10/21/16

BARNESVILLE, SCHUYLKILL COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) -- 

An old pastime is making a comeback in Schuylkill County. The hobby of spinning wool has turned into a job at a farm in Barnesville.

 

Eyewitness News reporter Haley Bianco went out to Holly Road Fiber Farm to see what is going on.

 

While recovering from surgery, Cathy Riotto got the itch to start knitting. She wanted to knit a fisherman's sweater, but needed a certain type of wool...Goat hair. 

 

"100 percent wool yarns were really hard to find, so my husband and I ended up going to Canada to buy yarn to make this sweater, and I thought, well, we have 13 acres here," said Cathy Riotto. 

 

So why not buy some goats?

 

"So it's like, well that's cool.. i can make my own yarn and they can clean up the forest! And so far they're doing a really good job," said Riotto. 

 

The Riotto's have now had goats for eight years. After winning awards and recognition for their hobby, they've decided to take it to the next level -- opening up their own shop. 

 

The shop opened last week in Barnesville. It features hand-made, home-made yarn. Riotto tells me it's different from yarn you'd buy at a craft store because this yarn has no acrylic added to it. 

 

"Here it's either wools, mohair, silk, cotton... .and it's all natural," she says. 

 

And - she adds -  natural wool products tend to last longer. 

 

"You can do all kind of things with wool, it's kind of amazing," said Riotto.