April 12-18, 202612 spots

REGISTRATION has closed. Email me if you would like to join the waitlist! 

A knitting retreat in the red rock desert

Join me for a 6-night all-inclusive knitting retreat in Sedona, Arizona to knit, hike, thaw out, and recharge in the breathtaking red rock desert.

Each day begins with a continental breakfast and knitting circle hosted by Dorothy (Wandering Fern owner and holistic / integral coach); features a guided excursion, workshop, or free day activities with a packed brown-bag lunch, and ends with dinner, hot tub, stargazing, and knitting around the campfire.

Our itinerary

Our gentle itinerary offers ample time through the week to knit, explore the hiking and biking trails behind the resort, soak in the hot tubs, do a little shopping, and connect with new knitting friends!

Day 1: Arrive and Welcome Dinner
Day 2: Colorwork Design Workshop: Tsekoh Cowl
Day 3: Guided Excursion: Choice of Hike or Jeep Tour
Day 4: Fiber Circle and Free Day
Day 5: Guided Excursion: Choice of Hike or Jeep Tour
Day 6: Free Day and Farewell Dinner
Day 7: Depart...until next time!

What’s included:

This retreat is all inclusive! We provide all meals and supplies. Guided excursions are included and there are no surprise add-on costs to enjoy the full experience of this retreat.

• Daily knitting circles

• 6 nights at The Red Agave Adventure Resort

• 5 dinners (home cooked and / or restaurant)

• All lunches (brown bag)

• All breakfasts (continental in your chalet)

• Guided Hike

• Guided Jeep Tour

• Transportation to/from 2 guided excursions

• Tse'koh Cowl Workshop, pattern, supplies 

• Access to camp store

• First dibs on a spot if we host this retreat next year!

What’s NOT included:

• Airfare

• Transportation from airport in Phoenix to resort (~2hr drive)

• Transportation on Free Days

• Alcohol (feel free to bring your own!)

Where we’ll stay

Knit Camp Sedona is hosted at The Red Agave Adventure Resort. This casual destination is located 7 miles south of downtown Sedona, in the Village of Oak Creek. While technically a Sedona address, this area is a little quieter, more walkable, and has easy access trails. Follow the link above for slideshow tour of the property!

The resort’s sweet chalets and simple studios arc around a spacious courtyard with fire circle, pool, and hot tubs overlooking iconic Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte.

Each chalet accommodates 3 people with a single room (queen bed) on the main floor and a shared loft (1 full bed, 1 twin bed) accessible from the living room / kitchen by a spiral staircase. 

Hiking and biking trails lead out into the desert.

Our retreat will occupy about half of the units at the Red Agave and will share courtyard space with other guests who are not participating in the retreat. This resort does not have indoor gathering space so we will gather outside giving this retreat a true Knit Camp vibe!

Featured Patterns

During the retreat, we will spotlight and explore the work of two Dine (Navajo) knitwear designers who live and work in the southwest: Jennifer Berg (The Native Knitter) and Tressa Weidenaar (Tsin Bikee Knits)

• Trunk Show of Dappled Fern shop knit samples designed by Jen and Tressa.

• Show and Share (bring anything you’ve knit by Jen and Tressa to show off and share what you enjoyed about the patterns. 

• Tsekoh Cowl Workshop: Explore nature-inspired motifs and color work design while knitting this pattern designed by Jennifer Berg. 

The Tse'koh Cowl Workshop

In this workshop you’ll learn how to design a color work motif and cast on your very own version of The Tsekoh Cowl by The Native Knitter. 

Tse'koh means the “Rock-cut or Canyon” in the Navajo language. The pattern features two motifs, one representing rock and one representing water. Designer Jennifer Berg dreamed up this pattern to: “teach aspiring designers how to create their own motifs within a developed design." You can knit the pattern just how it's written, or add your own motifs to reflect the water, rocks, and other nature elements around you.

We will spend part of this workshop walking and sitting in the desert behind the resort to find inspiration for our unique color palettes and nature-inspired motifs for this cowl project. We’ll return to the resort where we'll translate these ideas into color work knitting motifs using grid paper, simple math, and various stitch dictionaries. You can then work on this project throughout the retreat, or take the design home as a souvenir to knit up later. 

Guided Excursions

You’ll have the opportunity to participate in two guided excursions in the area:

• A jeep tour of the region with a stop at Sinagua cliff dwellings.

• A guided half day hike through the red rock desert. 

You can sign up for one or both (no extra cost!) or do your own thing on these days instead! Transportation to and from these excursions is provided.Please note the destinations for these excursions may change depending on weather and guide availability. 

Free Days

On the two Free Days planned during the retreat, we’ll begin and end with our usual knitting circles and set you free to do whatever you’d like in between. I'll share a list of some favorite hikes, shops, restaurants, and historical sites in case you want to adventure beyond the resort. You could book a massage or energy work. Or find a lovely spot at the resort to curl up and knit to your hearts content! We’ll reconnect as a group at the end of the day to share stories of our adventures.

How to get to Sedona:

1. Fly into Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX). Rent a car or take a shuttle (~2h) to The Red Agave. Shuttle options include:

   • Groome Transportation

   • Red Rock Transportation

   • Airport Shuttle Phoenix

2. Road trip! Make this retreat part of a Southwest road trip and visit places like Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, Arches National Park, The Grand Canyon, or Mesa Verde along the way!

A note about transportation 

Dappled Fern will organize transportation to and from the Jeep Tour and Guided Hike excursions. You will need to bring or rent a vehicle if you would like to venture beyond the resort and surrounding trails at any other point. Dappled Fern is not able to provide transportation to retreat participants at this time per our insurance policy. 

Cost

• Shared Room (Twin bed) $3200

• Shared room (Double bed) $3500

• Single room (Queen or King Bed) $3800

• Private Studio (King Bed, private bath, private kitchenette ($4300)

Payment Plan

• $1000 deposit due at registration (use radio buttons for this option)

• Remainder due on October 1, 2025.

Cancellation policy:

Clear cancelation policies are important so everyone knows what to expect!

The initial $1000 deposit is non refundable. $50% of remainder is refundable until 60 days before the start of the retreat. After that, no refunds will be issued unless you find someone to fill your spot and get approval by Wandering Fern Retreats in writing before the start of the retreat. 

If you do not pay the remainder due by October 1, 2025 your spot will go to someone on the waiting list and no refund will be given. 

Refunds cannot be issued for last minute events that causes you to miss the retreat (emergencies, travel delays, missed flights, etc). We do encourage you to look into travel insurance on your own in case this might offer peace of mind.

Exceptions to this policy cannot be made. We are a small business counting on registration costs to prepay the venue, caterers, and other retreat expenses.

This trip needs a minimum of 9 participants registered by October 1, 2025 in order to make it happen! If we do not have the minimum by then, deposits will be refunded or credited towards another 2026 Dappled Fern retreat of your choice.

We hope that spreading out payment over time makes it easier to budget for the experience and minimizes your losses should you need to cancel, and having a clear cancellation policy helps you know what to expect when you register. 

Why Sedona?

Sedona is one of my very favorite places in the world! There's nothing like the red dirt, big skies, petroglyphs, cliff dwellings, agave, manzanita, creosote bushes, desert rain, smooth sandstone rock formations, and dusty desert colors.

Sedona is located in North Central Arizona, 2hr drive North of Phoenix, AZ and about 2hr south of the Grand Canyon and the Navajo Nation. The average highs in April are in the 70s and the average lows are in the 40s. That’s basically summer weather in Grand Marais, Minnesota!

I grew up visiting my grandparents in Sedona, hiking places like Bell Rock, Courthouse Butte, and Cathedral Rock, and exploring spots that my grandfather stumbled upon during his daily rambles or learned of from local birding society, Friends of the Forest, and museums: Schnebly Hill,Back’O Beyond, Thompson’s Ladder.

Sedona is a beloved destination to many and yet I find it doesn’t take much to get off the beaten path. I return every chance I get and it’s been a dream of mine to host a knitting retreat there to share this special place with you!

Tell your knitting besties!

How to register:

• Read details and cancelation policy above before registering. 

• Use drop-down menu to select accommodation type. 

• Use radio buttons to select pay deposit vs. full amount (you have to scroll sidewise to see this on a phone).