Texas Girl

I thought this was funny, Sunglass Hut has collaborated with Austin, Texas-based yarn artist Magda Sayeg, otherwise known as Knitta, on three limited edition styles (pictured above) for $130 each at sunglassHut.com. (As part of its partnership with the charity foundation OneSight, $30 from each pair will go to help support and restore clear vision for people in need.) Sweater for your sunglasses, who knew....

Yes as the subject line says, I am heading for Arlington, Texas to work. I will be inside so the shopping will be at a minimum. That is okay since I have a cruise to pay for and who knows what else. I did see the perfect spinning chair today at the third Sunday knitting group. The host, Rose, had purchased this fabulous bench at Rhinebeck and so you know where part of my first per diem check is going. What I like about the bench is that it swivels. The company does not have a picture of the stool on their website so you will have to take my word that it is awesome. I have just sent them an email because I WANT MY STOOL.

I do not make Resolutions for the new year but I thought that I would make a few goals for this year.

Knitting: 1. I want to knit 2 sweaters, I have started one (Lilas Cardigan) and have the other one planned which will be part of the recycled sweater coats that my daughter and I are making.

2. Learn a new stitch pattern. At the moment that will be the brioche stitch.

3. Use stash to make 5 pairs of gloves/mittens with hats to match using the fair isle technique. (I love fair isle)

4. Knit three pairs of socks, one of which is fair isle

5. Use stash to make 3 shawls, one of which will be from my handspun.

6. Go to a knitting retreat or something similar with my daughter.

7. Use stash

Weaving: Just get back on the weaving road. I love to weave but just have not been doing it lately.

I have to live up to my handle, Roadweaver

Spinning: 1. Learn to Navajo Ply

2. Spin the yarn that I want. I can't seem to get pass spinning thin so I have to triple ply to get thicker yarn. I want to be able to spin it.

Sewing: 1. Make 5 pairs of yoga pants.

2. Make an art quilt

3. Make my recycled sweater coat. My colors are going to be black and red. The top part is hand knit and the reminder is sweaters that I am collecting from thrift stores. My coat will not have the hood.

Polymer Clay: Take a class. I have learned all I can on my own and now I need help. I plan to make all the buttons for anything I knit this year.

Floor Cloth: Make 2 floor cloths, one I would like to be a runner.

Other: Anything new goes.

My Life: Get some control of my life so that I can retire and spend more time with my family. There is so much to do and there are so many wonderful people that I have met in the area. I want more time to pursue the things that I love, which is anything that has to do with crafts.

Now that the goals are out of the way,

I have made two new project bags, one will go to my daughter. You know how I love project bags.

I also made a bag to carry the peg loom (picture of loom in December post) my son-in-law made me. Yes, it is going to Texas with me.

I do not have any finished objects, I am still working on Vixen, Knotty gloves, and the Akimbo shawl.

Right now I am listening to the 4th book in the series by Janet Evanovich called Four to Score. She is a bounty hunter that is just learning her job. If you want to laugh, then this series will have you rolling on the floor.

I was explaining at the spinning group that I watch more video podcast than I do TV now a days. A good source for a list of podcast both video and audio that are knitting/spinning related is the knitting podcast blog. I also watch a lot of travel podcast because I am always dreaming of the next place I want to visit.

That is it for now. The next time I will show you what I got into on my two and half day drive to Texas.

I hate the COLD

Old Man Winter is blowing. The other day I woke up to find a dusting of snow over everything. I wish I could tell you that I like winter but I do not. Give me 70 degrees, sun or even rain and I am happy.

Just finished my Caribbean Sunset Shawl. It is so funny, I started this on the cruise to the Eastern Caribbean with my friend, Sue in September, and did not get very much done. Then I tried working on it on the cruise in December, I got more done but still could not finish it. I was determined to get this shawl finished to wear on the Western Caribbean cruise in April when we go to celebrate my daughter's birthday. As you can see, I used the wonderful Wolle's Color Changing Yarn again in the Peaches colorway.

I got my DyakCraft interchangeable needles in November but was unable to pick them up from my daughter until our cruise. I did not want to take them with me on the cruise in case I lost one before I had the chance to use them. These needles are hand made, I ordered them July12 and they were shipped October 26. The actual name of the needles is Darn Pretty and they are. I made a request to have my needles with a point to knit lace and fair isle. I ordered 3.5" Hazelwood sizes 4-10.5. These needles screw in and you do not need a tool. The needles come in its a signed and numbered needle role case that you can choose the color, two needle stops and four cables. I will definitely have to order more cables at some future time. The needle tips also come in 5" but I like short needles. There are 13 wood color choices, if these work out, I might buy another set but another color and sell my Knit Picks needles.

Yesterday I started my first project using Darn Pretty needles and found that until I had finished a couple of rows, the needles were grippy, now they are slick and I am enjoying them. I did have a problem with the needles unscrewing but I think that I did not not screw them tightly, now I am having no problem. I started Stephen West's, Akimbo. I have 240 yards each of Wolle's Yarn Creation. I will be using Harmony 2 as the contrast color which only takes 160 yards, and Dark Teal as the main color which the pattern says takes 275 yds. Because dark teal is one the solids that she seems to always have, I will just order another small cake if I have to.

The other thing I have been doing is spinning. I love to spin and do not know why I seem to get distracted and never find the time. I fell in love with the shawl by Bristol Ivy called Winnowing.

I have 302 yards so far and the pattern calls for 825 yards. I do hope that I will be able to get 523 more yards. If not, then I will come up with something else. I have not washed the skein yet but this is how it looks so far.

That is me for now. See you later.