The Colour Experience, our first knitting holiday, ran with great success from 25 January to 6 February 2014. With plenty to do and see, including workshops by the lovely Erika Knight on the subject of Experimenting with Colour and visits to the local charitable projects supported by Knit for Peace, we can’t wait to do it all again! Sign up to our newsletter to be kept up to date with our latest plans at Knit for Peace.

ErikasQ

The Colour Experience  

No visit to India would be complete without being immersed in the inspirational colours and textile designs of the region. Designer Erika Knight has a passion for colour and form. She will be guiding the group and encouraging experimentation with colour.

Erika Knight, designer consultant to the fashion and yarn industry, has worked with design companies as well as ‘high street’ brands. Originally from a fine art background, she has worked on original concept, garment design, pattern and print through to yarn design and production. Her unerring eye for colour and tone will guide knitters through the leaps of designing with colour in her popular books. Erika says: ‘Experiment, and don’t be frightened to have a go!’

There will be opportunities to learn about vegetable dying with Indian master craftsmen who can dye your chosen yarns and colours. You can also learn the art of spinning cotton on a Charkha, the spinning wheel that Ghandi used.

You will have the chance to buy some remarkable hand spun, vegetable dyed wools from the Himalayas as well as Pony knitting needles at factory door prices and beautiful, one of a kind knitting accessories.

This holiday is highly recommended for knitters of all abilities from experienced knitters looking for a relaxing holiday in like-minded company, to those who want to learn or improve their skills. You may just want to sit and knit and chat and drink tea under our shady veranda. Combine the relaxing qualities of knitting with daily yoga from a local practitioner.

Non-knitting partners are most welcome and will find plenty to keep themselves occupied. They can join in the tours or simply enjoy the Hotel, palace and library as well as the prize-winning garden or perhaps try out yoga or an Ayurvedic massage from our distinguished practitioners.

Hotel  We will be staying at the award winning Green Hotel. The Chittaranjan Palace, built for Mysore’s princesses, sits in extensive gardens, with formal lawns and shaded pergolas, and fringed by majestic trees: an oasis of calm. It has been renovated and furnished using traditional Indian crafts. It offers comfortable surroundings, friendly staff, and a restful, creative atmosphere. Guests have come for a night and stayed for a month!

The Green Hotel has been set up as a model of sustainable tourism, by the Charities Advisory Trust. All profits are distributed to charitable and environmental projects in India including Knit for Peace.

BedroomAccommodation Guests have the use of the whole of the former palace, including drawing rooms, a well-chosen library and beautiful verandas.

Because of the excellent climate guests spend most of the day in the garden, on the lawns, or, for those in the Garden Block, on the terrace outside their rooms. We do not have air-conditioned rooms, TV or generators because of our environmentally friendly policies. However the hotel is very airy and well ventilated, all the rooms have fans, and the temperate weather in Mysore make air conditioning largely unnecessary. The climate is like a hot, English summer from September to March. We offer spacious, soothing lawns and shady trees to recline under.

Food  The hotel restaurant is open to non-residents. It offers a comprehensive range of vegetarian and non-vegetarian food. Special diets can be catered for. South and North Indian, European or Chinese meals can be taken in the garden, or on the veranda. Room service is available. Most guests choose to dine on the lawn, under the stars.

All food is prepared from fresh ingredients produced locally where appropriate. The hotel is licensed and offers an eclectic range of Indian beers, and even Indian champagne.

Mysore Marketsm

Around Mysore  There’s plenty to see in and around Mysore. Everything from temples to palaces, game reserves and bird sanctuaries. There will be great opportunities for bargain shopping in silks and fabrics and to visit Mysore’s famous vegetable and flower market, one of the prettiest in India. Don’t forget to bring your camera to capture images to inspire your work for years to come.

We are planning a number of exciting and interesting trips for you. There will also be an opportunity to visit projects that have been supported by the Green Hotel and the Good Gifts Catalogue. These include improvements to the environment and educational opportunities in nearby villages and poor areas.

 

Add a Comment