Welcome to South Carolina! Retreat check-in begins at 5pm EST. Choose to pick up (or stop for) dinner as you make your way to the house or order in after arrival if you're ready to cozy on down. You might also decide to get settled first, then walk to one of the nearby restaurants. if you do choose to chow down in our retreat home, feel free to eat on the beach or poolside #highlyrecommended 🙃

Upon check-in, you'll be ushered into your suite to inspect what's inside your retreat-exclusive tote, which i've already started filling. in addition to products you'll love, your goodie bag will also include the Retreat Patterns featuring Suburban Stitcher Yarns, which will have also been sent to you digitally at check-in time. Unpack, relax, take your first look at Suburban Stitcher & the Katy Lin Boutique, then grab your knitting to unwind in one of the many comfy common areas of the house. no one will fault you if you choose to take that beach walk now, either. Dianne aka Suburban Stitcher will be with us for the entire getaway so that you can shop for anything you are inspired to cast on while you're here. She's an absolute sweetheart and you'll enjoy getting to know her just as much as you will love her yarn.

While it's technically not dinner, I will be providing delicious charcuterie for everyone to munch on and plan to set us up with a spread on the beach!

if you aren't able to line up your travel for a 5pm arrival, no worries! i'll stay up all night waiting for you if need be. knowing that my guests will be coming in throughout the evening is exactly why there isn't a planned supper. Travel is stressful enough on its own: I don't want my guests to miss any "official" experiences should they encounter delays or simply need to travel later on thursday.

Enjoy your lazy Friday morning while our professional Chef is preparing an amazing Brunch to truly kick-off our getaway. My from-scratch Bloody Marys will be available to sip on before & throughout meal-time along with coffee, tea & juice options.

As I keep mentioning, although your fee includes every experience, it's always your choice whether you'd like to participate or take extra down time. After our meal, you'll choose exactly how you want to spend your day. ko workshops will be scheduled throughout and you can take them all or simply luxuriate in our incredible beachfront home.

After workshops are over, you'll enjoy a ko dinner! that's right, i'm cooking for y'all. As a mom of 4 boys, i pretty much live in the kitchen and thankfully I have always loved both cooking & baking. I can't wait to create some of my favorite dishes just for you.

Just as on Friday, you'll wake up on Saturday at whatever time you'd like, remain in your pj's or comfies & eat breakfast at our retreat home ❤️ by the way, saturday is my dad's birthday so at some point, those that are willing will join me on facetime to sing to him 🥳

Late morning, local artist kristy bishop will come to us to teach a fabulous workshop on indigo dyeing, poolside! You'll be provided with several fabrics, including a silk scarf, to practice your new (or pre-existing) skills after kristy shares her techniques. she's also asked me to tell you that you are welcome to bring just about anything from home that you'd like to dye or overdye. you can even purchase an undyed skein from Suburban Stitcher at the retreat to play with during class. kristy's workshop will last approximately 3 hours.

take the rest of the afternoon off, then on Saturday evening, Chef Sarah will be back! She'll be treating us to an incredible dinner from apps to dessert.

have you walked on the beach yet?

After we've enjoyed our retreat home for a couple of days, we are hitting the city! Sunday is historic charleston day. Of course, don't forget that this is your retreat; if you'd rather stay on the beach, do it! Either way, I'm still not making you get up early to participate. We won't depart until 10:15am and nothing we are doing requires anything but comfy-casual attire. No one will even take a second glance if you chose to enjoy the day in your jammies 😉

To make sure you're energized for our most active day, Mr. KO (my other half, Ryan) will be cooking what our family has affectionately termed "big breakfast" for everyone. He will have the aid of his college roomie, also a dear friend of mine, who just happens to live nearby. Ryan's grandfather taught him how to cook absolutely delicious & expansive breakfasts! The man hardly enters the kitchen all other times of the day but he is a breakfast champion. I can't wait to share this treat with you all and introduce you to my guy. Start expanding your tummies now.

After you've eaten your fill, we will hit the road. It goes without saying but I'm saying it anyway, don't forget your knitting as we'll have 45ish minutes en route. Your transportation is provided and even guests who have driven to the retreat will just sit back and enjoy the ride. Of course, anyone with a vehicle is welcome to drive if preferred. You'll be able to leave anything that you don't want to cart around in our vehicles as they are private and will be locked up tight. We will not be returning to the vehicles until it's time to head back to our home-away-from-home, so just make sure you don't leave anything you'll need during the day behind. on that note, when you're packing for the retreat, be sure to include whatever type of bag will be most suitable for our day trip.

We will begin our day in Chucktown with an hour-long boat ride on the harbor. After we are back on land, you'll have a few hours to grab lunch and explore the area(s) of Charleston that interest you most: there are endless options. Go shopping, visit museums, take a historical tour, hit the market, and on and on and on. You'll have my recs to help you determine how to make the most of your time.

charleston is my second home and it is even where my husband proposed over 20 years ago: our 20th wedding anniversary is just a couple of weeks after the retreat itself. I could spend a full week with you downtown and there would still be lots to do, which is why you'll be getting your rec list well ahead of time so you can plan based on your own interests.

Early evening, we'll regroup to dine at Poogan's Courtyard, the private venue for one of Charleston's well-known & beloved restaurants: Poogan's Porch. Your meal & non-alcoholic bevs are included in the retreat fee. in addition, there will be a bar available should you wish to purchase wine or cocktails. Despite Charleston's long list of incredible restaurant options, Poogan's was my first choice for us from the very beginning. I initially expected that we'd eat at the restaurant itself, but as soon as I learned about the private venue I knew it was where we belonged. We will enjoy a serene and relaxing environment away from any potential crowds and be thoroughly taken care of, precisely the experience I want you to have, especially after you've spent a few hours exploring.

After our rejuvenating dinner, we'll take one more little adventure before calling it a night. I've taken many carriage rides in Charleston but there's one in particular that was the perfect nightcap & it will also be a first for me! Our after-dinner private carriage ride is a 45min Haunted Ghost Tour 👻

Sunday is the only day we will be officially off-site and the Charleston experience I've planned will allow you to make the most of it! When I scheduled our day, I made sure that no one would need to be on their feet for hours at a time. If you follow me on socials or subscribe to my newsletter, you know that I have severe, chronic back pain from spinal fusions that are 25+ years old. I mention this only because I want you to know that I have taken great care to make this day as physically comfortable as possible, even if you have limitations as I do. The amount of walking you'll do will be completely up to you as it will only be during your free time. All of the planned events are seated. I just know you're going to fall in love with Charleston.

On our last full day together, we'll wake up with Monday Mimosas and stay on-site to bask in the glory of our beachfront retreat home once more. During the day you'll have the opportunity to jump in on more KO workshops, shop in-house from Dianne or my boutique or just knit amidst the gorgeous view and luxurious space.

Come early evening, Corey Alston, a nationally renowned & incredibly accomplished 5th-generation weaver who has had his work displayed at the Smithsonian will be joining us to share the history of Sweetgrass Basket Weaving, a rare art found nowhere else in the United States. Sweetgrass art has been a significant part of Gullah Geechee Culture dating back to the days of enslavement. I am so honored that Corey is coming to us to share his passion and history. After his presentation, he will be teaching us how to use Sweetgrass to create a rose that you'll be able to take home with you: see what I did there? I managed to sneak 🌹 into my midwinter retreat. Roses are another obsession of mine for those who don't know! 🥰 Somehow, while Corey is both presenting & teaching (talk about multi-tasking), he'll also be preparing an incredible meal for us that honors his culture and history: it's called Frogmore Stew but I assure you, there are no frogs involved 😂 Down south we also call this dish Low Country Boil and it features shrimp, sausage, corn, potatoes, seasonings etc. As for all the retreat meals, we will make accommodations should this dish not work for you. We will toast to our retreat and to Corey during our dinner, champagne and/or prosecco will be provided to guests.

I won't send you on your way without sustenance: breakfast will be ready and waiting when you wake. Unfortunately, I can't offer a final lazy morning as checkout is at 9am. Even now, 6 months + ahead of time, I know that I'll always remember our getaway and treasure the experience & camaraderie we will build during our time together. I'm hoping you'll leave feeling relaxed, loved, encouraged and perhaps armed with a few new skills!