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!

Queen Bee Knits Sale

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My friends here (all two or three of you) and on Facebook, will be happy to hear that I’m having a sale for my friends, only. If you’re not my friend, don’t try to use the coupon code or your computer may explode. (Not really.)

When shopping at my Etsy shop, use this special code to win 15% off the price of any purchase! Yes 15% off! Lucky ducks! Are you ready? Here’s the code: QBKCIRCLE .

Happy shopping … and be sure to shop early. You know, it’s only a matter of time before Christmas and all the other winter holidays!

Gone knitting!

On Mothers’ Labor

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A Woman's Work... ?

Here’s to the mothers who work on Labor Day … and the other holidays, at night, 24/7/365.

I was a stay-at-home mom for 20 years or more and on this Labor Day weekend, I would like to pay tribute to those working moms (many of whom do not get a pay check for a job well done) who give up a piece of themselves every day to build a strong-bodied, competent, compassionate, happy, productive child. It’s not an easy job – and there is certainly no paid vacation and the benefits are few and far between.

When I was a stay-at-home mom, I wore many hats: cook, cleaning lady, laundress, nurse, chef, personal shopper, personal assistant, secretary (for a group of four), therapist, doctor, taxi driver, teacher, CEO, CFO, community and school volunteer, etc. I loved that jobs and I’d take it back in a heartbeat. Only problem is, now that I’m single, that kisses and hugs will not pay my health insurance (or any other) bill!

The hours were long, the pay was practically nonexistent but I loved it. Too bad that it isn’t a job that’s sufficiently valued so that when this job is phased out, there’s not really any severance pay.

So, today, I honor those moms, like me, who work day in and day out for hugs and kisses (and many who work at a “real” job, too). If moms ruled the world, wouldn’t it be a better place!?

Gone knitting!

Back in the Saddle …

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The house in Maine survived Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene. While we weren’t here on Sunday when the storm hit, we arrived on Wednesday to clean up the yard … one fallen tree and a collection of sticks and small branches.

I’ve finished one really cute baby hat and am starting a second. The first, an “Aviatrix Hat” is really cute but the pattern wasn’t particularly clear. I used a wonderfully soft medium blue yarn and I think the baby will be kept really warm … until he grows out of it. The second hat is a Dropps design. It’s a bit like a hood in that it goes over the head (and thus won’t come off so easily!) You can click here for the free pattern – and while you’re there, they have a ton (TON!) of really beautiful patterns. Shop till you drop!

I’m nearly done with my vest. If I hadn’t gotten this creeping crud upper respiratory thing, I’d have it done and could be wearing it. I still love the vest – wish I’d made mine a bit longer, but I think (if it fits around my body) that I will get a lot of wear out of it.

I’m working on the “hexipuffs” for my knitted quilt. Did I show you a picture of this project? Yikes! I love it! TinyOwlKnits has designed the most wonderful one-of-a-kind knitted quilt that I, the Queen Bee, must have. It’s called the beekeeper’s quilt and here it is …

It’s beautiful, is it not? Well, I am working on mine (I have three or four of the 3 million little hexipuffs that I need to knit) and I can’t wait to show you as it’s put together. You can make this project too … by visiting this website and purchasing the pattern for a very reasonable fee! Here’s the site … http://tinyowlknits.wordpress.com.

I have a couple pairs of socks still on the needles: a pair of black ones for my son, Bear. A pair of scrappy/birthday party/celebration socks for my Etsy shop and the dreaded two socks on one needle which I’ll get done soon … once I get a bit of help from the master (rather, mistress) of two socks on one needle, Betty, at my LYS here in Maine.

So, this Queen Bee is busy, busy, busy. (Can you imagine that?)

Running out to get the laundry off the line and then wrapping my afghan around my shoulders while I knit a bit … think I’ll attempt the seam for the vest’s shoulders and finish that baby!

Gone knitting!

 

 

Goodnight (hurricane) Irene …

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Hurricane Irene is heading toward the east coast of the United States as we speak. The press would make one believe that it’s the worst storm to hit the world in the last hundred years. People are in a panic mode from the Carolinas to Canada.

I was kind of looking forward to witnessing a hurricane – albeit not from the coast – before I leave Florida but it seems like it’s not going to make landfall before the Carolinas. Seems it’s not going to happen this time!

So, while everyone else is stocking up on batteries and water … and they’re evacuating lower Manhattan and stopping all mass transit in New York City tomorrow late morning … I’m going to head to my bed with knitting in hand and relax and knit in peace.

On the needles … hexipuffs, baby hat #1 (re-designed version), Maine sweater vest (almost there!) and the dreaded two socks on one needle which will be going back to Maine for help from Betty the wonder-knitter so that I can learn how to turn the heel!

Baby hat #2 is in process. My “old” (former?) au pair – I was her local coordinator when she was an au pair in Ohio ten years ago and now she’s married and a local coordinator herself – is adopting a baby boy in October and I’m knitting for her baby boy. What a wonderful way to celebrate a magnificent event in her life!

I’m so grateful that my family and friends (well, most of them anyway) are all out of the way of Irene. Praying that Irene behaves and lives are saved.

Life is so good!

Gone knitting!

I See Old People

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Another road trip. To Naples, FL, this time … to visit N’s mother who is in a lovely Assisted Living facility here.

Getting old really sucks. All of her friends and her husband are dead. “Nobody” (we interpret this as “nobody who I can remember or really care about) visits her. The aides who work on her wing, at least a few of them, have a HUGE chip on their shoulders and the attitudes make her feel threatened to the point that she feels unsafe at times. I can’t imagine being dependent on people who come into your room (her only home, likely for the rest of her life) with a grimace on their face, people who can’t even grunt out a semi-pleasant greeting, who leave you sitting on the toilet knowing you can’t get yourself up or help yourself. Unacceptable behavior for “care-givers” paid to be helpful.

Visits are getting more difficult and Nanny’s getting more difficult to please as her words are becoming less numerous and more difficult to retrieve. Communication is wacky – with “no” being the first response to every inquiry but often followed by a “yes” or a few words strung together slowly. We’re finding that we have to speak more slowly and distinctly and a lot louder! We are learning a lot about patience and are able to wait much longer for her to figure out how to respond.

I wish there were a way to remove yourself from the world of the living when you feel that your life is no longer worth living and when you’ve got no quality of life.

On the flip side, it incentivizes me and reminds me to get moving and to keep my life and mind active and full today … we don’t know what will happen tomorrow.

Gone knitting!

Bedlam in my Atelier

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Bedlam!

Besides the two adorable pooches that I have to step over every time I move (God forbid they should sleep in the bed that I bought for them!) there is stuff everywhere in my Atelier and the bedlam there is making my head feel disorganized, too.

So, today I went to Costco to get some more sheet protectors for my patterns so I can put them away. I’m not sure what the best way to organize patterns is but I want to put them all in binders so they’re easily accessible and “orderly” (or at least I think they are!)

I’m making some stitch holders for gifts. I’ve seen them on Etsy and in magazines and I’ve had it on my “to do” list for ages. Finally bought the beads yesterday and today I’ve set them out all over my work table. Additionally, my work table has the gauntlets that I knitted as a gift and another pair as a give-away from my facebook page.

I finally hit over 100 “likes” on the Queen Bee Knits facebook page (If you are reading this and haven’t “liked” Queen Bee Knits and you’re on facebook, shame on you!) Yippee! I celebrated the special number by having a drawing … I closed my eyes and scrolled up and down the list of people who like QBK and it landed on Jackie Phillips Weatherly’s name. Now, I don’t know Jackie but I’ve sent her a message through her website (we “met” through a LinkedIn.com group that is helping artists get their sites “liked”) and I’m eager to send her the fingerless gauntlets. They’re really pretty!

Almost Ready to Finish!I’ve got the Noni bag in a ginormous laundry bag all set to get it felted. I bought everything I need to finish it yesterday: fabric for lining, feet and the plastic stuff that makes it stiff. I had the handles … and I can’t wait to see how it looks felted (and finished!) Hope I can get it done in the next week or so before we have to get on the road again.

Gone knitting … well, maybe after I clean up a bit!

Home?

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Back in the land of heat and humidity and the yard weeds are taller than the plants that we dug holes for. Go figure! At least the pots in the front yard aren’t dead and my (now) puny “jazz hands” palm tree is still alive and growing after a near death experience.

I’ve had a fun day today and am going to continue having fun when my girlfriend comes for dinner but I thought I’d take a few minutes to show you what I’ve been working on while I wasn’t blogging … it’s not “much” but it’s work, none the less!

I’ve finished the coveted “Turkish Bed Socks” (find the pattern HERE at Churchmouse Yarns and Teas) and it just reinforced to me how much I love knitting with Koigu wool. It’s simply wonderful to knit with … if you try it on my recommendation and don’t love the way the yarn feels and knits, let me know and I will buy the yarn from you. The colorways are endless, too … you’re bound to love at least one (hundred) colors! The construction was interesting and I only got a bit confused once … and when I stopped reading ahead, I was fine. They’re cute and I’ll be they’re super to wear with my clogs in the winter.

I have made two more pairs of fingerless “Gauntlets”. One is in a gray alpaca DK weight yarn from Village Farm Alpacas in Waldoboro, Maine. The yarn is absolutely the softest and it was good to knit with … nearly as good as the Koigu, just not quite.

The second pair is almost finished. These were knit with a wool and silk blend from Plymouth Yarn Company called Mulberry Merino in a dark emerald green colorway (color 686, Lot 531). The yarn is so soft and the fingerless mitten pattern is wonderful. The yarn is spun loosely and it’s not as much fun to knit with because it splits on the needles and then gets stuck which is annoying! These will either go up on my Etsy site or be given away when I reach 100 “likes” on the Queen Bee Knits facebook page.

My vest in coming along. I’ve finished the back and have started working up one side of the front but I have to be honest, I haven’t really done much knitting. The last few days I was playing with my “old” friends from college at Virginia Beach and there was no time for knitting … I was out riding the waves (body surfing) for over an hour on Saturday. I’m sunburned and getting that “I’m going to peel” itch but it was worth it.

So, now I’m home and I have an order for a baby hat for one of my former au pairs. She’s adopting a little Latino boy from Illinois in October. She’ll be present at the baby’s birth if she has enough time to get from her house to Chicago area in time. How exciting is that? So, I’m off to find some cute patterns for the baby hat and then will hit the shops in person and/or online for yarn. Any suggestions?

Gone knitting … or pattern hunting!

 

On Summer

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Firefly!

The first thing I think about when I think about summer is fireflies (second only to honeysuckle and other flowers and the call of loons and swimming and …)

I remember collecting them when I was a child and then passing on my love of these brilliant bugs to my children. We’d get a great big glass or plastic jar and punch lots of holes in the lid for air. They’d fill the bottom with grass and sticks and leaves and then the fun really begins – collecting the bugs and watching them light up. Running around outside in the dark (without the fear of stepping in dog poop) and the squeals of glee when, “I caught one!” was called. It was always such fun to watch their little faces peering into their jar watching the bugs light. They (and we) would have been outside all night – or at least until all the bugs were caught or asleep!

When I was a kid, I always wanted to take them to my room and keep them for a night light … and in the morning they were all dead (or nearly dead) and I’d release them anyway. (Because we all know that miracles happen.) I don’t remember my kids taking them inside to die. I think we were more concerned with teaching them to respect all living things and that the reality is that they’ll die in captivity. Real world, heartbreaking reality. But it helped my kids turn into compassionate human beings.

Lightning bugs still are harbingers of summer in my mind and there’s nothing better than a lovely summer night when the fireflies are out and I remember the wonderful days when my children were little and passing on the traditions of collecting fireflies. Gotta love summer!!!

Loom Dude's Knitted Firefly

Here’s a compatriot’s pattern for knitting fireflies! What a wonderful idea, Loom Dude! Click HERE to flit over to the Loom Dude’s blog to collect the pattern!

Enjoy what’s left of your summer!

Gone knitting!

“I can’t think about that right now. If I do, I’ll go crazy. I’ll think about that tomorrow.”

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Yes, Scarlet O’Hara, we’ll think about that tomorrow!

Whenever I think of Atlanta, I think of Gone With the Wind. (Duh! Doesn’t everyone?) You can click HERE to watch the trailer of the movie from 1939 – the movie did win ten (count them TEN!) awards! Just listening to the music gives me goose bumps!

Margaret Mitchell's House

This is the place where it all began. Had I not been here in Atlanta, I wouldn’t even have thought about the fact that Margaret (I’ll call her “Maggie” since we’re now on a first name, casual basis) had to write the book somewhere … and this is where.

The house burned down in the late 1990’s (yes, that’s 1990, not a mistake) and has been beautifully restored. When Maggie lived here, it was an apartment building. I’d have chosen to live there too … it was a beautiful home!

Anyway, as I blog in Sandy Springs, the new Margaret Mitchell House is now a museum and I’ll get there to visit one day … maybe sooner than later! Check out their website if you’re in town … what better way to re-live the history of a place than to visit the homes of some of it’s famous former residents!