At Acorn Street’s 2012 Spring Retreat, we’ll be spending the weekend bringing in the Spring time with the talented Chris Bylsma! In three separate workshops, you’ll learn how to do a project from start to finish with time allotted to each of the following:

Design in a Day
Want to turn that idea floating around in your head into a functional pattern with stitches on your needle by the end of the day? Or maybe you just wish you could change the neckline or sizing or… You CAN do it! Learn the practical, perhaps unconventional, ways to demystify gauge, sizing, style, measurements, swatch and yarn choice. The result is a personalized pattern for you and a new sense of empowerment. Whether you are adventurous or never ventured from a pattern before, learn to take control of your knitting.

The Joy of Finishing
OK, it may not be a sexy subject, but knowing the secrets of finishing can be pretty exciting and downright empowering. Learn the joy of sleek shoulder lines, invisible seams, picking up the perfect number of stitches without counting, beautiful buttonholes, “shortening” sleeves, taming sleeveless armholes and other touches. If it’s worth knitting, it’s worth finishing beautifully—and easily.

Eight Empowering Edges
Ribbing and garter stitch edges are usually reliable choices for edges, but not all edges are equal. Learn eight hard-working edges (and maybe a few more) that empower you as a knitter to create beautiful, professional details, provide the control needed for various edges and give you the option of making your own design decisions in a project. Add these trusted friends of mine to your bag of tricks for future projects or even to solve an existing problem.





Chris Bylsma retired from a career in marketing communications and advertising to pursue her artistic passion – knitting and textureplay. She teaches workshops coast to coast for guilds, TNNA, conferences and shops and in her hometown, Madison, Wisconsin. In addition, she has her own line of knitting patterns available through retail yarn stores. Her approach to knitting is that the process and the end product should both be a joy and designs with that in mind. Chris is noted for her Crayon Box Jacket and inventive Ladder Scarf and Ladder Shawl. She encourages knitters to “color outside the lines” where it’s more fun, and to “think outside the box” (she has occasionally been accused of actually not having a box).

* 2nd Floor Suite bathroom shower facilities are shared with guests staying in the Fairway Room