Meg Swansen's Knitting Camp

A Message about Knitting Camp: July of 2023 completed a milestone: 50 years of Knitting Camp - minus a few years of pandemic pause. After difficult discussions in 2024, we have faced the fact that Knitting Camp has inevitably come to a close. Over the years, many knitters mentioned that they hoped to come to camp “one day.” As we continued year after year, decade after decade, those intentions made us smile. Knitting Camp was so long-standing that it seemed a given that it would always be there. While it is poignant to end these epic gatherings, our Knitting Camp families have formed strong lifetime friendships, that will continue through correspondence, social media, and small gatherings. Schoolhouse Press will carry on and produce new Wool Gatherings, patterns, books, and videos. Though summer camp has ended, Meg, Cully, and Michelle remain committed to participating in the knitting community. If opportunities arise for special events in the future, we will let knitters know.

Knitting Camp- 

Knitting Camp History: Knitting Camp began when Elizabeth Zimmermann taught a week long knitting course at an extension of the University of Wisconsin in 1974. Over time, more weeks were added due to the popularity of the class. The event was named by its participants; knitters stayed in rudimentary dorms during the early years at Shell Lake, in the “up north” region of Wisconsin and later moved to UW in Marshfield, Wisconsin. Knitting Camp became a private event hosted by Schoolhouse Press when Elizabeth passed the torch to her daughter Meg Swansen in the 1980s. Meg is a designer, author, and internationally known knitting teacher. Each year, Meg and the Knitting Camp team joined knitters at Knitting Camp retreats to explore the nuances of garment construction, techniques, and design. The events included open discussion, instruction related to Question and Answer, Mini-Workshops by campers and guests, and Show and Tell of handknitted items from a multitude of designers.