# Sniffs and snuzzles



## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

So, uhm. :ashamed:

My hands smell like wool and I like it.
I get that Mary Katherine Gallagher thing going on, you remember her?
She was a Super Star! That Molly Shannon just slayed me.


DS17 has asked me not to 'snorfle' my yarn when he has company over.

Geeze! :grump:

Fine then, I will try to contain myself. 
<hides in closet to smoosh and snorfle>

What about you? Is smelling the yarn part of the experience or what?


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

Oh yeah. I like the smell of wool.

But then, I have sheep. 

I like the smell of horses and cows, too. My hair will smell like my cow after I come in from milking, 'cause I lean against her while I milk. Makes me happy. If I've been shearing, it smells like sheep. 

My husband isn't quite as thrilled with the smell, though, so I have to shower before bed.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

I always smell like cows. Especially my clothes. 
The smell of wet cattle reminds me of how good they taste. Sometimes my stomach will even growl. LOL

I guess I am just used to the smells of animals. 
When I was a kid the most sincere compliment in my opinion was to tell me I smelled like a horse. 

After having that lady ask me all horrified if the basket on my table was full of 'hair' I guess I should just get it by now. 
Most people only want to smell like SOAP. Anything else is dirty.
Honestly though, I dont think so. 

Every person has their own unique scent. So does every other creature.
One of my dogs has a much stronger (IMO) scent than the other.
She has shorter hair and a greasier coat too.

I can accept that I am weird.
It does help to know that I am not alone. :angel:


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

When my boy was little, I knew he was sick because he smelled WRONG.

We underestimate our noses, and although I like clean smelling as much as the next guy, there are good clean human and animal smells I like too.

Cow manure ... not so much. Cow? yep. 

:shrug:

We can be weird together.


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

I like the smell much better after it's washed. Otherwise, it just smells like urine to me.


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## Pearl B (Sep 27, 2008)

> What about you? Is smelling the yarn part of the experience or what?


When I got my 1st roving and got it wet, It had a definite smell. I liked it. I wish I was better at spinning!



> When my boy was little, I knew he was sick because he smelled WRONG.


My dad had a very definite odor at times. Even my dog noticed it.
He didnt seem sick when it manifested. Before he passed he had horrible intestinal problems and I always wondered if it was cancer.


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## Ana Bluebird (Dec 8, 2002)

I went to help friends skirt their fleeces as it was coming off the sheep during shearing. What great fun. Now my truck that I drove that day smells very strong of sheep. Love it. I haven't said anything to hubby---he doesn't have much of a smeller, so I will not have to clean it up I don't think. And yarn---I've had to learn to ask people that are wearing their homemade yarns before I touch and smell it! It scares them sometimes. (shrug shoulders)


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

The smell of a fleece has to be the best smell in the world. Maybe onl second to the smell of a newborn  when I get a new fleece I'll dump it out and the cats come running. There is something about the smell of a raw fleece that must be like catnip to a cat.

I'm a tactile/sensual person, everything gets touched and smelled. It is funny at Christmas to see which of my family members smelled their Handknit items. Not all of them did.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Ana Bluebird said:


> And yarn---I've had to learn to ask people that are wearing their homemade yarns before I touch and smell it! It scares them sometimes.


This! My automatic response is to reach out and handle the fabric. When I'm wearing something made from handspun, I often find myself offering a sleeve or part of the garment so folks can handle and smell. 



gone-a-milkin said:


> I can accept that I am weird.
> It does help to know that I am not alone. :angel:


:rock:


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## hercsmama (Jan 15, 2004)

MullersLaneFarm said:


> This! My automatic response is to reach out and handle the fabric. When I'm wearing something made from handspun, I often find myself offering a sleeve or part of the garment so folks can handle and smell.
> 
> 
> 
> :rock:


This is totally me!
If I'm weird, at least I know I'm in awesome company!


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## Falls-Acre (May 13, 2009)

And there I was thinking I was strange because I love the smell of goat, horse, rabbit... and pig. LOL Once upon a time I worked on a swine farm, and loved it!

As for snuffling wool... yes I have been guilty of it. And I confess to having taken a whiff of the raw wool that I got too. 

I, too, have to restrain myself to get permission before grabbing a knit/crochet item. I dunno, I just love to get a closer look. I'm fairly sure the folk at the local grocery were ready to call the men-in-white on me because I was stretching and counting stitches on a crochet beanie they had there for sale. :runforhills:


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## Mrs. Homesteader (May 10, 2002)

I bury my nose in the wool often. I love to smell and cuddle baby lambs. I love to rub the sheep and then smell my hand. I love the smell of sweet clean fresh hay in a barn along with the animal smell. 

My Great Aunt who lived to be 102 (God threw away the mold after he made her)  could sniff out a fever. She was never wrong. If someone was sick (especially children and babies) she would hold them and then tell the Mom they had a fever. She never proved wrong.

My husband laughs at me, but my son was always embarrassed. If I am buying a stuffed animal for anyone, I always hug it to see how it feels and then stroke it.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Today I had to go to Ann Arbor to the UM for a boob squish. On my way home I decided to take a detour to Howell and the Spinners Loft. As I walked in the door I was enveloped in the smell of sheep and fleeces :teehee: I thought of this thread. Beth was there and what a great woman. I think I stayed about an hour just talking. Oh and she had the Ashford anniversary edition of the Elizabeth, OMG what a beautiful wheel. The drive wheel is 30". The biggest down side is a light gray plastic nob they put as a tensioning nob it think, or it controls the MOA. Other than that is was beautiful. And no I didn't try any of the wheels sh and she had there, she had a lot. I did a fine job of restraining myself and walked out empty handed. Afterward I thought I should have bought a token something. I'll go back again and I will buy something. I need to send her some names of people who sell the fleeces she may be looking for.

I don't mean to hijack this thread but it smelled so wonderful in that store.


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## stef (Sep 14, 2002)

frazzlehead said:


> When my boy was little, I knew he was sick because he smelled WRONG.
> 
> We underestimate our noses, and although I like clean smelling as much as the next guy, *there are good clean human and animal smells I like too*.
> 
> ...


So true.


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## jd4020 (Feb 24, 2005)

Ya'll sound just fine to me! 
Well, after my dh, & my children, some of my favorite sniffs are:
-- that spot right where the horses' ear connects to it head
--the goats while I'm milking them, my head on their warm sides, and that sweet baby goat smell & I remember the lamb smell from when my Grampa raised them
--fresh, sun dried laundry off the line---after all, that is what sunshine smells like
--I'm not around puppies very often, but their little fat warm tummies have a good sniff
--the smell of earth when the tractor is working up the soil in the field
--spreading compost, enjoying the way it crumbles in my hands
--the definite new smell of alpaca when they first came to our barn
--the Mr. Lincoln red rose--no other can compare imho
--the way the greenhouse smells so earthy and fresh air when I first walk in in late winter--everything is brown & dead outside and green & living inside
These are my top ones and I so enjoy each one when it happens by. Smells are connected to memories, good & bad--mostly good. I purely enjoyed walking into my mil kitchen when she was baking bread. That was such a delight. I miss that.
jd


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## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

gone-a-milkin said:


> It does help to know that I am not alone. :angel:


You are definitely not alone! 



Mrs. Homesteader said:


> I bury my nose in the wool often. I love to smell and cuddle baby lambs. I love to rub the sheep and then smell my hand. I love the smell of sweet clean fresh hay in a barn along with the animal smell.


I'm so glad I'm normal :kiss: I'm so glad I have this place, so I really know I'm normal!

jd - I LOVE your smell list! I can't see well, and I can't hear well, but my sniffer still works well! Smells are a very important part of my life


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## mamajohnson (Nov 27, 2002)

ohhhh I can almost smell all that reading ya'lls posts!
I love the way wool smells. I had a bag of Shetland sitting by the couch for the longest before I washed it. Every now and then I would catch a whiff of it and just smile. yummy! 
Love my goat's smell, especially when I milk.

It's nice to know that we are all so much alike!


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## Falls-Acre (May 13, 2009)

The smell of a mild spring night... I'm fairly sure my new co-workers believe I've gone around the bend when I walk outside sniffing the air. LOL I used to just inhale the smell of rabbit, I'd bury my nose in their fur and snuffle in and out. I had to stop that though when I developed an allergy. :/ I ADORE the smell of good hay. It can overcome a lot of other smells. It makes my barn smell like a barn and is the defining characteristic of many animals I think!


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

I can't believe ya'll are going on with some odd sense of relief like this. 
This isn't supposed to be the _closet_ fiber forum, last I checked. :bored:

Natural fiber is a gift to be enjoyed, unabashed, by _all_ the senses....... some more than others, of course. :grin:


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

FR the problem is this IS one of the only places where we can talk about such things. Otherwise we run the risk of being tossed into the loonie bin. So join us as we frolic in the fibers


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

I thought this *was* the loonie bin ...?


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## AverageJo (Sep 24, 2010)

frazzlehead said:


> When my boy was little, I knew he was sick because he smelled WRONG.
> 
> We underestimate our noses, and although I like clean smelling as much as the next guy, there are good clean human and animal smells I like too.
> 
> ...


I noticed when my daughter was ill by her smell also! And then I read somewhere that breast-feeding mothers will always notice when a nursing child is 'off' and her body will actually readjust to help give the right nurishment to the child. Not only smell tells me when they're off, but also their taste, when kissing them. Not like I go licking them. ound:

Manure, yuck. Animal smells, love them.... although not so fond of strong skunk smell. LOL :huh:


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## weever (Oct 1, 2006)

Marchwind said:


> Today I had to go to Ann Arbor to the UM for a boob squish.


Congratulations! I think you were wise to reward yourself afterwards.

BTW, there may have been some Shady Side Farm fiber in that stash. And no, I have never been there. :sob: I had a chance to go once to a trunk sale she was hosting for Yarn Hollow. Yarn Hollow is also a wonderful advocate for Michigan fibers fresh from the farm. I was busy (go figure) that day, and couldn't make it. Maybe we should do a meet up with all the Michigan peeps there?


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

I was wondering about that Weever as I was looking at a bag of Polypay up on her shelves. I almost asked her but the poor woman was trying to eat.


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