This retreat will open the door to your inner child. It will be an enchanting digression for your hands and soul, a true pause to let the playful spirit in. Through the making of a knitted character, you’ll discover Cinthia’s original method to knit an animal friend without a single seam, but with a lot of love and fun.

We’ll dive into an in-depth project drawn from Cinthia’s book Chez Myrtil. The knitting sessions will follow the growth of your animal directly on the needles, while making space to discover a unique construction and to practice specific techniques (short rows, finishing techniques, facial details, stuffing and many little things that will grow your skills along the way). By the end of the week, you’ll carry home a finished woolly friend and a true toy maker’s craftsmanship, rooted in love and care for the process and the small details. We’ll also pay attention to the liveliness of your character, naming it, glimpsing its story and its one-of-a-kind nature. And we’ll witness the shift from a knitting project to a love story.

This week is for intermediate knitters. We’ll work on a character within reach of knitters with less experience.

To sail peacefully, you’ll need to be at ease knitting very small circumferences in the round, as small as a thumb, using any method that suits you (magic loop, double pointed needles or flexible double pointed needles). You’ll also need a taste for small and meticulous projects, which does not mean difficult!

You don’t need to be an expert knitter. The unique frame of the retreat allows us to accommodate each person’s pace and to give the individual support needed to grow your character with joy and confidence. Come with permission to play, and leave with self-confidence and an adventurous spirit for your future projects.

Cinthia Vallet lives in Nantes, France, with her husband, kids, furry companions and a lot of woolly friends! With an aesthetic rooted in her passion for children’s literature, she created an original method that fully reinvigorates the experience of toy knitting and makes it joyful, seamless and easy. She writes patterns and books to empower every knitter to make their own.

She is the author of Mouche and Friends: Seamless Toys to Knit and Love and Chez Myrtil, published by Laine Publishing, a Finland-based international publisher. Cinthia believes that the characters we knit are more than toys. They hold tenderness and joy and open the door to the spirit of childhood. They link people of all ages and are the greatest love spreaders.

Sunday: Arrival, orientation and welcome dinner.

Monday to Friday: A curated program of classes, activities and relaxation time. Expect to improve your knitting skills, enjoy a couple of journeys into the Provencal countryside, and enjoy a wine or two. The formal plan for the week will be adjusted based on the projected weather and will be provided to you on arrival. Sit back and let us take care of the planning for you (you deserve it!) We will send you a packing list so that you know what to bring in order to maximise your learning and enjoyment.

Saturday: Farewell breakfast and goodbye.