Note our new fall hours, effective September 14:

• Sun: 12-3
• Mon & Tues: CLOSED
• Wed: 12-5
• Thur: 12-8
• Fri: 12-5
• Sat: 11-4

Our class listing for September is posted. Click on the link to the right in our Quick Links box to view class dates, times, descriptions, pricing and a calendar overview of all that's being offered. You're sure to see something appealing!

Our knitting doctors' hours:

• Fern: Fri & Sat: 1-3
• Barbara: Wed 9/14 & 9/21: 1-3 and Sun 9/25: 12-3

We have a beautiful selection of jackets from Nepal in the dress shop, as well as a line from Picadilly Fashions.

Fall yarns are arriving daily. There's plenty of sweater material for all! We're adding lines from Cascade, Jade Sapphire and Classic Elite this year.

Gabs, the talking beak . . .

Every yarn you select should have the proper qualities that make it well worth your knitting time.

Ten years ago, Mom told me a story about her youth. Her own Mother, not having had one extra dime to spend, bought a yarn called Sayelle (I’m not sure that’s how it’s spelled). She purchased it at one of those big discount stores. It was cheap, had lots of yards and felt soft. Anyway, Grand mama knitted a coat for Mom. Mom proudly wore it to school. Upon disembarking from the school bus, Grand mama noticed Mom was not wearing her coat. Gram was concerned – Mom would catch a cold, plus, where was the coat? Upon second look, Gram saw that it was rolled up in Mom’s arms. The first question, of course, was why aren’t you wearing your coat? Silently Mom put it on. In one day the coat grew to the floor and well beyond. Would it have been a great fit if Mom was about 6’4” tall! So, what’s the point of this story? All that work for nothing.

Mom learned a lesson that day too. She won’t knit with a poor quality yarn. She says she’s way too busy to spend time on a fiber you can’t count on.

So, how do you know what yarn is right for you? You might find the following information helpful to you.

WOOL

A wool fiber is so strong and flexible it can be bent on itself 20,000 times without breaking. Because it is so flexible, it is “forgiving.” It stretches and recovers well. Wool can absorb up to 30% of its weight in moisture and not feel damp or clammy, making it perfect for winter wear items. Old wool that looks pooped can be place by a humidifier to restore itself. Wools easily repel dirt, and most odors leave wool when aired out overnight. Wools can be dry-cleaned or hand washed in cool water. Wool is also used for “boiled wool” items such as handbags, jackets, computer cases, etc. (check the next Gomez Gabs article on “ Felting.”)

The quality of a wool depends upon the sheep. Longer fibers with smaller diameters make a more lustrous, softer yarn. They are spun in the worsted method – combed to align. Short, coarse fibers create a fuzzy yarn.

Summer weight wool, also known as tropical, is sport weight, baby weight or fingering weight. It has the same benefits of worsted wools, but creates a lighter, cooler fabric. Wool is dyed in batches, known as dye-lots. You should buy enough of a single dye-lot to complete a single project because similar colors may have different dye-lots and ultimately will not match. If you get stuck with different dye-lots, call the store and we’ll tell you about seeding.

Here are some wool terms you need to know:

• New wool, virgin wool: never been used before.
• Lamb’s wool: the first coat (fleece) sheered from a six- to eight-month-old lamb.
• Merino wool: spun from the fine long- fibered fleece of the Merino sheep, which originated in Spain.
• Icelandic wool: from a unique breed of sheep isolated in the sub-artic climate of Iceland; it has a glossy sheen, similar to mohair. Traditionally, Icelandic yarn is a blend of coarse, long outer fibers and soft undercoat.
• Shetland wool: from sheep native to the Shetland Isles of Scotland. Traditionally made into heathered yarn.
• Superwash wool: treated with resin to make it machine washable.

CASHMERE

Cashmere is known as the aristocrat of fibers. It is soft, light weight and glorious to touch. A perfect all- year fiber and comfortably worn next to the skin, it is the most expensive yarn because it is time consuming to produce.

ALPACA

Alpaca is as soft as silk with dramatic draping qualities. The alpaca has a cashmere-like fleece that is so soft and fine it was once reserved for Andean royalty only. It can be comfortably worn next to the skin. Alpaca has a hollow hair-like structure that gives it a “thermal efficiency.” It is seven times warmer than wool and lighter in weight than most merino wools. Because it contains no lanolin, it can be worn by people who have difficulty wearing wool. It resists pilling and wears well after time. Alpaca has no elasticity or memory so it can “pull and stretch” with gravity; therefore, edging is important. Alpaca is the only family of animals with a naturally occurring pure jet-black fiber.

ANGORA

Angora is a luxury fiber that comes from the long- haired coat of the Angora rabbit. Combed angora is a higher quality and more expensive.

MOHAIR

Mohair comes from the fleece of the Angora goat. Often blended to stabilize the yarn and reduce the cost. Mohair is glossy, highly insulating, and water, wrinkle and flame resistant.

Kid mohair: comes from first few shearings of a kid goat. It’s as soft as baby hair and luxurious next to the skin.

COTTON

The cotton plant ripens into a fluffy fiber called “lint,” used to weave into cotton yarn. It is soft, absorbent, and breathable. It’s static-free, non- allergenic and comfortable year round. Two of the highest quality strains of cotton are “SeaIsland” and “Pima.” Pima is from the prized Egyptian cotton seeds. Mercerized cottons have a high sheen from a special treatment.

SILK

Silk is prized for sheen, strength, drape and warmth. It is unparalleled in lightweight luxury and refinement. It feels wonderful next to the skin. Silk has wonderful definition, excellent for showing up detail beautifully. Pure silk is hard to come by; most silk is blended.

SOY

This is an environmentally friendly fiber made from tofu manufacturing waste. Soy protein is liquefied, extruded into long fibers and processed like any other spinning fiber. Soybean fiber is being touted as a “vegetable cashmere.” It has a soft-to-the-feel, second–skin comfort, luster, loft and drape combined with washability, durability and good wear. Soy silk feels like a cross between cotton and linen. Cool for summer wear. Soy wool can felt.

BAMBOO

Bamboo is a regenerated cellulose fiber that comes from the bamboo plant. Most bamboo yarns use no chemical additives. The fiber itself is biodegradable without causing pollution. Bamboo fiber is praised as “the natural, green and eco-friendly new-type textile material of the 21st century.” It has a particular and natural function of anti-bacteria, bacteriostasis, and deodorization.

LINEN, RAMIE AND HEMP

These are plant-derived fibers. They provide a crisp drape, are highly absorbent and have little elasticity.

Linen: from the flax plant. It is usually dyed in a process that is NOT colorfast. Therefore, it must be dry-cleaned to prevent running.

Ramie: a manufactured, shiny, spongy fiber.

Hemp: a type of cannabis. Recently made suitable for yarn and woven cloth.

CHENILLE

Chenille can be 100% cotton, cotton/acrylic or viscose blends. It has a velvety surface. On the down side, chenille has a tendency to “worm.” It has little elasticity; therefore, ribs and turtlenecks look limp.

MANUFACTURED YARNS

Rayon: also called viscose, is made from liquefied wood pulp. When blended with other yarns, it has good elasticity, decreases fraying and pilling problems. Do not press it; it will collapse. Expect
s-t-r-e-t-c-h with wear.

Nylon: also called polyamide, is strong and that makes it an excellent reinforcement for the heels and toes of socks.

Acrylic: is designed to mimic the properties of wool. It can bounce back into shape. It’s stronger than wool and wicks moisture away from the body

All the manufactured yarns are machine washable and non-allergenic.

PACKAGING

Let’s talk about packaging. Yarn is sold in balls, skeins, hanks, spools and cones. Hanks are pretzel- shaped coils and need to be wound into balls. Spools and cones are usually reserved for commercial purchase.

Weight: This actually refers to yarn thickness. From thin to thick, it’s known as:

Ply: refers to the number of individual threads twisted into strands.

If you acquire some mystery yarn and can’t determine its fiber content, this might help. Hold a lighted match to a strand. Cotton will burn, acrylic and nylon will melt and wool will singe, putting out the flame.

GOMEZ WITTICISMS

If you are at a gala party and want to WOW your friend with some great yarns, try these:

Silk production was an extremely guarded Chinese secret. The first peoples to acquire the skill from the Chinese were the Japanese, but not until 300 B.C.

Cashmere does not come from Kashmir, a region in India. It comes from the coats of goats native to the Himalayas.

90% of mohair production comes from goats raised in Texas.

In 50 A.D. the Romans built a wool plant in England.

The largest wool industries are found Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Animal Rights groups tell that sheep sheared in New Zealand are done inhumanly. They are sheared so close to the skin as to cause wounds and infections. Karma, being “human and animal rights” conscious, no longer purchases N.Z. wools.

Columbus and Cortez brought sheep for merino wool to the new country.

Wool prohibition, not just tea, incited the American Revolution.

In Biblical times, the wisemen’s robes were made of mohair.

Cotton as a textile is ancient. Pieces found in Mexico are 8,000 years old.

Ancient Babylonians worshipped a benevolent god in the form of a long-haired Angora rabbit.

This really bothers me (says Gomez) cause if they’d known about me, their benevolent god would have been a parrot and we’d all be knitting in feathers!