Rowland: Knitter's habit is in a new boutique

By Marijke Rowland
mrowland@modbee.com

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Finding high-quality yarn in Modesto just became as easy as knit one, pearl two, thanks to The Urban Sheep.

The new knitting boutique sells high-end yarn and accessories, and offers classes and demonstrations.

Co-owners Sylvia Schmier and Chris Roscelli opened the boutique inside the health food store The Carrot in April. Their grand opening was last Saturday to celebrate World-Wide Knit in Public Day.

The shop takes up a sunny corner area inside The Carrot. It sells more than a dozen brands of premium yarn including Cascade, Noro, Debbie Bliss, Berroco and Plymouth.

The store is one of the few in the area that sell high-end yarn made of wool and other organic materials including silk, hemp, maze and bamboo.

Schmier sold yarn out of the Paper Habit in McHenry Village for four years. But the store decided to stop selling yarn over the holidays, so Schmier teamed with Roscelli to open The Urban Sheep.

They offer beginning and advanced knitting classes, workshops and demonstrations throughout the week. They run more than half a dozen classes, from basket-weaving to seaming, kids' knitting to "sock therapy." Classes start at about $15 for an hour and a half.

Every Monday from 1 to 4 p.m. and Thursday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., the public is invited to drop in with their projects for free round-table knits.

Guest knitters and other artists regularly give demonstrations. From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. this Thursday, Suzanne Hoover of Rosewood Alpacas in Patterson will give a free spinning demonstration. Call to R.S.V.P.

Schmier said knitting's popularity endures today and could even be on the rise thanks to the do-it-yourself wave inspired by the current economy.

"People are going back to handcrafts, growing their own vegetables, making things on their own," said the Austrian native. "A ball of yarn can keep you busy for quite a while. You end up with something you made, a gift or something to wear."

The shop also has knitting books and magazines for sale as well as a small lending library. Schmier said so far the boutique has brought in young and old, men and women.

"Little kids knit; older people knit to keep their cognitive and coordination skills going. Men knit to de-stress after a hard workday," she said. "Everyone can knit."

The Urban Sheep, 1508 10th St., is open from 12 to 6 p.m. Monday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. For more information call 522-7400 or go to www.theurbansheep.com.

Elsewhere around the Business Beat:

School may be out for summer, but The Tutoring Center wants to make sure students stay at the head of the class.

The new tutoring service in Century Center Plaza, 2401 E. Orangeburg Ave., Suite 530, is part of a nationwide chain of more than 50 centers based out of Long Beach.

The Modesto location is the company's first in Northern California.

The center offers one-on-one after-school tutoring programs for students in pre-kindergarten to 12th grade.

The classes are customized to each student based on an assessment test.

Tutoring is done on site and runs $297 a month for twice-a-week sessions or $337 a month for three-times-a-week sessions.

Director Thomas Prata said he opened in the summer because it's a popular tutoring time.

"People want their kids to get caught up and can make a lot of progress over the summer months," he said. "Others are trying to get ahead."

Call 578-1035 or go to www.tutoringcenter.com.

Have an item for Business Beat? Contact Marijke Rowland at The Modesto Bee, P.O. Box 5256, Modesto 95352; 578-2284 or mrowland@modbee.com.