Roommates + Hotel / B+B Options

As we mentioned in our post a couple of weeks ago, our Single Rooms are all sold out, leaving only Twin Rooms available on-site. You might be unsure about sharing a room with someone you have never met. It’s a common worry, but we can help.

If you book a Twin Room and don’t request a specific roommate, we will send you a roommate questionnaire in late August so we can match you up with a roommate. We’ll let you know before the retreat who you will be sharing with. We encourage you to message them to get to know a little bit about each other.

If a shared room is not for you, we’d suggest signing up as a Non-Residential Attendee (you’ll get everything that the on-site attendees receive other than a place to sleep).

Then you can book a room at a hotel or B&B in the area. We wanted to share a few options for places you could book.

Please note that we haven’t stayed in these places ourselves, so make sure and check them out online and/or talk with the place to make sure all your needs will be met.

We are listing the options in order of distance from the retreat centre.

The retreat centre’s address is: 100 Strathearn Rd, Edinburgh EH9, UK

Traditional Hotels:

1. The Links Hotel http://www.linkshoteledinburgh.co.uk (0.4 mile from retreat centre)


2. The Minto Hotel http://edinburghmintohotel.co.uk (1.1 miles from retreat centre)


3. Sheraton Hotel http://www.sheratonedinburgh.co.uk (1.1 miles from retreat centre)


4. Doubletree by Hilton http://doubletree3.hilton.com/en/hotels/united-kingdom/doubletree-by-hilton-hotel-edinburgh-city-centre-EDICCDI/index.html (1.2 miles from retreat centre)


5. Royal Ettrick Hotel http://www.royalettrick.com (1.2 miles from retreat centre)


6. Apex International Hotel http://www.apexhotels.co.uk/en/hotels/edinburgh/apex-international-hotel (1.3 miles from retreat centre)


7. Best Western Braid Hills Hotel http://www.braidhillshotel.co.uk (1.6 miles from retreat centre)


8. Fraser Suites http://edinburgh.frasershospitality.com (1.7 miles from retreat centre)


9. Travelodge Edinburgh Cameron Toll https://www.travelodge.co.uk/hotels/418/Edinburgh-Cameron-Toll-hotel (1.7 miles from retreat centre)


10. The Carlton Hotel http://www.thehotelcollection.co.uk/hotels/carlton-hotel-edinburgh (2 miles from retreat centre)


11. Royal British http://www.royalbritishhotel.com (2.1 miles from retreat centre)


12. The Inn on the Mile http://www.theinnonthemile.co.uk (2.2 miles from retreat centre)

B&B’s/Guest Houses:

1. Cluaran House http://cluaran-house-edinburgh.co.uk (0.6 miles from retreat centre)


2. Ashdene House http://ashdenehouse.com/guesthouse (1 mile from retreat centre)


3. Blossom Guest House http://www.blossomguesthouseedinburgh.co.uk (1 mile from retreat centre)


4. Edinburgh Regency Guest House http://www.edinburghregencyguesthouse.co.uk (1 mile from retreat centre)


5. Sherwood Guest House http://www.sherwood-edinburgh.com (1 mile from retreat centre)


6. Southside Guest House Edinburgh http://www.southsideguesthouse.co.uk (1 mile from retreat centre)


7. Strathallan Guest House http://strathallanguesthouse.com (1 mile from retreat centre)


8. Clan Walker Guest House http://www.clanwalkerguesthouse.com (1.3 miles from retreat centre)


9. Gladstone House https://www.gladstonehouse.co.uk (1.3 miles from retreat centre)


10. Glenalmond House http://www.glenalmondhouse.com (1.3 miles from retreat centre)


11. Highfield Guest House http://www.highfieldgh.co.uk (1.4 miles from retreat centre)


12. Priestville Guest House http://www.priestville.com (1.5 miles from retreat centre)


13. Aonach Mor Guest House http://www.aonachmorguesthouse.com (1.6 miles from retreat centre)

Your next question might be, “If I’m staying at a different location than the retreat centre, how do I get to the retreat centre?” Here’s several options for how to get there:

1. By foot, if your location is within 0.5 mile, we recommend walking. Check out Google Maps for accurate directions.



2. Lothian Buses http://lothianbuses.com £1.50 for a single ticket and £4 for a day ticket for unlimited rides in Edinburgh, make sure you have exact change as the driver will not be able to make change. There is a Travelshop near Waverley Train Station (31 Waverley Bridge, EH1 1BQ) where you can pre-purchase bus tickets. Get all the details about the Travelshops here http://lothianbuses.com/customer-services/travelshops

Bus 5 from North Bridge stops at the retreat centre gate.

Buses 24 & 41 go to Marchmont Road. Strathearn Road is at the traffic lights, Turn right into Strathearn Road and walk to the retreat centre (5 minutes on foot)

Buses 11, 15, 16, 27, & 45 from Princes Street and Lothian Road go to Bruntsfield Links, walk down Whitehouse Loan to the Strathearn Road Junction (traffic lights) and turn left into the retreat centre (5 minutes on foot).


3. Taxi/Cab

Central Taxis http://taxis-edinburgh.co.uk 01312292468
City Cabs http://www.citycabs.co.uk 0131 228 1211
Edinburgh Minicabs http://www.alledinburghtaxis.co.uk 0131 510 0989

We hope these ideas are helpful to you. If you have any questions about this or anything related to the retreat, email us or post your questions in our Ravelry group.

If you haven't signed up to attend the retreat yet, go here now and sign up!


Image Credit: 1 2 3

Time Flies With Kate

One of our amazing teachers, Kate from A Playful Day (she'll be teaching Getting to Grips with Social Media for us at the retreat) talked about the retreat and her class on the most recent episode of her podcast.

Episode 83: Time Flies



Listen to Kate's podcast episode here: http://www.aplayfulday.com/blog/2015/7/18/episode

We're thrilled that Kate is one of our teachers and that she is so excited about teaching for us. If you haven't signed up for the retreat yet, go sign up here now! Happy Knitting!

Places to See in Edinburgh

So you’re coming to the retreat in Edinburgh and you think you might want to do some fun things around the city. Have we got some ideas for you! From historical locations to outdoor places to museums to tours to places for coffee, a drink, and relaxing, almost anything you could think of is listed below. If you’re interested in something we haven’t listed, please comment or email us and we’ll help you locate the information you need.

We've created an interactive map where you can see where all these places are in relation to the retreat centre. Google seems to be having some hiccups this morning, so if the map doesn't load correctly, please save the link and try again later. The map will remain available through the retreat and beyond.

Retreat Centre Address: 100 Strathearn Rd, Edinburgh EH9 1BB
Lothian Buses http://lothianbuses.com £4 for a day ticket for unlimited rides in Edinburgh
Central Taxis http://taxis-edinburgh.co.uk 01312292468
City Cabs http://www.citycabs.co.uk/ 0131 228 1211
Edinburgh Minicabs http://www.alledinburghtaxis.co.uk 0131 510 0989
Waverley Train Station http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/EDB/details.aspx

Historical:
Edinburgh Castle http://www.edinburghcastle.gov.uk (Castlehill, Edinburgh, EH1 2NG)
Royal Mile http://royal-mile.com
Palace of Holyrood https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/visit/palace-of-holyroodhouse (Canongate, The Royal Mile, Edinburgh, EH8 8DX)
Conan Doyle Pub and Sherlock Holmes Statue (near 11 Picardy Place where Arthur Conan Doyle was born) http://www.nicholsonspubs.co.uk/theconandoyleedinburgh/ (71-73 York Pl, Edinburgh EH1 3JD)
St. Giles’ Cathedral http://www.stgilescathedral.org.uk/ (High St, Edinburgh, Midlothian EH1 1RE)

Outdoor Places:
Princes Street Gardens http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/directory_record/164144/princes_street_gardens (Princes Street, Edinburgh, EH2 2HG)
Arthur's Seat http://www.visitscotland.com/info/see-do/holyrood-park-and-arthurs-seat-p914341
Royal Botanic Garden http://www.rbge.org.uk (20a Inverleith Row, Edinburgh, EH3 5LR)
Scott Monument http://www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk/Venues/Scott-Monument.aspx (E. Princes St Gardens, Edinburgh EH2 2EJ)

Museums:
National Museum of Scotland http://www.nms.ac.uk/national-museum-of-scotland/ (Chambers Street, Edinburgh EH1 1JF)
Scottish National Gallery https://www.nationalgalleries.org/visit/introduction-114 (The Mound, Edinburgh, EH2 2EL)
Scottish National Portrait Gallery https://www.nationalgalleries.org/visit/introduction-298 (1 Queen Street, Edinburgh, EH2 1JD)

Yarn Shops:
We will be visiting these three yarn shops during the Yarn Crawl at the retreat, but if you want to visit before or after the retreat, we know they'd be happy to have you.
Ginger Twist Studio http://www.gingertwiststudios.com (11 London Road, Edinburgh, EH7 5AP)
Kathy’s Knits http://www.kathysknits.co.uk (64a Broughton Street, Edinburgh , EH1 3SA)
Be Inspired Fibres https://beinspiredfibres.wordpress.com (30 Marchmont Road, Edinburgh, EH9 1 HZ)

Coffee Shops + Pubs:
The Elephant House (where J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter) http://www.elephanthouse.biz/ (21 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, Midlothian EH1 1EN)
Toast http://toastedinburgh.co.uk/ (146 Marchmont Rd., Edinburgh, EH9 1AQ)
Cafe Artista (94-96 Marchmont Cres., Edinburgh, EH9 1HD)
The Earl of Marchmont (22 Marchmont Cres., Edinburgh, EH9 1HG)
Empire Cafe (21d Strathearn Rd., Edinburgh, EH9 2AB)
Cork and Cask http://www.corkandcask.co.uk/ (136 Marchmont Rd., Edinburgh, EH9 1AQ)
Happiee Daze Cafe (100 Marchmont Rd., Edinburgh, EH9 1HR)
Starbucks (2 Colinton Road, Edinburgh, EH10 5DN); this is the closest Starbucks, it's 0.6 mi from the retreat centre)
Starbucks (140 Nicolson St., Edinburgh, EH8 9EH); this is probably the closest Starbucks to many of the Hotels/B+B's/Guest Houses that we mention in this post, it’s 1.7 mi from the retreat centre)
Costa Store (10-14 Morningside Rd., Edinburgh EH10 4DB; it’s 0.6 mi from the retreat centre)
Costa Express (126-128 Marchmont Rd., Edinburgh, EH9 1AQ; it’s 0.3 mi from the retreat centre)

Edinburgh City Website with Leisure, Sport, and Culture Links http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/info/20011/leisure_sport_and_culture

Tours: (all these tours leave from Waverley Bridge)
Edinburgh City Bus Tour http://edinburghtour.com/tours/edinburgh-tour (Palace of Holyroodhouse, Scottish Parliament, Old Town, National Museum of Scotland, Grassmarket, Edinburgh Castle, New Town)
Edinburgh City Sightseeing Tour http://edinburghtour.com/tours/city-sightseeing-tour (New Town, Old Town, Grassmarket, Edinburgh Castle, National Museum of Scotland, Palace of Holyroodhouse, Our Dynamic Earth, Calton Hill)
MacTours City Tour http://edinburghtour.com/tours/mac-tours (Old Town, Palace of Holyroodhouse, Scottish Parliament, Surgeons' Hall, Edinburgh Castle, New Town)
Majestic Bus Tour http://edinburghtour.com/tours/majestic-tour (New Town, Royal Botanic Garden, Leith Cruise Terminal, Royal Yacht Britannia, Palace of Holyroodhouse, Scottish Parliament, Old Town)
Forth Bridge Bus and Boat Tour http://edinburghtour.com/tours/bus-and-boat-tour
Historic Tours & Ghost Tours http://www.mercattours.com/home.asp (these tours leave from various locations, see the website for details)

Edinburgh is an amazing city and we hope this post gives you ideas for things to do while you're here.

If you haven't signed up to attend the retreat yet, go here now and sign up! Our post next Monday will be about roommates and off-site lodging options. Happy Knitting!

Holiday Knitting, Knitting Holiday

One of our amazing teachers, Katherine Lymer (she'll be teaching Beginner Magic Loop and a Sock Heels Master Class for us at the retreat) wrote a post yesterday about Holiday Knitting and Knitting Holidays.

It's that time of year when the thoughts of us, in the northern hemisphere, are likely to turn to summer holidays. It may be that you're not going away – hoping to enjoy the best of the summer sunshine at home – but for those of us with school age children, this is most definitely holiday time, if only a holiday from school.

Clearly you're speaking to a woman who wants it all: Near endless hours of knitting, interrupted only for activities of her choosing. It was one of the motivating ideas behind my yoga / knitting retreat day: Start the day practising some yoga, then spend the rest of the day knitting with beautiful yarn, eating delicious food, and just generally chilling out before going for a soak in the hot tub. Heaven. While it's only a day, I'm hopeful that the meditative pace of the day will really help those joining me to fully relax so that they'll feel refreshed – as well as pleased with their knitting accomplishments.

The next sensible step would be to take the knitting retreat idea to more than one day and I'm delighted to be teaching at just such an event this autumn: The 2015 Geeky Puffin Knit Palooza, in Edinburgh from 29th October – 1st November.

Read the rest of Katherine's post here: http://www.knittingwithkatherine.com/1/post/2015/07/holiday-knitting-knitting-holiday.html

We're thrilled that Katherine is one of our teachers and that she is so excited about teaching for us. If you haven't signed up for the retreat yet, go so up here now! Happy Knitting!

A Beginner's Guide to Knitting Retreats

Written by Sam

Do you have questions about attending a retreat for the first time? Or not sure if it is for you? This post will give you an outline of what you can expect at a retreat and don’t forget you can email us or post questions in our Ravelry group and we’ll be happy to answer them.

Part 1: Before the retreat
Our Single Rooms are all sold out, leaving only Twin Rooms available on-site. So you might be unsure about sharing a room with someone you have never met. It’s a common worry, but we can help. If you didn’t request a specific roommate, we will send you a roommate questionnaire so we can match you up with a roommate. We’ll let you know before the retreat who you will be sharing with. We encourage you to message them to get to know a little bit about each other.

If a shared room is not for you, we’d suggest signing up as a Non-Residential Attendee (you’ll get everything that the on-site attendees receive other than a place to sleep). Then you can book a room at a hotel or B&B in the area. We’ll share a post here on the website in a couple of weeks with recommendations for other places to stay in Edinburgh.

Part 2: Arriving
At least one of us will be there to greet you when you arrive, even if you are late! That way we can make sure you know where everything is and show you to your room. Don’t feel that you need to socialise straight away if you are tired or feel rushed. There are plenty of quiet places at the retreat centre, inside and out, where you can gather yourself or have a rest. We’ll be sharing a contact phone number with you before the retreat so you can contact us the day of with any arrival questions or to let us know you’ll be arriving later than you expected.

Part 3: Meeting the attendees
You may arrive alone or at the same time as other people. If you’re sharing a room, we will be available to introduce you to your roommate. Everyone will have a name badge, so you can see at a glance who everyone is. If you’d prefer not to have photos of yourself taken, your badge lanyard will be a different colour so that everyone will be able to immediately see who doesn’t want photos taken. If you feel overwhelmed at this point, the quiet places I wrote about above will always be available. And remember, we all like to talk about our knitting!

Part 4: During the retreat
The aim is for everyone to have a relaxing, fun, knitting break. If you get stir crazy, there are lots of great places near the retreat centre to have coffee or visit. C.C. and Damaris will post a guide to the local area next week. Edinburgh is a great city! We won’t mind if you decide to escape to the city for a while for some sightseeing. There may well be other attendees who’d love to join you. Alternatively, you may just want to sit and knit quietly for the whole retreat. That’s fine too. Yay for knitting!

All meals are provided for all attendees. Seats aren’t reserved but there is plenty of space for everyone. If you let us know about dietary concerns, we will be working with the catering staff of the retreat centre to make sure your needs are met.

We’ll be in touch at the end of August about your classes. If you expressed interest in taking more than 1 class, that will be your chance to confirm that with us. If there are additional spaces left in any of the classes, we may open those spaces to the general public. So make sure and get back to us within a week of the end of August email to make sure you get the class(es) you want.

We’ve been blown away by the support of the fibre world for our retreat. We have lots of door prizes and things for our goodie bags including coupon codes and patterns that we can’t wait to share with you.

Please let us know if you have any questions or problems during the retreat and we will answer them and/or try to resolve them as soon as possible.

As we get closer to the date there may be opportunities to help with registration, the vendor market, and other things. We’ll let you know via the Ravelry group, this blog, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc.

Part 5: The Vendor Market
Attendees get first dibs on the goodies from the great vendors who will be selling their gorgeous wares! If you haven’t seen the list of vendors, check it out here. If you have friends in the area, why not meet them for the afternoon public opening of the marketplace as well. The vendor market will be open to the public from 1pm to 3pm on Saturday, 31-October, for a fee of £3 per person or a donation of a knitted or crocheted item which we’ll donate to charity.

Part 6: The sad bit
Saying goodbye! We hope that you will have had a fantastic time and can’t wait to come back again. Don’t forget that we will still be on Ravelry and you can message us whenever you want. We’ll also be sending out a questionnaire after the retreat, where we welcome any comments you may have about our time together!

Hopefully that gives you a good overview of what to expect at the retreat. If you haven’t signed up to attend the retreat yet, go here immediately to sign up! If you have any questions, feel free to email us at GeekyPuffinKnitPalooza@gmail.com or post in our Ravelry group.

We are so excited to meet each of you in person in just a little over 3 months! Happy Knitting!

BADGES!

Every time I hear the words BADGES, I think of the famous movie line, "Badges? We don't need no stinkin' badges!". But maybe this time we do!

We've created every conceivable combination that we could think of, but if we missed one, let us know and we'll get one done for you.

There are two sizes: small for places like Ravelry (your profile pic) and social media AND large for blogs, websites, etc. Just right click on the image you want, save it to your computer, and then upload it to the correct place.

If you're putting it on your blog or website, it'd be fabulous if you could link it to our website http://GeekyPuffinKnitPalooza.com so others can find us easily. Alright, here are the BADGES!

SMALL - social media profile pic sized















LARGE - for blogs, websites, etc. - click the image for an even larger size















Hope you enjoy these fun BADGES! Come back on Monday for a fun blog post about what it's like to attend a knitting retreat! Happy Knitting!