Making a Scene in Sacramento: Get Hooked on Knitting at Got Your Goat Yarn Studio

Got Your Goat Yarn Studio
2030 Douglas Blvd., Suite 36
Roseville, CA 95661
(916) 899-5416
Hours: Everyday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
http://www.gotyourgoatyarn.com/

Want to learn a skill that will benefit the entire family? Why not join in the handcrafting Renaissance and create your own fashion this winter? Why not try your hand at knitting? It's a craft you can get your kids – older children – of course involved in and the whole family benefits. Take a class or get ideas for your works in progress from other knitters at a yarn shop like Got Your Goat Yarn Studio in Roseville.. The shop opened in last Labor Day and in less than six months it already has a loyal following.

Kim Ledford-Hauser had been looking for a "knitting home" for a long time. When Got Your Goat opened she asked members of her knitting group to meet at the shop instead of her home. That way group members could connect with the larger knitting community.

"I've wanted a local yarn shop – in knitting language we call it an LYS – for so long," Hauser said. "It's really, really imporant for knitters to have a community."

Got Your Goat Owner Cindy Vatalaro invites knitting groups to work at the shop on a first-come basis. She stressed the importance of the social aspect of knitting.

"It's very therapeutic for a lot of people in a lot of different ways," she said.

Want to get started? Unlike sewing, which requires a machine and a large space, knitting supplies can be easily stashed in a shoulder bag, Ledford-Hauser said. Got Your Goat boasts a full line-up of classes, including beginning crochet and knitting classes. The beginning knitting class costs $60 and spans four weeks. Students enrolled in a class receive a discount on supplies at the shop.

"There's endless things to learn," Ledford-Hauser said. "When you've learned the basic stiches, you've just scratched the surface."

Got Your Goat also features free knit-a-longs on Thursday evenings. Knitters work on a project selected
by a store employee for four weeks. The more experienced needleworkers aid the less experienced ones.

Fingerless gloves were a recent knit-a-long topic. This design, with matching hat, was created by local knitwear designer Lorna Miser. She appreciated the easy-going and creative atmosphere at Got Your Goat so much that she provided the shop with instructions for the glove and hat combination seen here as a bonus gift for patrons of the store.

Fashion displays at Got Your Goat featured these children's clothing items. Vatalaro said current patterns include vampire-inspired designs, skulls and crossbones, and chunky knits.

Casual browsers at Got Your Goat receive ready help from Vatalaro with their project-related questions. One woman who visited the store asked for assistance with an idea for a scarf. The shop rolls balls of yarn for free.

"It's much larger than going and picking up a ball of Red Heart yarn," Vatalaro said. "There are so many
beautiful choices."

Check out the classes at these other favorite needlework and yarn shops.

The Tin Thimble has been family owned and operated since 2007. Classes include getting to know your sewing machine and introductory knitting, crocheting and sewing classes. The shop also sells heirloom fabric, vintage patterns and handmade gifts. Check out Felt Fest next month.

Do you know the fairytale behind the title of this sewing arts store? It involves spinning, a craft you can learn at Rumpelstiltskin. The shop, a fixture in Sacramento for more than 30 years, also offers knitting, weaving, felting, and crocheting classes.

Knitting and crochet classes are $15 per hour. The shop is well known its wide variety of fibers and offers finishing and blocking as well as repairs.

Want to get even more creative? Check out the Top Spots to learn a lost skill in Sacramento.