Stay in a mission-driven historic knitting factory in the heart of Connemara
The Old Knitting Factory exists to provide free retreats and residencies to single mothers and other single parents, to give them time and space to rest and make art. You can help us provide this support by booking overnight accommodation in our newly renovated guest space, or by applying for a paid retreat or residency. You can also join our founder and New York Times bestselling author Betsy Cornwell for online workshops and retreats or private writing mentorship, either by booking individual sessions or with a monthly or annual subscription that includes merch, access to all online workshops, and 10% off accommodation and residencies.
Paid residencies and accommodation are open to everyone, not just single parents! Your time here will help support the space’s mission, and we and the single parents we serve are so grateful. You can book accommodation or apply for a residency below, and find our frequently asked questions further down the page.
Apply for a residency or retreat
The Old Knitting Factory loves hosting artists, writers, academics, and anyone looking for a week of restoration in the beauty and peace of Connemara. This form is for paid residencies; applications for free residencies for single parents are open only in May. You can apply for a paid residency or retreat year-round, or request a booking for accommodation in the space, using the below form.
You can also book accommodation through our Booking.com listing, but you’ll get the best rates booking directly here.
Our mission: offering free residencies and retreats for single mothers & others.
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Tawasul E.
2022 Rest Resident
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Ann Begay
2023 Rest Resident
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Helen Flynn
2024 Rest Resident
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Peace Waters
2025 Elizabeth Crowell Parent-Poet Resident
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Marissa Merrill
2025 Rest Resident
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Grace Mitchell
2025 Rest Resident
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Anna Gazmarian
2025 Rest Resident
I created this space because it was the kind of support I longed for so much when I became a single parent, and the kind of support I still long for. There will be as many residencies in the knitting factory's future as I can offer while maintaining the business and the space.
Inspired by the work of The Nap Ministry, adrienne maree brown’s Pleasure Activism, and The Mae House, each year I offer at least one rest residency, meaning that you don’t have to be an artist to apply; you just have to be a single mom (or other marginalized single parent) who could use some rest. And couldn’t we all?
My goal is to offer the space for free to any single mothers and other marginalized single parents who need rest — as often as I can. Cash stipends for childcare, and free residents for single parents, will be offered frequently as the income from paid residencies and subscriptions allows me to do that. Once again, I’m indebted to other projects like The Mae House that provide an example of this kind of offering.
The Old Knitting Factory is a crowdfunded project, and our sliding-scale monthly supporters are the reason we’ve made it this far. Subscriptions also include unlimited access to the knitting factory’s online retreats and writing workshops (which are always free for single parents), behind-the-scenes looks at the knitting factory, writing and creativity prompts, recipes, blog posts, exclusive book excerpts, and more. You’ll also get some pretty cool merch — stickers, tote bags, mugs, t-shirts — as part of your membership.
You can also support The Old Knitting Factory by:
Reading Ring of Salt!My memoir about single parenting, leaving domestic abuse, and finding home and hope on the wild coast of Ireland is out now. Ask for it at your local independent bookstore, or order the US edition here or the Irish edition here.
Telling people about us! Follow us on Facebook or Instagram and share your own posts
about us. This project only exists because of its community of supporters, and spreading the word about our work here is one of the most helpful things you can do (and it's free!).
Thank you so much again for your interest in the Old Knitting Factory. We hope and believe these are only the first of many residencies we can offer you in the years and decades to come.
Ongoing support is crucial to the work we do here.