David Michael Miller
You may have heard of “art hops,” another name for artist’s open studios/gallery nights. But a yarn hop? Jaala Spiro, yarn dyer and owner of Knitcircus on the west side, was familiar with yarn hops in Iowa, Texas and Illinois, and decided it was high time to organize one here.
The Madtown Yarn Shop Hop, the weekend of October 6-8, features 10 yarn shops from across southern Wisconsin, all within about a 45-minute drive from Madison. Hoppers (shoppers?) get a punch card; anyone who visits all 10 shops over the weekend will be eligible for a grand prize (TBA); smaller door prizes will also be awarded from each shop throughout the weekend.
But it’s not really about grand prizes, though they are fun. It’s a fix for the yarn-addicted. It’s about discovering the wealth of fiber resources within an easy drive of town. “I didn’t even know about one of the stores myself, before I put the hop together,” says Spiro. “We have such a deep and rich knitting and fiber community here. We have the biggest knitting guild in the country in Madison.”
Knitcircus, like many of the shops, will be holding special events throughout the weekend, like a one-of-a-kind yarn sale, a free pattern with every purchase and a “needle tasting.” If you knit, you know needles come not just in different sizes and lengths but have different feels according to material — slippery or grabby or just right. The “tasting” will let knitters see which types of needles are most to their liking. Brilliant.
Spiro is excited that among the spots on the hop is Rainbow Fleece Farm, at W7181 Hustad Valley Road outside New Glarus, which will be having its annual open house, or open farm, as part of the hop. There, visitors can participate in demos on spinning, weaving, and needle felting. The farm sells yarn spun from the wool of sheep raised on the farm.
Blackberry Ridge Woolen Mill, outside of Mount Horeb at 3776 Forshaug Road, will offer tours of the mill, which co-owner Anne Bosch says are usually “quite an attraction.” Blackberry Ridge’s shop is ordinarily open by appointment only, so this will be a good time to check out the natural fiber yarns that have been spun, dyed and hand-painted at the mill.
Holin Kennan of The Dancing Lamb, Evansville, notes that her shop specializes in locally grown fibers and hand-picked fleeces and not only knitting but weaving and spinning equipment (some of it locally made as well). Kennan says that she can often tell customers not only what farm a fleece came from but the name of the sheep. Discounts and demos will be a part of the hop.
Susan’s Fiber Shop, N250 County Road A, Columbus (but for those in-the-know, a better marker is that it’s a mile north of the legendary Weber’s Tires in East Bristol), will show visitors how to dye mini-skeins of yarn. Owner Susan McFarland’s shop has a large dye and washing area — “over 2,000 square feet for weaving and yarn,” says McFarland, who is currently busy dyeing yarn.
She raises Teeswater sheep, a rare longwool breed that appears to be wearing dreadlocks. Visitors will be able to “walk out with the sheep,” McFarland assures me. “My big thing is selling different yarns for knitting and weaving, and spinning wheels and fiber to get people making yarn — that’s what I do,” says McFarland. “I have my sheep on the side.” The shop also features a wall full of new and vintage knitting and fiber arts books and patterns.
DMarie Knit and Fiber, 422 Water St. in Prairie du Sac, will be holding double-knit hat and needle felting demos. Visiting The Cat and Crow, 205 E. Main Street, Mount Horeb, means you’ll also get in on the village’s fall heritage festival that weekend.
Other participating shops are The Sow’s Ear, Verona; Wisconsin Craft Market, Madison; and Spry Whimsy Fiber Arts, Stoughton. Hours may vary from shop to shop. More info is at knitcircus.com/pages/madtown-yarn-shop-hop.
