Author Archives: Queen Bee Knits

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About Queen Bee Knits

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

Love and Marriage

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A few years ago!

I just spent a wonderful two weeks with my brother in California. It was the most time we’ve spent together in years – perhaps decades … or since before I was married … or … well, you’ve got the idea. It’s been a long, long time. And it was wonderful!

One night in Lake Tahoe we were all in the bathroom brushing our teeth – how could such a simple activity be so sweet? He and his wife and I all in the bathroom brushing our teeth … but I’ll bet we didn’t even do that as kids. I love his wife, my new sister. She’s wise and smart and beautiful. She can swim the lake, sing, bake, drive a tractor and makes the best EVOO ever! I love hanging with her! My brother may have waited a long time to get married but it was worth the wait – he “snagged” a good one!

Since they are a “one car family” (technically, they’re still a two car family until the truck is sold – anybody want a really nice 2010 Toyota truck?) we spent a lot of time all together or two-at-a-time and it was such a great opportunity to connect on a deeper level and really share. Time, thoughts, beliefs, laughs, food (mostly vegan except for a sausage or two), dogs, poop bags, a few tears, and did I mention laughs?

I am so grateful to have been able to get out to California and can’t wait to go back.

Gone back to bed – too cold in the house without a fire! I’ll be knitting again soon! Must pack up for the move back to Florida which begins on Saturday! I think we’re ready.

 

 

Abundance vs. Scarcity

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Abundantly Beautiful!

I love to talk. Yup, I do.

I also love to listen. We’ve been talking about our attitudes toward life and how those attitudes and beliefs can change our paths. When I got divorced, I left an unhappy situation where I was continually feeling trapped and inadequate. In the time since, my life has opened up and wonderful opportunities have presented themselves … and while at times it’s really frightening, I am so grateful for having my friends and family who can talk me off the precipice when the going gets rough.

When I talk about how my life has opened up, I almost always spread my arms wide. My heart opens and fills. I have a wonderful man in my life who loves me. We may not be perfect but I’m committed to making us work and there’s really nobody I’d rather grow old with. He’s my buddy and he loves me through thick and thin … even when I have my emotional crazy hormonal “moments” (that often last a couple of days or a week.) I have three healthy, productive, interesting kids and they make me so proud. (I’m also proud of myself because I raised them and guided them and I did a good job. The most important job I could ever have!)

Revisiting Childhood

I’ve reconnected with my brothers and I have a new brother to love (I’ve blogged about it before … check out the older posts). The family is growing and flourishing and supporting each other – and that’s as it should be. I have reconnected with my cousins and am getting to know their families. I am growing too – getting to know myself and learning to appreciate my talents and knowing that I can do whatever it is that I want to do – whether it’s moving to a strange (yes, Florida is strange) city, start a knitwear design line, make a living knitting (well, not quite yet, but it’s happening!) or help my brother tie up some loose ends and simplify his life.

I believe that the abundance of good things in my life are a direct result of my being open to having good and feeling deserving of good. I also believe that it’s because I’m willing to be generous and share – my thoughts, my talents, my time, my money, my food – with others. I used to be fearful and worry about not having enough and closed myself but I’m practicing abundance and wonder and love … and it’s happening!

Gotta love it – but I’ve talked enough for now.

Gone knitting!

Philosophy of a Business

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We had dinner at a restaurant called Avatar in Sausalito. The owner, Ashok, is at first glance, a happy man. Sit at the “bar” at his restaurant and you’ll find out why he’s so happy – he’s a food scientist and psychologist who will make you the best food you’ll ever have in your life. “You’ll want to lick the plate,” he told me. (And I did – want to, that is!) Ashok loves what he does every day. He loves his life and business.

Every year on the day before Thanksgiving, Ashok opens his door to the community and feeds all the people who walk through the door – last year it was over 1,000 – for free. Wine, beer, food, all free. FREE! Last year my brother worked in his kitchen for the event and this year both he and his beautiful wife will be there.

I’ve always heard that if you want to receive, you have to give and the bounty that this good-hearted man receives is (in part) due to his participation in giving back to his community. Or, I would contend, he really gives to his community – daily! He’s giving of himself – tell him what you FEEL like eating and he’ll prepare you a delightful dish. He’ll also look you in the eye, shake your hand, smile at you and remember your name. He’s thankful that you’ve chosen to eat at Avatar.

Blessings – gone knitting.

 

Left Coast Living

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So, here I am on the “left coast” visiting with my brother Rick and his lovely (relatively new) wife and their four little dogs. It’s such fun to be with my family and to see where they live and to meet their friends. (I’ve even extended my stay already!)

I’ve had my first vegan food, spent a couple of days with my cousin and his family, feted my aunt (a bit prematurely) on her 70th birthday, had my second vegan meal and am feeling very happy to visit my brother and his lovely wife and their four shih tzus.

Cafe Gratitude in Healdsburg, CA is my new favorite place to eat. My son raved about it when he spent the summer out here with his uncle and now I know why – first hand. Yummy. Who knew that vegan food could be so yummy?

Visiting Dogville in San Anselmo

We have visited several great pet stores – and bought my littles a new harness and leash (Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday!) Had a spa day for the dogs and got a fun (and stylin’) new hair do and the fun’s not over yet.

We drove with six shih tzus from Healdsburg, CA to Lake Tahoe, NV without any growling. How do these little dogs know who belongs to the pack (and who doesn’t?)

 

Travel with Lola and Martin

Boq (front), Emma and Gus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We start every morning with tea (with some warm goat’s milk) and then head into town for a “muffin” and another cup of tea at the Flying Goat Cafe. They are currently renovating the space inside so the coffee shop has been moved to the alley outside under a tent. It’s really lovely sitting in the alley outside and might be a good permanent additions. Sitting on the sidewalk with six “matching” dogs is sure to attract a crowd – partly because the dogs are so cute and partly because it’s an unusual sight!

Tomorrow it’s off to the office for a couple of hours of work and then we’re headed into the city for the evening – manicures and pedicures are on the agenda for the ladies and business meetings for my brother. Guess we’ve got the better end of that deal!

Off to bed for some beauty sleep … another big day of fun is ahead!

Definitely not knitting!

California, Here I Come!

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I’m off to the Left Coast tomorrow with my little dogs in tow.

Can’t wait to spend a week (ish) with my brother and his lovely new(ish) bride, my newest sister and their four little dogs.

Meanwhile, my shawl is still on the needles and not quite half-way to the large size. Guess I’ll continue stitching away until it’s done – whether I can wear it to the 70th birthday party in Lake Tahoe on Saturday night or not.

I’m taking my two socks on one needle project … must. finish. this. project. I even separated the twins today. I definitely don’t like doing two at once, so I took one sock off and will finish it after the first is finished. So much simpler for me. (It helped that one sock had 67 stitches and the other had 71. Oops!

I will be taking my laptop but can’t guarantee that I’ll be blogging  a lot.

See you on the flip side!

Gone knitting (is there a Mile High Club for knitters?)

Cowl Blocking

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ZigZag Cowl

This is a cowl-in-process. I loved this simple but lacey pattern of zig-zags and open-work and I chose it to make for my aunt for her 70th birthday which is coming up. The pattern is  the ZigZag Cowl by Mandy Powers (and it’s a free Ravelry download).

The yarn used is Good Karma Farm’s 60/40 wool/alpaca blend which is a worsted weight and has the softest hand! I really enjoyed knitting with this yarn. It didn’t split too much and felt so good while knitting. The pattern wasn’t difficult, although in my case there is room for operator error – I get chatting and can’t seem to count!

Today, I’ve charged myself with blocking the finished cowl and will be using the most wonderful gentle hand-wash soap in the whole wide world – Eucalan. The reason that I love it so much is that you don’t have to rinse it out of your hand washables! Even if you’re not washing knitted items, you have to get a bottle of this stuff. I use the unscented (because of my allergies) but there is a lavender and a eucalyptus scent as well.

And since I had no pins to block with, you see them as well. I’m using a folded up beach towel as my base and it’s working really well.

Why block, you ask? It makes the stitches become more defined. Particularly when you’re knitting lace, and I’ll show you what I mean when the blocking is done and dry.

 

Family Values – Valuing Family

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Most of the Family in Marblehead 2009

I know I’ve said this before … but I love my family!

N. and I have spent the last few days and nights visiting my youngest brother and his family in Marblehead, Massachusetts. If you have never visited Marblehead, it’s well worth a visit and I love being there all the time but the fall is a great time. Our visit was precipitated by my Aunt and Uncle from Lake Tahoe, NV who were in town for a couple of days on their annual New England “jaunt” and we decided to join the fun – and it was fun!

Happy Bee-day Aunt Judy!

We ate lobster (fresh-caught from my brother’s boat) and birthday cake – in  honor of said aunt – did a lot of laughing, a lot of walking around town, and experienced a first – a school district RAIN delay on Monday morning. I woke up at 5 a.m. because of an odd flashing of light which I had attributed to my cell phone but it was lightning … and then turned into a frog-strangling rain with thunder and lightning. Roads were flooded and school was delayed for 2 hours! Although my youngest nephew wanted to remember another such delay (much to his parents’ chagrin), I don’t think there has ever been such an event. We even watched (from a waterside restaurant) a sailboat being hoisted out of the harbor for the winter.

Sailboat being lifted out of Marblehead Harbor

In Salem, MA there is the most wonderful museum called the Peabody Essex which we’ve visited on numerous occasions but a cold, formerly rainy Tuesday was good enough reason for another visit. I think I like this museum because it has something for everyone – and who would ever believe that Salem would be home to such a magnificent place. We visited only a couple of the galleries but I liked the Man Ray/ Lee Miller exhibit

source: http://blindflaneur.com/2011/08/20/partners-in-surrealism-lee-miller-and-man-ray/

My nephew, who was gifted by his mother with a “learning with Auntie Linda” day, said that all the eyes gave him the creeps. I appreciated being able to see and learn about a love story (though not necessarily a healthy or happy one) and the art that was created from it. I’d heard of Man Ray in a French History class that I took which included all sorts of wonderful media references to the period – what a great class and teacher that was!

Nephew at the end of the line ("Red Line" in Salem is the Heritage Trail)

We spent a lot of time in the interactive and child-friendly Ripple Effect exhibit which, considering the weather at the start of the day, seemed timely and appropriate. The kids were particularly at home in this exhibit and I hope they learned a couple of things. They also enjoyed an tiny area in the maritime history/nautical history section nearby where there was a display of ship’s journals … we tried to read the old script handwriting and then tried to interpret what the authors were talking about. It was great – and I could share with them that their grandfather, my father, also journaled about his experience on the seas in WWII. (One day I will scan and post his journals on my family history blog chronicling the Rockwell and Dow genealogy.)

It was a great few days and I always love being with my family!

(Don’t forget to plan your trip to Salem and Marblehead!)

Gone (to do the laundry and then) knitting!

Inspiration Needed … Meet the Knitting Guild

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I need some new inspiration and so I have decided to enlist the help of the Knitting Guild and take a class.

I was going to start at the Masters Level 1 but changed my mind at the eleventh hour and decided to take the Basics class instead … just to get my head in the right place, set the intention (so-to-speak) and get myself thinking more about my knitting process. The packet was delivered Saturday and I’m really excited about starting but must wrap up a couple of projects already on the needles.

My Kate Middleton shawl is zipping along (yeah, well, not really… it’s slow going when you’re increasing only one stitch every other row!) I really like this pattern and if I could require myself to sit and work on it for a couple of days, I’d be half way through! It’s going to be worth it though and I adore the color I picked.

I have not one but four socks to finish … one more “birthday party” sock to match the finished one, must knit the feet of the two socks on one needle and finish them up, and I cast on a new sock promised to my son (he actually has asked for a black pair of socks!) and I’d like to get them done by Christmas. So … once again, I’m up to my eyeballs in projects and haven’t started to re-work the cabled sweater for the Prima Dogma line.

Test knitters have the Señorita Lolita sweater and I hope it will be a smooth process for them … I’m eager to see how it knits up. I’d love to make a couple more that I could leave in California on consignment to see how they sell. I’m not sure it’ll happen for this next trip … but time will tell!

For now, I’m going to sneak in a little bit of knitting while Aunt and Uncle are still sleeping. Then off to an art museum and the little dogs have an appointment with their Uncle Doctor for check-ups this afternoon.

 

Knitting at the Speed of Light

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I’m knitting right along on my Cambridge Shawl. It’s gotten quite a bit longer (no thanks to my knitting group last night where I had to un-knit everything I’d done because I made a mistake while chatting) and I’m loving it (and the fabulous Cascade 220 Heathers Purple color I chose).

While on YouTube researching something totally unrelated, I found this video … Yes, she is really knitting! Enjoy …

Gone knitting!

A Two-lighthouse Day

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Owl's Head Light

We headed out Sunday to see the ocean and a light house. Since Kelly hadn’t ever been to Maine and the Maine coast being my favorite thing, it was a cinch to decide to head eastward.

First stop, Owl’s Head Light near Thomaston, Maine. Thomaston, by the way, is one of my favorite childhood memories. We used to visit this adorable vintage Maine town with the white homes on either side of Route 1 and where the Maine State Penitentiary used to be. Connected to the state prison, there was the prison store. My brothers and I loved visiting there to purchase some little trinket carved by the inmates (and there were real inmates at the cashier’s desk with armed guards). A bit of wonder and a bit of fear made this a great place to visit. They’re open every day but Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day (a couple of days in January and Maine snow days.)

Owl's Head LightBut I digress… the land for Owl’s Head Light was purchased in 1824 by a Congressional appropriation of $4,000.  Owl’s Head marks the entrance to Rockland harbor and the light was first lit by it’s first keeper in September 1825 (the project was completed for a cost of $2,707.79 … way under the appropriation. Bet that wouldn’t happen today!)

Today, you can visit the lighthouse (the keeper’s house is still standing but not open to visitors. It’s a bit of a climb into the tower but the view is worth the effort. The lens of the light is simply amazing.

A 1,000 watt hallogen bulb lights the light today

It’s a Fresnel lens which replaced the original in 1856 and it’s simply amazing. It was originally designed to turn (and has wheels) but they decided to keep it a stationary light as all the others in the area were blinking. Did you know that each lighthouse had it’s own pattern of blinks? Ayuh, they did.

From the Foot of the Tower

From the tower, the Rockland Breakwater was pointed out to us by the volunteer at the top of the tower. (It was a beautiful sunny day and it was hot up there!) She said we could walk out the mile long “jetty” (made from rubble granite) and visit the keepers house and lighthouse. SO, who could resist? Off we went.

View from the Lighthouse over the Breakwater toward shore

The Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse is going through a major renovation and it’s going to be a beautiful place to visit. Well, it was a beautiful place to visit and I could imagine living there as the keeper (all lighthouses in Maine today are automated.) While I think the volunteers could have designed a more professional display of the history of the lighthouse, it’s a fun visit and it’s a treat to see the keeper’s house as well as visit the tower. My camera died so I can’t share with you the views other than the two I took. One above is toward the shore over the breakwater (wear sturdy shoes for this hike) and another looking toward the Owl’s Head light across the harbor.

A visit to Rockland after our lighthouse adventure for a bit of lunch at the Rockland Cafe … where we shared a cup of their seafood chowder (yummy, especially with a dash or three of hot sauce) and ordered a couple of lobster BLTs and a “small” plate of whole belly fried clams. The BLT was tasty (the bread/roll was unoriginal) and the clams were delish. Rockland is also home to some great shops, an excellent (new location is quite a step up) coffee shop and book store (Rock City Cafe) and the fabulous Farnsworth Art Museum, home of many of Andrew Wyeth’s paintings and always a good visit!

Fun day with friends, good food, a bit of exercise and we learned a bit, too. Not typical for us but a great day in Maine!