Retreat 2025

Well, the Retreat at Little Massingham Manor, which I was looking forward to with some trepidation, has been and gone and was, to my relief, a success. We took a bit of a gamble with the venue – having no idea whether the food would be good or the beds as comfortable as they looked, but in fact it was all great. The studio where we spent most of our time was light and bright and warm, the meals were delicious, there was tea and coffee on tap and the rooms were well appointed and indeed comfortable. The services was perfect too – enough to make us feel looked after, but not obtrusive. As far as I was concerned, it was such a joy not to have to cook, or tidy up or do anything. What a treat. Jenn from Fibreworkshop came and talked about Norfolk Horn sheep and dyeing yarn with vegetable dyes which was fascinating. Otherwise we knitted, ate and then knitted some more. And the weather could not have been nicer given the time of year. The sun shone down from a blue sky and made us feel as though spring had truly arrived. I got so much knitting done as well. It made me realise how little time of my day I can actually put aside to knit, which is why things take me so long. Above all, I enjoyed meeting people properly and chatting with them, not only about craft but about their lives.

I think I had been so focused on setting the event up, that I had not really considered what a Retreat is for. Interestingly enough, the Oxford English Dictionary tells me that there are 25 meanings listed for the entry for the noun retreat, nine of which are labelled as obsolete. The noun has been in use in English from the Middle English period (1150 -1500) and it comes originally from the French retreit, retraite and the first definition that comes up is “the forced or strategic withdrawal of an army or armed force before an enemy, or the withdrawing of a naval force from action”. Of course the sense that we are using it is the second definition: “the act of withdrawing, as into safety or privacy; retirement; seclusion” and the third: “a place of refuge, seclusion or privacy”. Without a doubt, our Retreat was both an act of withdrawing and a place of refuge from the busy and hectic lives that most of us lead these days. For two days we did not have to think about our households, or our jobs, or even the state of the world (enough to make one want to retreat on a permanent basis). We just had to do what we loved with like minded people with a little bit of learning thrown in for good measure.

Little Massingham is, of course, perfect for Retreat, set as it is in 63 acres of lovely grounds. It was incredibly peaceful there. I wonder if its past life as a convent might contribute to the sense of serenity. There are gardens and woods and wildlife. A hare even came right up the studio when we were there – completely unconcerned about its proximity to human habitation. It was magical. In a way, I wish that I had had more time to wander the gardens, especially given the weather, but time just flew by, as it always does in good company.

It was nice, as it always is, to come home. But I do realise that I allow very little time for knitting in my life – an hour in the evening if I am lucky, particularly at this busy gardening time of year. I have promised myself to give myself a little more and to do it mindfully rather than as a chore, which it can be if you have to knit samples for a shop.

Among the feedback we got were some requests to come again next year, which was so nice. We have taken that on board, and decided to follow the same format, but this time a Saturday and Sunday and in June rather than April. This was so close to the East Anglia Yarn Festival and Easter is just around corner that it has all been a little too busy for my liking. We have settled on the 13 and 14 June 2026 and blocked out the dates with Little Massingham. If you are interested, block out the dates too and I will let you know when I have managed to get the full details on my website – probably next week. If you want to know more before then, feel free to contact me.