Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life in our little cottage in the country

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Chilly mornings = knitting

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The last few days have brought a chill to the air. I wake up in the morning and I feel like I need slippers and a little shawl to wrap around me while I drink my coffee. And even though I said I only wanted to crochet, I have been obsessing about knitting. I’ve been looking through books and magazines admiring all the great patterns. As I am about to go out of town again, this time for work, I need a project to have on hand for down time at the hotel(s). I was looking through a book and found a bulky knit sweater that should knit up rather quickly. Finding super bulky yarn locally took a bit of work but I found this:
The yarn is Burly Spun by Brown Sheep and the pattern is in Simple Chic by Jill Eaton. Its just your basic oversize V-neck pullover. These may be a bit bulky to pack….oh, oh. Here’s the sweater:

We’ll see how it goes. I’ll try to post again before I go on Sunday.

More later.

A handy gadget

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I’ve been sitting at the sewing machine, once again piecing my quilt. My iPod is playing Diana Krall singing “Dancing in the Dark.” This CD was arranged by the legendary Claus Ogerman, who arranged lots of Jobim’s music – most memorably on Francis Albert Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim. I love Frank Sinatra singing most anything, but that particular recording is my favorite of his because he’s restrained, beautifully taking us on a journey through sexy bossa nova rhythms. I think he’s at his best, along with “Fly Me to the Moon”, and “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.” Back to Diana Krall: I recommend this recording highly! “Dancing in the Dark” has the most wonderful arrangement with a Brazilian samba-like accompaniment by a full orchestra. It is on The Look of Love.

Thought I’d share this handy (at least to me) gadget I found at my local quilt shop. I believe the owner said it came from Japan.

The left side is a mini cutting mat and the right side has a sandpaper/emery board-like finish.
I can cut and trim pieces that I have sewn on the mat and the other side is terrific for marking fabric before sewing.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t always want to get up and walk to my larger cutting mat. I work in a small space and after the initial cutting of fabric is done, I can put away the large mat and work with this little guy right next to my machine. It folds up and looks like this:

I assume Cotton Boll is the name of the manufacturer. It has proven to be invaluable in my little, little space.

Autumn is in the air, and after my initial sadness about my garden, I am now happy that Fall is here. Funny thing about the seasonal changes – I always think I’m not ready for the changeover, but when it is time, I’m absolutely ready. Mother Nature knows best.

More later.

You’re where???

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By this time you know we are die-hard Red Sox fans…right? Look where we were on a Sunday afternoon:


Yes, you’re not seeing things, we were at Yankee stadium and they were playing Tampa Bay, not the Red Sox. We’ve lived in New York for seven years and had never been to Yankee Stadium. It was one of those things we talked about but never got around to. At dinner with friends recently, the topic of the end of the current Yankee Stadium came up and we mentioned that we had always wanted to go and now really wanted to see a game there before the end of the season. Before the end of the revered current Yankee Stadium and the opening of the New Yankee Stadium.
Wouldn’t you know it, a pair of tickets magically appeared for yesterday afternoon and we snapped them up. What fun we had! First of all, we were able to really cheer for the Yankees because they were playing the current division leaders, the Tampa Bay Rays. The more games the Rays lose, the more the Sox move up in the standings. We also love Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera and got to see both of them do their thing. Derek tied Lou Gehrig’s record of hits at Yankee Stadium to great cheers and a standing ovation. Alex Rodriguez hit a grand slam.
All in all a great game.

We got to talk to Brian, the guy sitting next to us, who was visiting from California and was seeing his first game at Yankee Stadium. Just like us. He was great fun and the three of us cheered and booed and had a ball. We ate slices of pizza and french fries. It was hot and humid (I hate high humidity) but we didn’t let it get us down.

We watch baseball nearly every night on television, but there is nothing like seeing it in the park, listening to the crack of the bat, hearing the fans, being right there. Thanks Yankee Stadium, for a great time!

(I’ve framed the photos in Fenway Park Green, in honor of the Red Sox.)

Lambs Like to Party

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