Monhegan Island Socks

(Monehegan Island off the coast of Maine) 

In the last several months my knitting voice has been very quiet. It hasn’t found a project to land on, and although I still knit daily I haven’t felt connected to my projects.

Several weeks ago, DH and I took a trip to Maine two weeks ago, it was the first trip we had taken together during the summer in 4 years.

 

(Cadillac Mountain)

The trip before that was our honeymoon in 2006, and it was a three day weekend in Savannah 2006.  Granted a lot of our non-vacation in the summer status has to do with the fact that summer up until this year is my busy season.  This is the first summer in 4 years, where I haven’t been managing a movie, and of course the other key factor is that for 2 out of the 4 years my husband and I were living in different states.

As most of you know, for 3 years I was a couch surfing traveler, entering and exiting airports every three months.  My laptop, my knitting and my ipod were my constant companions. I became very adept at knitting socks and shoving my life into two suitcases.  It was a huge relief when my husband, my two dogs, and I got our apartment in Brooklyn, and I could start knitting sweaters. The last two years our big vacation has been making our polymeric down south to visit family and friends.  I love our house in Macon and I love our family, but visiting family is not a vacation, and visiting my mom always leaves me more stressed out than walking through Time Square. Our life together has been one of renovation, hunkering down to pay the bills, and long drives to check in on family members. 

A lot of times our life the last few years, has felt like pushing a boulder up a mountain.

(Cadillac Mountain)

Our last trip had been even less than a vacation than usual because our car had been in and out of the shop the entire time we had been traveling, the sunshine state was cold and rainy, and my mom……….

Never-mind, back to MaineOur wedding anniversary this year found us both unemployed, broke but with good credit, and it desperate need of a quiet vacation.  Maine, my dear friends, is quiet.

(Point Lookout- Stockton Springs)

Maine is vacationland.

(it says so on the license plate). 

It’s beautiful in Maine.

(Narrow's Bridge in Searsport)

It’s romantic in Maine. 

There is lots and lots of lobster in Maine.

(Linconville)

There is also the added benefit that there are awesome yarn stores,

(Purple Fleece in Stockton Springs)

and heck some of the gift store even carry yarn in fiber. 

(Port Clyde)

What more could a girl want?

(Yep, there were even alpacas there, and I wanted him but DH draws the line at farm animals in the car).

 We had our shares of challenges the first few days.  My dear dog Bean is so old, and she can’t get around very well.  She was very timid the first day we were in the cottage, so we tried dragging her around with us, which was stressful for dog, man, and girl. 

 
Only Frankie seemed free of trauma.  Around 3 days into the trip, everyone settled in and a funny thing happened, my knitting self came back. 

(porch where we stayed in Belefast)

Maybe it was the sound of the waves, or the wind going through the branches, or the sudden stillness that we stumbled upon, but I finally felt my knitting rhythm.

(Camden)

 

I had packed a pair of socks for the trip and it turns out they were the perfect project. 

 

Here are a few of the reasons I like knitting socks:

 

-socks are quick to knit.

-the minute you start to get bored with them there is a heel to turn.

-they are comforting to knit, what’s more comforting than warm feet?

-socks don’t care what you weigh

-they are portable a.k.a. perfect for the hiking knitter

 

Here is the FO:

(Brooklyn, NY- sigh)

Comments

[Sara]

It looks like you had a wonderful time! See....now you know why I'm always wanting to move back. I do like to forget that they have winter though...I'll keep those memories repressed. All those fiber animals come in handy.

[Debbie from Purple Fleece]

I thoroughly enjoyed meeting you the day you popped into the shop. That's one of the perks of my job...meeting nice people!

[Lisa]

I'm so glad you had a great trip, Shan. You deserve it. And yes, Maine is really wonderful. I love it there, too.

[Sara]

It looks like you had a wonderful, rejuvenating trip in a beautiful place. Yay!