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KnittnChick
New Pal
USA
6 Posts |
 Posted - 09/17/2005 : 11:16:20 AM
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Hi, my name is Heather, and I'm a yarn sniffer.
People in stores must think I hear voices. Seriously. I grab some yarn and sniff it first. Then I rub it on my cheek, neck, and inner arm. Then I close my eyes and rub it between my fingers for a while. Sometimes, I rub it on my ear to see if it sounds scratchy. Yep, I'm a freak.  Of course, this all means something to me, but to others, I'm sure they think I am a complete nutcase. Rubbing it on sensitive areas tells me if I'm going to have to be careful of who I give the finished piece to. Closing my eyes and rubbing the yarn just is for pure pleasure. I imagine feeling it as a fully-knitted garment. Rubbing it on my ear tells me if it sounds scratchy...if it does, I won't make it in to a headband or headscarf. Now the sniffing....this does sound weird, even to me. I won't knit with smelly yarns. Some yarn I've knit with in the past has a very chemical smell, and it makes for knitting hell for me. I hate stinky yarns. *sigh* I feel so much better having shared this. Thank you for listening.
I swear! I'm only going to look at the yarn this time. |
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Hermione
Chatty Knitter
USA
146 Posts |
Posted - 09/17/2005 : 11:32:34 AM
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LOL. Your post made me giggle . . .
I don't sniff yarn, but I know what you mean about stinky yarns. That's why I can never knit with Noro's stuff, yummy as it looks and feels (sometimes). It just has a peculiar smell to me that I can't imagine wearing next to my skin. Some smells, textures, and colors just remind me very vividly of unpleasant places, and for the life of me, I can't approach them.
Just my two cents :-D
Insufferable Know it All (who really doesn't know it all)
http://www.livejournal.com/~theknitpicker |
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SpinaYarn
Gabber Extraordinaire
USA
492 Posts |
Posted - 09/18/2005 : 3:56:13 PM
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I'm definately another one who takes a sniff of the yarn before I buy... some yarns really smell funny (like petroleum or something) and there's no way to get rid of them odor..
glad I'm not the only one!
knit with joy-
Teyani
www.http://intrepidfiberwizard.blogspot.com/ |
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ScubaQueen
Seriously Hooked
USA
883 Posts |
Posted - 09/18/2005 : 6:14:20 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by SpinaYarn
some yarns really smell funny (like petroleum or something) and there's no way to get rid of them odor..
OMG...that is so funny that you posted that because I've noticed that all the washcloths I knitted with Sugar N Creme smell like petroleum....I can't figure it out....but now I know...I'm going to have to start sniffing the yarn!
~Wendy
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body; but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming: "WOW...WHAT A RIDE!!!"
My blog and other such nonsense... 2 Wet Fins
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franna724
Seriously Hooked
USA
633 Posts |
Posted - 09/19/2005 : 07:39:24 AM
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I've knit with sugar & cream dozens of times and never noticed a petroleum smell. And I'm definitely a yarn sniffer! That's odd.
Anna |
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Boondoggled
Chatty Knitter
USA
305 Posts |
Posted - 09/19/2005 : 08:58:41 AM
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I'm a yarn smeller, and I really dig the lanolin smell.
The petroleum smell is gross! It's such a tease - pretty yarn that stinks so badly.
Tanya |
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Roxanne
Seriously Hooked
Canada
714 Posts |
Posted - 09/19/2005 : 10:40:49 AM
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Cute story!! I tend to spend time with the yarn too before buying it...twirling it in my hands and fondling it... I have been known to sneak a sniff or two too....LOL! Why not? You have to like it in the end and if it means satisfying all your senses, whatever they may be, I say go for it! Smell away.....LOL!
"Success is a Journey; not a Destination"
My Blog: http://knitnpurlzen.blogspot.com |
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msgb
Gabber Extraordinaire
USA
531 Posts |
Posted - 09/25/2005 : 07:46:32 AM
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| I like to touch and feel the yarn. I don't necessarily sniff it. My sister(who doesn't knit) sniffs almost everything. She is 40 years old and she has been doing this for almost that long. Her daughter who is 2 1/2 does the exact same thing. |
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knittingbaglady
Permanent Resident
USA
1207 Posts |
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meme527
New Pal
USA
10 Posts |
Posted - 09/28/2005 : 9:46:44 PM
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i, too, am guilty of this pleasure.
and why not? we aren't hurting anybody :D
i love the smell of silk.
i once stood next to a diane von furstenberg dress for a suspiciously long time, because it smelled so good.
yum. |
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Kik
New Pal
6 Posts |
Posted - 09/28/2005 : 10:06:35 PM
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| I feel SO much better. I thought I was the only one who sniffed yarn! Ever since I was tiny I remember loving the smell of lanolin and I just love the smell of wool yarn. Also, I grew up a cotton farmer's daughter, who at the time didn't knit nor know anyone who did. But I'll say this, there is nothing like the smell of cotton after the bowls have burst open! And I love knitting with cotton, but it just doesn't have that scent to it. |
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Snuffpat
New Pal
USA
12 Posts |
Posted - 09/29/2005 : 09:44:30 AM
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| Did you ever notice a smell in some LYS you visit. Sometimes you get a "stuffy" smell. When I was a novice yarn buyer (well before my stashes) I would think that maybe it was the store and I would shy away from it. Then I realized that lots of yarns especially wools have a smell. Now I put on a little extra perfume and suffer through whatever yarn shop I come across....it's the least I can do. |
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simpleknitter
Chatty Knitter
USA
126 Posts |
Posted - 09/29/2005 : 09:59:24 AM
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the vinegar smell of the "mordant"--- on Schaefer yarns turns my stomach. I have sold all that I bought---except one lone skein of sock yarn, Anne, that I couldn't smell it on. why don't they rinse it more?
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KnittingGrammy
New Pal
2 Posts |
Posted - 09/29/2005 : 11:19:30 AM
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Hi, I've never participated in these forums before until I read this topic. How funny. I love to sniff the wool and work with the ones that have a strong lanolin smell. It's great for your hands too! After the garment is finished, as in a sweater, I just love carrying the sheep smell with me, makes me feel more connected to nature. I think it is funny to find the odd piece of straw or hay spun into the yarn as well. When my group brings in a bag of donated yarn without labels I sniff them all to find the precious woolies.
knitting*grammy |
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Imknittin
Chatty Knitter
USA
171 Posts |
Posted - 09/29/2005 : 12:22:46 PM
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I love this topic! I now don't feel alone! I can just imagine us all thinking we are the strange ones doing our little touching and sniffing in the yarn stores, but if we'd only look around....The ones who aren't must be the freaks![:00] I have always been a very tactile person and I have to smell the yarn first. If it doesn't smell good, it goes back on the shelf right away! [crazy] Then I have to feel it between my fingers to see if I'm going to like working with it. And then I rub it on my cheek or my arms or both just for the pure pleasure of it! I love yarn! I love this site! These posts have made me laugh so much my sides hurt![:00]
Angie |
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ScubaQueen
Seriously Hooked
USA
883 Posts |
Posted - 09/29/2005 : 1:34:36 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by franna724
I've knit with sugar & cream dozens of times and never noticed a petroleum smell. And I'm definitely a yarn sniffer! That's odd.
Anna
Hmmmm....perhaps I just got a bad batch??? Perhaps it was shipped in boxes that picked up the petroleum smell from something else shipped in the truck??? Who knows?? I love Sugar & Cream for dishclothes as it is absorbant so it picks up stuff well and it's cheap to buy....I'll give it another try the next time I need some new dishcloths.
~Wendy
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body; but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming: "WOW...WHAT A RIDE!!!"
My blog and other such nonsense... 2 Wet Fins
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klfrazier
Permanent Resident
1745 Posts |
Posted - 09/29/2005 : 1:50:14 PM
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After having dealt with the smoky LYS, I'm a bit paranoid about weird smells in my yarn. SO yes, I absolutely smell my yarn before purchasing - especially if in a new store or one that I don't shop at all that often!
Kristin |
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cirilia@hotmail.com
Posts |
Posted - 09/29/2005 : 4:38:17 PM
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I have to tell you all about the best sniff I ever had--Misti Alpaca Chunky. It's one part animal, one part roses. It has a delicate clean smell like laundry, and I can often be found at work, face buried in it.
Another that I love, Malabrigo handpainted. The vinegar they use to set the dyes is offensive to some and bliss to others. |
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Pampered Punkin
New Pal
47 Posts |
Posted - 09/29/2005 : 10:04:58 PM
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Dido on silk!!! I absolutely love the way it smells.
I ordered yarn from a website and when the box came in the mail it smelled (and looked) like it had been sitting in a mechanic's shop for a very long time. I was worried that the dirty stains on the outside of the box had soaked through and damaged the yarn. I didn't find any stains on any of the yarn but the smell was on everything in the box. It came out when I washed the finished garment but it was not pleasant to knit with. |
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KnitwitNYC
New Pal
USA
1 Posts |
Posted - 10/01/2005 : 07:42:41 AM
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Hi, My name is Dj and I am a yarn sniffer.
I am so happy to know I am not alone.
Thank you Heather for your wonderful testimony.
I think we all recgonize each other in our LYS and
are just afraid to appoach each other. No more!
I am going to embrace my addiction.
Keep Stichin'
Dj |
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juliannking@yahoo.com
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Posted - 10/01/2005 : 08:29:06 AM
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| Sniffing is Good! Especially if you spin and/or dye your own yarn!I love the smell of the wool. I got some buffalo fiber from a friend to spin, and my cats buried themselves under it, rolled in it, and slept in it. I even like the smell of well composted manure for the garden. I hate the smell of the petro-chemicals used in commercial spinning and dyeing. But I love the feel of a good woolen yarn as I am knitting. |
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