Liz recently finished a new shop sample: an Ombré shawl made from a set of six mini-skeins from Katia. An asymmetrical, triangular garter-stitch shawl knit on large needles (US#9), it ended up being the perfect project to take along on summer adventures because it was easy-peasy.

Made from merino, it's next-to-skin soft, and the colors can be knit up in any order you want!

The pattern is included and we have three differentcolorways in merino: reds (pictured), blues and neutral gray, with a retail price of $38.00. We also have two colorways in cotton: denim and coral. The cotton kit retails for

	Ombré shawl at sea (click to zoom)

$36.00.

Something light and sweet? The Plover Shawl from Amy Christoffers worked up in the beautiful June Cashmere fills the bill! This piece has a pleasant lace repeat that results in a completely reversible shawl. It would be ideal to take along to the beach, onto the boat or out to the porch. Lightweight to work on now, and it will be ready to tuck into your denim jacket this fall. Just for a kick, we added beaded tassels because we're fun like that.

The only problem you'll run into is choosing a color since we have twelve stunners here on our shelf ... each one more beautiful than its sibling. The shawl requires two skeins of the 100% Kyrgyz Cashmere, which happens to be dyed in Maine at the Saco River Dyehouse. Each 50g skein is labeled as lace weight, but Ravelry lists it as a fingering and it works up just fine in this fingering weight pattern.

Cheryl tells us about her great find:

I found myself working socks on #0 double points this spring. After I got over the idea of working a project on such small, metal needles, I discovered a problem. They were sharp, slippery and an inch longer than what I usually use. I wondered how I was going to keep the needles in the project while I hauled it here and there as my portable, away-from-home project.

	Live stitches on needles, safely inside the Keeper (click to zoom)

To the rescue: the Della Q Sock Needle Keeper. I can unsnap one of the snaps, insert my needles with sock attached and snap it up again. My needles and stitches are exactly the same as when I put them away: no surprises, no dropped stitches, all needles in a single place. Perfect.

They retail for $14.00 -- a purchase you won't regret!

Fiber College of Maine is an annual fiber festival whose sole reason for being is to celebrate the fiber arts in all forms. Each year, the weekend after Labor Day, fiber artists, crafters and students gather together for a weekend of casual fiber classes, time with friends old and new, live animals and good food. This year, the festival takes place  September 5-9. The location is Searsport Shores Ocean Park and Campground, Searsport, Maine.

For more information, visit Fiber College of Maine or phone 207-548-6059.

On Sunday, August 5, 2-4 pm, in the Abbott Room of the Belfast Free Library, the Special Events Committee of the Belfast Senior College is presenting a free showing of the film The Journey, which is about the final days of the Northern Ireland peace process. The film will be introduced by Mr. Lee Umphrey, who assisted Maine Senator George Mitchell in the Peace Treaty that helped end 400 years of bloodshed in Northern Ireland. Mr. Umphrey worked with community and government outreach in Belfast, Northern Ireland during the Peace Talks that culminated in 1998's Good Friday Agreement.

This fact-based fictional film imagines a crucial interaction that led to final peace in Northern Ireland.  In 2006, in spite of de-escalation following the 1998 Good Friday Peace Agreement, the Catholic Republican and the Protestant Unionist sides were still at odds.  Unfortunately, firebrand Democratic Unionist Party leader Ian Paisley (Timothy Spall) and Sinn Fein politician Martin McGuinness (Colm Meaney), are long-time implacable enemies. However, with talks about to start, Paisley is determined to attend his wedding anniversary at home, and McGuinness decides he must accompany his enemy on that trip, so as not to abandon this chance for peace. This is a dramatization of that journey that changed the course of history, and led to a unified Northern Ireland under the combined leadership of both men.

This film is free and open to the public. Information will be available regarding Belfast Senior College and its programs and offerings.

The Annual Belfast Street Party takes place on the first Monday every August (this year, that date is August 6) from 5-10:30 pm. Enjoy live music, food vendors and kid-friendly carnival attractions at this admission-free outdoors street event, held on High and Church streets, from Main Street to the American Legion Hall in downtown Belfast. The Street Party features music, dancing, performances, bounce houses, carnival rides, food and beverages for purchase, a kids' area with face painting, and much more.

Tickets are sold for activities like the climbing wall, bucking bronco, and trackless train. Wristbands are available for unlimited use of the bounce houses and rat race in the children's area on Church Street, and a $20 wristband buys access to the entire slate of rides and games. The new-in-2015 Church Street area, dedicated for kid-specific fun, features a live DJ spinning tunes to keep the younger crowd going.

In addition to music and rides, attendees can look forward to great food from dozens of local vendors, tons of activities for kids and adults, games, and giveaways by local businesses and nonprofits, as well as an adult beverage area hosted by Darby's Restaurant.

For more information, find them on Facebook or phone Our Town Belfast at 207-218-1158. The Belfast Street Party is a smoke-free, family-friendly event. Our Town Belfast observes a tobacco-free policy, which is active at all of their public events.

On Tuesday, August 7, 6:30 pm, the documentary film The Home Road will be shown at the Belfast Free Library, 106 High St.

In 1845, 19-year-old Israel Shevenell left his home in Canada and walked nearly 200 miles to Biddeford, Maine. He found work and built a new life in an American boomtown being transformed by the Industrial Revolution, and is recognized as the city's first permanent French-Canadian settler.

In 2015, his 74-year-old great-great-grandson, Ray Shevenell, retraced the pioneering journey, walking from Compton, Quebec to Biddeford.
 
Tonya Shevenell, an independent filmmaker from Maine, tells their stories in her first documentary film, an exploration of family, history and identity -- and how a journey into the unexpected inevitably leads home.
 
All are invited to join Tonya and her father, Ray Shevenell, for the film and a post-screening discussion and Q&A. For more information, phone the library at 207-338-3884 ext.10.

The Belfast Free Library is pleased to announce that they have been chosen as one of the stops on best-selling author Elizabeth Berg's New England tour. Ms. Berg's talk will take place in the Abbott Room of the library on Friday, August 10, at 1 pm. Left Bank Books will be at the event with books to purchase for signing.

Elizabeth Berg is the best-selling author of more than 30 books, including novels, two short-story collections, two Facebook compilations, a manual on writing, Escaping into the Open and a stage adaptation of her The Pull of the Moon. Her books have been translated into 37 languages and three were turned into television movies. Open House was an Oprah Winfrey Book Club selection and she also appeared on the show with Talk Before Sleep and Family Traditions. She received the New England Booksellers Association award for her body of work, and The American Library Association's Book of the Year; and was nominated for an ABBY, an award for booksellers' favorite books. Elizabeth has been honored by both the Boston and Chicago Public Libraries and is a popular and entertaining public speaker.

The talk is free and open to all. For more information, phone the library at 207-338-3884 ext.10.

The Belfast Shopper, our local shuttle bus, has just been upgraded with scheduled hourly service. The new service is called Belfast DASH (Downtown Area Shuttle). Belfast Shopper bus stop signs will be replaced with new DASH signs, and more will be placed in new locations.

With its longer operating hours, the DASH service should be much more user-friendly than the Belfast Shopper. Take a ride on the DASH and encourage others to support public transportation in Belfast!

Front Street Shipyard features free Shipyard tours every weekday at 2:30 pm, starting at the Harbor Walk corner of Building 5.