The 2026 Gathering

Bellwether Farm

The 4th Annual Gathering will take place once again at the beautiful Bellwether Farms in Wakeman, Ohio.

There is always something new at our yearly retreat, but a few things stay the same - lots of laughter, incredibly kind women, great speakers, and tons of stitching!

The mission of The Gathering is to create a beautiful, warm, welcoming space for women to gather and create beautiful things We connect on the universal ground of making and the makers journey.

The Speakers

Registration Info

Kim Weitkamp

Kim is the founder of the Secret Stitching Society and the host for The Gathering weekend.
She is a writer, humorist, singer/songwriter and a maker.

Her focus is embroidery and pattern making with a side of knitting, painting and most importantly - creating spaces for women to connect and create.

kimisfunny.com

Deb Strain

A life-long passion for art led Deb to teaching art before becoming a designer. Her artwork has been featured on many different products over the years – calendars, greeting cards, garden flags, books, framed prints and more.

She has designed fabric for MODA since 1996. She lives in Yellow Springs, Ohio with her husband,
www.debstrainmoda

Brenda Miklos

Brenda is the owner of Cast on Yarn Studio - a favorite of the Secret Stitching Society. Brenda's shop will be our POPUP! this year, so be prepared to take home some great fiber and tools.

Brenda will share the creative path that led her to love knitting - and sharing that love with her community.

castonyarnstudio.com

Carola De Pascuale

Every year, participants of our retreat request Carola to join us and share her journey in textiles and handwork.

From the South China Seas to Vietnam and Malaysia, Carola travels globe, gathering knowledge and samples of textiles and stitching techniques.

Her embroidery creations are stunning, showcasing her mastery of the craft.

THE WORKSHOPS: More workshops to be announced soon!

Steeking for Newbies: Info coming soon. Your instructor will be Barb Adkins.

Sky Rockets At Night: This embroidery workshop is open to all levels of stitchers, but focuses on teaching many of the foundational stitches to help you jump into embroidery and embellishment. The kit includes an original pattern by Kim, all of your thread, needles, threader, hoop, tracing pen and fabric - plus, extra fabric squares to take home so you can practice when you are done with the class project.
Your instructor will be Kim Weitkamp.

Full on Ravelry: A lot of knitters and crochet lovers use Ravelry, but do we use it to its full extent? This one hour class gives refresher course on all of the benefits of using Ravelry - some you may not even know about.

Into the Faire Isle: A deep dive into the beauty of Faire Isle knitting. Your instructor will be Carla Pealer. In 2025 Carla solo trekked to Fair Isle, located in the southernmost of the Shetland Islands, Scotland. There she learned about the history of Fair Isle knitting, took in the beauty of the land, explored Fair Isle patterns and techniques, discovered the local yarns, experimented with color combinations, and tried her hand at flat-bed knitting machines. Carla will share pictures, answer questions, and walk you through making a Faire Isle sample.

THE ACTIVITIES

Morning Walk: Join Susan Crill Saturday and Sunday morning at 9am for a morning walk around the farm. Mist on the pond, golden morning light, the song of birds, and a gentle stillness will awaken your senses and tweak the muse.

Tour the Farm: This year we have added a guided tour of the farm with a Bellwether guide. We have arranged two options - walking tour or wagon tour. Visit the barn, pet the animals, learn about the work being done at the farm and see behind the scenes of this lovely facility.

PopUp! Shop: Every year we host a yarn shop or indie dyer and go shopping! You'll enjoy a discount and the opportunity to chat with our PopUp! host, ask questions, dig into ideas for your next project and take home some fab fiber and tools. This year our PopUp! host is Cast On Yarn Studios.

S'Mores and Music: Gather around the campfire during a lovely, early spring evening and enjoy an array of s'mores combinations, good conversation, and even a little music. Do you play an instrument or sing? It's open mic night at our evening campfire gathering, so bring your pipes or your instrument! Afterwards you can opt in to play a little late night BINGO and maybe win a prize!

Wine Down: Friday evening join us for an after hours Wine Down. Before you go to bed, join us for a glass of wine (or hot cocoa), freshly made cookies and a gentle mixer to get to know each other a little better and maybe even win a few prizes!

Registration Info

PRICING:

Full weekend with a room buddy $535 per person

Full weekend in a single room $580

Please RSVP and fill out the registration form - you will be contacted by email to make your deposit of $100 (or more).

Pricing Includes:

2 nights lodging in a modern and comfortable room
All meals (Fri dinner, Sat brunch, Sat dinner and Sun brunch)
24 hour access to drinks as well as to a private kitchen area attached to your room cabin
We provide all snacks (you can always bring your own favorite if you like).
Our Incredible Swag Bag (we are known for our awesome swag bag that each retreat participant receives!)
PopUp! Shop discount shopping with Cast On Yarn Studio
Morning Walk with Susan at 8am Sat and Sun
Prizes and giveaways! Every day -throughout the day we giveaway amazing prizes!
Wagon tour of Bellwether Farm or option for walking tour
S'mores Night by the campfire!
Great speakers: Your host is Kim Weitkamp (kimisfunny.com) is founder of the Secret Stitching Society. Your Friday after dinner speaker is Deb Strain (debstrain) designer extraordinaire for MODA fabrics. Our Saturday brunch speaker is Brenda Miklos, the lovely owner of Cast On Yarn Studios (www.castonyarnstudio.com) and on Sunday our brunch speaker is Carola De Pascuale a master embroiderer who has traveled the Sea of China all the way to London on her quest to learn and perfect her needle work.
Workshop sign up will be available by end of year or earlier - cost of workshops are extra

Have a question? Contact us at office@secretstitchingsociety.com

*The initial $100 deposit is non - refundable but is transferrable to another person or future retreat.
We work hard to make this retreat extremely affordable, educational, comfortable and a total blast. Our goal is to make The Gathering a homecoming for you each year, an event that you add to your calendar (with a permanent sharpie) long before registration opens. We pride ourselves on the fact that at our retreat there are no exclusive cliques. We celebrate the fact that we equally applaud the work of every maker, no matter the skill level or the medium used. We love that there is a ton of positive attitudes and kind women that gather during the retreat. We hope you will be one of them.