Knitters spin a yarn

Sunshine beckoned hundreds of Yuba-Sutter residents out of doors to enjoy what could be the last dry weekend of the season.

But for 18 hard-core needle crafters, the Sew So Shop's workroom was the place to be on Saturday.

There, at a long narrow "L" of tables, 18 pairs of hands moved deftly, wrapping yarn over needle, looping it through, pushing it across, while a dozen conversations overlapped.

The Marysville D Street store's 2009 after-harvest, pre-holiday "stitch-and-bitch" knitting party was in full swing.

"I hate to miss," said Susie Scheiber, 61, of her weekly knitting bee, now part of this larger group of celebrants.

"You make very close friends doing this," said Pat Camarena, 59, whose regular group meets in this same room on Tuesday mornings.

Saturday's all-day craft fest, which combined several knitting groups and a few crochet enthusiasts, represented the first of its kind.

Owners of the needle craft supply store have thrown one big work party for the past five fall seasons, so that loyal customers — quilters, embroiderers, knitters and crocheters — all could socialize and work on holiday projects at once.

But this year, so many new hobbyists had joined in, the store had to host two events — one for yarn, and another for nonyarn factions.

Most of the attendees are in their 50s and 60s.

But one regular Tuesday evening group has begun to attract a younger set, said Susan Norris, one of the store's owners. One high school student in the group, she said, is knitting as part of a senior project.

The youth knitting trend has emerged only slowly in the local area, if Norris' customer base is any indication.

But according to the Craft Yarn Council of America, knitting's popularity has increased dramatically among girls and young women.

Between 2002 and 2004, the number of 25- to 34-year-old knitters increased by 150 percent; the 18-and-under segment of the market increased by 100 percent.

Hours of work lost

Samantha Simpson, 23, considers herself a rookie.

On Saturday, she recalled an early project that went awry. The wool yarn she bought was supposed to be the kind you wash in hot water afterward for sizing.

Alas, it wasn't. When the finished garment emerged from the washer, she said, "It wouldn't even fit my cat."

Mistakes, as even veteran needle crafters warn, are inevitable.

One dropped stitch, a flaw overlooked, a set of directions poorly understood, and the yarn must be unraveled, or "frogged" — a move that sometimes cancels hours of work, and is named for the "rip it, rip it, rip it" sound that it makes.

These moments are especially irksome, said Pat Camarena, 59, when they are a product of poorly written pattern directions.

"The people that make the knitting patterns," she said, rolling her eyes.

"They smoke dope," said Helen Bozzo, 53, finishing Camarena's sentence.

Other pet peeves include unappreciative gift recipients.

Simpson said she once saw an acquaintance wearing a scarf she had knitted for someone else. "It had been re-gifted," Simpson said. The original recipient, "hated it."

Stick to your knitting

On Saturday, most were making Christmas gifts for friends and family members: Sweaters, scarves, blankets, a cloth doll, socks.

Over the years, they have also knitted chemotherapy hats for cancer patients, accessories for fundraisers and craft fairs and for orphans as far away as Romania.

Machine-made versions of these items would be cheaper to buy, they admitted.

But, they said, the act of knitting is satisfying and therapeutic, as are the friendships they make in the process.

Camarena once worked as a school principal. The job was stressful, she said. Her knitting group helped.

Linda Brock, 68, recently crafted and chatted her way through recovery from breast cancer.

Vivian Harbaugh, 52, knits here to keep her mind off of chronic knee pain, and to keep the depths of major depression — a condition that runs in her family — at bay.

They have comforted one another through divorces, sickness, widowhood and parenting troubles. They continue to argue politics, tell childhood stories, recommend books and recipes and tease one another. And they come from all around to do so — Wheatland, Oregon House, Nicolaus, Meridian, Beale Air Force Base, Yuba City and nearby in Marysville.

On Saturday, the women "oohed" and "aahed" for Kristina Puchalaski, 28, who stopped work on a project to model a sweater she recently knitted.

When Puchalaski turned around to show off a unique feature in back, they applauded.

Handmade gifts the women toil over this season, said Gerda Silvius, an avid crafter, may not get such an enthusiastic reception.

"Not everyone loves our knitting as much as we do," she said.

Contact Appeal-Democrat reporter Nancy Pasternack at 749-4712 or at npasternack@ appealdemocrat.com.