Shawls, Lagoons and Prosecco: Our Crochet Retreat in Italy

After my first retreat in Portugal, I promised myself there would be a second one. This October, it happened, and somehow it was even more than I hoped for.

Ten women joined me in the Italian countryside, an hour from Venice, for six days of crochet, good food, and long conversations that kept going well past midnight. Some of them had flown across the ocean on three flights. One started a baby blanket on the first plane, just to see how far she could get before landing.

We arrived as strangers. By the first dinner, it already felt like we had done this before.

Our home for the week

We stayed at Albafiorita, a family-run agriturismo surrounded by fields, vineyards and quiet country roads. It is the kind of place where you wake up to birdsong, drink your coffee in the garden and forget to check your phone.

Dino, who run Albafiorita, made everything feel easy. Airport and train pick-ups, last-minute changes, menus adjusted for every allergy, a boat on the lagoon, taxis to the station: whatever we needed, they had already thought of it. Having people like that behind you is what lets a host actually be present with her group, and I am so grateful for them.

The project: ITALIANA

For this retreat I wanted one pattern that could tell two stories about Italy. That is how ITALIANA was born: one puff-stitch pattern, two designs.

Toscana is a fringed triangle shawl, inspired by olive groves, cypress trees and soft evening light. Venezia is a cozy pocket shawl, as bright and playful as the painted houses along the canals.

On the first crochet afternoon I told everyone the same thing: this retreat is about enjoying the process, not about perfect stitches. Ask questions, make mistakes, rip back, laugh about it. And that is exactly what happened. Some of the ladies had almost finished their shawls by the last evening, others planned to finish on the plane home, but every single one of them fell in love with her color choice.

Both patterns will be released very soon. If you want to know the moment they are out, sign up for my newsletter.

Six days, one rhythm

The first day was all about arriving: welcome drinks, lunch in the garden, unpacking the welcome bags and, of course, the first rows of our shawls.

By the second day, we found our rhythm. We crocheted all day long, inside and by the pool, and our shawls started to grow. In the afternoon we took a break for a vineyard tour and a wine tasting. I am not sure what made us happier, the wine or the fact that nobody had to be anywhere.

On the third day we took a boat trip on the Marano lagoon and visited the casoni, the old fishermen's huts with thatched roofs that have stood in the lagoon for generations. Lunch was the freshest grilled seafood I have ever tasted. And then, back home, more crochet.

The fourth day belonged to Venice. We took the train, crocheting all the way there, and explored the city with a lovely guide Cristina. Then came Aperol spritz, cicchetti, the little Venetian bites you eat standing at the bar, and gelato. Walking through Venice with a group of women who had become friends in just a few days is something I will carry with me for a long time.

On our last full day we visited San Daniele for a prosciutto tasting, and then, you guessed it, we crocheted some more.

Our finished shawls

By the end of the week, the shawls were the real stars of the retreat.

Same pattern, same yarn, and still not one looked like another. Every lady picked her own Carnival colors, and you can see her personality in every row. Some shawls were finished, some still had a few rows to go, but each of them carries a piece of our week in Italy.

What I am taking home

Before the retreat I had one wish: that everyone would rest, learn something new and leave with memories worth keeping. What I did not expect was how much I would take home myself.

In Venice we stopped by a little yarn shop. The lady behind the counter looked at our group and asked, "What a lovely company, are you all friends?" One of the ladies answered, "We met here, but yes, now we are friends." I completely melted.

Ten women, ten shawls in ten colors, one pattern. Every shawl turned out different, just like the women who made them. And that, to me, is the whole point of a retreat: making something together, each in your own way.

What comes next

This was my second retreat. It will not be my last.

In March 2027 I am going back to Portugal, and some of the Italy ladies are already coming with me, so spots will be limited. And yes, Italy is happening again next autumn.

If you want to be the first to know when bookings open, join the waitlist. 

Grazie mille to everyone who made this week what it was. I cannot wait to do it all again.

Huge THANK YOU to our wonderful sponsors!

Opening the welcome bags was one of my favorite moments of the whole week. I will never forget the faces.

My favorite yarn brand Hobbii became the official sponsor of this crochet retreat and provided their Carnival yarn in so many shades that choosing became a small adventure of its own. Every shawl at the retreat was made from it, and seeing ten different colorways side by side, all from the same pattern, was pure magic.

Muud, another wonderful sponsor of our retreat, gifted every participant a stylish cotton project bag and one of their iconic scissor cases. Practical and beautiful at the same time, they were an instant hit.

Thank you both for believing in this retreat and for making our ladies feel so special!