Maine!

Sorry that I wasn't commenting on blogs this past week, but I do have an excuse.  We were on vacation up in Maine!  But first, I will show you what I worked on while on vacation.  I started working on a hexie purse from a pattern by Brigitte Giblin.  It uses 1/2" hexies, and I'm using all Liberty Tana Lawn prints.  I'm loving this project!

This is the first side finished.  I've started the second side as well but didn't take a pic of it.

I also started the Boxy Sweater by Joji Locatelli.  I'm using Madeline Tosh Light in Worn Denim -- love this color yarn!

And here is my fussy cut star for the week using another Salt Water fabric (the octopus one) from Tula Pink.

But Maine!  It was a big family vacation this time around.  We went with my sister's family, and my father and stepmother.  The boy child was picked up by us and was along as well.  The girl child showed up on Wednesday evening.  I will let the pictures do most of the talking.

Mia guarding the bags so we can't leave her behind.

Meeting the boy child in Boston.

Squished in the back of the car with my niece and nephew.

Just a taste of the spectacular house we stayed in for the week.

Taking pics on a rock up on a hill by the house.  (Yes, it was part of the property.  Amazing views!)

My father reading and enjoying the view from the terrace of the house.  (That's the bay out there.)

The patriarch, my father.

Stash from a lucky encounter with a lovely sewing shop called Clementine in Rockland, Maine.  I loved their fabric selection -- and they even had lovely yarn and wool for felting as well!

Sunrise out our bedroom window.

The boys enjoying a natter out on the terrace.

My niece practicing her violin.  She's quite the musician!

Camden Harbor.

Picking up the girl child at Portland Jetport.

Celebrating the belated birthdays of my niece and the girl child (niece's birthday August 8, girl child's birthday August 16).

View from the loft of the house.

A fantastic knitting store called the Cashmere Goat in Camden, Maine.  Wish I'd had more time to browse!

Fried clams, a necessity in my book.  From a lovely restaurant called Hills Seafood in Rockland, Maine.

We all had a great time, although as always it was too short.  We stopped by my sister's on the way home since we had an extra passenger in our car to drop off.  The boy child took a family selfie before we left.

Mia was very happy to see us when we got home.  And happy to explore my bag when I was unpacking too.

And now all is well with Mia's world.

Thanks as always for stopping by and saying hi.  I hope everyone has a great week!

US Open tennis -- I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!

Morven

Here is my progress on the Hornbook Bestiary (by Scarlet Letter, using the silk kit).

And here is my fussy cut star for the week.  The last of this particular Tula Pink Saltwater fabric.  Again, copying the talented Eef's Needle for the fussy cutting!

My Rams and Yowes hasn't gotten far -- you can see some sheep legs, but that's about it.

I started another knitting project, but I will show that next time.

I wanted to mention an exhibit I'm looking forward to, down in Princeton, NJ.

The exhibit is from October 3, 2014 to March 29, 2015.  There is a needlework symposium on Sunday, October 5, 2014.  Here is the link for the exhibit.  And here is the link for information on the needlework symposium.  It should be a wonderful exhibit and symposium.  And no, I'm not connected in any way with the exhibit.  Just wanted to give a shout out to it!  Oh, and there will be an exhibit catalog too, which is fantastic!

Here is Mia enjoying some box time.  Such a silly girl.  You can tell she's in a pouncy mood by how big the black of her eyes is.  lol!

Thanks as always for stopping by and saying hi.  I hope everyone has a great week!

A dancer

My girl child has been dancing practically all her life.

She started as a young thing, at 3 or 4, and hasn't stopped since.

We've gone to many many performances, and been so proud every time.

She danced through college.

And since she graduated college, she's found a new passion -- tango!

I think she will be a dancer all her life.  From the time she was a baby and could first sit upright, she had a dancer's posture.  She would sit up straight as a broomstick.  She was born to dance.

Happy birthday, my sweet girl.  Love you so so much.

Knitty stitchy

Here's my progress on the Hornbook Bestiary.  I'm still filling in on the Q block.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what the Q bird is?  I would say Quail, but it doesn't have the top knot thingie.

ETA: The H is for hart, a kind of deer.  :D

And here is my fussy cut Friday star, again using the same piece of Tula Pink Saltwater fabric as last time.  And again, I stole my fussy cutting from Eef's Needle.  Evelyne has the most beautiful fussy cut stars.  Thank you for sharing your ideas with me, Evelyne!

I'm going to be starting on the 3rd skein of yarn for the boy child's sweater -- and I'm over 12" along!

I also had to start a new project -- I've been missing knitting color work.  I've been trolling around and drooling over various fair isle and color work patterns, including this one.  And now I've started it!

It's the Rams and Yowes blanket by Kate Davies.  I got the kit from Jamieson and Smith -- and I have to say it's a pleasure to work with this type of wool for color work!

Mia claimed a Junior's Cheesecake bag that had been used during our trip to Cincinnati last Sunday.  And she's been enjoying it all week.  Under supervision, of course.

Thanks for stopping by and saying hi.  I hope everyone has a great week!

wedding bells.....

First, here is my Hornbook progress.  I'm currently working on the O block but haven't taken a pic of that one yet.

And here is my fussy cut Friday star using a Saltwater by Tula Pink fabric.  I copied eefs Needle -- she used the red version of the fabric.

No stitching done since Thursday, for a very good reason.  On Friday, our family, along with all our extended family, descended on Cincinnati for a very special event.

Cincinnati skyline

It was my oldest half brother's wedding!

There was the gang, all together again.  Us,

my father and stepmother,

my sister and BIL,

my nephew (my niece is at music camp, and sadly couldn't come) (and of course that's my father and the boy child),

my two half brothers,

the middle half brother (with my nephew and the boy child), and the younger half brother,

and of course, my oldest half brother with his beautiful wife (here as his future wife).

These pics were taken at the rehearsal dinner, which was pretty amazing.  Saturday was the wedding itself.

It's a bit blurry, but there's the happy couple with my two other half brothers and my father and stepmother.

Here is the happy couple being photographed before the wedding.

photo by the girl child

Waiting for the wedding.

The wedding was wonderful.  It took place at the Cincinnati Art Museum.  The wedding itself was outdoors, and the reception was inside.

My stepmother painted the lantern, which had the couple's names on it.  My father seems to be drawn to women who are artists.  (Both my mother and my stepmother were/are artists.)

We had a lovely dinner at the reception

followed by a bit of dancing.  Lots of rock and a slow dance or two.  I got to dance with my sweet father type and also with my boy child.  Girl child got to dance with my father, boy child got to dance with my stepmother, -- we all got to dance and have fun!

girl child dancing with a motionless boy child.  Father type, sister and nephew watching.

Sunday we flew home again.  Boy child flew back with my sister and BIL as he had flying out to the wedding.  He's still working in Boston for the summer, so flew back to Boston.  Girl child flew back with us, but we had to drop her off at the subway so she could go into NYC for some tango followed by the ride home on the train to NJ.  So it's just the two old folks at home once again.

I did get one book from a lovely used book store while in Cincinnati.  It's an old salad recipe book from the Heinz Company, dated 1925.  It was worth the price just for the vintage pictures, inside and on the cover.

And while at the airport in Cincinnati, I found these lovelies for the ride home.

I'd heard of Goo Goo Clusters as being a Southern delicacy, so I just had to try one.  I split it with girl child -- we both approve!  (They don't exist in New York, sadly.)

leaving Cincinnati

Can you see NYC in the fog and mist there?  So nice to be back in New York!

Oh, and a funny thing happened at the airport.  We needed to get from one end of the terminal to another to get to the car.  Father type asked this airport official for directions -- he was leaning against an electric go cart.  And he said he could drive us!!  Wow!

It was so much fun!

Mia was extremely happy to see us home again.  Although she did have to give me her complaints about being left alone for the weekend by mewling for a long time before she would welcome me back.

Don't worry -- Mia is always closely supervised around plastic bags....

Thanks for stopping by and saying hi.  I hope everyone has a great week.