Geek Girls Golf... and Swing With Sweet Spot

.







Geek Girls is an organization created to educate and empower girls and women... of all ages, skill-levels and income brackets... on computer technology and social media.

They get together for seminars and socials... bootcamps and classes, aimed at eliminating technophobia. They also put an emphasis on paying it forward. Giving back... and passing on the positive.

So it was beyond serendipitous that they encountered Sweet Spot Golf... and its founder Brian Allman.

If you've got any kind of connection to women's golf, chances are you've met Brian or seen his products.

Sweet Spot, the company he founded, manufactures golf clubs. Very distinctive golf clubs that are top quality, technically advanced and gorgeous. And portion of all sales of Sweet Spot clubs go to breast cancer research and awareness programs. In fact Brian and his company support a diverse array of charities and work with a number of organizations to foster the growth of the golf.

Brian donated several beautiful Sweet Spot putters to a Geek Girl Scholarship raffle that was part the recent Boot Camp event on Cape Cod. The event sold out and the lucky Sweet Spot winners will undoubtedly be trying out their new putters soon ... now that our New England weather has finally taken a turn for the better.

Geek Girl, empowering women through technology, one geek girl at a time.
~ Upcoming Events
Sweet Spot Golf, live.laugh.play.

Vanilla Villegas - Beneath Camilo's Colorful Exterior

At first glance, Honda Classic winner Camilo Villegas is as far from vanilla as it gets.

Exotic, unique and anything-but-bland Is how most would describe him. His lean, stylish, close-to-the-body fashion statements combined with a powerful physical game draw immediate attention... then of course there's the idiosyncratic, hyper-extended putting posture that's earned him his "Hombre Araña" nickname. And after a less than stellar 2009 Spidey is off to a sizzling 2010 start.

It all comes together to make Camilo Villegas the perfect poster boy for the group collectively known as the "The Hot New Young Guns of Golf". You know, the up-and-coming-under-30s we're counting on to save the game with their astounding skills and pronounced personalities. It's that last part... the personality part... that Jason Sobel mused about yesterday in his Weekly 18.

"Let's spice it up, Camilo." ~That's what Mr. Sobel suggests, pointing out that the ostensibly flamboyant Latino appears to have a personality that's downright... dull.

I'd noticed the same thing many times over the years and always attributed it to shyness, but in retrospect... after reading the Sobel piece... I realize it may go beyond that. It may be that despite an outward appearance that would suggest a penchant for la vida loca, this young Latino is singularly focused on the game. And that's perfectly OK.

When you're Camilo Villegas you can probably get away with that.

Top Photo:Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

Let resting swatches lie - Episode 91 - The Knitmore Girls

Listen here:



This week's episode has been sponsored by:

CNCH is coming to Santa Clara April 9-11 and Abstract Fiber will be there. Not a weaver? CNCH has something for all fiber enthusiasts! We'll have yarns for knitting and weaving, plus lots of fiber. We'll have some new fibers too, including Polwarth!!! You can also shop online anytime by clicking above.

We love listen to the Knitmore Girls while putting the magazine together; our free Spring Issue, the magazine's digital debut, is live! Please check out the interviews, reviews, articles, recipes and pattern previews; if you like what you see, you can purchase all 20 patterns in the Spring Collection for only $7.50 US. For Knitmore Girls fans, if you purchase a year's subscription to the Pattern Collection, we'll give you an extra issue!


Thank you, Knitmore Girls listeners for rocking Stitches West with us in the Purlescence Yarns booth. To thank you, we're offering a special just for you. Call us with your mail order or come into the shop between Thursday, March 4 and Monday, March 15 and receive a Purlescence Yarns ChicoBag with your purchase of $50 or more, while supplies last. Be sure to mention the Knitmore Girls!

On the needles: (00:32)

Jasmin is monogamously knitting away at her Mondo Cable Cardi, knit out of Cascade Quatro. We discuss using zippers on knits, and in current fashion. Gigi is working on her Mondo Cable Pulli out of Brown Sheep Nature Spun (color "Cranberry Fog"). We gush about how much we enjoy the details of the Chic Knits patterns and garments. We mention the KAL thread, which is a great place to go for help.

Gigi has put one repeat on her Color Your Own sweater by Philosopher's Wool. Gigi has picked up her Origami Pullover again for social knitting. Jasmin is working on a pair of Crocodile Walk handspun socks, and will likely cast on a pair of socks for Andrew out of the Creatively Dyed Yarn he picked up at Stitches.

Mother Knows Best: (19:52)

We discuss the truthfulness of swatches. We talk about the Great Adirondack Rayon, which seems to lend itself better to weaving than knitting.

Review: (28:37)

We review How to Knit a Love Song, by Rachael Herron. (We'll be airing the interview with her later this week.) We LOVE it!

Straw into Gold: (39:07)

Jasmin is spinning some cormo roving from Sue Reuser for a Tempest.

Chatroulette, Tiger Woods & Lonely French Golf Instructors (part one)

I have to admit it, during this long Connecticut winter I've really enjoyed spending Friday nights at home... alone... with my MacBook. In fact, once I set myself up in front of the fireplace with a glass of wine, I find these Friday evenings pretty awesome.

My occasionally annoying sweet husband is down the street in a smokey cellar, with a bunch of middle aged men. They sit around a green felt table for hours on end, sipping their Chivas and shifting around their multi-colored plastic chips. It's his weekly poker game and that's where he is on Friday nights. Presumably.

So there I was last night, alone with my laptop and a glass of Château Pichon-Longueville in front of a blazing fire, catching up on my Google reader. And that's when I reluctantly decided that I needed to try Chatroulette.

Not that I really wanted to, but after reading four stories (1 - 2 - 3 - 4... count them) referencing the random-stranger site... I started thinking it might be time for me to give it a try in the interest of journalistic objectivity.

Described as sinister, salacious, creepy, fun, thrilling and profound... there had to be something in it worth writing about, and even if there wasn't; it was a full blown trending topic and already had its own obscenely funny John Stewart satire ...and apparently the 17-year-old Russian founder is being courted by venture capitalists.

The story that ultimately convinced me however, was the one lifestyle reporter Nicole Baute did for the Toronto Star. Of course it wasn't the web cam creeps of her title, that tempted me... it was the lonely French golf instructor she met as she clicked from one random stranger to the next. He just wanted to talk Baute wrote, and I convinced myself that if I could practice my French and talk about golf it would be pretty awesome. I also figured I could try to get some feedback and opinions on the controversial golf issues of the day like the return of Tiger Woods or the John Daly debacle or the square grooves controversy. Yeah, right. That's what I told myself anyway. And then I clicked to start the game.

(... to be continued) ~ Meanwhile for the uninitiated video above breaks it down really well. It's Chat Roulette from Casey Neistat on Vimeo.

The Cutest Golf Shoes Ever in History

.
Do you believe these shoes?

They're obviously not golf shoes you wear on the course but more like apres-golf shoes, or just golf-themed shoes. But in any case they're adorable. Click the photos for a better look.

They were made in Spain, they're size 8, and they cost $65.

Check them out on Etsy. And if you're thinking of ordering them you better act quickly... because so am I.

The Birdie Sister's Golf Show Welcomes Nan Ryan

.
It's hard to keep up with the amazing Birdie Sisters.

Junior golfers Erica and Myah Jackson have so much going on.

Their latest venture is The Birdie Sister's Golf Show, a radio talk show with Erica and Mayah interviewing fascinating figures from the world of golf. I'm going to be working with them... helping with scheduling and production, as well as assisting On-Air as needed. The show will air on Fridays at 11:00 ET on wstrradio.com. ~ This is a totally new experience for the girls, they're learning a lot... quickly, and they've got some great guests lined up.

Their first show airs tomorrow... Friday, March 5... and their guest is Nan Ryan a former LPGA Tour player and founder of one of the largest junior golf tournaments in the world, Pepsi Little People's Championship in Quincy, IL. Nan has some amazing stories about the early days of the LPGA and weighs in with unique insight, on some of the issues facing junior golfers today.

The Birdie Sister's Golf Show
Women's Streaming Talk Radio Network
Fridays at 11:00AM ET

Dude, Where's My Par? Recommended Reading

.









Every now and then I come upon a golf blog that really strikes a chord.

If you haven't discovered Dude yet, I suggest you check it out. It's clever and funny and good to the last drop.

Editor Jack Rivers is on Twitter too.