One corner of my Atelier … stash, patterns and projects piling up on my work table!

I’m putting my lips to the world this morning and am doing my best effort to live my life! I’ve been thinking about goals and who I want to be. While I have nothing definitive to write as yet, I am going to ponder this and I’ll write more later.

I just entered another contest on Facebook. This time for a Noro book and some lovely KnitPicks yarn! I sure do hope I win!

I’ve posted a picture of my “Atelier” (French for Workshop) which is my office/work room/yarn room. It still holds all (most!?) of my clothes in the closet – at least until the master closet is finished. I hope it will be soon because I really want to organize my closet in the Atelier to hold my knitting library, stash yarn, needles and all the other stuff so that I can get rid of a couple of mis-matched shelving systems and add a comfy chair and a half to my Atelier!

On the front corner of my work table is my new California yarn! I’m so excited to knit with this yummy wool spun from happy California sheep. Behind it under the red is the Maine lamb’s wool that I bought this past summer and to the right of the brown box is the lovely yarn my sister-in-law gave me for Christmas. So much beautiful yarn and so little time!

Under my window is Lola’s new bed. She, however, is sleeping on the floor next to my chair and her brother, Boq, has taken over the bed. He has his brought over his little raccoon toy and a piece of cardboard that he stole from the trash can. My guess is that he plans to shred it for me when he wakes up from his nap! He’s such a helpful guy!

My New Year’s “Resolution” for 2011 is to get more regimented … to formally acknowledge that I am a sole proprietor of Queen Bee Knits and to spend planned time, regularly planned time, in the Atelier creating garments for sale. My first 2011 effort is the Senorita Lolita sweater …

I am designing this garment as I go. I started with my Koigu KPPM skeinettes and have pulled out the ones that have purple hues in them for the main part of the garment. I started with a little rolled neck (Lola doesn’t really like wearing clothes that are binding! LOL!) and have increased enough to make some “arm” holes. The yarn is absolutely wonderful to knit with, has a very soft hand and is not splitting at all.

You’ll notice my KnitPicks Harmony circular needles (size 4) that I’m knitting with. My daughter gave them to me for my birthday – and I love them. Great points for those little stitches. I’ll blog more about my needles another time.

Suffice it to say that the photograph doesn’t really show you much, but this is where I am with the Senorita Lolita sweater for the Jimmy Bean’s Wool Contest with the Koigu Skeinettes! The colors are actually a bit brighter – sorry, I’m not much of a photographer! But at least I don’t chop off everyone’s heads!

 This view is of the roll neck to the left side of the photo. You can see the increases which will run up the chest of the sweater and one “arm” hole is at the place where the colorful needles meet.

I have twelve days to finish the garment … I can do it!

Gotta go – knitting time!

Yes, I am screaming! I’m really excited that I have won … and a bit intimidated that my creation-to-be is going to be “judged” by my peers! Here’s the story …

A long time ago (or so it seems) I wrote a comment on the Koigu Facebook page because they were having a giveaway of skeinlettes of Koigu yarn … I said I thought it would make a great rolled neck sweater for my nine pound shih tsu, Lola. (The truth!) I had no idea what the yardage would be but felt pretty sure I could figure something out. A sweater that would bring out her inner Diva!

Well … apparently the original winners or runners up didn’t contact JBW and they chose a couple of new winners. Yesterday I got an email from Bethany at Jimmy Beans Wool (careful when you click on this link … you may get lost in their website like I do!) Here’s the text of the email:

• December 28th- I will send out the skeinlettes
• sometime BEFORE January 18th, 2011- You must send me 3 pictures OR your proposed design worked up so I can post them on our blog for the voting contest which will start January 24th. 
• Winner will be picked and announced on January 31st.
• I will send the winner 3 full hanks of Koigu KPPPM. 

If my high school memory of Latin is correct, the title of this blog entry is “Times Flies” … and OMG, it sure feels like it has flown by yet again.

Life seems sometimes to take on a life of it’s own and doesn’t feel like it’s mine any more … certainly I make few of the choices about what gets done. I’m not sure if that is the “pleaser” or the “victim” in me. Regardless, I’m going to make a more focused effort to own my time. Particularly where it applies to my knitting business and projects that are potentially money-making.

I’ve finished all my holiday knitting projects that were planned and I am now happily participating in a Christmas Secret Santa gift for my sister-in-law-to-be’s sister’s dog. Whew! My younger brother is being married on the Winter Solstice (December 21) in Northern California to a lovely woman who has made him happy to wake up in the morning. I love seeing my brother so happy! We’ve agreed to do a Secret Santa gift swap in lieu of attempting to buy presents for everyone. I’m really excited that I “drew” Abbie’s sister, Lisa, who has a little shihtsu named Chewy. Chewy is brown like Chewbaca of Star Wars fame. Thus, his sweater will be a manly (dare I say beastly) sweater with the ammo carrier – all knitted of course!

I was gifted a beautiful mini skein of superwash fingering merino wool from Apothecary Yarns in the “Off With her Head” colorway. It’s lovely and is just screaming to be made into a lovely bookmark. (Have I told you that reading is my favorite activity next to knitting? Well, not sure if it’s second or third next to knitting and baking.

I’ve also been wanting to start a few pairs of mittens and fingerless gloves … one for me in Malabrigo’s Angora in the colorway called “Pollen” which, for me, is a very special color. I plan to knit up a pair of Vogue Knitting’s bobble mittens that I saw in the magazine a few issues ago. Also in my queue is a pair of Drops Design’s wrist warmers with cable pattern which I will be knitting up in Knit Pick’s City Tweed DK in the “Enchanted” colorway for my darling daughter who gifted me with the yarn on my birthday.

And, of course, there are the work pieces which will be a priority in the New Year. I have my beautiful natural lambs wool from Maine’s Winterberry Farm … I keep feeling the yarn which is sitting on the work table in my atelier.

Pictures to come! (After Christmas!)

Have a good time … don’t waste it today!

I am grateful today for time to heal and my brother helping me to remember gratitude.

On Thanksgiving we went to Naples (FL) to visit my sweetie’s mom at her “nursing home”. On the way, I spoke with my new big brother who told me he was grateful that we were in his life. Yeah, baby, that’s what I’m talking about. I have so much to be grateful for – a roof over my head, food to eat and water (and vodka … particularly my fave Grey Goose on the rocks or a little bit dirty) to drink, a man who loves me, three healthy and productive (and wonderful) children, my two darling doggers, friends and family who support me and a love of the arts that will help me to make my life meaningful.

So, now that my head’s out of my butt … what are you thankful for? I’m going to try to remember to be grateful for something every day through the New Year. My blogging record hasn’t been too great for the record but I’m going to list one gratitude daily through January 1, 2011. And if I miss a day, I will have to list one per day for the time missed. Nothing like a little gratitude to set myself straight.

The second Christmas gift (no, I’m still not giving it away!) is nearly done. Turned the heel and am well off down the foot. Hope that I’ll finish the foot tomorrow. Next, giant olives and a “smitten” … yes, more gifts.

I’ve promised myself that after the holidays I will focus on my new business … more later!

This is a for real sign that I found at a Florida rest area … welcoming, isn’t it? I didn’t even get my dogs out of the car here. I wouldn’t even have stopped if I didn’t have to pee wicked badly. Good grief, I get that they have to warn naive travelers but this is ridiculous!

And speaking of venomous snakes, I feel like one today – my daughter visited from Chicago for a few days and it was the most fun I’ve had for ages. And now, going into the Thanksgiving holiday with none of my kids being here with me again, I am feeling really sad and as if every word that comes out of my mouth is venomous. I don’t mean to be nasty but I can’t help it. I feel like I gave up everything to come here and it’s not worked out like I had hoped it would. It’s hard when you are not a risk taker and then at a crossroads in your life, you decide to take a risk and then it turns out not to be a good move. I guess I’ve learned a lot (always the one to find the silver freaking lining … ) but it’s feeling really crappy going into my favorite holiday of the year.

I’ve always been able to find something to be grateful for and genuinely feel grateful. This year I simply feel wounded and lonely. I certainly hope that my knitting takes off for me in the coming months and that I can find a great location to move to and start over again. Any suggestions? I’m feeling New England in the New Year … maybe 2011 will be the answer to prayers. I need an infusion of happiness. Thank you very much.

This is one of the pairs of “Cooked Lobster Claw” mittens that I packaged and shipped last week. Aren’t they cute as a button? I love them to death. They could also be called “Cooked Crawfish Claw” mittens for those who live in the southern regions … and, frankly it’s a reflection of my family – North and South!

I told you that I had a family miracle to share about my big brother, right? Here you go – this is something that I’m truly grateful for….

After my mother passed away, a cousin of hers contacted my aunt (mom’s sister) and told her that she had information about a baby. She had been sworn to secrecy and had kept the secret until my mother died. Rita shared that my mother and father had conceived a baby boy who was born “out of wedlock” in May of 1956 in California.

When I was a kid, I had heard the story about how my father had chased after the society girls but was dating my mother, a legal secretary. Mom, frustrated with the fact that he hadn’t proposed, moved to California for a year to get away. Dad couldn’t live without her and, ultimately, proposed and they were married in 1957. I was their oldest child and a girl …

Well, what was left out of that old story was that the real reason that Mom went to California was that she was pregnant and unmarried. In 1956 this was a shameful thing. My mother would have been considered “trash” if found out so she sneaked away. On May 30, 1956 a baby boy was born to my mother and was given into the hands of a loving adoptive family. Mom never held him nor saw him. According to Cousin Rita, though, she was very worried about Mom’s mental state. She was isolated and dreadfully depressed. Rita called my Dad who came out to California to visit and shortly thereafter, Mom returned to the east coast and they were engaged and married in September 1957.

So, in 2008, I got word that I had a full-blood big brother somewhere in the world. Against all odds, I called the California County office and was told there was nothing they could tell me. Adoptions from that time were sealed. The Internet was the place to search and I found several sites that are “Adoption Registries” and signed myself up. It didn’t take long before an angel (yes, Virginia, there are real live angels!) who volunteers to help adoptive families and birth families to find each other emailed me with some information about my brother. And then there was another email. And the third … I’ve found your brother! At the bottom of the email was a white pages listing with my brother’s name and address and phone number. So, I called.

A woman answered and I asked for Richard (an amazing coincidence … my younger brother with whom I grew up is also Richard, as was my father). She told me he was out and would be home in a couple of hours. So, I set the timer (yes, literally) for two hours and called again. The answering machine picked up. I started to leave my message and the woman came on … and she turned the phone over to a man. I told him my story (well, my parents’ story) and he asked me a couple of questions about my parents and then he said, “I think I’m your brother.” Wow! We talked for about 45 minutes that first time. Sharing about our children and our lives and our siblings. He had just lost his mother a few weeks prior to my call and was thinking that he only had one blood relative in the whole world … and now he had three blood siblings, nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles and cousins galore.

We’ve since had several opportunities to get together and we’ve started to get to know each other and our extended family. When our younger brother Rick gets married next month, all five of us will be there. Me, my brothers that I grew up with (both younger) and my new big brother and sister. Turns out my big brother had a younger sister and now I have a big sister too.

I think our mothers would be very proud. For that I’m very grateful.

I’m pretty sure I’ve said it before, I love cables. It must be my Irish heritage. (I love potatoes too!) I’ve been thinking as I’ve been knitting the last few projects have had cables and they’re a bit frustrating at times (when you reverse a cable and don’t notice it) and they can be somewhat meditative.

I find some really great help for knitting on YouTube these days. Have you looked for help there? I have also sent people, particularly new knitters to KnittingHelp.com which is a wonderful place, too. Once you learn how to cast on and the basic two stitches … knit and purl … there are all kinds of patterns of stitches and then there are cables. It’s fun to take a trip to the library or book store and check out some of the stitch dictionaries to see the breadth of patterns that you can make with just two stitches. And there are cables. Basically a cable is just a series of twisted stitches; one or more stitches are held aside and then put back on the needles.

I’m an “old” girl and I have been knitting the English way for too long to make it easy to switch. I’ve tried but haven’t perfected it yet – and, quite frankly, don’t have time to practice with all the knitting work that I have on my list. (I told you I have several WIPs and have added two more to my list. They’re sitting on my work table in my new atelier waiting for me to pick up yet another pair of needles and get knitting!) Anyway, back to the topic at hand …

There are two ways to make a cable stitch. One that I’ve had in my Christmas gift pattern is just a simple two stitch twisted knit stitch. To make this stitch you simply knit into the second stitch on the left needle without slipping it off and then knit into the first stitch and slip both stitches off. (In the next row or wrong side, you’ll knit the two stitches straight or without a twist.) A pattern of these twisted knit stitches is really attractive and it’s a very simple way to begin. You don’t even need a cable needle for this!

Another simple cable pattern is a four stitch cable. Follow this pattern:
Row 1 (RS)- K4
Row 2 (WS) – P4
Row 3 – Slip 2 onto cable needle and hold in front (left leaning cable) K2, K2 from cable needle
Row 4 – P4
Row 5 – K4
Row 6 – P4
Row 7 – Slip 2 onto cable needle and hold in back (right leaning cable) K2, K2 from cable needle
Row 8 – P4
Repeat 8 rows in pattern

See – easy!

When I made the cowl for my daughter, I used the Frosting Scarf pattern from the blog I Like Cake. She taught me a way to make the cables without a cable needle but by pinching the stitches and switching them around. See her pattern for the instructions … it takes a few repeats to learn it and be comfortable but it certainly does make it easier!

Speaking of cable needles, you definitely get what you pay for. I really don’t love the metal ones that you can buy at the big box stores. They are very  thin and very slippery. There’s nothing worse than being in the middle of a cable in the middle of a complicated pattern and having your cable needle fall out of the stitches and into your lap. I’ve lost bunches of them knitting on decks! Anyway, I love the bamboo sets of cable needles. I bought a set of Brittany cable needles which you can buy on Amazon or at your LYS. They have three different weights and they won’t fall out of your knitting nearly as quickly. (They’re sneaky little devils!)

Give the cable patterns a shot and don’t forget to breathe! Learning new stitches can be challenging (and even seasoned knitters make mistakes) but it is fun to “get it” and see your skills progress!