Fair Isle with Donna Kay (OCT 21-25)
*OPTIONAL BOARDING HOUSE ROOM RESERVATION (THIS HOLDS YOUR SPOT, ROOM FEES + TAX DUE AT THE END OF YOUR STAY)
October 21-25 (TUE-SAT, 9 AM–4 PM)
Have you ever wanted to design your own Fair Isle sweater? Popular knitting instructor and renowned designer Donna Kay will help you start with a basic traditional Fair Isle sweater design (cardigan, pullover or yoke) and work through the process of creating your personal color scheme using the extensive color palette of Harrisville Designs Shetland yarn. You’ll choose your motifs and learn how to apply them to your garment for the Fair Isle patterning. Once your design is complete you’ll begin knitting, leaving the workshop with your sweater well underway and a customized pattern for your one-of-a-kind sweater. A multitude of topics will be covered, including tangle-free color knitting (using one or both hands), planning colors and patterns, corrugated ribbing, chart reading, garment construction (steeks) and finishing.
Skill Level: Intermediate level knitters who are comfortable with knitting fingering weight yarn with two colors and circular needles. No design experience necessary.
Materials List: Circular needle sizes in a range from US# 1 – 4 (16 & 29 or 32”), stitch markers, scissors, pen, pencil, notebook and colored pencils if you have them. Please bring any photos or post cards that you have for color inspiration!
Cancellation Deadline: 8/26/2025
MEET YOUR TEACHER
Donna Kay, a knitting instructor and designer for over thirty years, is also an accomplished handspinner. Known for her patient teaching manner, she delights in sharing her knowledge of and passion for "folk" knitting with her students. Donna is also a freelance knitwear designer and writes for publications such as Interweave Knits, Spin Off, PLY, and her company, Tree of Life Designs. She resides on a farm in New Hampshire with her husband, horses, a flock of sheep, and a growing herd of spinning wheels.
Cancellation and Refund Policy
Please note our 2025 cancellation and refund policy includes a non-refundable $100.00 registration fee per workshop. In the case must withdraw, you have 8 weeks prior to class for a full tuition refund, less the registration fee. After this date all payments are non-refundable, no exceptions. Thank you for your understanding!
Have a question about a HD workshop or class order? Email hdretail@harrisville.com.
Single Rooms, $70 Per Night
Please note, the boarding house is for class participants only.
With spectacular views of town from its third-story perch, our boarding house offers bright, airy accommodations just a few minutes’ walk from the studio, shop, and general store with cafe. Year after year, returning students remark upon the peaceful camaraderie they enjoy winding down after class in the spacious common areas, and the fun conviviality of cooking family-style dinners in the kitchen. In addition to a living room, dining area, and full kitchen, the boarding house has six bedrooms and two full bathrooms.
Built in 1853, Cheshire Mills Boarding House provided lodging for workers at the mill for over 100 years. Today, Harrisville Designs is dedicated to maintaining an economical nightly rate to help ensure the cost of lodging is affordable during workshops and classes throughout the season.
Harrisville Designs is happy to provide towels, sheets, and pillowcases for an extra $20 per stay (please order ahead). However, students are more than welcome to bring their own linens. Pillows and blankets are provided. Reservations can be made while signing up for class. We do apologize, it’s an old building. There is no elevator and two flights of stairs. Please pack accordingly.
Alternative Housing & Dining
Harrisville is a small village (pop. 1200) with a post office and general store/cafe across the street from the studio and Boarding House. Harrisville is a short drive from Peterborough (15 minutes away) and Keene (20-25 minutes away); both offer a nice variety of hotels, shops, and restaurants.
Additional accommodations in Harrisville are available at Aldworth Manor and the Harrisville Inn and at local Airbnb’s including the Harrisville Guest Suite. Peterborough accommodations are available at Cranberry Meadow Farm, the Jack Daniels Motor Inn, and the Little River Bed and Breakfast. Options in Keene include the Carriage Barn Inn, the Best Western Plus, the Fairfield Inn & Suites, the Holiday Inn Express, the Courtyard by Marriott, and Days Inn. We also suggest searching Airbnb and Vrbo.
Location
About Our Workshops
Nestled in the heart of a historic textile village, workshops at Harrisville Designs take place in the Bethuel Harris Mill. Built in the 1830s as a spinning mill for locally raised wool and located at the end of the canal, it originally operated on water power. Today, it’s home to our first-floor retail store and spacious second-floor workshop studio. Year after year students are greeted by sunlit windows, fresh air, and tranquil views of the mill pond and preserved industrial brick buildings.
Workshops vary in skill levels and lengths. Enrollment is limited to ensure each student is immersed in the atmosphere of a working studio rather than a classroom. Most scheduled classes meet from 9 am to 4 pm; however, the studio is open to students 24 hours a day while their class is in session. Looms are provided in the weaving classes, and woolen yarn and other materials are included unless otherwise noted in the materials lists online. While taking a class, students receive a 10% discount on HD items in our store, including looms! (Excludes sale and consignment items)
Have a question about a HD workshop or class order? Email hdretail@harrisville.com.