Nautical Knitting with Pam Connolly

August 3rd-5th, 2026

Sail away with us for adventure and knitting with instructor and designer Pam Connolly and Northwest Yarns & Mercantile! Feel the wind in your hair as you breezily knit through this three-day, two-night sailing adventure through the San Juan Islands aboard the Schooner Zodiac.     

In this year’s cruise, Pam will lead you and your fellow nautical knitters on a gansey knitting adventure. Known for her beautiful designs focusing on traditional textured knitting techniques from England, Scotland, and Ireland, Pam will be leading us on a gansey knitting adventure.   

Gansey knitting is a tradition originating among mainland and island fishing communities in England, with roots possibly as old as the 15th or 16th centuries. Originally used to create tightly knit, weather-resistant sweaters for working fisherfolk, gansey knitting has been experiencing a resurgence of interest. Traditional gansey patterns were never written down. Rather, they were passed on through generations of knitters whose designs often became identified with specific villages or regions. Today, modern knitters like Pam are preserving traditional gansey patterns and using these traditional techniques to both preserve old traditions and create new ones.   

So, join us for some historical sea knitting on the Salish Sea! This year’s cruise will be the perfect introduction to anyone interested in gansey knitting. Pam will be presenting gansey knitting history and technique in four sessions during the cruise. Starting with Intro to Gansey Knitting, you will learn some of the basic gansey knitting techniques while knitting a gansey coasters for your mug. Then you will expand upon your newfound gansey skills in Pam’s Wine Bottle Sweater class. With that project on its way, Pam will also be teaching you how to Design Your Own Family/Clan/Village Gansey Motif. Finally, our cruise will wrap up with instructions on how to Design Your Own Gansey Sweater.

This cruise is the perfect opportunity to escape your day-to-day routine, and set a course to knitting and adventure. In addition to taking classes, socializing and knitting, passengers on this cruise will also help crew the ship. Prepare to become a member of the Zodiac crew as you haul rope, raise the sails, and crew the ship’s sailing stations. You will also have an opportunity to learn the basics of navigating, steering the ship and standing watch. By the end of your trip, you will come away with new knitting inspiration and nautical skills!    

Sign up now for this adventure cruise and regale your friends and family with sailing yarns for years to come. We can’t wait to see you on the ship!

Sign Up Now for the 2026 Nautical Knitting Cruise with Schooner Zodiac & Northwest Yarns

Pam Connolly is a hand knitter and designer in Issaquah, WA. She specializes in traditional fishermen’s handknitting from Ireland, Scotland, and the British Isles. Her patterns include reproductions of 19th-century fisher ganseys, also known as guernseys or jerseys, heirloom Aran sweaters, and functional working garments inspired by a life at sea. Knitting ganseys is a rare fiber art in the US. Ganseys are tightly knitted, nearly weather-proof sweaters that are incredibly hard-wearing thanks to the characteristics of gansey yarn. Sign up for this cruise and make sure to also visit her website at www.beannaigh.com!