Water water everywhere!

It poured today so I stayed in. The weather has been lovely otherwise. I love Boston. It feels like home to me. It represents everything that I love about the northeast. I will take some photos tomorrow. Yesterday I went to Providence RI. I love that city too and in reality, I can see us retiring there as it is so much more affordable than Boston and less than an hour away. Rhode Island, known as the Ocean State, is beautiful in the summer. There is water everywhere and there are hydrangeas all over the place! I'm partial to blue flowers so seeing hedges of hydrangeas makes me very happy. Providence is easy to get around and in most places you can just pull up to the curb and park for free--unlike Boston where you will pay $8 per hour in a lot. Even more surprising were some of the housing prices in the East Side which is near Brown Univ which is a lovely neighborhood. First I saw this house:
This one is out of my price range. It is going for a little over a million dollars. Compared to the DC market, that's not bad given that this house has 10 bedrooms and 6 baths. It is huge and gorgeous!
The next two are well within our price range. If I could afford to retire, I'd work on talking DH into the first house which is being sold as a short sale at $349K. That's less than our house is worth and this one has 9 bedrooms and 5 baths. It is divided up into 3 three bedroom units with the one on the first floor having central air. I figure you could live on the first floor and rent out the other two.
The third house is also in the $300,000's. It has a unit on the first floor with 2 bedrooms and then the 2nd and 3rd floors make up a townhome unit with 4 bedrooms. Again--you would live in one and rent the other.
I think purchasing a multifamily unit will be the way to go! We'll see how we feel when the time comes.

I have spent most of my time here buried in microfilm. After a while, your eyes go nuts with this! I'm always amazed that there is still more to discover about my ever expanding family tree! Being in Boston means that there is a lot of walking involved. Fortunately my foot is a lot better though I've had to stick to ugly shoes for the time being.

I would not be seen in public in those shoes at home! I'm hoping to be in my heels when school starts as I have 4 pretty sun dresses to make and ugly shoes just won't do!

I visited two yarn shops. The first, Windsor Button, is in downtown Boston a block away from the Commons. It's been there since 1936 and has every type of button imaginable. They have started carrying yarn and have a nice selection. In fact they have the best section of Malabrigo that I've seen in one place. I bought two very large and fancy mother of pearl buttons by Lantern Moon and 2 skeins of silky Malabrigo in a beautiful teal. The color is lighter than in the photo. I think the yarn will be a scarf. I also got a gift for my secret pal which cannot be divulged here!

The other shop I visited was in Providence. It is called Fresh Purls and it is an absolutely lovely little shop. They have an incredible selection of nonwool yarns and I got to see and feel some yarns that I'd seen online and wondered about. I bought a skein of Malabrigo worsted to make myself a Struan hat. I had been looking for the right color and this color will go with my Shalimar fingering yarn that I'm using to make my Entagled Stitches gloves.

The colors look gray in the photo but they are a lovely medium spring green! I'm itching to start those gloves but I will have to swatch. The pattern is only for a size large and the gauge is 30 st. to 4 in. on size 2.5 mm needles. I figured that I need to get a gauge of 36 st. to 4 inches so I will swatch on a 2.0 mm needle to see how it goes.

My other project before I left home was to put together a package for my Cuppa Tea swap pal. We did a tea towel swap. I love linen tea towels so I decided to make a vintage style one using the colors of her kitchen. I bought Irish linen and made a scalloped hem on the bottom and a hanging loop on the top. I used a vintage embroidery design from the 1940's and hand embroidered it using her colors. It turned out quite well! I may have to make some of these for myself as I love them!



I have to go work on my homework!

Kitty Cam: Harley looks so regal when the other kitties aren't around!

On the road again--almost!

Beantown tomorrow! I'll be leaving around 3:00 pm. DH thinks I'm nuts. He is one of those who wants to get up and leave around 7 am when traveling. Not me! I like to sleep in, make sure everything in the house is settled then leave without rushing! Plus, I've found that 3 pm is perfect because I can go the 420 miles without hitting any rush hour traffic! There's a lot to be said for that! I'll pack in the morning. As long as my laundry is done and I've done the grocery shopping then packing is easy. I stay in a suite so I bring food and such.

Anyway, I thought I'd catch you up on what's been going on. I've finished a few things and gotten some nice swap gifts. I finally finished my Musica Gloves. I had done the left one then put it aside. I finally finished the right one!


I'm really tickled with these! They will be great for school! I also started a new set of mitts. A secret pal had given me the yarn and the pattern. I'm almost finished with the first one. This pair of mitts has half fingers and I am up to that point. Once I finish it, I will begin another pair of gloves.

I also finished a silly little skirt. I pretty much kept to the pattern, but I added lining and topstitched little triangles on each pleat. I have another skirt and 4 summer dresses to make when I get back.


My secret pal sent me a gift certificate from Elann. I was so tickled because I had been eyeballing some yarn there. It was still there when I got the gift certificate. Nine balls of Tahki Sky organic cotton!

I also got my swap package from the Cuppa Tea Ravalry Group:
First my partner crochet a red tea towel and a tea towel that looks like a dress!

Next I got a box and a tin of tea, a felted bag kit, 2 balls of Patons Bamboo/Silk, handmade soap and a project bag card.


It's been a good week! I'll catch up on other stuff another time!

Kitty Cam: Samantha has had a hematoma on her little ear. We had scheduled surgery for it but the vet said the outcome would probably be the same if we let it heal on its own. Her ear was all puffed up, poor baby!

She will end up with a "cauliflower ear" which means that her ear will be bent and a bit crinkled. She still looks sweet with her little bent ear as you can see as she nestles in her new box!

Home again!

This is a brief post. I got home Monday 7/28 in the evening. I have photos from Boston and other stuff to share which I will do over the week. DH flew in to Providence last Friday and we spent the weekend doing some sightseeing before heading home on Monday. Boston is the one place that I am always sad to leave. It's weird. I only visited MA once as a small child and I started going there 7 years ago to do research. For whatever reason, I feel like I belong there. If I could pick up my life--family, job etc.--and move it there, I would. The thing that strikes me odd though is that I am still a Marylander--specifically one from the DC suburbs. Even if we ended up in Boston after retirement, I could never say that I am a Bostonian. Those words just cannot pass my lips. I find the same to be true about my current place of residence. We live closer to Baltimore, but when people ask, I tell them I'm from DC. It's where I grew up and it is a major part of who I am.

I am always very pensive when roaming around Boston. There's something sobering about roaming the places where our American Independence was born. I often wonder what our founding fathers would have to say about the current political climate in our country and our current administration. I found a quote from Ben Franklin that said:"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." How do you think Ben would feel about the Patriot Act?

My family research resulted in more puzzles to be solved so I am heading to DC to work in the DAR library today. I leave you with some photos from the Granary Burying Ground, one of the first stops on the Freedom trail. I always take a stroll through it to visit some old friends.

The cememtary is wedged between a church and several apartment buildings across the street from Boston Common.


Boston Massacre victims:
John Hancock:
Paul Revere:
Samuel Adams:
Ben Franklin's Parents:
And I cannot forget Mother Goose!

Bushism of the Day:
"I will not withdraw, even if Laura and Barney are the only ones supporting me." --George W. Bush, talking to key Republicans about Iraq, as quoted by Bob Woodward

Kitty Cam: Harley does the cow in the sun!

I think I'm going blind!

I've been hovering over vital records and microfilm and books galore. Yesterday the NEHGS (New England Historical Genealogical Society) library was open until 9 so I spent about 6 or 7 hours there. Genealogical research is like a huge puzzle. You solve one little piece then a bunch more fit in. If you are missing a piece then you cannot solve other mysteries. I was trying to prove a link between 2 generations in the late 1700's. In trying to prove the link, I actually proved that the link did not take me where I wanted to go. I found another person of the same name and proved that link. Basically that undid several years of research because I had taken multiple ancestral lines back from the incorrect link and sourced all their vital records! So I have to do it again. Many of the lines are the same. I am working with Mayflower lineage. Let's face it. When there are only 20 families in an entire geographical area, there will be some marrying among cousins! That always amuses my kids and they start with the West Virginia jokes (no offense to any readers from West Virginia!) Tomorrow I will pick up DH at the airport in Providence and we will visit some ancestral burial grounds in Little Compton Rhode Island. There is a winery there that we hope to visit as well.

I did say that I would show what I bought at Windsor Button:

I don't know how well the facets show up on the buttons. They are Czech glass and gorgeous and I think they are perfect for the coat I want to make. Here are some shots of a few projects from the book that I like:



Today it poured rain all day! On the way back to the hotel, as I was stopping at Starbucks, I noticed a fabric store. It was quite large and looked sort of dumpy. I was quite surprised at what they had. They had a very large interior design section, quilting stuff and some fashion fabric. I was hoping for some cotton/spandex blends but didn't see any. I was very surprised at the bridal/eveningwear fabric they had. I purchased 1/4 yard of a silk that had ribbon embroidered motifs on it. I also got a yard of a sheer organza type silk in a grassy green and a yard of 70/30 cotton/silk voile. I love the voile. I may go back to get enough to make a slip. I bought these pieces to make some lavender sachets since I have a lot o fresh lavender drying.



I brought along my knitting and haven't touched it. The time in the hotel has been spent creating charts and doing online research. I may have to do a few rows.

I leave you with a couple of photos from Boston Common. First is the stage being set up for Shakespeare on the Common. They perform Shakespeare several nights a week in Boston Common and people begin gathering early. The second is the State House.



Bushism of the day:
"I think it's really important for this great state of baseball to reach out to people of all walks of life to make sure that the sport is inclusive. The best way to do it is to convince little kids how to--the beauty of playing baseball." --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., Feb. 13, 2006

Kitty Cam: The two big lugs --Greg and Mikey--stayed close to me before I left. They always seem to know when I'm getting ready to leave and they become quite clingy. This is the scene when I got up from my computer:

Life is a bowl of cherries!

I bought two bags of cherries--sweet bing and Ranier --at Weis before I left yesterday. The gadget on the left is my Good Grips cherry pitter. I love that thing! I can pit the cherries and pack them in a zip lock bag for lunch! DH refers to me as the cherry fairy when I put pitted cherries in his lunch! My trip was uneventful. I ended up actually getting on the road about 4 p.m. I was in my hotel at 11:45 p.m. I would have gotten here sooner but I had to stop a few times as I was drowsy. That's very unusual for me when traveling late in the day. I stayed up too late the night before and got up too early. I ended up not being able to go to sleep last night until around 3 a.m. this morning. I got up at 9 so I'm pretty tired. I will actually go to bed at a "reasonable" hour tonight.

First and foremost, I need to share my FO's. First I have one of the sewing variety:


This is Simplicity 4076. I bought enough of this cotton/spandex knit to make another one with long belled sleeves. I was pleased with this. I had to make a couple of modifications. First, I stitched the center front seam about a half inch higher. I tried it on after stitching the side and shoulder seams. The neck was still way too low so I pulled up the shoulder seams about an inch. It was perfect after that! Comfy too!

The second FO is Labyrinth:


Here are the details:
Pattern: Labyrinth by Wendy Bernard for Stitch Diva, Size XS
Yarn: Handmaiden Double Sea, 3 skeins Topaz, 1 skein Ivory
Needles: Addi Turbo size 6 and size 4 (for sleeve ribbing)
Modifications: I increased the number of hip increases. The pattern called for increases to be done every 8th row 6 times. I did them every 5 rows 8 times. I also added 32 rows to the sleeves and increased the total stitch count by 11 inches. I did the sleeve increases every third row over 18 rows. I then decreased back to the original count for the cuff and knit the ribbing on smaller needles. I also added a couple of rows of ribbing. My intent was to have a loose, blousy sleeve which went to my elbow and it worked out well! Short sleeves are very unflattering on my flabby middle-aged arms! The neck ribbing stretched after blocking so I'm not sure if I'll be able to wear it without a cami. I may try to weave some clear elastic through it for support.

Today, I did some work in the NEHGS library then took a stroll through the city park where I ate my lunch.




The city park is incredibly beautiful and it is always busy! People sit around and read or they lounge in the sun. There are strollers and dogs and street musicians. No roller blading or skateboarding. It is just a pleasant place to spend an afternoon. Sometimes I bring a small knitting project and just sit there and chill for a while.

Next I visited:

I'd heard about this place! It's been open since the 1930's. They have an incredible selection of buttons as well as notions, needlework supplies and knitting stuff. I bought the new Norah Gaughan booklet and some Czech glass buttons for the wool coat I hope to make this winter. I hadn't been able to find any buttons that I loved, settling for some plastic ones that looked vintage. These are much nicer. I will photograph them tomorrow.

I took some other photos of the area which I will share tomorrow. I must share this one. This blouse was in the window of the Chanel store and it took my breath away!

I don't know how well you can see the pointed pleats that cover the front and the sleeves but this blouse is simply spectacular!

Newbury Street in the Back Bay is a fashionista's paradise! In a 4 or 5 block span you have the following boutiques: Chanel, Georgio Armani, Donna Karan, Max Mara, Ralph Lauren, Valentino, Kate Spade, Marc Jacobs, Nanette Lepore, Betsey Johnson, and the list goes on! There are also these specialty stores: Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Bliss, Kiehl, to name just a few. One could spend hours window shopping! There are also a lot of trendy restaurants with outdoor seating. The weather is in the 70's so there were all kinds of people sitting outside enjoying the cool breeze!

More on Beantown tomorrow!

Bushism of the day:
"I tell people, let's don't fear the future, let's shape it." --George W. Bush, Omaha, Neb., June 7, 2006

Kitty cam: Mikey loves to watch when I clean the floors!

Here today . . .

But I'm gone tomorrow! Actually it is tomorrow because it is after midnight! I have had a busy week. First off, I had to work 2 days, which probably doesn't sound like much to most people. For me, though, it is difficult in the middle of the summer. Why? Because I allow my natural body rhythm to take over. That means I go to bed around 3 a.m. and get up around 10 a.m. If I'm working then I have to get up at 6 a.m. The problem is that I cannot go to sleep at 11 which is when I need to go to sleep in order to get up early. So I flood my system with extra caffeine and pray that I won't fall asleep while I'm driving. Tomorrow--or should I say later on today--I'm leaving for Boston. This is my annual week in New England to do genealogical research. It is always too short. I hate to leave there. It would be nice if I could just pick up my life here--home, family, job etc.--and just put it there! I'm going to lunch with Ems and one of her friends at noon, running a couple of errands then leaving. I typically leave around 3 p.m. which gets me into my hotel room by 11. It's a great time to drive as I hit no traffic whatsoever plus I'm well rested.

I'm one of those nut cases who cannot go on a trip until my house is totally cleaned. I'm not sure why except that I feel a lot better when I come home to a clean house. I always feel like I need a vacation after a vacation and the last thing I need is to walk in the door and feel like I have to clean! I got all that done this week--stuff I only do once a year like washing walls and cleaning curtains. Speaking of curtains--here is a shot of the little country curtain I made for the kitchen. It's hard to get a good shot of this window because the sun is always direct there.

Nothing fancy--just some homespun plaid lined with bleached muslin!

Another FO--I finished Labyrinth! I'm very pleased with it. I will try to get some modeled shots in the morning. Here's a little teaser of the sleeve:

I went ahead and cast on for the Dayflower Camisole so that I could bring it with me. Funny thing--the Classic Elite Premier feels like rope after knitting with the Handmaiden Double Sea Silk. That stuff makes it really hard to knit with anything else! It just slides through your fingers and it feels so good! I always thought Premier was a nice soft yarn--particularly for cotton. It just cannot compare to the Handmaiden!

That brings me to the Secret Pal Question #6.
What is your favorite type of project to take along on holiday/vacation?
I bring whatever I happen to be working on which is usually a sweater of some sort. I will often throw a small project in my bag. When I am visiting research libraries, I carry my laptop and I like to be able to throw a small project in my laptop bag. Sometimes I just need a break and it is nice to be able to pull out a hat or scarf to work on!


I will have another FO in the morning as well. I decided at the last minute to make this top:

I wanted to use a cotton spandex to make the sleeveless knot front top but I didn't have any in my stash. I went to Joann's and the selection wasn't great. They did have some in red, so I bought the rest of the bolt which was about 2 and 3/4 yards. I figured I'd make the sleeveless one to see how the pattern fit, then I'd make the same one with the long belled sleeves. I'm doing this one on my sewing machine in case I have to rip anything out. I'll serge the next one. I'm almost done. From start to finish, including cutting, this should take no more than 90 minutes total. I did stitch the center front seam about a half in higher to make the neckline opening a little higher. Other than that, so far there have been no modifications.

We've had some visitors lately:

This family of deer has been frequenting the blackberry bushes at the edge of the woods. I would go back there to pick some berries, but knowing that there have been deer there means that there are probably deer ticks there. I've had a couple of friends/relatives that have had Lyme disease and it has been brutal. One has Rheumatoid Arthritis now as a result. She's been on intravenous antibiotics for about a year. It's nasty stuff! I don't want to risk that!

I guess I better go so I can finish up my top!

I'll post from Boston and I will share some more nostalgia then!

Bushism of the day:
You never know what your history is going to be like until long after you're gone." --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., May 5, 2006

Kitty Cam: I decided to reload the kitties' turbo scratcher. Here are the boys waiting in line to get their catnip fix:

Here they are after. An intoxicated kitty is a happy kitty!