Queen Bee Knits

Knitting, Living, Loving, Baking, Tips, Tools and Idle Chatter

About Queen Bee Knits

Living in Maine, knitting, baking and loving my family. Please be kind!

Not Blogging … Not Really Knitting

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Queen Bee Knits

Gee, this working full-time sure does cut into my knitting time! It seems to affect my blogging time, too!

A Pretty Picture from Third Grade!

But the work is rewarding and fulfillng even at the (what did the Principal say at the time of my interview?) horribly low pay. Apparently my pay comes from the state which funds the special services program and it’s lower than what the school district would pay a temporary employee. The good news is that I chose well and I love the classroom that I’m working in and enjoy working with the other teachers and our students, too.

And today our teacher is proctoring the FCAT so it’ll be the Assistant and me in the classroom. She’s the sub and I’m the assistant and it’s “Fun Friday” so we’re going to be doing some Science and will be sprouting beans in our classroom and keeping watch over them and taking notes about what happens! Yesterday they were excited about it … and we hope they will be today!

But enough of that, I’ve go to run to get ready and out of the house …

Gone teaching!

Certification Part Deux

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Queen Bee Knits

I’ve been certified as a knitting instructor for about a year now … not that it stopped me from teaching knitting before that but it proved to me that I had what it takes to be a knitting instructor.

And now I am working on the second certification level – Certified Knitting Teacher. Which is a bit more complicated, involves more intricate swatches and samples and also involves designing a garment.

I’m torn between knitting a garment for myself or knitting a baby garment for this purpose. One one hand, I have a really great idea for an adult garment, worked out on Thursday with one of my Wild Rows knitting girls. Whether I use it for my certification or not, I will be designing it because I want to wear it! I’m just thinking that it may be less time to make a baby garment and I’ve got an idea for some little pants for a baby. I had a little red corduroy pair when I was a little child and my first daughter wore them when she was little. They were so cute! I’d love to design and knit a pair that looks like them.

One of the swatches that I was required to knit was a mosaic piece. I’ve never knitted anything in this style of colorwork. It’s amazing what you can learn in a relatively short time period – and I have knitted my swatch and we’ll see how it looks when I block it!

It’s exciting to learn new things and Iove the challenge given to me … despite the fact that I’ve been putting this task aside, I am excited to get the process wrapped up and become a certified knitting teacher!

Gone knitting (swatches!)

Finished!

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Queen Bee Knits

There! It’s finished … well, off the needles

My Bermuda shawl is ~~one row away from being~~ finished. If I weren’t so lazy on this Sunday morning, it’d be finished already … but I just got back from my atelier and forgot to get my bigger needles so that I can bind off “very” loosely.

So I decided to blog instead.

I replaced my wrong-sized needles yesterday (with a bit of attitude from the LYS owner who sold them to me on Tuesday. What?!) and they will have to be the next project re-started and finished because I have eleven days until my brother’s birthday. I’d hate to disappoint! But he may be getting one sock instead of two! 🙂

Gone knitting.

NYC Easter Trip

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Queen Bee Knits

We spent the Easter weekend in New York City. Loved staying at the Times Square Westin Hotel and had a lovely room with a great view! Not enough pictures were taken with my camera (phone)… But here it is in a nutshell!

Times Square M&Ms store

Margaritas in the afternoon with my three babies!

What were we thinking? We’re Floridians … and it was cold!

Rock of Ages at the Helen Hayes Theater

Go see my kid in the starring role – you won’t be sorry! She’s there through July!

A Sunday Morning “hike” … through an “alley”

And a snack near Rockefeller Center at Bouchon

My little dogs do NOT like the big city. And while they were eager to be included in the trip, they were perhaps even more eager to go home!

Please can we go home now?

Great Weekend!

Gone Knitting!

Proud Mama!

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Queen Bee Knits

You can tell I haven’t been knitting enough because I am blogging this week about WIPs, our new Big Brown Dog (Monk) and now being a proud mom. This is supposed to be a place where I write about knitting but it’s also my way of sharing bits and pieces of my life.

I have three big pieces of my life in my three children. The last few years haven’t always been easy. When parents go through a divorce, it directly affects a family and my kids have had some “issues” to deal with which have not been easy. It’s been difficult for me to be perceived as the “strong” parent because I’ve had to live a life without seeing them enough -I ‘m not sure there’s a chance of seeing them enough now that they’re grown and on their own. I have had to find peace living a life that’s radically different than the old one and especially around birthdays and holidays. But I am getting away from the purpose of this post …

Easter Day Daffodils on Fifth Avenue!

We spent a weekend in New York City around Easter time and all three of my kids were there. I was thrilled to have them all in the same city and I am so proud of the people that they’re becoming! My youngest, my son, is in transition now and thinks he’s moving to New York. A terrifying prospect for a mom but he feels it’s time for him to give it a try – and why not try while your sister is there and you have a couch to land on! My younger daughter is my “body double” (maybe not today’s body, but even I see the likeness from when I was young!) and she’s got a real big job at a university in Chicago and seems to be content in her life there. My oldest one is why we were all there …

On January 1, she got engaged to long-time love, Spencer and one of the steps is to meet his family which we did. They’re great people and we will all support this wonderful couple. Our kids!

We also went to see my daughter in her first starring role on Broadway in “Rock of Ages”. The show has been on Broadway for a long time and is in the Helen Hayes Theater which is a small house, intimate and the perfect venue for this 80s rock party. I am proud of my girl who is living her dream and building a career. She’s got an amazing talent – and I’d like to take some credit for having encouraged her to do what she loves … and her beauty, too, of course!

This week I got a text messaged photograph.

Yes, my kid is on a bus stop poster!

Yes, I’m one proud mama!

Gone Knitting!

Knitting Interrupted

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Queen Bee Knits

This work thing sure has cut my knitting time!

I used to knit for hours each day. Now I’m lucky to have a few minutes here and there throughout the day to even think about yarn. Today I actually took a break at lunchtime and knitted a 2-stitch i-cord for ears of a tiny bunny for my mentee. (Her request; an award for completing her goals!) I only have to give it eyes and a tail and it’s a gift that will be loved.

Sleeves to frog and re-knit (wider to fit the arm holes), a back to re-knit because I must have been “on something” when I changed balls of yarn smack dab in the middle of the back at mid-shoulder height.

Tunic to finish (ha! Maybe by winter!)

Socks for the youngest brother’s 50th birthday – after I replace the chewed needles.

So much knitting … so little time.

Gone knitting!

Big Brown Dog

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Queen Bee Knits

I found one of these on the floor in the living room this morning. (They’re all finished and were in my bedroom waiting to be put away.)

Lady Grantham Dinner Gauntlet (a Jimmy Beans Wool KAL) in Lorna’s Laces Sport

It must have been this big brown dog!

“Monk”

We’ve adopted/rescued Monk from a family in California and he arrived on Friday. We’d forgotten what it’s like to have a puppy in the house! Lots of walks and lots of ball-throwing in our neighborhood park.

My little dogs would like to send him back! (Not going to happen. We’ve already fallen in love with the big brown dog!)

Welcome Monk!

Gone knitting!

Not Knitting but Grateful

Posted on April 7, 2013 by Queen Bee Knits

My new school – teaching on a beautiful day!

Well, I’ve once again joined the working world with a temporary job outside of my home.

While I am enjoying working with children in the elementary school environment, I am noticing that I am not knitting enough to feed my passion and art. Partly because at the end of the day I am pretty tired and partly because I still have all my work at the house to do, too. And my little dogs (and now our new big dog) have missed me and need some of my undivided attention … as does their “father”!

I have a pair of socks for my nearly 50 year-old brother on the needles. I reverted to my favorite (go to) sock pattern and have had some lovely green (with a hint of blue) yarn that I bought for exactly this reason last summer. His favorite color is green and this yarn by Plymouth Yarn Co. called “Happy Feet” is a superwash Merino and with my brother’s feet, I bought three skeins (he wears a size 14 shoe!)

Seacolors Yarn …

I have deconstructed the sleeve on my Boxy Cardigan that I started last summer with my Maine wool from Sea Colors Yarns. The pattern was pretty straight forward but someone clearly forgot to have the sweater test knitted – the sleeves are at least two inches too narrow to fit into the shoulder. (You do get what you pay for! This was a free pattern. Lesson learned!) I will unknit them and then add more increases to make up for the two inches and see how that works. I hope I don’t have to start over from scratch because I don’t like it – and I spent a lot of money on the wool and want to love the garment that it becomes!

Dropps Tunic (Pattern #111-21) in Berroco Pure Pima (color 2243)

I still have my Pima Cotton tank on the needles. The back is done and the front is getting close but, honestly, I haven’t worked on it much at all! It’s really time to focus on this garment as we’re getting ready for that sleeveless shirt season!

I have several ideas that I want to knit when I’ve wrapped up a few of my WIPs … a tea cozy by the Queen of Tea Cozies, Loani Prior … it’s the daffodil one. We don’t have daffodils here in Florida and I miss them. A Stash Buster Shawl and I have yarn for a sweater and hat for my niece. I also want to knit myself a Wonderful Wallaby! It would be perfect for those cool (or even cold) evenings in Maine this summer.

I’m so grateful to be working with these great kids who really need the extra support to bring them up to grade level by the end of the year. I love the teachers that I’m working with and I am blessed to have the opportunity to work close enough to my home that I can (well, I could) walk to work. And since it’s temporary, I am hoping to pick up the needles more when I get to Maine after school ends.

Gone knitting!

An Easter Story

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Queen Bee Knits

When I got divorced, my life changed drastically. It was (I was?) all turned upside down and I didn’t realize that it would never be the same. I have been working for the last six (plus) years on building a new iteration of my life. Some parts are very, very different. Some are similar. I work to maintain threads of some traditions that we valued as a family even though the family is not the same. And there are some parts that I am grateful to have given up & thrown away. We’re making new traditions, too. Figuring out how to be a family after a divorce isn’t easy and it takes time and perseverance.

The part of my life that I love the most is my children and this “Easter” (at least the few days leading up to Sunday) I got to spend some time in New York City with all three of my children. There’s nothing like it. And I am so proud (I know I’m repeating myself) of the people they are becoming … productive, self-supporting, happy, and fun to be with. All following their passions and building lives of their own. What a mother wants for her children and yet, also, requiring her to let them go … a mother’s worst heartbreak. A double-edged sword.

But this post isn’t written to make you sad. It’s joyful. I’m so happy to have spent time together in New York. And my little dogs were happy to see their “kids”, too! We also got to meet my son-in-law-to-be’s family for the first time which was a treat. Despite her concerns that someone would start a conversation about religion or politics and that everything would explode, we all got along. We all love this young couple bunches. Enough to be there for them and support them, no matter what.

What I realized this Easter is that I am “rising up” into a new life where I will be happy; filling my life with people I love and following my passions, too. Leaving the world, I hope, a better place. Making a difference in the life of a child. Just as I taught my children to do, I am now encouraging the same bravery in myself.

I didn’t take enough pictures but I have a heart-full of memories to carry with me. Until the next time we meet!

Gone Knitting.