Arena Travel are one of the top providers of knitting holidays in the UK and across the world. With upcoming tours featuring the Shetland Isles, Iceland, Italy and even humble old Yorkshire, if you're thinking about taking a trip with a yarn focus, head over to their website www.arenatravel.com.

Tell us a little about the knitting holidays you've undertaken so far? I have been on some fabulous knitting holidays with Arena over the last few years. The first one was a Norwegian cruise in 2011 and I can honestly say that it was one of the most amazing places that I have been to - especially from a knitting point of view! We visited some marvellous places, stopping off at some charming little towns as we made our way along the west coast of Norway.  The next trip was to the Shetlands in May of the following year, which was an absolute haven for knitters! We had trips out to visit local museums and designer's studios slotted in between workshops, so it was a really fun week.  Following that I took a group to Assisi in Italy where I spent a wonderful relaxing week surrounded by the most breathtaking scenery. We had beautiful sunshine too throughout our stay which meant we could spend our workshop days out on the terrace overlooking the spectacular views across to Perugia.

Where in the world are you set to go next? My next knitting holiday is coming up soon in September. I am going to Iceland, which will be very exciting. Workshops will be combined with a trip out to a local wool producer and a tour of Reykjavik. After that I am going to Carcassonne in March and Lake Trasimeno in June. So there is lots to look forward to!  

What do you think is the best thing about a knitting holiday? The best thing is spending quality time with like-minded people who all share the same passion for their craft, and being able to knit together as a group in the most wonderful locations, surrounded by the most amazing scenery. I think that the mix is just right with workshops slotted in between trips out to local places of interest, with plenty of time for shopping too!

What sort of activities do you get up to on a trip? The main point of going on these holidays is to knit and to brush up on existing skills or learn new ones. So I design a unique project for each trip and the knitters work on this during the holiday. Workshop sessions are planned into the schedule for the week, so we spend lots of time together as a group - which are usually quite lively! But then there is also plenty of time to explore the local shops and places of interest on organised tours and in our own time too.  

How does the location you're visiting influence what your knitting? The project that I design is always inspired by the location that we are visiting. And where possible, I tend to focus on techniques that are linked to that place. For example, on the Shetlands holiday I designed a cushion-cover that used the techniques of fairisle and lace. While in Assisi (which does not have a strong knitting link), I took the colours and patterns from the architecture and scenery and designed a bag based on that.

Which trip are you currently most excited for? All of the trips excite me because they are all so different and I know that they are going to be marvellous. But I have to say that Iceland is a place that I have always wanted to visit, so that is probably edging towards the top of my favourites list!