6 Night Northwest Ireland Luxury Knitting Retreat (2020)

Of particular interest to you may be the weaver’s cottage where you will see an authentic handloom which would have been used to weave tweed or linen by the man of the house while his wife spun the flax fibres into yarn and the children carded and combed the flax in preparation for the spinning wheel. Staff here will give you a demonstration on the spinning wheel and tell you all about traditional yarn dyeing methods. After your visit continue to Harvey’s Point Hotel and meet your host, one of Ireland’s finest knitwear designers, Edel MacBride. You will spend a lot more time with Edel and her team over the few days spent in Donegal, so this evening is an informal get together and ‘get to know each other’ session with some informal knitting thrown in for good measure! Overnight at Harvey’s Point, Dinner, Bed & Breakfast included.

Rita as a child remembers the woman gathered around a quilting frame in an old thatched cottage in Port, stitching a special naturally dyed red flannel onto a quilt. One of the women in this village passed on a Fair Isle pattern to Rita that would pass down the generations through her own family. Immerse yourself in this unique pattern and stories from the ancient coastal Geltacht parish of Glencolmcille with Rita and other local knitters. Afterwards, enjoy a short visit to Rossan Knitwear and see three generations of the McNellis family hand looming knitwear. The Rossan collection is produced at Glencolmcille Woollen Mill which looks out upon the end of the Celtic trail. The Rossan collection of knitwear carries both modern and traditional designs, much of which reflect the Donegal landscape. This evening meet back at Harvey’s Point for your Dinner and Cabaret Show featuring some famous Irish performers. Overnight at Harvey’s Point, Dinner, Bed & Breakfast included.