Chris and I have loaded the big cargo van with about as much yarn as it can hold and tomorrow morning we drive down our lane off the farm onto the gravel road beyond, thus beginning our trip to Chicago for Stitches Mid-west and the Mid-Ohio Fiber Fair in Newark.

The name Lost City Knits will occasionally raise an eyebrow and spur people we meet to ask if such a place as Lost City really exists or if is it fictional. The answer is that Lost City, Oklahoma is real, and located in Northeast Oklahoma in the part of the state called Green Country.

Our farm is rural, and to be completely honest Lost City proper is about six miles from where we live. It’s the closest four-way stop, though, so we feel fine claiming it as our town. Our mailing address is for the next town down the road, which has a post office but not as poetical a name.

Here are a few census facts about Lost City, Oklahoma.

According to the 2010 census 770 people lived in Lost City. Which was just over 200 families, 44% of which listed their race as Native American only. 5% of the inhabitants were under the age of 5, but the largest age demographic was 18-64 which was just over 60%. Of course, that’s a broad age range so take that as you’d like. The gender gap isn’t much 51% male, 49% female.

Another interesting fact I found is that 23% of Lost City folks use wood for heat. As a household we use wood primarily, but we have an electric HVAC unit and when we’re feeling luxurious we can heat the floors.

In 2008 Lost City School was closed. It’s located near the four-way stop along with the cemetery. Portions of Lost City School were built in 1902, that’s five years before Oklahoma statehood.

In March 2010 I saw that Lost City School had finally been put up for sale. If you’d like to read that blog post it can be foundHERE. 

We mainly keep to ourselves here, and only a few people know that the little grey building seen from the gravel road houses silk, merino, and alpaca yarns. Many of my yarn colors, and even some of the yarn line names, have been inspired by this place. It’s not perfect, but it is awfully good and I’m lucky.