~ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ~
COCOKNITS KNITTING RETREAT IN PORTUGAL
12-19 November 2024
Pousada Convento, Evora
The Pousada Convento de Loios hotel where we are staying for the week is a renovated and converted monastery built in 1485 for the friars of Loios. The bedrooms are all former monk’s cells! It is a historic building and has no elevator and so there will be stairs to climb each day (the hotel staff will carry our bags on arrival and departure days).
The majority of rooms are on the first floor (what in the US is called the second floor) and are accessed by a flight of stone stairs with a handrail. There are further rooms on the second floor (called the third floor in the US) which are accessed by a narrower staircase. The twin share rooms are all on the second floor. All the bedrooms have ensuite bathrooms with bathtubs and overhead showers rather than walk-in showers. The bedroom decor is simple.
There are four types of rooms available to book:
• Classic Room ensuite: (107-129 sq feet/10-12 sq metres). Price: £4300
• Family Classic ensuite: (129-161 sq feet/12-15 metres). Price: £4400
• Family Superior ensuite: (194-236 sq feet/18-22 sq metres. (4 x twin rooms available). Price: £4450
• Special Suite ensuite: Price £4650
• Twin occupancy in a Family Superior room: Price: £3900 per person
• Non-participating partner (sharing a room with a participant: £1800)
Unlike previous Cocoknits retreats which have taken place in private properties, we will be staying in a hotel for this retreat. There is no washer/dryer for your use but the hotel does offer laundry facilities at extra cost. There is good wi-fi throughout and a swimming pool if you fancy a dip. There is also a wonderful Roman Bath in the town where you can enjoy a spa and massage experience so you should pack your swimming costume.
Every room in the hotel has free WI-FI access, air-conditioning, a hairdryer, mini-bar, safe, TV and the Suites also have coffee machines. Unlimited coffee is available in the private spaces we have booked for our knitting sessions.
The cost of your accommodation, breakfast and the hotel meals specified in the itinerary are included in the retreat but you are responsible for any extras such as laundry, bar bills, etc.
You should think about packing light/bringing an extra bag with you as you will definitely see things you will want to buy. Many of the places ship so that is always an option.
We strongly recommend that you take out adequate insurance before your trip with us in case your situation changes and you are unable to join us. The Textile Retreat Company offers refunds in the event that you cancel but we reserve the right to retain any costs that we are unable to recover as a result.
Retrosaria Rosa Pomar, Lisbon
We will be using Cocoknits patterns during the retreat and knitting with Portuguese yarn created by Rosa Pomar, an artisan designer with a background in medieval history. We visit Rosa’s Lisbon store on the first day of our retreat to choose and purchase our yarn (we can let you have UK/US stockist details for Rosa Pomar yarn if you want to order samples before you come).
For the past 16 years, Rosa has devoted herself to the research and documentation of Portugal’s wool heritage. She has made friends with shepherds, spinners, and weavers throughout Portugal and writes a regular blog focussed on raising awareness of the imminent extinction of many of the native Portuguese breeds.
In Portugal, as in other countries, a shocking quantity of wool is discarded as waste and never makes its way into the textile industry. Once a precious source of income, most native wools are not considered soft enough to be made into textiles or not worth the cost of collection from small, isolated farms. Rosa’s yarns and designs convey the message that #softnessisoverrated and that qualities such as durability, traceability and an ecological footprint are of real importance. Rosa has proved that it is possible to create high-quality products from native / not-so-soft wool and she is inspiring similar projects in other European countries.
You can view Retrosaria Rosa Pomar yarns here: retrosaria.rosapomar.com. You can follow them on Instagram: instagram.com/rosapomar and instagram.com/retrosariarosapomar
Learning with Cocoknits
Julie's signature system, taught in the Cocoknits Sweater Workshop, has been developed and refined over years of knitting, designing, and teaching thousands to knit. She has created a visual way to track knitting progress by customizing a color-coded Worksheet that guides you through the creation of a complete sweater.
There is be no formal classroom instruction during a Cocoknits knitting retreat. We knit as a group - or in smaller groups - with Julie and Tracy helping each person with their chosen sweater pattern and customizations as needed. It is often helpful to listen in on instructions to others, even if you aren't at the same point in your knitting. If several people are ready for the same instruction, we can hold a mini-class which everyone is welcome to listen to. We find it works best to tailor the instructions to each person as they need it - allowing people to knit as much or little as they want throughout the week.