Summer Travels: New York City

Central Park

New York is the meeting place of the peoples, the only city where you can hardly find a typical American. -Djuna Barnes

Seeing Jersey Boys on Broadway!

You can take the guy out of the neighborhood, but you can’t take the neighborhood out of the guy.- Frankie Valli

New York City Skyscrapers (in order from left: Chrysler Building, Flatiron Building, One World Trade Center, Empire State Building)

When I’m in New York, I just want to walk down the street and feel this thing, like I’m in a movie. -Ryan Adams

Outside Manhattan (Brooklyn Bridge, View from Staten Island Ferry, Coney Island)

I once started out to walk around the world but ended up in Brooklyn,
that Bridge was too much for me.- Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Have you ever been to NYC? What’s your favorite site/activity to do?

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Cute Knits Make Happy Babies!

Our last stop on our easy coast tour is New York City! This city is like no other! It’s vibrant, exciting, and busy at all moments of the day. The nickname, “the city that never sleeps” couldn’t be more accurate.

I use to live about 15 minutes from NYC about 3 years ago, so much of our visit consisted of visiting with friends and their cute little babies. I whipped up some little gifts awhile back and was super excited to deliver them.
For the girls I made headbands with crochet flowers:

For the little boy I made these cute Italian Flag Shorts ( acrylic blend yarn). These shorts came out fantastic! I used this guide to pattern my shortsfrom Ravelry (Itchy Fingers Longies). Warning this is not a pattern per say, but more of a guide. You will need to calculate the number of stitches based on the baby’s measurements. After all the math, the shorts are a relatively quick project.

All babies (and parents) were super happy about their surprises! Stay tuned for more travel pictures coming soon.

Summer Travels- Quebec City

Everyone has a different opinion of what is “the good life.” For me, it includes sitting at an outdoor cafe, sipping wine, and people watching. I also don’t mind the music of street performers to enhance the mood. This pretty much sums up my time in Old Town in Quebec City. Inside the stone fortress walls, the cobblestone streets and rustic buildings transform you to another time. We didn’t visit as many sites as we probably should have, but there is something to say about slowing down and taking in the scenery. It is nice to see the points of interest and take in the history of a place. Yet, sometimes one can get overwhelmed and too narrow focused on the static presentation of a place and not take in how the culture presents itself in its natural form- people interacting. Visit the sites, climb to the highest peak, explore the city centers, however, always remember to slow down when traveling as you might stumble upon a delicious surprise.

Bonjour Montréal

Ahhh Montréal how I love you! Your architecture is marvelous, the smoked meats and poutine are delicious, and your festivals are amazing. We have been in the city for about four days and have enjoyed every minute! The first evening we spent hitting the festivals. Montréal is famous for its comedy and music festivals. The Just for Laughs festival had just started and the African Nights ( or Nuits D’Afrique in French) festival was coming to an end. We ended up staying awhile at the African Nights Festival and heard a group called Gokh Bi System , a hip hop group from Senegal. They were super energetic and great performers. I love how they easily flowed between French, English, and their native language within their music.

The second day, we walked around Old Montréal and saw the historic buildings by the river in addition to the Notre-Dame Cathedral. My boyfriend (who has never been to the city before) kept marveling at how much of a European feel Montréal possess. It is remarkable how Montréal has retained the French/ European flair while evolving with the modern age. This mash up of styles really tells the tale of how the city has changed over the years.

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Sadly there is not much crafting news to report as I have been out and about for most of the days. I hope to update you with some progress on my baby blanket soon.

Stay tuned for some more Québécois updates!

Summer Travels: Lighthouse Tour

Lighthouses don’t go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shinning. – Anne Lamott

 

East Chop Lighthouse

West Chop Lighthouse

Gay Head Lighthouse

Edgartown Lighthouse

The Vineyard Lighthouse are some of my favorite features of the island. Although I have seen them a bunch of times, visiting them again always brings a smile to my face. Here are 4/5 we made it to. ( Pictured: Top- East Chop Lighthouse; Bottom from left- West Chop Lighthouse, Gay Head Lighthouse, Edgartown Lighthouse)

The Baby Blanket Curse

I swear whenever I make a baby blanket it always takes forever and I generally encounter a problem. Remember my Dogwood Blanket? Recently, my sister asked me to make a blanket for a friend of hers. I usually hate making blankets, but against better judgement I said “yes”. I decided on this Ten Stitch Zigzag by Frankie Brown. I really liked the concept of knitting with only ten stitches as well as the chevron pattern it made. The yarn I chose is mix of stash leftovers I had (Cascade Ultra Pima Cotton Fine in Yellow Rose and Ultra Cotton in Silver) as well as Sirdar Snuggly Baby Bamboo in Limey.

Taken from Ravelry
http://www.ravelry.com/people/Rosemily

Cut to a week later: I really can’t stand making this blanket. Most of it could be due to me not liking to make blankets, but this pattern is giving me such troubles. Why you ask? Well essentially it a garter stitch with occasional decreases and increases. No big deal right? Nope! Because it is garter stitch I am not keeping good track of where I am (using garter stitch I can mainly knit without looking). Therefore, I get too busy talking and/or watching TV and I miss a decrease or increase. The result is this gal doing a lot of frogging 🐸

Currently, I am on stripe #5 and the progress/speed is improving. I have about 3 more weeks till baby is born so hopefully I can get it done.

Beach Knitting!

Summer Travel: New England

There is nothing like New England. It will forever be my original home. I would move back in a heartbeat if I didn’t hate winter. Back in the 50’s my great grandfather purchased a home in Oak Bluffs, MA (located on Martha’s Vineyard) from an auction. The house has changed quite a bit in the last 6 decades, but the same charm and love radiates between the walls. I feel I have a special connection to this island. Martha’s Vineyard is the one steady place I can really call “home.” Despite all my moving and travel, I know I can always return.

Here are some photos from our first day in Oak Bluffs. We toured around the harbor area and within the Martha’s Vineyard Campground Meeting Association (MVCMA). This area is comprised of a couple of hundred cottages surrounding a Tabernacle. In the 1830’s the campground began as a place for religious gatherings and worship. As it became more popular, families started buying land and building the cottages. The cottages are one of my favorite  things about the town. Not only are the houses beautiful, but the sense of history and community is strong.

 

Looking forward to sharing more travel pictures 📷

Catalina Island

Last week the boyfriend took me on a romantic getaway to Santa Catalina Island for three days. It was a great reprieve from the previous week where we spent many hours sorting and moving his things out of his apartment.

The first day, we enjoyed a walk along the harbor, mini golf, and Wicki Wackers (a local bars spin on Mai Tai’s- kooky straw hat included.)

The next day, we hiked an 8-mile loop around the main town of Avalon. The hike went inland for about 2.5 miles and then along the ridge of the mountain top. Even though I was exhausted by mile 6, the views were really outstanding.

 

The last day was when the real relaxation happened. We walked over to the Descanso Beach Club to soak in the sun and savor a couple of Rum Punches. It was the perfect end to a lovely 3 days. 

Stay tuned for more travel posts as we leave for a northern East Coast excursion in a few days. Happy Monday!

Happy Fourth of July!

Wishing all in the USA a very happy and safe Independence Day!

Lime With a Twist

Hot off the needles! I present to you Nine Dwindling Cables a beret/tam style hat. It has been awhile since I have made anything with cables. This project reminded me of how much I like the challenge of cabling. The trick is to get the tension just right.

The yarn is Cascade 220 Superwash Quatro in Green Tea. I love the color. It just screams summertime. This hat will be a bright addition to my winter wardrobe.

Anyone have a favorite cabling project or technique they use when making cables?