Month: June 2011

First Annual I-91 Shop Hop

Dora New England Leave a comment

Participated in the first annual I-91 Shop Hop this past weekend, which was a tour of 11 local yarn shops all along I-91 between Putney, VT and New Haven, CT.  My friend, and fellow knitter, Catharine came down from Albany to make the road trip with me.  We had a great time catching up, scouting out some new shops, and finding some great deals on yarn!

A few of our favorites…
1.  WEBS in Northampton, MA.  My new favorite yarn store, it’s HUGE!!  We spent 2 hours there, and they have lots of interesting classes.  I will likely be making the trip back up there very soon.  I was so overwhelmed that I forgot to take a picture 😦
2.  The Green Mountain Spinnery in Putney, VT.  A totally green spinnery operation…and they gave us a tour and let us jump in their wool room.
3.  Basketville in Putney, VT.  You can’t drive up I-91 into VT without stopping at Basketville.  Stocked up on some great wine and picked up a few baskets.
Looking forward to next year already!!

The Fruit of my Labor

Dora New England Leave a comment
Despite waking up to the sound of a transformer explosion and no power, it was an absolutely gorgeous morning…and with it being Strawberry season, it was a perfect morning for berry picking!  So as Burkett got ready to head in to work for the day, his mom and I made plans for berry picking.  In past years, I’ve always gone to Rose’s Berry Farm down in South Glastonbury.  It’s a very nice operation, complete with well manicured berry patches, a hay wagon ride to deliver you directly to your row, and picnic tables on the deck overlooking the farm for a pancake breakfast topped with berries.  However, on weekends like these, the place tends to be pretty crowded with families.  This year Burkett’s mom suggested going to Cavanna’s, which she frequents annually.  It was definitely a bit more rustic and perhaps off the beaten path from the typical Glastonbury orchards and farms, but the prices were great, the crowds were nonexistent, and the experience was very relaxed and enjoyable.   In fact, it reminded me of picking strawberries back in Quincy at Mill Creek Farm in its early years. 
I also stopped at several other orchards and farms in South Glastonbury on the way out and picked up some wonderful handmade soap from Belltown Orchards.  It’s made at Wind-Gait Farm, also in South Glastonbury, which is a hobby farm that raises Angora Goats for making goat milk soap and mohair yarns.  They had a rather wide selection of soap scents and I finally settled on Garden Mint.  It smells divine.  The rosemary and lavender fragrances were also very nice.  More importantly, they produce three different styles of yarn, all spun and hand-dyed at the farm in a selection of vibrant colors.  I will definitely be going back for yarn once I conjure up a few new project ideas.  I absolutely love the idea of making this year’s round of knitted Christmas gifts with locally produced yarn!
All in all, it was a nice morning and we both went home with a tray each of perfectly ripe strawberries.   I plan to enjoy a bowl of mine this afternoon poolside.
Stay tuned, I’m planning on updating my Ravelry page this afternoon.

A Midwesterner turned New Englander?

Dora Uncategorized Leave a comment

I’m not sure if that transformation is entirely possible, but we’ll see how things unfold…

I am a Midwesterner and an avid crafter, living in New England by way of Central Illinois, Ohio, and South Carolina…with a brief stint in Alaska. However, after living in Connecticut for 2 years on what was supposed to be a temporary basis, I’ve decided to stay for a few simple reasons:

  • I found a really sweet job that is rewarding and gives me the flexibility and autonomy that I need to be able to enjoy coming to work most days of the week for the next, oh…30+ years.
  • I love winter and the great outdoors.
  • Despite my initial, preconceived notions, I’ve really come to enjoy living in New England (except for the traffic and taxes).

As a result, this blog is dedicated to sharing my love and passion for knitting and sewing. However, I promise you will also get a taste of my experiences living, eating, and drinking all that is New England. You will also likely get a flavor of my numerous other hobbies, including but not limited to: hiking, backpacking, biking, skiing, gardening, cooking, decorating, reading, and beer. Enjoy!