Lake Fong, Post-Gazette Carol Briggs Dragos, an accomplished knitter who owns Dyed in the Wool, displays her knitting skill as she roams her Ross store. Click photo for larger image.

Now that novelty scarves, ponchos and all kinds of knitwear are all the rage, many of us are sorry we didn't pay attention when granny tried to teach us to knit. No need to be depressed, though. There is still time to learn, and many projects are simple enough for a beginner to tackle.

Knitting is enjoying a revival of sorts. Celebrities are knitting, young people are knitting, and so are the rest of us. New yarns hit the market every day, and they have never been more abundant or reasonably priced. There's even a brand-new publication from Vogue called Knit.1, that launched Nov. 9. The publication caters to younger knitters.

The pursuit is a great way to relieve the stress of busy lives, says shop owner Carol Briggs Dragos.

If knitting your own garments and accessories holds some appeal, then you might want to schedule a stop at Dyed in the Wool in Ross. Dragos, an expert knitter, soaked up everything her Scottish aunties taught her as a child and has seldom been without needles in her hands since. Now, at the shop, she is helping to spread the word and, some might say, the addiction of knitting to those that want to learn.

It seems where Dragos is concerned, the stars aligned at just the right time, or as she says with a smile, "For once I'm hip."

She had thought about opening a yarn shop but never seriously entertained the idea -- until she happened to see a vacant storefront right next door to a busy quilt shop that she patronized.

"I took the place three days later," she says with a laugh, using her father's legacy for seed money. That was Dec. 22 of last year .

Lake Fong, Post-Gazette Carol Briggs Dragos designs for a Bolivian yarn company and has her own line of patterns. She made the red wool dress she is wearing. Click photo for larger image.

Though Dragos had spent her working life "keeping executives in line" in the banking industry, she was more than qualified to open a knitting shop. All along, she had been creating and copyrighting patterns of her own under the label Legacy Designs. She also was teaching classes at local craft stores and other sites.

Dragos is also pursuing her Master Knitters certification from the Knitting Guild of America. The process requires extensive studying and knitting, including creating original garments that are judged by a panel of experts. And she is one of the garment designers for the nonprofit Bolivian yarn company, Frog Tree. Frog Tree yarns are sold throughout the United States, with the profits funneled back to workers in Bolivia. Several of her Frog Tree designs will be on display at the National Needlework Association show next year, which will be held in Long Beach, Calif.

Dragos feels strongly that knitting should be for everyone, no matter gender, ethnicity, age or income.

"I want my yarn to be as affordable as possible. I stock high quality, reasonably priced yarns," she says. "I want everything to be the quality I expect, or it goes back."

When choosing yarns to sell, says Dragos, "I judge by the feel, the price, the yardage. It should have good drape once it's knitted up, and it shouldn't split." As for picking colors, a rainbow of which line the walls of her shop, 70 percent are shades she likes personally and 30 percent are colors she wouldn't buy but realizes others may find appealing. Weights ranging from very fine, lace weight to bulky are available, as are some novelty yarns.

She stocks yarns from all over the world, including Mango Moon, which is spun from Sari silk cuttings, and the full lines of world-renowned knitter/designers Maggie Jackson of Ireland, who visited her shop in November, and Elsebeth Lavold of Sweden.

Dragos has made a concerted effort to showcase items produced by local designers. To name a few:

Debbie Arbuckle of Washington County, who owns Shadyside Studio Wool. Arbuckle's yarns come in natural colors, natural dyes and some are chemically dyed. All are labeled.

Marilyn Merbach of Saxonburg has "the best cashmere I've ever touched" says Dragos. Rabbit Tree Farm cashmere is carried at the shop. Customers will find kits for exquisite baby bonnets, scarves, booties and mittens.

Carol McFadden, a k a Feisty Woman, is a North Hills-based spinner who produces hand-spun yarn kits and who occasionally teaches a spinning class at the shop.

Wool in the Woods, owned by two women in Biglerville, Adams County, produces hand-dyed yarns.

The store also carries Jeribags -- heavy-duty, yet beautiful textile knitting bags -- for toting projects around. They are made by two women who decided to work from their homes in Doylestown, Bucks County.

Dragos attracts other expert knitters to her shop, saying she especially likes those who are creative and like to "think outside the box." Once she reels them in, then she coaxes them into teaching classes.

	Lake Fong, Post-Gazette Dee Palermo of Wexford knits a hat for herself as Lynda Bowen, left, of West View, who works at Dyed in the Wool, observes her technique. Click photo for larger image.

On the schedule for the next couple of months, knitters can learn to make felted slippers or a felted hat; Debbie Barisa is teaching a course on making an entrelac bag; and Jenny Treganowan is coaching knitters as they make a pullover sweater.

Dragos will lead classes that include a lovely, decorative beaded coin purse bag, a linen washcloth and a "Mission Possible" class, where participants make a mystery project. She also is planning a "belt-up" class, in which participants can learn to make a quick belt to jazz up any outfit.

If you are interested in knitting but don't know how, the shop is not just for experts. Beginner classes are held Tuesdays at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.; Fridays at 2 p.m.; and Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. The classes are informal and cost $10 per session. In them, Dragos attempts to take students "wherever they want to go," be it knitting a simple scarf to doing more complex projects that incorporate different knitting stitches and garment finishing skills.

Dragos sees no limits to knitting and is wonderful at getting that point across. With her patient encouragement, even the very young are learning. One warm fall afternoon, she took time with second-grader, Katie Abramowich, daughter of Patrick and Susan Abramowich of Ohio Township. Katie is currently working on a scarf for her doll.

Other days may find a group of women (and some men as well) sitting around knitting. The shop serves as a hive for local textile artists, knitters and spinners, as well as a place for those who want to come in, sit down, knit a little and bask in the company of the like-minded.

These days, the shop takes up great gobs of Dragos' time. Dragos couldn't devote so much of her time and energy to the shop without the support and encouragment of her husband, Robert, a chemical engineer she met on a blind date.

"It's changed both of our lives," says Dragos of the shop. "We aren't together as much, but the times we are [together] are better."

Not to mention that his sock drawer is regularly raided for samples.

Dyed in the Wool is at 3458 Babcock Blvd., Ross. Hours are: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mon., Fri. & Sat.; 10 am. to 8 p.m. Tues. and Thurs. Closed Wednesday and Sunday. Call 412-364-0310 for classes; reservations required. Private lessons are also available.