It takes a bit of chutzpah to open a yarn shop when you aren’t a knitter yourself. And it takes something — confidence, talent, drive? — to be able to say that within less than a decade there isn’t anything you can’t knit or teach. Nancy Hamilton, owner of Black Sheep Yarns in Kent, Connecticut, gets extra bragging rights: her boutique has been awarded the best yarn shop in Connecticut by Connecticut magazine for the past two years. Since she opened the shop six years ago, she’s created a community of knitters there, built a lending library of knitting and crocheting books, teaches freely to anyone who comes to the shop (regardless of where they've purchased their materials) and has invited the authors to give master classes. The success of those classes inspired Hamilton to organize the very first Kent Needle Arts Retreat, to be held the weekend of May 16 and 17 at the Kent Community House. It will be an intensive gathering of knitterati, featuring two full days of classes led by seven nationally known instructors, a dinner and fashion show at the Fife 'n Drum Restaurant, and a marketplace.
Hamilton, whose background was in sewing, believes that most knitters are stuck at an intermediate level and all that’s needed to set them soaring is inspiration, coupled with expert instruction. To that end, she has invited highly regarded specialists in color, fit (including pattern modification), fashion-forward design, and advanced techniques such as Continental, Scandinavian, Andean, and Fair Isle knitting (aka: “stranded color work"), as well as Celtic cables and Bavarian crochet. “I tried to create a good mix," she says. For anyone who is more than ready to include patterns in vivid colors, elaborate cables, or innovative design in their knitting projects, the Kent Needle Arts Retreat is an exceptional opportunity to learn from some of the foremost instructors in the field. If all goes well, Hamilton anticipates that the retreat will become an annual event, and given her enthusiasm, there’s little doubt she will make it happen. “I am already booking the teachers for next year," she says. Kent Needle Arts RetreatSaturday and Sunday, May 16 and 17, 2015 in Kent, CT Black Sheep Yarns12 Old Barn Road, Kent, CT (860) 927-3808
