What I’m Writing…
Two weeks ago my daughter had her Spring Break from college. Last year we went to Hawaii together, spending our time mostly on the Big Island
.This year when I asked her what she wanted to do, she said, “Chill out at home.” Home is the loft in Providence she and I moved into after her father and I got divorced. Not only was the idea of the two of us being there together very happy inducing, but it also meant we could work through the checklist of things to get done: passport renewals, eye exams, new glasses, and finally converting the odd room that used to be a tunnel connecting the two factories that’s part of the loft into a bedroom. 1-800-JUNK took the old sleeper sofa and IKEA desk. We had the room painted periwinkle blue. And the Gentle Giants brought us my old childhood bed from storage.
It’s almost perfect! Awaiting new shades for the sunlight and art to be framed. But the bittersweet feeling I have with that bed in our home is incredible. I read 2-3 library books a week in that bed, listened to Simon and Garfunkel albums, wrote bad poetry, had sleepovers with my pal Jane, and imagined a future for myself very much like the one I’m living.
Several years ago, after my mom died, I sold my childhood home. I wrote about it for Yankee Magazine, and you can read about it here.
What I’m Knitting…
I’m happy to tell you I cast on my Crowberry sweater! Remember that I changed up the hem? I did something else that’s different from the pattern. Typically, ribbing is done with smaller needles. But when I heard the Grocery Girls say they used the larger needles for the ribbing for a looser fit, I decided to do that too!
I’m excited to share with you a visit Michael and I made to a wee knit shop on the Isle of Skye, Island at the Edge. I fell so in love with the shop and its owners, Yasmin and Trevor, that I asked the good folks at Modern Daily Knitting if I could share their incredible story. Lucky for me, MDK said yes. Here’s the inspiring story.
Every knitter knows you need a portable project along with your more complicated one. Can anyone guess what I’m making with this fun yarn?
What I’m Thinking About…
Rain! It’s rained all week in NYC. When I say rain, I mean cold, hard rain. With wind! And in Rhode Island where I spent the night after a luncheon talk outside Boston there was cooler, harder rain. The thing is, I love the rain. A lot. That makes me a pluviophile, one of my favorite words (I see you
).I’ve had the great pleasure of teaching in Dingle, Ireland, every summer where it’s gloriously cool even in August and also gloriously rainy. Thanks to my time there and walking around NYC in the rain, I’ve perfected my rain gear and thought I’d share it here. Honestly, I actually get stopped on the street and asked what I’m wearing when it rains.
I’m not a fan of umbrellas, possibly after dodging them for so long on city streets. Luckily for me, Dingle is home to Kathleen McCauliffe where the best rain hats can be found. The milliner’s aunt made hats for the Queen, but regular people like me can buy these rain hats in many colors and designs and keep our hair dry without poking out someone’s eye. I love to give these hats as gifts and was happy to see my friend Polly wearing hers when she picked me up for dinner last night.
I have no idea why I wore Birkenstocks with rain gear! What does work here (besides the hat) is my raincoat. It’s from the Swedish company Stutterheim and not only does it keep me warm and dry, it folds up incredibly flat so fits in your suitcase!
Now let us praise the Bobbi Merry People rain boots! Although I have them in black (of course), they come in all sorts of fun, bright colors like magenta, grasshopper, and grape. And even better, are the Merry People quarter socks. I’ve worn them all week in the NYC deluge and my feet are dry and warm.
And also…
I want to share with you other newsletters that I love. They are such a good way of getting to know people and peeking into their lives.
Every Monday when
and her Lucyverse arrives in my inbox you can hear me laughing out loud over her reviews of everything from celebrity kitchens to Valentine’s gifts to junk food of all sorts.I’m always delighted when I see Shaved Meats, Piled High by brilliant crime writer
appear in my emails. She writes about everything that’s on her mind, from poetry to middle aged living, plus what’s she wearing and what’s she reading. and her The BethAnnigan newsletter is full of “writerly shenanigans, musings, and tips.” A pleasure to read.And my beloved
sends a bi-weekly mix of food-related stories, recipes, cocktails, and travel, along with recommendations for movies and books from both him and yours truly.I hope you enjoy these! And thanks for reading this week!
This is so much fun! I don’t know why but it reminds me of the very first Spannocchia when we met in the extremely cold, drafty barn and you enchanted us (your old guard Hoods) with your fingerless gloves & black Frye boots & craft lessons we still quote. Thank you for all the recommendations!
When I read your newsletter, I can hear your voice and your laugh and can almost imagine you are here at the table in my kitchen.