Making in Michigan knitting retreat featuring Emma's Yarn
Kalamazoo, MI
September 24 – 28, 2026
Join Laura Dobratz of Emma’s Yarn, Four Purls, and A Good Yarn Sarasota; Lisa Ross of Paper Daisy; Mary Annarella of Lyrical Knits; Stephanie Lotven of Tellybean Knits; and Wild Onion in beautiful Michigan as the leaves turn colors, the air crisps, and our thoughts focus on knitting! With 9 classes, lectures, an exclusive pattern, fiber-related projects, social time with friends old and new, and of course, a vibrant yarn market all included, it’s sure to be a memorable time together.
ALL INCLUSIVE
- Our venue is the W.K. Kellogg Manor House & Estate, the former summer residence of breakfast cereal pioneer W.K. Kellogg, located on beautiful Gull Lake.
- The W.K. Kellogg Conference Center and Manor House has more than 3,200 acres, featuring a historic estate, and conference facilities.
- Venue is easily reached by either the Kalamazoo Airport (AZO), the Gerald R. Ford Airport in Grand Rapids (GRR), or the Detroit Airport (DTW).
- Room type of your choice (see below)
- 3 meals a day, prepared buffet style by experienced chefs using fresh ingredients and local products.
- Cash bar nightly.
- One class per day, of your choosing, taught by 3 well known designers
- Click HERE to read the Tentative Schedule
- A special swag bag to commemorate our time together
- A Yarn Market, featuring Emma’s Yarn, plus goodies from other vendors and yarn dyers.
- Opportunities to shop for yarn with personal assistance from Laura and the designers.
- Time to socialize with the instructors and other friends, old and new
- Click HERE for more details.
Rooms are modest, but clean. All linens are included.
- Studio Apartments feature 2 twin beds, bathroom, and kitchenette: $2450 Double Occupancy per guest
. - Dorm Suite Room, featuring 2 twin beds per bedroom, with a desk, dorm size refrigerator, sink with counter space. These rooms share a Jack and Jill bathroom with one other bedroom (in other words, 2 bedrooms, each with 2 beds, separated by 1 bathroom which can be locked): $2750 Single Occupancy per guest. NOTE: we are able to organize the rooms so that you can share the bathroom with a friend! Just let us know when you both register, and we’ll send that to the Housing concierge.
- Non-Knitter staying off campus (in a nearby hotel), who wishes to share meals: $860.
If you prefer a more private hotel room, there are several nearby hotels and you would then register as an Off Campus Day Student.
We recommend The Inn at Gull Lake, as it is very nearby and the prices we negotiated are similar to the prices at the retreat venue! See below for details.
We have contacted a shuttle service to take you between the venue and the Inn. Contact us to be put on an interest list!
If you or your non-knitter companion are interested in golf, there are 6 courses on Gull Lake, rated 4 1/2 stars or higher by Golf Digest, with an additional 7 within a 25 minute drive.
Click HERE for more details and links to nearby hotels.
Transportation is not included in the price.
THE FOLLOWING ROOM OPTIONS ARE SOLD OUT:
SOLD OUT$2900 Single Occupancy per guest . $1450 Non-Knitter.- SOLD OUT
Apartment roomsfeature 2 beds per apartment (either 2 twins, 1 double plus 1 twin, or 1 queen plus 1 twin) a bathroom, living room, and kitchenette:$2520 SOLD OUT Double Occupancy per guest; $2970 Single Occupancy per guest.Non-Knitter $1520. - SOLD OUT
Are you a trio of knitters wanting to share one space? You might enjoy the stand-alone Cabin, featuring 2 bedrooms (one with a queen bed, the other with 2 double beds), bathroom with 2 shower stalls, kitchen, and living/dining room. Offering a bit more privacy and space, the Cabin can only be booked with 3 people staying together. $2980 per guest, with 3 occupants. $1980 Non-Knitter. All room-mates must register within 7 days of the first roommate or the booking will be cancelled with a total $1200 non-refundable service fee. If you want a 4th person in the Cabin, please contact us.
OFF-CAMPUS AND DAY STUDENT $2055
Our on-campus rooms are limited, so once those fill up, there are plenty of local hotels for your stay located minutes from the venue! Whether you stay in a hotel, or you are close enough to drive in daily, you will register here as an Off-Campus Day Student.
We have negotiated a great price with The Inn at Gull Lake. They are a small hotel just down the road from our venue, and with several guests staying there, getting a ride to and fro won’t be an issue. Their policy has been updated to require a one night non-refundable deposit for all reservations. You must call them to make your reservation: (269) 731-4131 www.innatgulllake.com
We have contacted a shuttle service to take you between the venue and the Inn. Please contact us to be put on an interest list. Alternatively, we have a carpool sign up for those who have cars at the Inn and who are willing to take knitters from the Inn to the venue. Please see our Carpool app to arrange rides with people who have cars. Note that there is a separate Carpool page for rides solely between the Inn and the Venue.
As a Day Student, you will join us every day, from our Welcome Dinner on Thursday through our Farewell dinner on Sunday!
NOTE: in order to maintain an excellent guest experience, visiting the yarn market without attending the retreat is not permitted.
Everything listed above in the “All Inclusive” section is included in your reservation :
- Welcome Dinner on Thursday
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner at the venue each day; cash bar every evening prior to dinner.
- All included lectures, classes and projects.
- Swag Bag.
- Entrance to the yarn market each day.
- Click HERE to read the Tentative Schedule
- Non-knitter who wishes to share meals on campus $860
- Not included: room accommodations, transportation to and from the venue
- If you or your non-knitter companion are interested in golf, there are 6 courses on Gull Lake, rated 4 1/2 stars or higher by Golf Digest.
Click HERE for More Details!
MEET THE INSTRUCTORS
Paper Daisy
Learning to knit was a skill that transformed my life. Becoming a knitwear designer has fulfilled a dream I never knew I had.
To me, knitting is not just a hobby, it’s a lifestyle. I never leave the house without at least one WIP and I have back-up projects stashed in my car and purse because, well… you just never know!
CLASS OPTIONS:
Clever with Color (Friday)
Step into Sock Knitting (Saturday)
Building a Mystery (Sunday)
Lyrical Knits
I design and write patterns, sing and teach science. Often simultaneously. My singing training taught me to remember lyrics, which means that I can also remember movie dialogue, which I spout randomly, to the delight of everyone nearby. Schitt’s Creek? Ask me (thrice) about fruit wine and folding cheese.
CLASS OPTIONS:
Top Down Sweater Construction (Friday)
Unlocking the Mysteries of Sweater Fit (Saturday)
Colorwork without Stranding (Sunday)
Click here for Class Descriptions
Tellybean Knits
I design playful knitting patterns that focus on wearability, knitability and innovation. I want all of my designs to nudge you into the next phase of knitting without making you sweat. No knitter should struggle with confusion or frustration when yarn is present. I aim to make all of my designs clear, fun, and surprising, so that you are always knitting with a giggle.
CLASS OPTIONS:
Halloween Mystery Workshop (Friday)
Ready, Set, Rainbow: use your self-striping yarn (Saturday)
Holiday Little Gift Colorwork Workshop (Sunday)
MEET THE YARNY TEAM
Laura and JD are the proud owners of Four Purls in Winter Haven and A Good Yarn Sarasota. Together with their kids (the Four Purls) they own and operate a handful of small family businesses including, Emma’s Yarn, Love & Leche (soon to be Little Bee Lotion Bar Company), Haven Maven Vacation Rentals and The Union Taproom and Kitchen. Laura is also an avid designer and her knit and crochet patterns can be found on Ravelry and in a handful of publications.
Mary Anne and Katrina are the managing Yarnistas at Four Purls. They keep the shop looking beautiful and love to help customers pick out the perfect yarn for each project. Together they answer all of your emails and ship each online order. Mary Ann makes most of the gorgeous kits we offer and Katrina leads our makers night and knit or crochet alongs!
Emily is the ecommerce manager. She keeps the website running smoothly and keeps both Four Purls and A Good yarn stocked with all the pretty things. You can find her playing Yarnista at Four Purls once a week too.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
REGISTRATION
- Payment is accepted through Paypal (as a guest, if you don’t have an account) using your account or credit card, or Stripe, which is a Level 1 (highest level of security compliance) secure online credit card processor.
- Please choose your daily desired classes; class sizes are limited to provide the best student experience. If your desired class won’t populate in the registration form, please choose another class, as this indicates that your first choice class has been filled.
- You might also decide to skip a day of classes, in which case, please choose the “no class” option for that day. There is no refund for choosing “no option”.
- Once you’ve made your class selections and registered, you will receive a liability waiver sent to your email, from Adobe. Your class selections will be confirmed in our system once we receive this e-signed waiver. Please be patient, as the waiver may take up to 5 business days to receive. Rest assured that your class selection will be held through this time.
- If you need to cancel, money paid will be refunded as per our refund terms, less $500 which acts as a service fee.
- Cabin rental incurs an $1200 total non-refundable service fee; this fee will be split among the Cabin registrants.
- For rooms based on double occupancy, both roommates must submit payment within 7 days of the first order. After these 7 days, if all roommates have not submitted payment, your reservation will be cancelled and refunded, excluding the $500 service fee.
- Looking for a room-mate? Head over to the Wild Onion Productions group on Ravelry, click on the Making in Michigan thread, and post that you’re looking to share your room.
- Looking for a carpool? We’ve set up a carpool sign up site for you here.
- ADA accessible rooms are available. Email us at wildonionproductions@gmail.com so that we can support you with assigning you the correct room.
- Check in time is 3:00pm on Thursday; there will be a hospitality room for knitters to gather and meet new friends, and to greet old ones!
- Click HERE to read the Tentative Schedule
- See HERE for a full list of our Cancellation and Refund Policies.
Making In Michigan Registration Form
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