I have been enjoying this absolutely beautiful day. I spent most of the afternoon in my yard, shaded by my dogwood tree, knitting this great summer top. The yarn is Somerset by Bristol Yarn Gallery. It’s a pima cotton with silk. It has a wonderful texture to it. This is the same yarn that I used last summer for my shrug. It has a great drape and it’s very comfortable to wear. The pattern is from the Spring/Summer 2009 issue of Knit Simple. It’s very easy knitting. A one piece top with no seams. I’m anxious to get to the pleated neckline. The bag on the left side of the photo is one of my 3 tool bags. This one is made from recycled paper. I purchased it last winter at the Bryant Park tents while on a trip to NYC to go to Radio City. I really like it!

Yesterday, I visited an antique fair in the area. It wasn’t that great but I did see this beautiful display of Hat Pins. The woman that owned them had them displayed by color. I hope this photo gives you an idea of the colors. I did purchase a turquoise enamel one that I hope to use on one of my shawls.

And finally, earlier this week I had a chance to visit Ellis Island. I took a lot of photos but this one is my favorite. In one of the rooms, they have display cases full of the items that were there when they started to refurbish it in the 1950’s. These two sewing machines were just thrown in a heap among alot of other things. I wonder what their story is?