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.

Where Have I Been?

Seems it has been forever since I sat down to update this blog-not really, it just seems that way. So what have I been doing and where have I been? Knitting, spinning, reading, working and to Virginia answers those questions. Knitting on socks, a lace scarf; spinning more Leiscester & Dorset and some alpaca/merino blend; reading more Donna Leon 'Inspector Guido Brunetti' books (once you start this series, you can't stop); spending Sunday's at The Spinnery working; and dining with former colleagues at a wonderful B&B and visiting good friends at their beautiful home in Virginia. Also spending time with good friends - both old & new and welcoming in my favorite season of the year- Autumn!

The SS09 socks are completed and have already been worn on a couple of our cooler days and the Cat's Paw scarf is just rows from being completed. I have already decided on my next lace scarf pattern - 'Branching Out' which I will knit in Shetland yarn. My needles also hold another pair of socks, of course, my needles always hold at least one pair of socks in the works. This pattern is perfect for Autumn but since this pattern requires diligence and concentration, I will be casting-on another pair that will be portable. I finished the fourth (!!) Penllyn sock this morning -so I can justify casting on another pair of socks - Yea! I say 'pair' because that is what I will do - cast-on a pair and I think it will be toe-up on Magic Loop. The Falling Leaves sock required me to finally get a grip on making a short-row heel and I find it quick and not too awful looking. I also like not having to pick-up gusset stitches, my least favorite part of knitting socks. You may also remember that I will not have to purchase any yarn to begin a new pair of socks, another plus; even though, just this week, I had 2 new skeins of gorgeous sock yarn join their new friends in my stash. These yarns are from Blue Moon Fiber Arts and are called Gail's Autumn Joy and Fall "On Tap" - you can just imaging the colors; now tell me, how could I have resisted these yarns!

Oh, yes, I also attended the Garden State Sheep & Fiber Fest a couple of weeks ago with my DH and a friend, an excellent knitter and just getting into spinning; and, yes, I did come home with more fiber and yarn. But, I had to - I had no choice! One must support ones local merchants, mustn't one? And this same friend and I took a 2 session Drop Spindle class at the Museum of Early Trades and Crafts in Madison, NJ. A good class with an excellent teacher and we both came away with a skein of 2-ply drop-spindled yarn and a desire to spin some more on our drop spindles. It will never replace my wheel but I feel like a more complete spinner since I can now spin and ply decent yarn on the drop spindle. BTW, if you are in the area and have never visited this gem of a museum - drop in sometime.

During my sojourn from 'blog updating' I made my first needle felted item - a little pumpkin, just in time for Autumn. This process is fun and I see some simple Christmas presents being made over the next few weeks. It is sure faster than knitting presents for everyone. And, finally, I taught (and got paid to do it!) my first knitting class at The Spinnery last week - I really enjoyed it and am now writing a Socks 101 class that I will teach on November 14, 2009. This is wine-making time and DH is vamping up for that this coming weekend. So things have not been quiet at Davenport Pines while I have been away from my blog. Hope all of you have been busy, happy and well. 'See' you soon.

PS. If you have not seen the movie 'Julia & Julie' - don't miss it!

PPS. As I read back over this Blog entry - I realize how correct Eric (Julie's husband in the movie) was when he said to Julie "It is all about you." By its nature a Blog is all about you - hmmm, I have to think about if I like that.