Included in your Reservation

The classes for this cruise are sure to get your creative juices flowing… especially when Mary Annarella of Lyrical Knits, our expert instructor and designer, introduces you to interesting new slip stitches and mosaic knitting, and shows you how to combine yarn movement and colors to create your own mosaic knitting adventures. 

NOT-SO-FREUDIAN SLIPS– COLORWORK WITH SLIPPED STITCHES: Up your colorwork game by giving your knitting the slip.  This class explores using slipped stitch techniques for adding colorwork to knitting without stranding.  Different textures result, and there’s no steeking if you want a flat piece.  We’ll knit a small sampler as we practice different slip stitch and mosaic patterns ranging from very simple to more intermediate and showing how you can get a completely different look by changing which side you hold your yarn to when you’re slipping a stitch.

MOSAIC KNITTING: Take your slip stitching to another level as you learn how to create pictures in knitting.  There’s no stranded colorwork involved in this technique where we’ll compare and contrast mosaic knits + purls, learn how to knit from (and create!) charts for mosaic pictures, and finish up with a “hot pad” pattern to commemorate our Alaskan Cruise.

CAST OFF SHAWL KAL:  Mary is designing a shawl pattern for us to cast on, on embarkation day.  It will be a lovely souvenir of our time together, as well as an engaging but not too complex knit to keep our hands busy on the ship!

ALASKA ADVENTURE COWL:  Part game, part knitting, all fun!  We’ve got some fun questions for you, and your answer will determine the designs of your cowl.

On the last few days of our trip, we’ll cast on a knit-your-own-adventure style cowl with an Alaskan theme!  The knitting techniques will make use of some of the slipped stitch and mosaic patterns we learned during class, all at a relaxed pace that lets you choose between both simple and more complex stitch techniques, or a mix of both.  The cowl will work with either DK or light worsted weight yarn in two colors.

This is sure to be a blast to knit, and a very individualized memento of our time together.  Yarn not included, but details will be sent in advance of the trip so you can stash dive, or you may want to purchase souvenir yarn when you visit a yarn shop at one of our port stops!

DYE YOUR OWN SILK PROJECT BAG:  We’ll be including a silk project bag with your goodies, and Susan (aka WildOnion) will be showing you a creative and surprising way to dye this, so you’ll leave with a unique and personal bag.  Bag and dye materials are included.

Doesn’t this sound amazing?  IT IS!  We’ve also built in lots of down time for you, so that you can relax, or gather with a few friends to work on your projects quietly, or go off ship on an excursion.  We never want our guests to feel overwhelmed, so we make sure that you have time to process your ideas and relax that busy brain.   Mary or Susan will often be found in the classroom for “open studio time” with no formal class going on.  Use this time to find inspiration, enjoy one on one guidance from the teacher, or work through your process.  Open studio really lends itself to asking (and answering) our favorite question:   “What if…”!

Tentative schedule:

Embarkation Day:  board the ship, get settled, watch the safety drill video, then meet the group at 4:30 (crafters only) for our Cast-Off party  KAL.  Our non-knitters will join us later for dinner, and afterwards, we may gather informally.  Or unpack!

Day 2: (at sea) morning:

Not-So-Freudian Slips—Colorwork with Slipped Stitches class; break for lunch; afternoon:  Mosaic Knitting class.  Relax after class: explore the ship, or partake in one of the many activities the ship offers.  After dinner, we’ll meet for a casual gathering (lounge tbd) for knitting and chatting!       

Day 3:  Ketchikan 7:00am – 4:00pm We’re planning to walk into this charming town to visit 2 yarn shops, walk the boardwalk which is built out over the water, watch salmon jumping along an antique bridge, and do a little shopping.    

Day 4 and 5 have no formal classes.

Day 4:  cruising along the Endicot Arm Fjord in the morning, docking at Juneau 1:30 – 10:00pm.  Excursions are available, not included in the price of the retreat. Meals are available on the ship; restaurants on land are not included in the price of the retreat.

Day 5:  Skagway  7:00am – 6:00pm.  Excursions are available, not included in the price of the retreat.  Meals are available on the ship; restaurants on land are not included in the price of the retreat.

Day 6: (at sea) morning: Dye Your Own Silk Project Bag; break for lunch.  Afternoon: we’ll start knitting the Alaska Adventure Cowl.  There will be time after class to knit on deck, or partake in one of the many activities offered on the ship.  After dinner, we’ll have a casual gathering, to continue working on our projects, or just chat.

Day 7: (daytime at sea) morning:  continue with the Alaska Adventure Cowl; break for lunch. and maybe sign each other’s project bags!  The afternoon is yours to schedule as you please. Victoria, British Columbia 5:30 – 11:59pm.  Excursions are available, not included in the price of the retreat.  Meals are available on the ship; restaurants on land are not included in the price of the retreat.

Day 8:  Disembark Seattle