Nearing November

Is it really only a week until November? I cannot even begin to say how fast time is flying here - I have already been in TX for two whole months and yet it seems like so much less (or more, depending on the day and my mood).

I celebrated my birthday last week, and with it came a bit of a yarn shopping spree at my new (and favorite!) LYS, WC Mercantile. The owner, Stephanie,is super nice and even brought cookies. One of the perks is also that you get 20% anything you purchase once during your birthday month.  So I used that to get yarn for my next sweater. The sweater is "Tell it Slant" and the yarn is Simplicity by HiKoo. It's a nice blend of merino, acrylic and nylon and I can tell just by squishing it that it will hold up well. 

I have also been off and on spinning on some local Texas Alpaca and finally finished the singles of the my brown the other night. I decided to get some black tussah silk at WC to pair with it, and was given some natural white alpaca for free, which I will also be pairing it with. I just hope I have enough of them all to make a nice yarn. 

Speaking of spinning, I had an accident about a month ago involving my smaller spindle and the concrete at the art fair. I've tried super glue, but it's not working. Anyone else have a suggestion? I love this spindle so much I hate to see it un-usable! :( 

And finally my basic scarf is speeding along. The color in this photo is totally off (but don't we all experience that at some point?) but I'm done with exactly half of it. I plan to put it aside to start my sweater, but pull it out when I need mindless knitting (like at the movies!). It's so soft that I can understand why angora is addictive. I know it will be my favorite once it's done.

Weekly Inspirations:

Knitting: My mom sent me the latest issue of KnitScene and once again I am in love with at least 75% of the magazine. Specifically: Gothic Gloves, Lise Hat,  Ravenna Cowl and  Paros Hat

Art: I went to a couple of openings in Houston this weekend. Although the networking I needed didn't happen, I did see some great art. I was truly inspired by Alexa Kleinbard and her gorgeous partial abstract landscapes. The way she paints really got me thinking about my own works. 

Food: Last week I made eggplant parm with some local grown eggplant. I decided to cut the carbs and used quinoa instead of pasta. The result? FANTASTIC! 

Life: I'm seeing a Physical Therapist now about my shoulder and spine. She's given me a ton of moves to straighten my spine, which is apparently very curved. I'm kinda freaking out to be honest, because that also means I need to start sitting straighter and working on it more. Anyone have any tips on how to sit straight and knit at the same time/???

A huge thank you to everyone for reading my rambles from week to week - even those who don't comment. I really love blogging and sharing my thoughts, and I am so glad that there are people out there who are the same way.

~Lisa