- Wool is warm and toasty to wear Fall through Spring. In fact, it can keep you cool in Summer as well (surprising, I know, but read about the thermal properties of wool).
- Wool connects me to sheep, an animal that has provided fiber for clothing for thousands of years worldwide.
- Wool is nearly waterproof, is still warm when wet, and can be made waterproof by felting. It reminds me that some ancient and modern people have used large mats of wool felt to create nomadic housing (yurts). At one time I considered building a yurt in my back yard as a weaving studio!
- Wool is a renewable resource – fleeces must be shorn from sheep every year to keep them healthy, and we benefit from the yarn spun from the fleece.
- Wool yarn comes in a variety of sizes, from lace weight to bulky, so there is never a shortage of accessories I can knit.
- Knitting with wool is good for the hands. Some wool yarns are minimally processed and still contain lanolin (the sheep’s natural “oil” in the fleece), providing a nice waxy smell, and smoothing the hands that are gently exercised by knitting.
- Knitting with wool connects me to my ancestors who also knit with wool. Browsing through vintage knitting magazines and reading articles about historic and traditional knitting patterns offers me more connection.
- Buying wool yarn from local farmers in my area helps to protect the local economy, buying as close to the source as I can (as I am not a shepherdess). Sometimes I even know the name of the sheep whose wool I use.
- Buying wool yarn that is locally and regionally produced in other parts of the country and the world helps to protect those local economies and to create and maintain community supported agricultural efforts.
- I like to share my knitted wool accessories by wearing them, displaying them at my yarn shop, teaching knitting classes, designing knitting patterns to sell, and spreading the word about my love for wool. I like the community that wool helps to create. See more Yarn * Crafts * Community at http://www.sheepandshawl.com or come by the shop and chat a while.
Keep hope alive and knit on!
March 24 – April 7 We have already cancelled classes, Friday Drop-in help, & Crafts Nite. We expect this may last through April, but you’ll be the first to know when we feel it’s safe and appropriate to re-open the shop to our dear friends & customers.Please see our full post about effects on the shop during the Covid19 virus and how we can still be connected to you remotely. We will update here and on facebook as needed.Also watch for updates on the Class & Event Calendar on our Community & Classes page. We post classes and events on our facebook page. And we give out printed schedules in the shop. Please call 413-397-3680 with any questions and to register for classes.Postponed: Drop-in Knitting Clinic with Betsey Forbes from 2 – 3 pm every Friday! $10 If you have a knitting question or problem to solve, bring all of your questions to Betsey.Postponed: Free Crafts Nite happens every Wednesday night from 6 – 8 pm. Bring your own portable craft or start a new project. Join in our social time with help if you need it. (not a class)
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