What I've been up to

Long time, no post! That’s not like me! I have to update my project pictures before I can give a true accounting of where my time has gone, but in all honesty, I can’t talk about the bulk of it. I’ve been knitting and working on a pattern (my first!) that’s been submitted to a knitting publication. The rule is, you can’t talk about your work until it’s been published or declined. I’m hoping for the first, but I’m prepared for the latter. If it gets rejected, I may submit to one other place, but after that, I’ll just post it here for free. I have no illusions about my talent as a designer; I have none. The pattern is a fun little knit, though, and it’s been very useful for me.

As I haven’t been knitting on much other than my stealth project, I ‘ll have to leave you with some cute cat pictures. This is a knitting blog, after all.

New road stop

Driving to Austin last weekend, I had to read aloud a sign to comprehend: “Yarnorama, 2 blocks.” My husband turned around, and we found the store tucked away just off Highway 290, about 40 miles outside of Austin. I didn’t have a camera, so words will have to suffice.

The first thing I thought of was a barn, but only because of the big spacious room you enter. There’s lots of light coming from above, and the room is lined with spinning fiber and cones of yarn for weaving. In the middle are dozens of looms and spinning wheels, some of them occupied by local crafters. To the left is another room jam-packed full of yarn. Yarn of all kinds, all brands, I was blown away. There were brands I never heard of, brands I heard of but had never seen in person, and a bunch of old favorites. There were also good selections of locally dyed yarn, locally milled yarn and local handspun. Behind the cash register were two English angora bunnies (Coco and Chanel) that the owner spins from.

It’s wonderful to see a store that offers the entire process in one place without overemphasizing any of it. A lot of time knitting/crochet stores try to offer a little for spinners, and I’m sure that’s appreciated. Some spinning/weaving stores throw a little yarn in the back, and that’s nice to pick through sometimes. This store, however, had wonderful offerings for all crafts. There was so much depth to the offerings.

If you’re ever driving by that way, I highly recommend stopping by to say hi! They were incredibly friendly. I even got to see a weaver’s first product: a beautiful table runner.