossed!
As much as I selfishly wish for all attendees this year getting first dibs, I think this is a pretty great compromise. (But I am still selfishly hoping to get in).
This sounds like an awesome experience….except….as an older woman with medical issues, I really do need a private bathroom. Three days of shared bathrooms would not be a relaxing vacation for me And it’s during the last week of school, so the timing is rather unfortunate. Hope there will be future retreats that are more accommodating.
“If we have more than 100 registrants at the close of the registration period…” You crack me up! Let us know if it took more than an hour to reach 100! Those are 100 lucky knitters, whoever they are.
That’s why we do the lottery, so it’s not first-come, first-served and everyone who is interested has a shot.
Hoping to win the lottery for a second year. Either way, thank you for reposting the photos.
Hi friends, did I miss the registration option? This morning (22nd) the page says it’s expired, and I can’t find my way in. Was it last night? Dang. I was gonna dream.
How/when will we be notified as to whether we make the cut?
If I read the entire post I would know. Sorry.
What’s the cost? Sorry if I missed it…….. Thanks!