My View of Life on the Dock
Thank you Tim Perkins for sharing your favorite ~
Everett Harlow writes: “An original song by Paul “Sasquatch” Cohan celebrating America’s Oldest Seaport, Gloucester Massachusetts. Sasquatch covers the vocals and guitar, John Hicks plays mandolin and bass, and Ev Harlow did the video. Special thanks to Joey at Good Morning Gloucester for some of the images. Merry Christmas Cape Ann!”
Waiting in anticipation for the Lobster Trap Tree to be lit.
When out and about checking off your holiday to-do list, stop in to Passports. The food is always prepared and cooked to perfection, with extra generous helpings, and the ambiance is warm, comfy, and inviting.
India, Laila, and Dawn
Today I met my friend Catherine there and we had a luxuriously long chatty lunch. Despite the hours spent catching up, Laila, our beautiful waitress, never once made us feel anything less than entirely welcome. Catherine had the sumptuous cobb salad, topped with chicken salad, and I had their wonderfully delicious Caesar salad, with perfectly grilled shrimp. Even Passports regular coffee is rich and full flavored!
Happy Dining and Shopping Main Street!
Passports Cobb and Chicken Salad
Passports Caesar Salad
Snoods are all in vogue at the moment. The silly sound of the word makes me want to smile; they are actually wonderfully fun to wear and will keep you cozy warm when knitted in a natural fiber such as merino wool, cashmere, or alpaca.
What is a snood you may be wondering?
Fun Project for Holiday Gift Giving
A snood is a softly draped scarf that can be pulled up and over to also serve as a hood. Snoods today are very different than what was typically worn through the ages and into the 1940’s. Earlier snoods were mostly knitted or crocheted net headwear designed to keep hair in place. During the 1950’s snoods began to evolve with the characteristics that we see today, that of a loosely draped tubular scarf worn around the neck and head, designed both for warmth and luxury. Because the ends are sewn together, unlike a conventional scarf, they are much less fussy and less like to fall out of place.
With 3-4 balls of leftover yarn, and a pair of large needles, you can whip up a snood in few nights. For this sample, I used baby alpaca because it is so soft and not in the least bit itchy (purchased at Coveted Yarn). The snood would be beautiful worked in a ribbed stitch or seed stitch. I wasn’t sure how much mileage I would get out of my leftover skeins, so making the mockup in a simple garter stitch, which requires less yarn than a rib stitch for example, insured there would be enough to complete the project.
Directions:
Using whatever needles and yarn you have on hand, knit a rectangle to equal approximately 28-30 inches in length by 15 inches wide.
Loosely bind off.
Stitch ends together width-wise to form one continuous loop.
Knit a narrow band approxzimately 2 inches wide by 8 inches in length
The snood pictured is shown with a narrow band, to a create slightly more structured shape however, the band is optional. With needles several sizes smaller, knit a band approximately 2 inches wide by 8 inches long. To keep the edges of the band neat and clean, slip the first stitch of every row.
Bind off loosely.
Turn snood inside out. Over the seamline, center one short end of the band to the snood and stitch. Pull the opposite end around to create a bow-like affect and join securely. Weave in all loose ends.
There you go, an easy fun project for the holidays, to give to a loved one, or to keep for yourself!
Please forgive the iphone selfies–no models (daughter) readily available and I wanted to post this in time for holiday gift-giving.
Perhaps a yarn with a lurex or sequin sparkle woven through and in a deep midnight blue would give this snood less of a babushka-effect.
Doesn’t Joey look just like an earnest little kid?
John’s passion and enthusiasm for the ukelele is infectious and you can listen to his Cape Ann uke stories here in Joey’s interview ~
Ukelele Love Affair with John Hicks Part I
Ukelele Love Affair with John Hicks Part II
Last year we featured a Christmas Carol Countdown, taking requests for GMG FOB’s favorite holiday tunes. I thought we’d do it again this year; it’s just not possible to hear too much holiday music! Please send us your favorites and we’ll post as many as we can. Looking forward to hearing all!
Countdown begins on Saturday night. Send requests to kimsmithdesigns@hotmail.com. Thank you.
Stevie Wonder’s “What Christmas Means to Me” is such fun and so upbeat. CeeLo does a version, too, which I’d never heard until this year. Which is your favorite?
Sunday’s sunset was a gem–with this nor’easter upon us, sunny skies are not predicted again until Friday.
Next time you are heading to East Gloucester or Rocky Neck, take a look at the striking new sign at One Pirates Lane, which was recently restored by Gloucester’s own David Calvo. David was commissioned to recreate the sign as the old one had rotted through and through; made of solid mahogany, the new sign will surely last a lifetime.
David’s studio is located at 235 East Main Street. Visit his website to see more of David’s outstanding portfolio of beautiful designs and workmanship here: David Calvo Studio
David shares a bit of history about the sign: The building was owned by Howard Richardson who ran his trade show design business there. The sign was done by Alfred Czerpak. Richardson and artist Czerepak attended Mass College of Art at the same time. Howard asked Alfred to make a sign for him. The original sign went up in 1981. Al was the name he went by and he lived in one of the homes behind Richardson’s business on Pirates Lane. Al pursued a painting career and also created many multi media pieces. Thank you Colleen and David for the information!
Questions for our old-timer GMG readers: We who live in the East Gloucester/Pirates Lane neighborhood have all heard that One Pirates Lane was at one time a Russian tea house. Can any of our readers confirm that and if so, share their recollections. We would love to know more and thank you so much for taking the time to write.
See previous GMG post with Adam Bolonsky interview of David Calvo
With Wolf Hill located right here in our neighborhood, there’s no reason to travel to Michaels or Target for your holiday decorating whimsy. Their trim-a-tree shop is extra, extra outstanding this year, with pinecones, shells, ribbons, and much, much more.
Many of the decorations are handmade by Gloucester’s own Grace Novello and Jodi Sivak and the decorating workroom tucked in the back is abuzz filling custom holiday orders.
Grace Novello creates the mussel shell Christmas trees
Designer Jodi Sivak cleverly decorates the butt ends cut from Christmas trees
Grace Novello, Owner Pam McKechnie, and Jodi Sivak
See more photos here ~ Continue reading “Check Out Wolf Hill’s Fabulous and Fun Holiday Decor and Trim-a-Tree Shop!”
What to do with that extra strand of lights? After draping the lights around our newly gilded mirror, the ten or so little white lights remaining on the strand were stuffed into a large shell. It looks so fun and glowy at night!
Thank you Frankie–our cat Cosmos loves it too! The tree skirt was removed for only a moment to shake off the pine needles and look who claimed it for his own. Of all the least luxurious and uncomfy spots in which to take a cat nap!
When setting up the tree, open wide the ginormous tree-sized bag and place it under the tree stand. When it’s time to bring the tree to curbside, lift the tree off the stand and simply pull up the sides of the bag, preventing the usual pine needle mess.
Christmas tree disposal bags are available locally at Wolf Hill Home and Garden Center.
Headlines Salon, with Heather Greenwood, hair stylist.
Partners Chef Paolo La Boa and Mark McDonough in the soon-to-be-opening Pinoli Restaurant (quite possibly by December 18th)!
Richard at Bananas creates the most evocative windows. This is one of my all time favorites!
Good Morning Gloucester 