Practically finished!

The following items are DONE! Hooray! Well except for the fact that they both need their ends woven in, and to be blocked.. minor finishing details aside, they are done!

The first is The Queen's Christmas scarf. This was the gift for this past xmas, not this coming one... But we did Christmas in February, if you remember, so I'm really only 6 months late, not 2/3 of the year.


Anyhow so the yarn is Alpaca, and I don't have any more information with me on it. I used size 6 crystal palace straight needles. and one ball of each of the three colors... Which I am sure would be more useful to know if I knew what the yarn was (I'll update my Ravelry page when I know). It is a Lynn Wilsons Design, Slip Stitch Sampler Scarf Pattern, which is not on rav. It was a fairly simple pattern, once I got the hang of it. You knit one half, and then knit the second half exactly the same and do a three needle bind off. I ended up adding a ton of extra rows, and switching the color orders around in the end to ensure that the scarf would be long enough. I love how it turned out, despite the frustration of it taking forever, I think I just got annoyed that I had to do the same thing all over again to make the second piece, and I lost interest. Hopefully it will enjoy it, and get use out of it.

The second thing that is almost finished, is Stella! She is a beaut! I cannot wait until she is blocked and ready to wear! I just hope she will block out a little longer.. she is the perfect width, but a little extra length would go a long way, so we'll see. She was knit in the Stacy Charles Stella yarn on size 6 Crystal Palace circulars. The pattern was a freebee from Ravelry call the "Diamond Lace Rib Bolero" and I quite like how it worked up. I first worked on this last summer in the Hampton's, so it only seemed appropriate to bring it this year, and finish it here.

So excited that these are both ready for blocking! I can't wait to get them home to start the stretching!

Eatin' Good: Around Town

Being in the Hampton's for work for the entire month has it's perks. Probably the best one in my mind, is that I am surrounded by delicious cuisine. Here's a look at what I've been eating around town since I arrived:

Some coffee spots:
Jack's in Amagansett, has fabulous coffee, if you are anywhere near the east end of long island, you need to make a pit stop... or there's there Manhattan location too.

Some good lunch spots in Sag Harbor...
Provisions is a health food store with a pretty great cafe counter. The food is made fresh to order, and they have smoothies, fresh juices, coffees and teas as well..





The Dock House is another good spot, for a quick lunch or dinner. Last year I had a lobster roll there, and this year I had some fired clam strips and waffle fries. They have a host of great fresh seafood, being right on the dock in the harbor where the boats arrive probably doesn't hurt that.

Some Dinner spots I've enjoyed all over...
La Superica is a Mexican place in the downtown Sag Harbor area, I had there fajitas, and there guacamole. They had good food, but were a bit overpriced. They also had a good bar scene.
Bay Burger, on the Sag Harbor/Bridgehampton tpk is fabulous! They bake their own buns, and grind their own beef. The patty was cooked to perfection, the toppings were fresh and delish, and the bun was the perfect holder of all that goodness. They also have a few local beers on tap, along with milkshakes, and tater tots, who doesn't love a place where they can order Tots?!
The Sloppy Tuna is the restaurant that Patrick and I went to in Montauk when he was out. The food was superb! We had the scallop app, and He had the Lobster Roll Entre, while I had the Tuna special, I don't know what was in the dish, but oh my goodness it was a flavorful explosion! It had a good atmosphere too. But there dessert menu was lacking, if ya ask me..

Some Night Spots:
Other than the grabbing a beer at the Mexican restaurant, the only place I've gone out to since I've arrived is The Surf Lodge. It is supposedly The spot. It was extremely crowded, but it did have a funky vibe and awesome interior design, including these very fun hanging chairs! Patrick and I went there after dinner, had one drink, walked around, and then left.

Eatin' Good: At Home

We have had a few good meals since we arrived... most of them cooked or at least prepped by yours truly.

In the first week we had a flank steak marinated in soy sauce and e.v.o.o., which was super yummy, we grilled it for about 6 minutes per side, making the ends of the steak well done, and the inside med. rare. Something for everyone. Served it up with some grilled corn on the cob and some roasted beets...Yum!

The following night, with the leftovers, I made a little chop salad, and added the corn (taken off the cob), and the flank steak re-heated and cubed. The salad also had plump grape tomatoes, diced red onion, fresh green beans, and a sprinkle of feta. Drizzled that with some oil and balsalmic and it made a lovely salad!

We've had plenty of white fish while we've been here. For that, I've basically been tossing it on the grill with a drizzle of olive oil and S & P. Then when its served up, squeezing some fresh lemon juice over the top. It's simple and delicious. I've also done the fish broiled on high with a drizzle of e.v.o.o., S & P, and Old Bay seasoning... and that is also quite yummy! I'm not the biggest fan of reheated fish, so I don't have any day 2 suggestions for ya there, but if you've got any for me, feel free to share!

For a meatless option, I cooked up some macaroni noodles, and pan fried some grape tomatoes, and yellow zucchini from the farm stand with crumbled tofu. You could do this with pasta sauce to, but we didn't have any on hand and I love squashing the little tomatoes! Drain the pasta and pour in some oil and salt, then toss it with the veg mixture, and season to taste. This is also good with mushrooms, and onions. Reheat the leftovers a couple days later for a yummy hot lunch.


That's what I have for you for some good eats. We have been grilling up all kinds of burgers, and dogs too.. and thankfully the kids pallets have enjoyed most of what's been served. (And when they don't, they get PB&J.)

Tonight I'm grilling some chicken, marinated in a teriyaki sauce! Should be good with some green beans and maybe some quinoa.

So, what are you cooking? Happy Eats.

Playing at the Beach

This year, we are again, withing walking distance to the beach. Technically, we are right on a little salt pond that leads out to the Harbor, but there is just marshy area in the back yard. So we walk to the beach. The kids love this beach because it has the little inlet that they can play in and see the Minos and other tiny sea-creatures. The beach area is rather rocky, but it is perfect for practicing throwing. We can wind up and see who gets the greatest Ker-PLUNK! We have also been collecting a lot of shells, horse-shoe crab skeletons, little pieces of driftwood, etc. Jinx loves lifting up the rocks and digging in the muck to see what she can find. The other day she decided to paint her entire body with the mucky sand and then wobble over to the waters edge to splash around and rinse off.



All in all it is a great little spot we have here in Sag Harbor. I think it is perfect for the kids. The rocky beaches can be just as much fun, if not more fun than the sandy beaches for kids in the 1-6 age range. Exploring is fun!

We have planned lots of crafts to do with all of the beach-y items we have been collecting, but have yet to actually do any of them. You can do a lot with them though. I was telling the kids we could use the pieces of sea-glass, shell bits, and pebbles to make a mosaic. We'll see if we get to it.

Today the air feels light and crisp like the fall! We'll see what fun we can find this week!

Hope everyone enjoyed an excellent weekend! I had an awesome couple of days off :)

Sailing, Sailing

Right before I left for the Hamptons, Patrick and I decided to spend the entire day, just relaxing and hanging out.

We had tickets for a sailboat cruise out of New Haven and we scheduled to be on the brunch cruise that day. It was a gorgeous day to set sail, the sun was shining, and the breeze was perfect. The tickets said that it was a 2 hour cruise, but we were all on the boat for about 2 hours and 45 minutes, and not a single person was upset about the added time. It was amazing to be on a large sailboat (it was 100' in length including the beams that extend to support the sails). It was beautiful with all four of the sails up and just enjoying the brunch and the company of the other people on the boat.



I even got some knitting done!


Someday I will learn how to sail and save for a tiny boat (that's all I'll be able to afford) but it really only needs to hold 2 people. I find being out on the water so relaxing and peaceful. I love it!

After our sail that day, we went to the beach and relaxed for a while, and then made our way back to my place so I could pack. We ordered take-out from a local Mexican place (one of my favorite types of cuisine), and streamed some movies on netflix.

All in all it was the perfect low key day spent with Patrick. It was great to get to spend the whole day together in our busy schedules just hanging out before I left. I am leaving Sag Harbor tomorrow and hopping on another boat (the ferry) to cross the sound and have some downtime for the weekend! I cannot wait! It is much needed. It is so beautiful here, and I do enjoy the opportunity to be here in this gorgeous place. But there is nothing like an entire day off or sleeping in your own bed!

Anyone have any fabulous plans for the weekend?

Baby Projects

A good warm weather project for any baby that is sitting up on their own is to let them paint. I put Jinx outside for a little tactile and color amusement. It's a very simple project.. Lay out a large piece or several large pieces of paper put a glob of each of the primary colors on... you can work with just one when they are younger, but as they age, it is fun to play with the primaries and see how they swirl, mingle, and mix together to become new colors. I let her sit in just a diaper and paint with her whole body to feel it and make what ever she wanted. The clean up is a breeze too! The baby goes in the tub.. the art stays out to dry, and the patio hoses right off!

You could probably apply this project to your dogs too if you needed some good paw prints, you could put down a tray of a color that coordinates with your decor, and then walk them through the trey and onto the paper... cut out a good looking series of prints or one that looks great and frame them up solo or in a cluster.

Your dogs may freak out by the project, but Jinx sure had fun!

North Haven Knits

North Haven is the name of the village of the Hampton's that we are technically staying in this year. It is 5 minutes from downtown Sag Harbor, and I love the vibe! It is not overly ritzy like the area we were in last year, but it is still amazingly gorgeous!

So last year I got a little carried away with bringing projects to the Hampton's to work on... but this year I think I did a more practical job of packing knits.

From Last year.. Remember Stella? This year She will be completed!


Also ready to be finished is The Queen's Christmas 2010 Present! I know, I know, it has taken way more than it's share of time.. and I have gotten sick of it, and started and finished other things in the meantime... but it is time to finish it once and for all! I want to mail it out by the end of the month! And for the record, I only have about 15% left to finish anyway.


Recently cast on is a knit along cardigan. The pattern "Corinne" is a knitty pattern, that my LYS chose for a knit-along. I decided to do it because it seems like a quick mindless cardi, that is knit in a different way. So far it is coming right along, with the Left front completed, and half of the Left sleeve short rows done! I'm hoping to have it completed by Mid September..depending on how much knitting time I actually get here...



And the final craft the got to come along is my drop-spindle. I got this a few years ago at the CT Sheep and Wool fest... I tried it out a couple of times when I first got it, but hadn't really used it consistently at all... but it is very portable, and easy to get the hang of. It is also very soothing and almost entrancing. Needless to say, it joined the bag of crafts, and I am excited to keep practicing with it!

So that's it for the fiber crafts... for other entertainment, I brought whichever Melanie Travis Mystery I am currently on, my Nook, and have already purchased a knitting mag at the local bookstore. I shall be plenty busy crafting while I'm not busy working.

Any fun August projects or summer finishing going on?

August means The Hampton's

We are here again for the month.

Last year we were staying in Amaganset, which is a little area that from my understanding is a part of East Hampton. Everything last year was very lavish, and chic. The scenery was amazing! Here is a photo recap of last year:







It's Lovely isn't it. Last year, we had a lot of fun soaking in the sun and building memories. This year should be just as much fun! It's day four and we are already living it up! Looking forward to the rest of August :)

Memorial Day in Maine

Another awesome trip, and it is about time I posted about it!


Patrick had never been camping and I wanted to show him how much fun it can be. So we invested in a ton of camping gear and booked a site on the coast of Maine in Cape Neddick. We stayed at Dixon's Campground, which I highly recommend. The grounds were lovely, they had great facilities, and were well maintained.



We arrived in Maine on the Wednesday night leading into Memorial Day weekend. We had to pitch our new tent in the dark, with only the moon, and our headlights illuminating the site. Then we ate a late dinner of grilled chicken breasts, that had been marinating for 24 hours, and we were early to bed!



The following morning we awoke refreshed and ready for the Maine experience. After making breakfast, we ventured out to Ogunquit beach (Pictured at the top). It was breathtaking. The beach was sandy, with huge sand dunes separating the ocean from the Ogunquit River. It was sunny, yet windy, but the scenes were gorgeous, and the fresh Maine ocean air was the best! After walking and exploring there for an hour or so, we traveled north to Kennebunkport. What an adorable little town! Here is a picture of the back of all the little stores.. I loved how close together they all were, and how they backed up to the waterway! This was my favorite town of the trip. It was just the right size of quaintness, yet not desertedly small. There were things to do and places to go, and we soaked it up. We made our way through Kennebunk on our way back to the campground later in the day and just hung out. We had another good couple of meals on our awesome little camp stove, and roasted marshmallows on sticks over the fire that night.


Friday morning we decided to check out Portsmouth, NH, as we were just a short jog over the ME, NH line.
We wandered around there for the better part of the day. It was a nice town as well. Lovely views, and fun shops. We made a pit stop at york beach on our way back, and then ventured back out again a little later for a Maine Date night, of mini golf, and sundaes! Patrick may have won mini golf, but I got 2 hole-in-ones! Making Grandpa proud!
We made our way back and made another fire until we were too tired from all that fresh air, and called it a night.

Saturday, we spend the morning packing up. On our way out we stopped and bought some live Lobsters...eek! (They were to bring to his parent's house for their anniversary.) Then we had some lobster rolls overlooking the ocean on York Beach. It was everything I could have expected from that lunch and more! I have never tasted lobster so fresh and delicious!

We then drove down the east coast from Maine to New Jersey. (We saw a double rainbow on the drive, which I have never seen before, but I only managed to capture a single rainbow!) We made it to Patrick's parent's in time for their anniversary dinner, including the live lobsters... which I did not cook...don't worry.. but I did eat and they were fabulous! 2 meals of lobster in one day! I'm living the life! We also celebrated Patrick's birthday.


Sunday everyone took me to Princeton to show me around the town. It was a nice little town. Very collegiate. After some quality time with his family we got back in the car and drove home to Connecticut.

Monday became a much needed veg day after a lot of weekend fun!

Mid-Summer Mystery Shawl

About a month ago, I participated in a mystery knit-along. I did it with my mom, Channon, and a few gals from the LYS. It was really great to be doing it with so many friends. What a wonderful bonding experience!

I knit mine in linen by EuroFlax, So that it would be nice and light for a humid summer evening. I have even had a few opportunities to wear it! I love it. And I should since I knit it 3 times before I was finished. I added an extra repeat to the body to make it larger... and although I don't have any photos of it blocked, it became even larger and even more lovely.



I love the color, and although the texture of the yarn took some getting used to, I quite like how it feels after soaking.

Happy knitting!

Boston with the Boy

In late April, Patrick took me to Boston for an overnight. We went to a Mariners v Red Sox game at Fenway Park. Stayed at an awesome hotel, and toured the city.

We arrived Saturday evening around 5, checked into our hotel, and then navigated the T to Fenway Park. The game was fantastic! I love baseball, especially going to games, and this is the first Mariners game I have been in attendance to since I was at the game that I got my cross-country moving job offer. It was a fabulous game. It moved quickly and there was some team drama with Milton Bradley.. I believe at this point he is not even on the team anymore... I should really blog more often! Anyhow the M's won! I convinced Patrick to hang around and watch the team exit the stadium.. but ya know without their uniforms, it is pretty darn hard to recognize any of them. Nonetheless it was a thrilling event. We stopped for ice cream on the way back and then called it a night.

The next day we ventured back downtown, and took the "Ride the Ducks Boston" tour. It was awesome! I have taken the duck tour in Seattle with Bora Bora, and ever since then I have wanted to do it in every town that has them! I was so happy when Patrick agreed to go. It is such a fun way to see all of the important sites in a town in one shot. I even got to drive the duck in the Boston Harbor!! So cool!

On our way out of town, we stopped for a nice seafood dinner. It was a relaxing end to a nice trip.

1 Year Down...

1 year to go!!

I just finished spring semester, it was significantly more challenging than fall, but that's how it works sometimes i suppose. No grades yet, but I expect a B average this time around.

Outside of school, life is good! I actually hae time to knit again, and have been knitting away at The Queen'schrismas '11 scarf...it is gorgeous...and i hate it! So in much need of a knitting time-out, the Queen herself recommended we knit along with a mystery shawl! How fun is that?! I popped into my lys yesterday and picked up a lovely steely violet linen, and discovered that one of the gals from the shop is knitting it to! So now I'll have my mom calling and checking the blog for updates, and some local gals at my store to check in with as well! I havea feelinghat this shawl is going to fly off the needles! And what a wonderful break it will be from that scarf!

Ive had a few mini trips too, that i will post on as soon as i get the photos uploaded!

Happy knitting

The Best Trip Ever

At the end of February, I skipped a week of school, and took a much needed vacation from work, to spend a week home in Seattle, with my family.

My heart swelled the entire time I was there, in fact, I think it is so full with love and happiness that it just might burst! And I also decided, with some help from the Queen, that you can't be poor if you have love.

I landed on a Tuesday night at about 9:30, and when I arrived at the house, my parents weren't even home! How rude! But when they came in with a Wii, I excused them.

Wednesday, I had a dental appointment, and then we wandered around downtown Edmonds--I love that town! Eventually we made our way back to the house.. got the wii all set up, and ordered pizza. Bora Bora came over, with her mom (who is a great friend of my mom's) and we had wii, wine, and pizza! It was a blast!

Thursday, I had plans with my dad, but as there was a dusting of snow, the place we were heading was closed, so my pops came in and we showed him how the wii works, and then we had some father-daughter bonding time, before going to my eye appointment. Afterward, Jess, Dad, and I went out to lunch. Mr. J and Mom met us for dessert, and then Dad had to take off afterward, and the rest of us meandered around the mall for a bit. Afterward we went home for some Parmesan fish! Yum!!

Friday, Bora Bora picked me up from the rents, and we went for a delicious breakfast in Woodenville, and then for pedi's in alderwood.. We eventually made our way back to the house around 1ish, and we all left at 2:30 for wine tasting! They have all of these tasting rooms scattered around Woodenville, and we made our way through 6 of them, sharing the tastings between Mr. Jay, Laura, and myself. Some of the wine was Wonderful, and some of it was much worse! But it was great fun, and mom got her creativity running with her camera! Later that night we gathered with a group of my friends at Red Hook for dinner and beer. It was so much fun to get everyone all together.

Saturday, we just hung out at home for a bit, then Laura and I went out to run some errands and re-arrange her furniture, of course we got carried away with fun, and didn't end up getting back to my parents for prime rib dinner until 5:30! Woops!
It was good regardless, and with great company :)

Sunday we had a lazy morning. I went and got coffee with my Grandpa, I love catching up with him, I love that he is a part of my life. On my way home I made a pit stop at my Best Friend Heather's house, for literally 30 min (it was the only chance we had to see each other!), and then picked up Jess and checked out her new grown up furniture!
I had decared it family Christmas! So once mr. Jay was up, he made Eggs benidict, and we all got ready to venture down to Freemont. It was so much fun. Great booths, with awesome jewelry and gems.. we find a few new treasures. Stopped for a quick snack and some adult beverages. Next was to Theo's chocolate factory for some delicious samples, and I bought a lot of chocolate! Lastly we ventured to the Troll! When we finally got back home, we made disgusting caserole, and opened pressies! I feel so blessed to have had such a great time, the gifts were the icing on the cake! My mom finally finished the quilt, that we bought fabric for when I was 8; and she knit me the most amazing knee-high cashmere socks! Jess made me fingerless mitts, and an adorable hat! As it was hand made Xmas, Mr. Jay hand selected some awesome jewelry!

Monday was a day to me.... I had to get my first ever cavity filled..and I survived to tell about it! Then I did some homework, and napped with the hounds, and made dinner.. we had a quiet and wonderful evening at home to finish up my trip, and a tearful goodbye before bed.

My dad picked me up at 5am the next morning and I snuck in to give one last kiss to Mom and Mr. Jay before I left. Dad took Jess and I to get a required coffee on our way to the airport, and I made it to the plane on time.

It was the best trip ever. I love my family so much and spending time with them is so wonderful, I really cannot wait until I graduate!

The only downfall to the week was that I missed a significant amount of school, and now I'm drowning in projects... so what am I doing... blogging at starbucks.

Guess I should get back to it. Hug your family!

Missed a few biggies

Since the last post we have had Thanksgiving. How was yours? For my thanksgiving, I shared it with great friends from my knitting group. I spent the late morning hours with Miss L... she made us fabulous Cucumber vodka bloody Mary's. They were delicious! Then I trekked over to another friend from knitting's house, where there was quite the group of 17 people if I remember correctly. They made 2 turkeys! There was lots of knitting, great food, and merriment. It was a good holiday.

Then there was that actual Christmas.. I say actual, because I decided that since I wasn't home with my loved ones, I wanted to push off Family Christmas until I made it home. Did everyone have a good Christmas? Any new traditions? I started a new tradition with the Bean Family! They are Jewish, and I found these Hanukkah themed cookie cutters, a menorah, star of David, and a dreidel, and we made sugar cookies, and decorated them. It was quite the project for Freddie and Jock, we had quite a bit of fun, and are sure to do it in future years! As for what I did on Christmas day, I opened stockings on the phone with Mom, Mr. Jay, and Jess. We got some good stuff. Then I went to another friend from knitting's house, and enjoyed a wonderful evening! We had homemade lasagna, which was fantastic, and homemade bread, and a salad that all followed a beautiful cheese & wine course! It was so elegant! Santa even stopped by there place and left me a fondue set, that I haven't found time to use yet, but I am aching to have a party with!

I have quite the secondary family over here with all of my wonderful knitting friends. I feel so lucky to have them all here supporting me emotionally, and helping me through the holidays!

What was after that... oh yeah, an entirely new year!
Happy 2011!
I am not big on new years resolutions... but because my birthday is so close to the new year, I do try to make each birth year a year better than the previous. This year I am trying to keep on top of my fitness, and not necessarily loose weight, but just keep healthy, and maintain a balance. (although 10lbs wouldn't hurt!) Other than that, I want to focus on not being such a consumer. Buying things I need are great, and if I purchase something that will help me to better organize my life, I am ok with that as well... but I have enough stuff!
I also made some knitting goals... I would love to do real colorwork this year, and I think I am finally ready to knit a pair of socks *gasp* Other than that, I just want to work out of my stash, I have learned that my stash pales in comparison to some of my friends, but still, I need not buy any more yarn... I have plenty to do projects with... and most of them are paired up with patterns already! Now I just have to find the time outside of school and work to keep knitting!

I also turned 25! It was a dazzling birthday in the big apple! I spent the evening dining in style with my friend Tosha, and then we enjoyed a few beers at the expense of the lovely people in Manhattan that were treating me for my big day! It was absolutely amazing! We were even able to stay in the city at Mrs. Bean's brother's place. (He let me stay there, and stayed at his gf's so we didn't have to worry about timing.. so gracious!)
So here's to the quarter century mark, and having yet another great year!

And last but not least... the final school report from last semester...
In my Math Class I received an A
In my Color & Lighting Class, an A
In CAD I received an A-
And in my Building Tech, a B

I made the dean's list, and despite the B... I am very proud of what I accomplished last semester. I hope to maintain these good grades this spring!

Hope to get another post up soon... maybe even with some pictures! (although, no promises!)