Knitting on a Lark with Lorilee Beltman
Knitting on a Lark with Lorilee Beltman is a fantastic retreat opportunity shared with the audience of the Yarn Thing podcast with Marly Bird. 
Lorilee Beltman’s bio (borrowed from her website) says: My experiences as a yarn shop owner taught me the value of delivering an honest answer with kindness. I learned I love helping knitters push through their roadblocks. I also learned that the knitting community is full of interesting people I really enjoy. A knitting video featuring my knitting style has over a million views on Youtube. As a result, I started hearing from knitters all around the world, deepening my attachment to yarny types everywhere.While I enjoy teaching continental to those who want to learn it, I appreciate all knitting styles. I urge my students to try projects that introduce new techniques. My articles or designs have been published in The Ultimate Hat Book (Vogue/Soho Publishing), Blue Moon Fiber Arts Rockinʼ Sock Club, Interweave Knits Magazine, Interweave Sockupied eMag, Twist Collective, and Beyond Toes by Judy Becker. I am a Craft Yarn Council certified knitting instructor, and a TNNA designer/teacher member. Knitty.com is letting me serve the Knitty community as Techniques Columnist starting with the Deep Fall 2015 issue. Tent-camping with my husband and boys has brought me to over twenty National and Provincial Parks. I grew up in Pittsburgh, spent thirty years in west Michigan, and now call Seattle home.
Bremerton Ferry
Lorilee is making this special visit to the Yarn Thing podcast to share the Knitting On a Lark with Lorilee retreat. Taking place July 6-9 on the beautiful Bainbridge Island, in the Puget Sound of Washington State. This is a rest and relaxation retreat, not heavily scheduled with classes. Guests arrive Thursday, we have all our meals together served family style. Friday will see retreaters in either a morning or afternoon class with the Islandwood Chef on sustainable cooking. They will be visiting the kitchen garden to gather materials. On Saturday we have a real treat. Tina Newton of Blue Moon Fiber Arts will be teaching a natural dye class- going for natural speckle dyes! (Lorilee is especially thrilled about this, she says ‘Tina hired my for my FIRST teaching job outside my Michigan shop for the 2009 Sock Summit’.)
We get to spend time amidst the towering fir trees of the Pacific Northwest. A bit of forest-bathing will do all our guests dome good. According to Wikipedia, Forest Bathing is the practice of taking a short, leisurely visit to a forest for health benefits. The practice originated in Japan where it is called shinrin-yoku. Interspersed will be short knitting lessons from me on topics designed to help people accomplish the retreat pattern which used some of Tina’s yarn. We also get to have s’mores and a bonfire. And we have a “De-stash, Re-stash, No-cash Yarn Bank” so attendees can bring something lovely from home to swap.
Follow Lorilee through her website: LorileeBeltman.com, in Facebook find her Knitting Enabler page. Lorilee’s first visit to the Yarn Thing podcast happened in 2015. CLICK HERE to hear that first visit. If you missed getting to hear or watch THIS visit, you can find Marly’s LIVE Facebook video at her page, or listen to the archived podcast episode at this link: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/yarnthing/2017/05/04/knitting-on-a-lark-with-lorilee-beltman
Cindy Marsh says
May 4, 2017 at 10:45 amGreat podcast! If you like a banana slug your tongue will go numb 🙂
Cindy Marsh says
May 4, 2017 at 10:45 amLICK, not like! Thanks, auto correct.
Lynn says
May 4, 2017 at 10:46 amI have found many buggy items in my garden, but I’m not sure how I would feel finding a banana slug. They look pretty slimy! and up to 10 inches…..oh no!
Mary Radhuber says
May 4, 2017 at 10:52 amI can’t think of anything nice to say about a banana slug, except I hope I don’t ever see one. Eww!
Diane Dicke says
May 4, 2017 at 10:58 amAfter seeing a banana slug, bananas are never going to look the same to me! Ewwww!
Kathy Niles Walters says
May 4, 2017 at 11:00 amthink I need to knit a shawl the same color as a Banana Slug 🙂
Cheryl Clemons says
May 4, 2017 at 11:18 amI had to google banana slug and yuck! I would prefer a banana shake. Great podcast wish I could do the retreat.
Victoria Lund says
May 4, 2017 at 11:37 amOMG Marly your expression when you found out what a Banana Slug is was priceless!!! I was in hysterics…thanks for the great laugh!
vpdairies says
May 4, 2017 at 11:42 amI’ve found slugs in my garden before, even accidentally stepped on one or two, but I’ve never seen anything like a banana slug.
Carol says
May 4, 2017 at 12:17 pmNever seen a Banana Slug
Trisha says
May 4, 2017 at 12:36 pmThanks for teaching me something new. I had never heard of a banana slug before. Naturally I had to look up pictures of them – they do look like bananas!
Anita says
May 4, 2017 at 12:55 pmMy husband and I went to school in Seattle and loved every minute of our time there. The one thing I don’t miss are the slugs though I don’t remember the banana slugs in particular. Just thinking of stepping on slugs by accident makes my skin crawl. I would love to go to Lorilee’s retreat. Sounds like heaven. Hope you can make it, Marly.
Audrey says
May 4, 2017 at 2:57 pmGlad we don’t have banana slugs in Rhode Island!
Rhonda Kehrberg says
May 4, 2017 at 3:18 pmBanana slug is the yuckiest key word ever! Too funny! The retreat sounds heavenly though I hope to get to a retreat one of these days….
Chris Lopez says
May 4, 2017 at 9:44 pmThe retreat sounds amazing but I’ve seen banana slugs before and wouldn’t want to encounter one on this trip!!
Jody Jinneman says
May 4, 2017 at 10:55 pmNothing like seeing a banana slug in the great pacific NW. Just a short ferry ride from Seattle. I can see it from my hill.
Kavita Deepchand says
May 5, 2017 at 2:10 amBanana slug – is that like a sea cucumber on land?! Great show – thanks
Vicki L Lynch says
May 6, 2017 at 8:00 amYour retreat sounds wonderful-maybe some attendees will see banana slugs.
Louise Gingery says
May 7, 2017 at 9:35 amLots of fun info today…never heard of a banana slug
Mary L. says
May 7, 2017 at 10:43 amI have slugs in my garden – I always watch my step. Glad they are not banana slugs! They are HUGE! Great podcast today, as always!
Wendelika Cline says
May 8, 2017 at 1:11 amHey, I enjoyed your podcast. This was actually my first time listening. And since I live in the Pacific Northwest, I have to dodge banana slugs pretty regularly on my front walkway. 😉
Jody says
May 8, 2017 at 2:52 pmI’m not sure I’m brave enough to look up what a banana slug looks like after hearing Mariy’s reaction
loretta1031 says
May 8, 2017 at 4:03 pmRetreat sound wonderful! Relaxing, yarn, food (no banana slugs!) friends… What could be better?
Heather says
May 9, 2017 at 7:23 amI haven’t run into any banana slugs in the wild, just regular garden slugs- and they are a hassle in my garden! Thanks for the interview and this retreat sounds lovely. I’d love a break. <3
Susan Oeltjen says
May 9, 2017 at 11:37 amIt would be fun to go on a retreat someday. Opportunities to learn and relax at the same time are rare for me. If you think banana slugs are nasty, you should see the migration of army worms in Duluth MN each year.
Dorothy Monica says
May 9, 2017 at 10:13 pmReally don’t want to meet a banana slug up close and personal!
Ramona says
May 10, 2017 at 11:59 amThis retreat sounds amazing! As for the banana slug? Well, I’m taking Marly’s advice and I’m NOT looking that up. It sounds gross enough as it is.
Michelle Brewer says
May 11, 2017 at 12:01 amLove the podcast. The banana slugs are gross. Www. Lol.
Amy L. says
May 11, 2017 at 4:55 pmLorilee’s retreat sounds wonderful! I would love to see a banana slug while forest bathing At Knitting on a Lark! I found patterns to make slugs…would be good travel knitting! Thanks Marly and Tammy!
Michelle says
May 13, 2017 at 10:25 amA banana slug could be the only thing to keep me away from Lorilee’s retreat. It sounds relaxing and rejuvenating. Great work ladies. I look forward to Tuesdays and Thursdays because of you all!
Heddi Craft says
May 13, 2017 at 5:05 pmI live in Santa Cruz, CA and the University of California Santa Cruz has the banana slug as their school mascot! I might have to look up that hat pattern Marly saw.
Amberly says
May 17, 2017 at 2:37 pmI’ve never seen a banana slug, and I think I will take Marly’s advice and try to keep it that way.
Jody Nitz says
May 24, 2017 at 12:54 pmBugs are not my thing and by Marly’s reaction I will NOT be looking up what banana slugs look like
Charlene Black says
May 27, 2017 at 12:10 pmThe podcast with Lorilee Beltman was very enjoyable. I laughed very hard at Marly’s reaction to seeing the Banana Slug. My daughter and son-in-law graduated from UC Santa Cruz where the Banana Slug is the mascot. Also, John Travolta wore a UC Santa Cruz t-shirt with the mascot in one of his movies. You usually have to look under a rock or dig in the mulch to see one on the campus. Sometimes they will meander across a walk way. The campus is located in the coastal Redwoods of the Santa Cruz mountains. It is one of the most beautiful universities anywhere.
Carol T says
May 30, 2017 at 12:53 amI would love to attend Lorilee’s retreat in July!!! Wish I could afford it. However, I would not enjoy running across a banana slug that she says is up in the Washington area!!! I am taking Marly’s advice and not looking it up on google. :o))
Shelly says
May 31, 2017 at 12:14 amI have run across a lot of critters, but a banana slug has not been one of them.
Mary Kay Smith says
June 2, 2017 at 3:04 pmI have successfully resisted the urge to Google a banana slug, but this was a great podcast!
Jill H says
June 6, 2017 at 7:42 amNo banana slugs here! Always enjoy listening to the podcast while I work 🙂
Lori Biamonte says
July 6, 2017 at 6:46 amBanana slug?! I don’t even want to google that one. Enjoyed the podcast though!