Happy First Day of Summer!

It's raining in Boston, and, at the modest temperature of 14 degrees Celsius, rather chilly. I have nothing to show for my (knitting) efforts, although I've been quite industrious over the last couple of days and have had a terrific weekend.

1. I found my Very Favorite Teacher Of All Times on Ravelry. Turns out she's been knitting for 40+ years, spins her own yarn, and wins prizes left and right for her lace shawls. She told me she had shown me how to spin some many years ago--how do I not remember this?!

2. I cast on for Cookie A.'s Sam socks. My attempts at modifying the size to adjust for a) my big feet and b) the super fine yarn ended in results i) much too big, ii) still too big, and iii) right size but twisted stitches. Scenario iii) repeated itself a total of six times, at which point I discarded the idea of casting on for Sam. I cast on for generic toe-up socks instead.

3. I started and almost finished a feather-and-fan scarf for my aunt Betty, which is a bit too wide and bit too short for a scarf and has thus been renamed a stole. It works. Photos soon.

4. I completed the fifth of my Basalt Tank hexagons.

5. I saw the ocean. I realize that the Boston area has plenty of ocean to its credit, but in the year I've lived here I had not seen the real deal (think: big empty horizon, whiff of ocean scent, feet in water) 'cause whenever I went to any of the Boston beaches or the harbor, I'd see big islands or the other end of the bay. Yesterday we went to Gloucester, Mass., to see the ocean. Real ocean with real beach. Including jelly fish.

6. I also saw Hammond Castle, built by a mad scientist in the early 20th century to hold his medieval collection and a couple of secret laboratories in the dungeon. The castle is the result of a true eccentric, and a perfect example of a wunderkammer.

7. My favorite Farmers' Market is finally open, and I bought strawberries that I ate immediately.