Tag Archives: Maine

Getting it Done – a Lazy Sunday

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I planned to do nothing today. It was a bit grey and dreary … a lazy kind of Sunday.

Porch View - Grey-ish Sunday

I woke up late, had my coffee (soon it will be tea in the morning and no coffee but that’s a whole other story) and a rather sad looking pumpkin scone with the texture of a muffin, really. Then went outside because N. was going to mow the lawn … and I decided to weed the little perennial garden that we added by the big rock outside the front door. During the month of August, it went to heck and really needed some TLC!

We’ve been collecting the bits and pieces of scrap metal left behind by the railroad workers who’ve been upgrading the train tracks behind the house. And I decided that my garden needed to be edged with railroad spikes. I love it – and it’s so appropriate for this house that is so close to the tracks! (And we’ve still got a bucket and then some of pieces of metal for N. to practice soldering with!) A little bit of mulch and it will be done. Yippee! What do you think?

"Rock" Garden

After doing nothing this morning, I made a pumpkin pie. I thought I bought a can of pumpkin but it was organic pumpkin pie filling … and the recipe on the back of the can didn’t ask for any sugar so the pie needs a bit more sugar but it’s OK with some homemade coconut ice cream on the side!

We took the dogs for a walk down the street and chatted with neighbors and then I got to sit and knit a bit with a lovely cup of tea on the side porch.

So, for having planned to do nothing done today, I feel like I accomplished a little bit!

PS – We have been working on repainting the front screen door and the fence that surrounds the garbage cans. Though we didn’t do any painting today, we nearly have it done and it looks so much better! Now, on to the back of the house (or the wood shed or the bedroom door and window or …) Here’s the “before” … “after” pictures when we’re completely done!

Before #2

Before

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gone knitting!

In Consideration of the Wooly Bear

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I was walking some dog poop up the driveway in the poop shovel this morning and practically tripped over this guy (or gal!). Well, I didn’t exactly “trip” over it, but I nearly stepped on it and since I was carrying a shovel full of … well, you know … I tried hard NOT to step on it and nearly dumped the “load” (so to speak) all over the driveway.

I was thinking, though, these guys have a difficult life, don’t they? As I was standing over it with my camera (and every time my camera made a noise, the caterpillar stopped moving … but it never curled itself into a ball) I was watching it navigate the grass and rocks and other detritus that is part of the Maine landscape and was realizing that it’s kind of similar to me climbing a mountain but I don’t have to worry about somebody stepping on me or picking me up to play with me! What a brave creature to come out of its bed daily and climb mountains (even though by my eyes, they’re pint-sized mountains), taking the risk of being stepped on by who-knows-what because just about anything’s bigger than he/she is!

My next thought was about people and, more specifically, me. I always considered myself NOT to be a risk-taker. I think I’m changing that perception, though. I’ve left an unhappy and unfulfilling marriage, a comfortable home and community to live somewhere new where nothing was certain (and it’s still not on some days). That was very brave! I’m learning and re-learning daily and hitting bumps in the road on occasion – sometimes taking those bumps in stride and sometimes, not so much! I’m like the Wooly Bear!

I guess the moral of the story, if there is one, is that I’m stretching just like the Wooly Bear caterpillar, and while I am so in awe of how brave he/she is, I could take a little time to consider (and be proud of) how brave I am, too! In this big adventure called life, I’m stretching and growing and it’s all good.

Gone knitting!

 

Lake Living – Part of the Reason I love Maine

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Fuzzy Caterpillar - It Must be Fall!

This morning my nose was freezing cold when I woke up. I was even cold last night under a down comforter. Good sleeping weather.

The main reason, though, that I love it here is the nature. When I was up reading (and sniffling) last night, I could hear the loons calling. I love that sound – and somehow it makes you feel like you’re not alone.

This morning, I was sitting in the sun on the porch and watched a king fisher catch two fish … well, I didn’t exactly watch the darned bird – it was way to speedy for me! I saw it flash back up to the roof of the front porch after I heard the splash (twice!) and there was definitely something in it’s beak. They have a unique call so I knew it was on the roof above me but even as I watched, it moved more quickly than my eyes!

And last night on our cruise, we watched a couple of flocks of sea gulls over the lake. I’ve seen them flock over the ocean but never on the lake … well, at least I’ve not noticed it before. They were eating bugs. I didn’t know they ate bugs. Learn something new all the time!

Right now as I type this, a loon is fishing in front of the house … the wonders of nature!

We’re endeavoring to eat more vegetables and more locally. Here is lunch today …

Local tomatoes, basil from our garden, Maine-made mozzarella and freshly baked baguette from the Green Spot in Waterville. Delicious!

Going to watch the lake!

Duck, Duck …

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The sun is out today and I’m typing on my favorite desk in my favorite office … my lap is my desk and the front porch is my office. We have a new family of ducks who have been coming by to visit … and get a little bit of bread from me! 🙂

Listening to President Obama’s speech at the University of Richmond while I blog. In the sun! Just having the sun out makes my attitude so much better. I’ve finished the two baby hats that I’ve been working on and they’re really cute. I wish I had a doll or a stuffed animal to put them on for photographs. Neither my hand nor my yarn spool makes a great baby face! Regardless, they’ve turned out well.

Hat #1 is the Aviatrix Hat from Justine Turner (and a free download on Ravelry.) I knit this hat in Plymouth Yarn’s Baby Alpaca DK (colorway 753) in a wonderful grey-blue color. I love it! There are two buttons on the hat so that when baby’s chinny-chin-chin gets all pudgy and kissable, mom can loosen the strap and it will still fit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hat #2 is Garnstudio’s Dropps Bonnet in Rib in Alpaca . It’s such a cute hat and I know it’s going to grow well with the baby as the 3×3 rib is really stretchy. The reason I really like this hat is that it goes over baby’s head like a hood – and they can’t pull it off! I knit this with Reynolds Revue 100% Merino wool in (color 1431) a raisin color – it’s a pretty brownish wine color (in these photos it looks way more pink than in real life!)  that I think will be very “in” this year since it’s an organic color and found in nature. The only “issue” I have with this hat is, I think, the nature of merino wool in that it shows all the increases around the bottom of the hat. Fortunately, it will be under the baby’s jacket but it’s still aggravating for me to be able to see the “irregularity” of the stitches.

I’m having a really proud moment, though, because I tried something that I’ve never done before. (Although, my knitting friend Bob in Ohio did it for me once several years ago.) Anyway, after reviewing several videos, I did a single crochet edging around the opening of the hat and it looks great! I wish I had a doll or a stuffed animal here that I could put the hat on to show it off better … hope my new mom will send me a photo of baby in the hat and for the meantime, my photos on my antique spool will have to do. That’s life!

I found a really quick baby mittens pattern to send along with the hats … without having to knit a thumb gusset, it’s a really quick knit and very quick, indeed!

I’ve been thinking that I need to design and knit up a case for my new computer … cabled? or patterned? lined? unlined? We’ll see what I come up with. I have some really cool yarn that I bought out in northern California in December that has some cat hair in it … and pretty sparkly blue, too. I think that will be my yarn choice! I also have the “Kate Middleton” shawl that I bought some new yarn for. I’ll let you know what I decide!

So, from my porch office with the breezes blowing gently … gone knitting!

On Summer

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Firefly!

The first thing I think about when I think about summer is fireflies (second only to honeysuckle and other flowers and the call of loons and swimming and …)

I remember collecting them when I was a child and then passing on my love of these brilliant bugs to my children. We’d get a great big glass or plastic jar and punch lots of holes in the lid for air. They’d fill the bottom with grass and sticks and leaves and then the fun really begins – collecting the bugs and watching them light up. Running around outside in the dark (without the fear of stepping in dog poop) and the squeals of glee when, “I caught one!” was called. It was always such fun to watch their little faces peering into their jar watching the bugs light. They (and we) would have been outside all night – or at least until all the bugs were caught or asleep!

When I was a kid, I always wanted to take them to my room and keep them for a night light … and in the morning they were all dead (or nearly dead) and I’d release them anyway. (Because we all know that miracles happen.) I don’t remember my kids taking them inside to die. I think we were more concerned with teaching them to respect all living things and that the reality is that they’ll die in captivity. Real world, heartbreaking reality. But it helped my kids turn into compassionate human beings.

Lightning bugs still are harbingers of summer in my mind and there’s nothing better than a lovely summer night when the fireflies are out and I remember the wonderful days when my children were little and passing on the traditions of collecting fireflies. Gotta love summer!!!

Loom Dude's Knitted Firefly

Here’s a compatriot’s pattern for knitting fireflies! What a wonderful idea, Loom Dude! Click HERE to flit over to the Loom Dude’s blog to collect the pattern!

Enjoy what’s left of your summer!

Gone knitting!

Finished

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I’ve finished the Noni tote bag. F-I-N-I-S-H-E-D!

With the Pattern

It’s finished! Done! Off the needles and waiting to be felted (and lined and handled…). Woo! Hoo! And just in the nick of time so I don’t have to part from it for ten days with several rows left undone. I just love it when the projects are completed – especially when they come out so well!

I am really excited to see it felted. It’ll have to wait a few days, though because I’m still on the road toward home.

What a fun project … despite a few challenges (like being able to count) … and I am thrilled with the way it has turned out. I really like the color choices (although I have to admit that I’ve thought it would look great reversed, too) and I am glad that I made the main color gray. The acid green/yellow is a good accent and the pattern pops! Yippee!

On the needles:

One down, one to go!

Alpaca fingerless mittens found on Ravelry … Basketweave Gauntlet by Isabeau Knits. This is a pretty simple pattern to follow. The first pair I made were finished in a day-ish and I loved them (as did their recipient). This pair is also a gift … and I think they’re going to be beautiful … and warm!

Sending the two socks on one needle home with N. His dog got into them today. He’s old and has Cushings Disease and fortunately there was no major harm done. I was stuck anyway … need some help figuring out how to turn the heel despite having looked it up on the Internet. Thought I had it but not so much! LOL!

My cotton vest is growing exponentially. I love it and I think it will be something that I’ll

Two inches to go on the back ...

live in come fall and winter … well, at least when we’re in Florida. It may not be warm enough for Maine.

Have purple yarn to make some more baby hats for Click for Babies Period of Purple Crying project. I’ve donated one so far and want to do a couple more. I will be donating mine in Maine.

Too late to knit more tonight but I’ll be back at it tomorrow … pictures are coming!

Gone … to bed to read!

 

 

Laundry Soap Pudding

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Well, we’ve talked about making our own laundry soap and it seems fitting that we would do that here in Maine where because of our proximity to the lake, we feel like we care even more about the earth and what we use on it.

Today we washed (for maybe the first time in their lives) the seat covers on the porch chairs. To be fair, we had to pick two of the same items to see which one cleans better … laundry soap from the store or the soap we made.

No clear results. Our chair cushions were so dirty that we don’t see any noticeable improvement with either soap! Next!? Guess we’ll have to try our clothes and see what happens.

*Queen Bee’s Update* – I’ve got to tell you, this is a great discovery! Not only does this laundry soap really work (clothes are at least as clean as they are when washed in the grocery store soap) but it costs only pennies per load. And it’s easy enough to make and keep! Here’s the recipe:

Grate a bar of Fels Naptha soap into 3 quarts of water. Simmer the water and grated soap mixture until the soap melts. In a bucket filled with a gallon plus 1 quart of water, add 1 cup borax and 1 cup washing soda. Now mix the hot soap mixture into the bucket. Mix well.

That’s it! When you let the mixture sit around it’s going to turn to a pudding-like consistency. It’s not “pretty” but it works and you can buy all the ingredients at the grocery store. We are using 1/2 cup of soap per large load and the clothes are smelling fresh and getting clean! Woo Hoo!

Increases (Stitches and Residents)

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I’ve been making a pair of Bella Mittens (and they’re quite lovely) from the free pattern on Ravelry but you can find them on Marielle Henault’s blog by clicking here. I really like the way they’re knitting up and the yarn that I bought for them at Halcyon Yarns in Bath is really soft and a pretty color. I’m quite pleased.

One of the things I like best about the pattern is the way that Marielle does her increases in the thumb gusset. I’ve made a bunch of gloves and mittens and never were the directions (at least it’s my perception) so clear. And she has designed using M1, one is a left-leaning increase and one a right-leaning increase which makes the added stitches look so pretty on the finished garment.

The left-leaning increase or M1L is made by using the left needle to pick up the stitch between the two needles from the front to the back and then knitting into the back of the stitch. Thus adding a stitch.

The right leaning increase is just a tiny bit different – you pick up the stitch from the back to the front and then knit into the front of the stitch. Notice how each different increase leans slightly to the left or right … cool, huh?

The end result is a really nice looking gusset (once you’ve increased a few times, you’ll see the pretty pattern developing. This can really be used in any mitten or glove pattern where there are increases for the thumb gusset and they make the piece look so professionally done. Imagine caring about the garment that you are making?! 🙂

So, now that you’ll be practicing your increases, the residents in our home will also be increasing. My brothers all arrive with their wives, families and dogs on Thursday evening. We can hardly wait – although our dogs will be a bit less comfortable with all the cousins around. My eldest daughter is also coming with her boyfriend and dog. We’ll be ten adults, three children and eight dogs. One brother and two sisters (I’ve told you before how I don’t like the in-law tag, right? I believe that my brother’s wife is my sister and that’s just that. Having been an in-law for almost 30 years, I never was made to feel an equal in their family and I don’t want that in my family) … as I was saying, my oldest brother and two of my sisters, happens to be the two newest ones, have never been to Maine. So, we’ll be eating a lot of lobster and touring our old stomping grounds from when we were kids. The house will be full of fishermen and women, knitters, dogs, dirt, laundry, cooks, dish washers and lots and lots of love.

I feel so blessed to have my family growing exponentially after the age of 50 … and it’s just not my kids who are adding those family members! Maybe that’s the coolest part of all. One new sister by marriage and a new big brother and sister by miracle.

Life is good!

Gone knitting!

Lucky Me!

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This is my coffee cup. I made it in a pottery (wheel) class in Cincinnati ages ago and it lives here in our summer “camp” in Maine. This is my summer “office”, the front porch. Most days, this is what it looks like when I get to the office at 7 or 8 a.m. My typical day starts here with my knitting bag and whatever knitting project I happen to be working on – some days I even let myself choose to knit just for fun! I realize that not everyone gets to take their work with them on the road and I am feeling extremely grateful today that I have the most wonderful (and beautiful) “office” to work in.

I’m off to the office.  (*wink* *wink*)

Yummy Yarn and One I Can’t Find in Maine

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I bought the most wonderful yarn to make my big brother a pair of socks for his double nickel birthday. I had to really search my brain to remember where I found this picture which was and is my inspiration for the pair that I’m knitting. But, I found it on Ravelry when I was searching for a pattern for a pair of socks for a man (with pictures and free.) The pattern was found on Ravelry (if you’re a knitter and don’t know about Ravelry, I’m sure you must have just crawled out from under a rock in a far, far off land!) but it was originally from Knitty (again … if you don’t know about it, not sure where you’ve been living.) If you visit the Knitty Website and search for “Java”, you’ll find this lovely sock pattern (and many other patterns) for FREE!

Anywhoooo … I have my very own tried and true pattern and since these are a gift, I’m going to use my trusty old pattern and I’m going to endeavor to add a couple of these beautiful cables. BUT, the reason that I’m writing about this picture really, is all about the yarn.

I loved the name, Java, first and foremost because I love coffee and so does my big brother. I’m not, however, a huge fan of brown but this pattern showed a lovely mix or tones of brown and so I decided to look into the yarn and the place from whence it comes. Which lead me to String Theory and their hand-dyed Bluestocking yarns. Imagine my surprise, when I realized that they’re only about two hours away in Blue Hill, Maine! So, feeling like this was karma, I ordered a skein of the yarn and had it mailed to our “camp” in Maine hoping that it would arrive before we had to leave for a weekend in Florida. Which, thanks to the good old US Postal Service (thank you very much!), it did!

On the Needles

And it is the yummiest yarn I’ve had the pleasure to knit with since knitting the Senorita Lolita sweater with the Koigu KPPM yarn (“skeinlettes” that I won in the Jimmy Beans Wool facebook design contest ever so long ago and which, it seems, I can’t yet buy in Maine despite the fact that it’s made just over the border in Canada!) I’ve wandered off again but as I reign myself back in to talk about the Bluestocking yarn from Maine, it’s the softest yarn and it’s a delight to knit with – never splitting and sliding smoothly over my needles and off. And … it really is pretty, too! And now I’m going to have to beg for another fiber field trip to the shop where maybe I can witness some dyeing!

… and according to the String Theory Website, there’s a fiber fair coming up really soon and I’m wondering what I’d have to promise my sweetie in order to get there for a workshop or two!

Gone knitting!