Do I smell like a wet goat?

I kept discovering small wafts of eau d'goat yesterday. It seemed to follow me around. Turns out it was actually coming from me!

I spent the morning and most of the afternoon simmering goat hair (aka mohair). I was trying to help Bex make some of her top-secret green mohair that makes the best flies ever for fishing. The family is planing a fishing trip for spring break and she wanted to take some of this special yarn along with them. Anyway, because Bex is pregnant, she needs to be careful about handling the chemicals frequently used in dyeing. So I volunteered to be her hands.

I don't know if I screwed it up or if it really was the form of Osage Orange we used, like she said. She's pretty darned nice about it when someone screws up. I was ringing up a customer's purchases and got to the point of telling her the total when I shifted on the stool and kicked the computer's plug out of the wall. Bex remained calm and got everything sorted out, despite me. So it might have been me and she was just trying to be nice. I hope I get a chance to try again, though. I really did want to see the color change. It's a three-step process where it goes from white to yellowish, and suddenly to green.

I'm sorry I missed you all at the play-day yesterday. I had a blast and had the dyeing room all to myself. I dyed some silk hankies for an unspun silk lace scarf and two 4oz pieces of superwash merino roving. I plan to spin the dyed roving into sock-weight yarn and knit some socks from them.

The silk scarf will be various shades of pink and magenta, with a navy accent. Because of the way the silk is drawn for knitting, there is no repeat in the color pattern. Each inch is unique. I'm looking forward to trying out this fascinating technique.

One of the rovings started out a bright gold and I spotted it all over with various shades of blue, creating an "ode to Rockbridge HS." The other roving started out bright blue, to which I added some red accents, creating a blue-violet medley. Originally I was planning to ply these yarns with a plain solid navy blue. Now I'm thinking about plying them to themselves. I briefly considered plying them to each other, but I think that will be too busy.

We had a GREAT turn out for the sock club and the spinners' club today. We had seven sock knitters, including Rosemarie, Jane, Doris, and me, and then Rose and Chrisma joined in to learn socks too. Rose is trying the magic-loop, toe-up technique and Chrisma is trying the cuff-down technique on toothpicks (er, that is on bamboo double points).

The sock group discussed doing some charity knitting, perhaps wool socks for our military personnel overseas or even some helmet liners. We thought this would be a good project partly in support of the soldiers, but also partly in support of our own Madonna, who's husband was called up for deployment. Please join us in keeping Madonna and her family in your prayers.

We had four wheels and one drop spindle going for the spinner's club. Spinners included Kristin, Leah, Marcia, Dyanna, and me.

Leah is planning a trip this summer to hunt down some cashmere goats. This will bring her collection of spinning fiber up to include: llamas, dogs, peacocks and goats. She agreed that she might make some of her fibers available for purchase to local spinners. I tried to talk her into angora bunnies, but she said she'd tried that and it made her cry to pluck them.

Did you know Kristin used to raise angora bunnies, like Matthew and Yves? She did so in 4-H, which is when she started spinning. I wish I could have some angora bunnies. Matthew said he had some available for purchase, but unfortunately, my sister is deathly allergic to rabbits and she'd never visit again if I got any. So I'll have to stick to growing my own chiengora for now. For those unfamiliar with exotic fibers, chiengora is dog hair. I own three German Shedders who are good producers of raw chiengora.

We all had a great time chatting and comparing projects and vowed to continue meeting.

The next time you smell wet goat, look around and ask yourself if there might be a fiber enthusiast nearby.

Socks, socks, socks and more socks!

It's time for me to come out of the closet and admit I am a sock-o-haulic. I made some socks several years ago (try a couple of decades ago) and was not overly impressed. I found them awkward and not very satisfying. So I turned back to knitting sweaters.

Fast forward to two years ago.

I was casually wandering the shoppe, thinking about possible projects to start, when I was stalked by the infamous Bex-ter. "Have you ever tried socks?" she asked innocently. "Yes," I said, "but I didn't really care for them." "Ah, but have you tried TOE-UP socks?" she inquired.

Hmmmmmm. Toe-up....You know how it is when someone speaks to you like an equal, like you know what the heck they are talking about, and you are too embarrassed to admit you haven't a clue what they are saying? Well, I had one of those moments, but carefully concealed my ignorance, or so I thought. In some sort of backhanded way Bex casually let drop in the conversation what was different between toe-up and cuff-down socks, and why she preferred toe-up. Hmmmmmm. It sounded interesting. "Do you have a pattern?" I asked....

I have some suggestions to make first socks easier for the neophyte sock artiste. First, don't try to save money buying cheap cotton yarn at the discount store (which, yes, I did do). I kept running out and buying more and my cheap socks got rather expensive. I also learned (the hard way) that cotton doesn't stretch and recover well, i.e. it is not elastic. Wool, on the other hand, is very elastic compared to cotton. It springs back wearing after wearing and wash after wash. Some permanent stretch over time is inevitable, but over all, wool is your best general sock yarn. It lets your tootsies wriggle, your arch lengthen and shorten, and the balls of your feet expand and contract as your footsquooshes against the sole of your shoe. Be sure to consider how you will want to care for your finished socks--you will probably prefer "super wash" wool which can be machine washed and dried without felting (shrinking into felt doll slippers).

At first glance wool sock yarn may seem either too costly or too much of a pain to launder. But really it doesn't have to be. After my first toe-up adventure, I decided to try some more knitting. I checked out the selection of knitting books at the public library and discovered Nancy Bush's Folk Socks: the History & Techniques ofHand knitted Footware . What a treasure this book is. I found a pattern for replica revolutionary war lace socks. The pattern called for "Wildfoote" superwash sock yarn. So I trotted off to Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe, to see if they had this magic elixir.

I walked in confidently, and demanded to know whether they had any "whitefoot" yarn. "We have some Wildfoote yarn," said Ms. Bex. I looked at it and sure enough it was the stuff called for in the pattern. The pattern called for "Vanilla" and the price sticker on the vanilla was $5.60. Not bad! It called for two balls to make these fancy lace socks. I put that on my "to do" list, and reminded myself I needed to finish my Lion's Brand "magic sock yarn" socks first.

I was quite impressed with this "magic" yarn. I casually showed it to Bex, thinking she too would be impressed. Magic stripe yarn knits up into striped socks, without the knitter having to change yarns along the way. They make easy socks look very fancy.

"Oh, yes," said Bex, "we have some OPAL magic yarn," and she pointed it out on the shelf. My jaw dropped when I looked at the shop samples. These weren't simple stripes of black alternating withburgundy like prisoners might wear in jail to identify them if they should try to make a run for it. There were blue stripes and green stripes and orange stripes, and some of the stripes were wide and solid, others were speckled, and some even had little geometric patterns on them. There were many stripes before the pattern started repeating, creating a beautifully complex design.S'okay, I went home with a ball of Opal in color #4.

With superwash sock yarn, you can have all the stretchiness and wicking ability of wool socks, but still be able to toss them in the laundry. It's the best of both worlds. Those opal socks were a big hit with both my mother and sister for Christmas that year.

There are SO MANY options available to the sock knitter today. After a few pairs of Opal, I tried some Trekking yarn. Also very lovely. Trekking now has a wool/bamboo blend for a completely natural fiber sock yarn with added strength from the bamboo fibers and elasticity, moisturewicking and warmth from the wool fibers. 100g/420m balls are enough for a generous pair of socks, or a pair and a spare of ladies' crew socks. The cost is $14 forsuperwash wool (with nylon) or $17.95 for the "natura" (wool/bamboo blend).

Just this week the shoppe got a shipment of Supersocke Cotton, just in time for spring knitting. This yarn is also a magic striping yarn, but instead of nearly all wool, it is 45% Baumvolle (cotton), 40% Schurwolle (wool), and 15% Polyamid. At just $13.00 per pair, this is a great deal for some comfy spring/summer walkin'.

You could choose Austermann with Aloe Vera and Jojoba Oil right in the yarn. It's not only pleasant on the hands as they knit, it stays in the sock for at least 40 washings to offer soft, soothing comfort for feet. The cost is $19.50 for a 100g/420m ball.

A new sock yarn came in recently, called "Tofutsies." No, it is not made of tofu, but it does contain some soysilk, made from soybeans just as tofu is. However, unlike tofu, Tofutsies are not bland or boring. These brightly colored yarns knit up with vibrant stripes of color. Check out Rosemarie's entrelac sock knit of Tofutsies yarn. Tofutsies yarn is comprised of 50% superwash wool, 25% soysilk, 22.5% cotton, and 2.5% chitin (from crustacean shells) for extra strength. Chitin is also naturally antibacterial! A 100g/425m ball ofTofutsies is $16.00 and is enough for a generous pair of socks.

Looking for a more economical sock yarn?

If you'd like a stretchier sock yarn, you might check out Regia's "Stretch Color" for $7.80 for 50g/200m, enough for a pair of short ladies' socks. A 50g/200m ball will knit up a pair of ladies' anklet socks, at a cost of $7.80.

Fortissima "Socka" yarn, in pretty solid colors of the rainbow, will knit up a pair of ladies' anklets for just $6.95.

For economical ladies' anklets, there's always the ever reliable Wildfoote yarn at $5.60 a 50g/215m ball.

All of the sock yarns mentioned are machine washable.

We just got the long awaited sequel to Charlene Schurch's Sensational Knitted Socks called....More Sensational Knitted Socks. There are goodies for everyone in this book, including toe up and cuff down designs in many different colors and textures, a faux entrelac sock for the entrelac-phobic, and some interesting new cuff treatments for toe-up socks, including a picot edging. Be sure to check it out before this hot book flies off the shelves.

Don't forget our sock club meets on Sunday afternoons at 1 pm, right here at Ye Old Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe. From wanna-be sock knitter to virtuoso, all are welcome. Even if you just enjoy the company of other knitters, bring whatever you are working on and join us. Hope to see you there!

Fantastic Deal on Navajo Weaving Class!!!

Are you a weaver? Have you always wanted to learn about Navajo weaving? This is a fantastic opportunity. Carol Leigh has some unexpected openings in this weekend's four day extravaganza of Navajo weaving edification. Waste not, want not, so Carol Leigh would rather fill the empty slots at generous discount.

Yes, it is short notice, but it's also a great deal. This class regularly costs $220, but if you sign up quick for this weekend's class, you can get in at the amazing low tuition of $110.

The class runs March 17-20. To sign up, call the studio at 573-874-2233.

Celtic Cables Class Summary

That Celtic Cables class with Melissa Leapman was a blast! She's really nice. The material was presented in a way both beginners and advanced knitters could benefit. The explanations were very clear and all the notes were already typed up so students didn't have to set down their knitting to dash off reminders to themselves.

It turns out Melissa is not vegan, but is vegetarian. I'm still glad I prepped vegan food because at least we were prepared.

Did you know she's working on a new book? It's all about Celtic Cables. We got an advanced look at some of the wonderful designs that will appear in that book. You can bet we'll be carrying it at Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe just as soon as it comes out.

A lucky few got their copies of Cables Untangled autographed. Barb was whining about the fact that the shop is sold out of practically every single book Melissa has ever written (and she's written quite a few). However, I had to point out to her that when we still had seven copies of Cables Untangled I advised her to grab a copy while the getting was good.

This past weekend, Bex went to the Fiber Festival in Jeff City and sold just about every Melissa Leapman item she had because Melissa was also teaching at the festival.

But did Barb listen to me? Nooooooo. Now she's regretting it. So there!

Sunday Demos

We've had some fun with our Sunday demos. We did tatting, tri-looms, spinning and backwards knitting.

Last week I hurt my arm and Rose had to bail me out on the spinning demo. It was disappointing for me because I have a new spinning wheel and I was really looking forward to it. Fortunately, Rose is a talented spinner, as those who attended the demo learned. After spinning straw into gold for amazed onlookers, Rose did an encore spinning actual spider webs. What a talent!

Yesterday I demoed backwards knitting, a technique useful in entrelac and also a favorite method of knitting for left-handed folks. After doing a few rows backwards, an onlooker challenged me to do it standing on my head. You know I can't walk away from a challenge, so I did. By the time the shop closed, I was standing on my head, knitting backwards, and spinning plates with my feet.

How on Earth can we possibly top these spectacular demos? You tell us. What would YOU like to see for next Sunday's demo?

Karen Lynn on Pepper and Friends

Look for for Karen Lynn on Pepper and Friends tomorrow. The show starts at 10 am on channel 8. You may know Karen from "A Touch of Dutch." She'll also be introducing the tri-loom that Bex's brother, Carl developed and patented (the Spriggs adjustable tri-loom.

This coming Sunday I will be demonstrating backwards knitting which may be of interest to folks doing entrelac or to left-handed knitters. This is by request. Do you have a demo you'd like to see? I did try to request Bex demonstrating knitting while standing on her head, but oddly she wouldn't take me up on it. Anyone else?