Join Patty for AffiKNITy Scotland, A 9-Night Luxury Knitting Retreat for Knitters and Beyond—Sept 2024
WE ARE SOLD OUT – AND THE WAIT LIST IS FULL. PLEASE JOIN THE NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP TO DATE FOR NEXT TRIP
Scotland awaits, knitting enthusiasts! Mark your calendars for September 6-14, 2024, as I invite you on a once-in-a-lifetime knitting and crafts tour through the picturesque landscapes and rich traditions of Scotland. Join us for an unforgettable journey, blending the art of knitting with the beauty of Scottish culture.
So Much More Than a Knitting Retreat
AffiKNITy Scotland* is not just a knitting retreat; it’s a rare opportunity to create some unforgettable memories, knit together. And here’s the real magic: This isn’t your typical knitting tour. Sure, we’ve got incredible workshops and fiber-related activities galore, but we’re also going on a mix of exclusive experiences that even non-knitters will LOVE! That means that you can bring your partner, friend, or spouse (I’m bringing my husband David, who past AffiKNITy attendees may remember) and they’ll also have an incredible time!
Picture this: Sightseeing in a luxury coach with a seasoned driver and guide, sipping tea at the Old Course in St. Andrews, enjoying a quirky Tea with a Naughty Sheep, savoring the essence of Scotch with our Whisky Experience, mastering Scottish cuisine in an exclusive cooking class, and exploring attractions like Stirling Castle, Old Town Jail, Iain Burnett Highland Chocolatier, Oban Distillery, and the iconic Edinburgh Castle!
*For those who want to wait for AffiKNITy to return to the US, please note that our next US event will be in Spring of 2025!
Two important dates to jot down:
- Tour Date: September 6 – 15, 2024
- The registration application site opens on January 6, 2024, exclusively for my newsletter subscribers. (Sign up for my newsletter HERE today!) Act fast as space is limited to 24-26 spots, so make sure to make your application the day it opens.
Itinerary Highlights:
CLICK HERE for detailed itinerary, including suggested itinerary fun for non-knitting companions!
Day 1 – Edinburgh:
- Explore Dovecot Studio and Scottish Textiles Showcase
- Welcome dinner with fellow travelers
Overnight Edinburgh, Lunch and Dinner Included
Day 2 – Perth:
- Attend the Scottish Yarn Festival, which brings together independent yarn dyers, producers of single original wool, and all fibre crafters. Attendees will be able to shop OR attend an exclusive workshop put together just for our group (additional fee for workshop). Goodie bags included!
Overnight Edinburgh, Dinner Bed & Breakfast Included
Day 3 – Stirling:
- Stirling Castle and Old Town Jail exploration
- Exclusive Scottish-themed dinner cooking class
Overnight Edinburgh, Bed & Breakfast Included
Day 4 – Dundee:
- Gansey knitwear workshop with Di Gilpin; er workshop explores different gansey patterns in either blanket squares or a long sampler
- Visit V&A Design Gallery – Scotland’s first dedicated design museum
Overnight Dundee, Breakfast and Dinner Included
Day 5 – Inverness:
- Lace stitch pattern workshop with experienced lace designer, Karie Westermann—learn to de-mystify how lace works and design your own project in just a few hours!
- Visit Iain Burnett Highland Chocolatier — a twice winner of the World Gold at the International Chocolate Awards for his unique velvet truffles!
Overnight Inverness, Breakfast Lunch and Dinner Included
Day 6 – Inverness:
- After breakfast, enjoy a knitting workshop with Patty Lyons (ME!)
- Tour Prickly Thistle, an artisan tartan design studio
Overnight Inverness, Breakfast Lunch and Dinner Included
Day 7 – Oban:
- Travel south skirting the beautiful Loch Ness for a craft demonstration of either peg loom weaving or needle felting (TBC) at Achpopuli Farm
- Visit Oban Distillery, one of Scotland’s oldest sources of Single Malt Scotch Whisky, nestled beneath the steep cliff that overlooks Oban
Overnight Inverness, Breakfast Lunch and Dinner Included
Day 8 – Glasgow:
- Auchindrain Township experience and waulking demonstration
- Tea with Naughty Sheep at Beccy; enjoy a traditional afternoon tea in the company of some hilarious pet sheep
- Love of Yarn shopping and yarn dyeing demonstration
Overnight Glasgow, Dinner Bed & Breakfast Included
Day 9 – Edinburgh:
- Explore the Royal Mile, St. Giles’ Cathedral, and National Galleries
- Tour Edinburgh Castle
- Scotch Whiskey Experience and farewell dinner in Amber Restaurant in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle
Overnight Edinburgh, Breakfast and Dinner Included
* Not a knitter but want to join the fun? No worries – this retreat is open to everyone! We’ve got some recommended plans for non-knitters, allowing you to explore on your own!
Included in This Tour:
- Transfers on arrival and departure (on tour start and finish date); arrive no later than 11:00 am on tour start date.
- Sightseeing as per itinerary in a luxury coach with an experienced driver and accredited guide
- Accommodation in 4 Star Hotels for 9 nights
- Scottish breakfast daily
- 7 hotel table d’hote dinners
- 4 lunches
- 1 Farewell Meal in Edinburgh Restaurant
- Afternoon Tea at the Old Course, St. Andrews
- Tea with a Naughty Sheep Experience
- Scotch Whiskey Experience
- Exclusive Scottish-themed dinner Cooking class
- Entrance to the following attractions: Stirling Castle, Stirling Old Town Jail, Iain Burnett Highland Chocolatier, Oban Distillery, Edinburgh Castle
Workshops & Knitting/ Fibre Related Activities Included in This Tour:
- Patty Lyons Knitting Workshop
- Gansey Knitting Workshop with Di Gilpin
- Lace Stitch Pattern Workshop with Karie Westernman
- Waulking with Wool performance at Auchindrain
- Achpopuli Farm visit and needle felting or peg loom weaving demonstration (TBC)
- Visit to Prickly Thistle, Dovecot Studio and V&A Design Gallery
- Scottish Textiles Experience
- General Admission Ticket to Scottish Yarn Festival in Perth with exclusive goodie bag (workshops not included)
In addition to all the other knitting fun, Patty will be presenting an exclusive retreat pattern that we can all work on during our trip!
(Wool and patterns are included in all workshops, just bring your own needles and sizes will be advised)
Pricing:
6 – 15 September 2024 – Price £5595 per person sharing (single + £1531) £200 discount for non-knitters
NOTE: retreat will be charged in the currency of your country.
Terms and conditions for AffiKNITy Scotland.
Registration for Patty Lyons Scotland Tour 2024 opens at 11 am Eastern Standard Time on 6th January 2024. The registration applications will open to my newsletter subscribers first. You will need to check your email for the registration link that will go out the week before. Sign up my newsletter HERE!
Optional, pre and post tour packages:
Pre Tour Arrangements (Optional/Additional)
Package A
1 x Pre-Nights at Edinburgh City centre hotel
Per person sharing one room £177 Supplement if single room is required £158
Package B
1 x Pre-Night at Edinburgh City centre hotel
Arrival Transfer
Hop-On Hop-Off One Day Sightseeing Ticket
Per person sharing one room £247 Supplement if single room is required £228
Post Tour Arrangements (Optional/Additional)
1 x Pre-Nights at Edinburgh City centre hotel
Per person sharing one room £162 Supplement if single room is required £155
Important Notes:
- Once registration opens, if you have had trouble receiving the email or didn’t get it, please email me at info@pattylyons.com and I’ll send out the link.
- 72 hours after the registration application, the first people to apply will receive the booking link. You will have 48 hours to complete the booking and pay the deposit before we go to the next person on the list.
- Please refrain from purchasing flights or other travel until the tour is confirmed!
- For those looking for a roommate, we will have a thread set up on our Ravelry group and Facebook group.
More Photos from the Excursions (click to enlarge):
I really want to go on this trip!!! I have followed Patty Lyons for years and I love her book and all the very helpful hints in her newsletter and on her blog. I’m looking for to the registration day.
This sounds wonderful. My husband and I want to go to Scotland and I love knitting and fiber and he loves scotch and golfing. Do to think this trip would give him time to golf in a few of the areas?
I don’t see why not. He’d be on his own to get to the golfing areas. I would say, take a look at the itinerary and see where we go and then he can do a bit of golfing research. Should be a lovely time of year for it.
You’ve got a great trip there, have a fab time over here in Scotland. One wee thing – Scotland makes whisky, not whiskey!
Hi there, I’m VERY interested in the Scotland trip and signed up for your newsletter but didn’t get the email this morning (a friend told me about it). Could you please forward the email to me, and make sure that I’m on the distro for Saturday? I don’t want to miss out!
Sooooooo exciting!!!!!
Melissa
Don’t worry. Everyone who signed up recently will get the email sent today. It sends in batches. I’ll double check that it sent to you. Make sure to add me to your white list.
Sounds Like a well planned and very exciting trip Patty! I love that it is small group. Now I just have to convince my husband that it might be something he would enjoy!
Looks like a great itinerary and a wonderful trip! Do you know if vegetarian options will be available for all included meals? Thanks.
Of course. You’ll be asked for dietary restrictions at registration (after the application is accepted).
This trip looks wonderful. I knit at a beginner to intermediate level . What level of knitter would benefit most from the workshops and experiences?
I think if you are open to learn, all levels of knitters will learn from the wonderful teachers.
Sounds like a great trip! Just want to be clear with the pricing / if my husband wishes to join me is it 5595 for me and 5395 for him with the 200 discount? If he doesn’t wish to come and I want a single room the fee is the 5595 plus the 1531 surcharge for a total of 7126 plus airfare in each scenario? Does the cost include gratuities for all the meals/hotels:drivers, etc.? Thanks for your response!!!
Yes, we take care of all gratuities so you don’t have to worry about a thing.
Hi Patty, Four of us signed up as soon as the site opened, but other than noting that we were interested in sharing with another knitter, there was not a space to indicate that we already had a roommate in mind. While I am confident that there will be a place for this information if we get in, it seems that the organizers may want to know this ahead of time.
Thanks for the heads up. When we go through the applications, we’ll make sure to check for those that marked that they were rooming with another knitter to match them up with their desired room mate.
Once you’re in, you’ll be sent a registration link.