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 :)