Confession time. I’m not a knitter.
I would like to be one. I’ve tried knitting. My grandmother taught me the basics when I was eight or nine years old. Much like my messy handwriting, my knitting only produced oblong shapes, instead of tidy, neat rows.
Crocheting, on the other hand? Love it!
Yeah, I produce oblong shapes sometimes when I crochet, but I just unravel the rows and start over. I find crocheting to be relaxing.
One of my favorite parts of a crochet project is picking out the yarn. There’s something so satisfying about standing in front of an aisle of yarn. All those colors! All those textures! I want them all. I could spend a LOT of money on yarn.
An article in the Cowboy State Daily recently caught my eye, “How Two Wyoming Women Turned a Hobby into Largest Wool Mill in the West.” Everything about that headline made me throw out a YEEHAW!
Wyoming wool? Yes, please!
Here’s what I learned from the article.
Two enterprising women–avid knitters–from Buffalo, Wyoming, wanted to open a craft store that sold yarn made from Wyoming wool. Apparently, Basque sheep abound in their area. But when they purchased a large bale of wool from a local rancher, they couldn’t find anyone to process it. They found a mill in Canada to process their 400-pound bale and ended up with about 200 pounds of white yarn that they then dyed and sold at farmers markets and similar outlets. Crafters loved the yarn, and Karen Hostetler and her friend set out to expand their business.
It wasn’t easy. They had to research and apply for grants. They even toured mills overseas to learn the ins and outs of production. In time, they purchased a no-longer-in-use T-shirt factory, sourced the equipment, and hired people. The business has only grown from there.
These two ladies buy their wool from six Wyoming ranchers, and they’ve set up a custom dye shop. One nice thing about Wyoming wool? It’s soft, not scratchy.
Mountain Meadow Wool has expanded since those early days. They’re producing 60,000 pounds of wool annually and introducing 30-40 new colors this year for the three types of yarn they produce–a fingering weight yarn, a chunky worsted, and a three-ply. They also sell wool products online.
For “100% American Made & Wyoming Grown” yarn, head to Mountain Meadow Wool!
Do you like to knit or crochet? What’s your favorite hobby?
Enjoy your day!
Jill Kemerer is a Publishers Weekly bestselling author of heartwarming, emotional, small-town romance novels often featuring cowboys. Her essentials include coffee, caramels, a stack of books and long walks outdoors in Ohio where she resides with her husband.
I can do both, but prefer crocheting to knitting. I haven’t done either in a long time.
I’m impressed you can do both! Knitting and I never got along, sadly. 🙁
My daughter crochets, me not so much, prefer needle point!
Ooh, needle point! I’ve cross-stitched a few times, but it’s hard on my fingers. I’m impressed!
I have tried my hand at crocheting but definitely not very good at it. I may still give it a try in the future. Reading is truly my favorite pastime but I enjoy puzzles and games too.
Danielle, that’s pretty much where I’m at, too! I love doing jigsaw puzzles!
I crocheted so my granny square afghans that I have a hope chest filled to the top. I enjoyed making them. It is fun to pick out yarn too.
Oh, wow! That’s amazing! Yes, I love picking out the yarn, too!
I like quilting. I love looking at materials and imagining how it would look in a quilt. I don’t knit or crochet. I leave those crafts to my oldest two daughters.
You sound so creative! Quilting is complicated and always ends up being gorgeous!
I have always loved crocheting. Knitting was never for me as it is too complicated for me. However, crocheting I became good friends. I have created baby blankets, caps and little sweaters for two upcoming grandchildren. They were beautiful when done. I even had the blankets blocked at the cleaners before sending them. What was disappointing, I never heard a word from either child when they received them. So goes children. My favorite yarn to work with was the angora wool, except when I had to undo and redo. It was a bit more difficult. I have also done wall hangings which I believe was called crewel. My husband did one and I did another which still hang in our home. I made rugs, Afghans, and a variety of items. Another hobby/ job I have done since I was in my teens was sewing. There is very little I have not created, including 3-piece suits for my son and my husband. “Busy hands are happy hands”, so it was always said.
I’m sure the kids appreciated the beautiful blankets. My mother-in-law’s friend crocheted blankets for both of my babies, and my daughter was obsessed with hers! She wore it right out. 🙂
I love the soft, fuzzy yarn, but I struggle with it, too, when I have to unravel due to a mistake.
You sound so talented!!
I enjoy crocheting but not knitting. I would much rather embroidery.
Embroidery is painstakingly detailed–I give you a lot of credit!!
I learned to do both. I can crochet better than knit. But I much prefer to quilt/sew and make my own greeting cards and read.
I didn’t know you loved quilting and sewing, Lori! And you make your own greeting cards–wow!
I enjoy crocheting by not knitting. I tried and it is not for me.
Same here!
I used to crochet, but I haven’t done much of it in years. Other interests have taken its place, and I have too many of them. : )
It’s good to have hobbies! I’ve been working on the same blanket for a few years now. I set it down. I pick it up…
As a child, I learned to knit from a neighbor, but I never took it up after that project.
I learned to crochet as a kid, but, again, I never took it up after the project.
I dabble in quilting and I also do papercrafting.
What a nice memory, though, to have been taught how to knit and crochet. Sometimes it’s just about finding the hobby that fits!
I have crocheted for years,and I really like it, I could not knit, until pretty recently, and it is not terrible.
I love that you tried again and are enjoying knitting!
I learned to knit while living in Peru when I was 10 years old. Our maid and cook were both Peruvian and both knitted beautiful things, which fascinated me, so they taught me. I taught myself to crochet in my early 20s when those long vests with fringe were so popular and I could only find one knitted pattern, the majority were crocheted. Now I enjoy both and mostly make things for gifts or charity since I am now in my 70s and don’t really need any more knitted or crocheted items except for the occasional dishcloth when mine wear out. LOL
I love your story! And, yes, the crocheted dishcloths come in handy!
I used to crochet, and loved it! Now, I make my own cards and do embroidery, and love doing them!
You sound like you enjoy crafting! Nice!
I know hiw to do all the needle arts but much prefer crocheting and embroidery work. My grandmother taught me to make a granny square when I was about eight years old. I have made many since then. After I retired from teaching sewing for thirty five years I crocheted blankets for the Project Linus. It donated blankets to young children in the hospitals.
That’s so wonderful about crocheting blankets for young kids in hospitals. I love that!
I love to crochet and I get my yarn from Israel
I learned to knit years ago when my husband was in the Army. One of the other wives taught me, then I taught five other people to knit. They could all knit better than I could. I gave it up. So now I crochet. Wish I were better at knitting but …. I might have been if I had kept it up like I did the crocheting. Knitting is prettier to me than crochet but guess I will leave it to others more talented than I am. I also sew and quilt.
I have learned the basics of crocheting and knitting, and have completed one small project with each, but I don’t have much time for it these days. My favorite hobby is reading. I also like writing, photography, and painting.
I loved the story but I can’t do neither. I am not a crafty person but I wish I could.
I have never tried to crochet but did try knitting. I bought yarn, needles, and a direction book before I left for the Peace Corps, in the tropics. Not the bet plan. No one knitted, so I got no help. Needles to say, hot humid weather is not the best environment for knitting. I did teach myself to knit and pearl, but could never do the two together. I never have tried to learn since. Just too busy with other things. I do enjoy embroidery. needlepoint, and sewing.