Our Favorite Place

After we spent Saturday in Rhinebeck, NY at the NY Sheep & Fiber Fest where I exerted all of my will-power and came away with only 3 bags of fiber & yarn - we headed to Maine and one of our most favorite holiday locations. It doesn't seem possible that just a few weeks ago we were enjoying the comfort of this wonderful place...Topside Inn, which sits on Boothbay Harbor's highest hill. We have been returning here every year (sometimes twice) for many years for rejuvenation and relaxation. The innkeepers, Brian & Ed, make us feel very much at home and we spend wonderful days in the fresh, clear air just reading, knitting and walking. We love this wonderful fishing village - Boothbay Harbor, and especially enjoy spending time there in the off-season when most of the tourists have fled south and we can walk the streets alone at night. This past October we spent a particularly peaceful holiday not moving the car from the time we arrived until we, sadly, had to leave. We started the days at our favorite corner table on the dining porch sipping tea and quietly watching the lobster boats head out for the day. Then our delicious breakfasts, always presented beautifully, are served. After breakfast we usually spent an hour or so reading in the living room in front of a toasty fire (this was October in Maine and temperatures were quite cool in the mornings - my Maine Morning Mitts came in very handy). Then we usually moved to the 3rd floor sitting area and gloried in the gorgeous view. DH read and I knit. The weather was so perfect on this holiday, that by late morning the temperatures had warmed up enough that we could sit in our favorite rocking chairs on the porch and continue our reading and knitting in the crystal-clear Maine sun. Time for lunch, so we walk down the hill into town for scrumptious lobster rolls and a walk around town; then back up for the rest of the afternoon to read and knit. After watching the sunset each evening, we sipped a glass of wine and then headed back into town for dinner and another long walk around town and the harbor. Back to the Inn to read by the fire before turning in so that we were rested for another perfect Maine day at Topside Inn. It doesn't get much better than this as far as we are concerned. If this type of holiday appeals there is no better spot than 'The Inn on the Hill' (Topside) in Boothbay Harbor, Maine.

I spent a lot of time reading while away but also a lot of time knitting and I almost finished my latest sock project while in Maine. Since the last couple of pairs of socks took lots of concentration & counting, I wanted a 'mindless' pair to knit while away so I decided on a 1x1 rib cuff and a 3x1 rib for the leg & instep...it was the yarn I used - Socks That Rock from Blue Mountain Fiber Arts - that made this pair of socks so special. The colorway was Fall "on Tap" and it knitted like a dream with incredible stitch definition. I am looking forward to making many more pairs of 'Socks That Rock'.

Tomorrow I teach my class - 'Socks-101' - at The Spinnery I have seven students and am really looking forward to the opportunity to turn more knitters in sock fanatics! I'll report back with some pictures next week.