Queen Bee Knits

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

What a Week!

Posted on November 25, 2024 by Queen Bee Knits

Well, the last one has been a tough week. I seem to be suffering from a bit of a depressive episode, not atypical for me at this time of year, due to the stretch of gray days and less light. I’ve hooked up the light thingy that I have and hope that will help and today it’s actually sunny which will also help. I also lost a dear family friend this week. We met when our kids were little at the beach in Weekapaug, RI. The Shelby family quickly became good friends because my eldest daughter and their youngest daughter bonded immediately. They’re still close all these 30-some years later. Anyway, Linda was a dear friend, always laughing and sarcastically funny, bright, creative and just a great woman. Linda got Alzheimer’s Disease, just like my mother, at an early age. She passed away Thursday at 72 years of age. Way too young. I will miss her and I’m grateful that she’s no longer suffering. That’s also brought up feelings around the loss of my mother at 76 back in 2008. I’m glad it’s Thanksgiving week and I don’t have to be anywhere so I can just be … and work through the feelings as they roll in. Nobody said that life would be easy.

I’ve had a big frustration with a commission that I had, too. I was asked to knit an adult-sized “Have You Seen My Octopus” hat for a high school friend who saw the one I made for our granddaughter. I bought the Malabrigo yarn and after ripping the hat back more than once, finally got the knitting done to my satisfaction. I blocked it – and it GREW! I’ve never had anything grow like this hat. If a hat is too big for my big fat head, it says a lot. So, because there’s no los when the hat is way too big, I wet it again and put it in the dryer alone. Twenty minutes and no change at all. SO I threw it in with a wet load of laundry and let it go … and it felted up to a decent size but it was too fluffy and looked “worn”. I reached out to my customer and told her about it and we decided that I’d send it to her so she can see what it looks like and it’s up to her to keep it or not. I’ve got almost $40 in yarn and about 10 (probably more) hours of work into the hat … ugh.

not really the color but the size is good

Yesterday I took the second part of the Fair Isle knitting class online with Janette Budge. What a generous teacher she is! I started knitting my bag/swatch after the class and ran into a color conundrum … if I continued knitting as planned, I’d have a yellow/gold motif colorway at the middle of the design AND a yellow background color. I didn’t think that would work. So, I emailed Janette and had a thoughtful answer back in a very short while. I am very grateful and can continue knitting now with renewed hope that the colors will work.

This is the gathering of colors that I chose. In the front are the background colors, theoretically a gradual shade change from white to yellow. In the back (at the top of the photo) are the motif colors. Again, they’re supposed to be a fade from dark to light. The bag will start and end with navy and the salmon color will be the “pop” of color in the middle of the motif. As I’d planned it, though, the yellow of the background colors and the third or fourth motif color (the golds) would be at the middle of the motif at the same time with little contrast and too much yellow! I think I’ll just leave out the yellow for the background (and hope I have enough of the beige.)

My Christmas stocking MKAL is ending today and I’ve fallen behind. I’m on day 17 or so and have several days to catch up on before knitting the afterthought heel and finishing. But I’ll get there. I have been enjoying the project … until the darkness got the better of me.

I’ve cast on a new pair of Christmas boot sock for my sister-in-love in Massachusetts. She is very knit worthy and I think she’ll enjoy the warm wool socks. I hope she can remember not to dry them. LOL. I have several skeins of Raggi sock yarn that I bought at my LYS before we couldn’t get it in the USA and this pair of skeins with a Christmas theme will be perfect for her. I haven’t taken any photos yet but the first sock is finished. I love knitting worsted weight socks! They knit up so quickly.

I’ve finished the knitting on my pink version of the “Lanes Island Pullover” and just have to start seaming the shoulders. Maybe I’ll get to that today. I’d love to have it to wear over Thanksgiving weekend. We’ll see how I do – the shoulders are the most difficult part to seam. The rest is a piece of cake … and I will have to knit the collar at the end. Send me good seaming juju, will you please?

I’ve still got to finish the Christmas sweater for our granddaughter, too. Not much to do there, either. I think I just have to knit the button plackets and add the buttons – the ones I got a really fun! Another project that shouldn’t take long to finish but I’ve not had the bandwidth to do anything other than simple simple simple whatever. I hope today will feel a little bit better and that I can conquer at least ONE of these undone projects.

Gone knitting.

Oh, Knitting … I love you.

Posted on November 13, 2024 by Queen Bee Knits

Wednesday, November 13, 2025 (photo by Ned Warner)

Well, I’m finally climbing up and out of the sinus crud that I brought back from New York. I took myself to the express care on Monday and got an antibiotic and it seems to be working its magic and I’ve been able to sleep the past couple of nights. Does one ever really “catch up” on sleep when one has missed it? Anyway …

I’ve been knitting my little fingers to the bone and it’s kept me upright and sane while not feeling well. I started the Snowflake sweater for my granddaughter’s Christmas sweater and found that the lace yoke, even though it’s relatively simple, should NOT be done while multi-tasking. Yesterday I found a mistake in the lace, right in front, that I couldn’t ignore so I frogged it back to the collar and started over. Needless to say, this time without the TV or computer in front of me. I’m so much happier with this second round of stitching.

I’m making the 1-2 year size because our Sylvie is a peanut and I do want this to fit her this year. I’m knitting it in Berroco Vintage DK which is washable and dryable should it make it into the dryer. I always prefer to hang hand-knits to dry because I think the heat of drying weakens the acrylic fabric despite a bit of wool. The lace yoke is simple enough and will be finished off with a placket and some buttons at the shoulder. The body of the sweater is simple stockinette stitch in the red colorway. I chose a deeper-than-Christmas-red color that I really like. Christmas red, to me, is just a bit to brash and orangey. This pattern is sized from infant to adult so maybe I’ll make us all one some day. Ha! Or maybe not. Ha! Ha!

I’ve also been working on my daily requirements, six rounds, of the Arne and Carlos Christmas 2024 MKAL. I’ve completed through day 11 (and today is day 12) and I’m really enjoying this project. I am enjoying it enough that I am considering doing the 2023 version as well. I just have to buy a bit more yarn. Imagine that?!

Arne & Carlos Christmas 2024 MKAL – day 11

I’ve wound up the yarn for the hat commission that I’ve agreed to knit for a high school friend’s younger sister. She loved the Have You Seen My Octopus hat that I made for Sylvie and asked if an adult version was possible. I have committed to getting it done by the end of the weekend and mailed off to her. I will get my 6 rounds of the stocking done and then cast on for the hat today. I am hoping to make it to work tomorrow and to teach on Friday where I can get some of it done, too. It’s a really fun pattern and the hat is adorable!

My Christmas Cactus, which I thought were Easter Cactus and now think may be Thanksgiving Cactus are blooming like crazy! I have got to get all my houseplants watered again but I haven’t had the energy up until now. I hope that I can get them watered today … I just have to pace myself. I’ve been home for a couple of weeks and work last week exhausted me so I’m trying to get back up to my normal speed but realize that I’m not yet “normal”. Today I ventured out for a doctor’s appointment, emptied the dishwasher and have run a load of towels in the washer. I’m trying some Borax to see if it’ll help the mustiness of our towels. I thought I’d take a few minutes to sit and write and gather some more energy for now. It’s still early.

Gone knitting.

Home Again Home Again …

Posted on November 4, 2024 by Queen Bee Knits

We’re home again as you can see by my photo of the lake this morning. I am happy to be home and ready to sleep in my own bed tonight. But we are going to miss our little muffin like crazy! We’ve had a full ten days in NYC with the family there and our hearts are so happy. We have been making memories.

The ride home was wonderful too. We stopped last night at my college roommate’s house in Connecticut for the night and a really sweet visit. Our almost 50-year-old friendship is so special!!! She’s moved into a new house and we got a chance to see it and catch up … even though I was whispering!

I’ve got a cast of laryngitis, I guess. We went to the NYCFC game in New York on Saturday with my future daughter-in-love (my son was called to Washington, DC for work unexpectedly) and we had such fun. We’d never been to a soccer game before but we have watched Ted Lasson so we have a bit of soccer knowledge … and we had fun. New York City was playing Cincinnati (where I raised my family) so I was torn about who to root for but I chose NYC and they won! (Apologies Cincinnati.)

In the past ten days I have gotten the first part of the sleeves of my pink Lane’s Island sweater knitted. There is four inches of ribbing and then it changes to stockinette stitch forever. I’m nearly done with the first set of increases. We had some new stitch markers arrive at the store and I bought a couple of packs before I left. I’m using them to mark my increases so I know how many I’ve made. It’s another wonderful tool for us knitters. More updates coming soon.

Gone knitting!

Grand-Parenting in the Big City

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Queen Bee Knits

We have been in New York babysitting for our granddaughter while her parents take a little anniversary holiday in Costa Rica. It was all planned out so that we would have a bit of a break when Sylvie went to school on weekday mornings … but you know about the saying, “when you plan, God laughs”, right?

On Monday morning we were so proud of ourselves, we got the little miss up and dressed, fed and out the door … delivered to school at 8:00am. We got to the grocery store and back home and I pulled out my knitting after I cleaned up the kitchen, vacuumed up the dog hair and put a load of wash in … and the phone rang. School was asking for us to pick her up; she had bumps on her hand and face and they suspected HFMD. So we packed up the stroller for the second trip to school to pick her up and on the way called the pediatrician to make an appointment for a sick child visit … and she was sick! Hand, foot and mouth it is and she’s out of school for at least this week. So, no more breaks for Yaya and Poppi, but I’m proud to say that we’ve fared very well partly because we go to bed early and partly because she takes a good nap in the afternoon. BUT we are re-learning what a challenge a 2-year old can be! Ha! Ha! Yaya has a lot more patience for toddler antics than Poppi does but we are tag-teaming it and we are winning!

With HFMD she’s not allowed in proximity to other children or people so we are trying to keep her busy without the playground and we’ve been pretty successful. Yesterday we went out to the courtyard in her building to carve our little pumpkin and the day before we made cookies. Today we went back into the courtyard with sidewalk chalk and bubbles.

We had a pizza party with her aunts and uncle on Sunday and she’s eaten left-over pizza a couple of times. Yesterday may have been a three-cookie day … she ate mine! And playing in the leaves is still fun when you’re two! She loves coloring inside and out, and she can put her own shoes on! She’s brilliant. We’ve been singing SO many songs and she loves Miss Rachel – when Yaya and Poppi need a breather we will turn her on for a few minutes.

AND while all of this is going on, they’re fixing the facade of the building right outside of the apartment … jackhammers on the walls, brick bits falling onto the windows. As if New York wasn’t loud enough for these Mainers! What an experience! Thank goodness they’re gone by four o’clock or so in the evening. But the New York City kiddo is SLEEPING through it all! What a trooper.

I fixed the neck of an anchor sweater that I made as a sample for a workshop that I taught that just happens to be the right size for Sylvie right now. It didn’t go over her head the way I’d made it so I pulled the neck ribbing out and re-knit it and used a stretchy bind off and now she can wear it.

I have finished the front and back of my pink Lane’s Island sweater and I’ve started the sleeves. I’m knitting both sleeves at the same time and had mostly completed the four inches of ribbing for the sleeves and I’ve managed to knit eight rows of stockinette stitch. Not much knitting going on here! But I’ll have plenty of knitting time “soon soon” when her parents get home. I’m going to hate to leave.

Making memories. Call me Yaya! Gone knitting.

If You Give A Mouse A Cookie …

Posted on October 22, 2024 by Queen Bee Knits

Have you read the children’s book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie? Well, this was a morning like the book but it happened in my house and it happened to me!

I had ONE thing to do today and that was to finish making chocolate Babka. My bonus daughter in Colorado baked a Nutella Babka this past weekend and I was inspired to try making babka, which I love, too. The NY Times cooking recipe uses all ingredients that I generally have in my house so, why not? So yesterday morning I went to check that I had all the ingredients and to start by making the dough. I pulled out the eggs and butter so they could come to room temperature and I only had 3 eggs. I needed four. So I got dressed and went to town to get eggs and while I was there I figured I may as well stop at the town office and vote. I voted, bought my eggs and some whole milk at the corner store and then went home to start mixing.

I seem to have lost my dough hook that goes to my KitchenAid mixer so I decided to use the food processor. Got all the ingredients into it and tried to “wizz” it and fiddled with it to get it to turn on and began processing. Until the motor slowed to a near stop … no way was it going to mix the dough properly. I transferred everything to the mixer and turned it on and got it all mixed but it wasn’t coming away from the sides of the bowl. Added a bit of flour as instructed and a bit more and eventually it let go of the side. Into a buttered bowl to sit for an hour. Meanwhile, I made the fudge filling and the chocolate streusel. When the hour or two had passed, the dough was puffy so I punched it down and put it into the fridge for the night.

This morning I got the fudge filling out to come to room temperature and for whatever reason I decided I had to wash the two kitchen windows that flank the stove first. I guess they were bugging me. They were really gross and I love clean windows. So, I moved all the bottles of cooking oil, the knife block, butter dish and got the step stool to wash the window on the right. I took down the sun catcher and the old ladle and went to work. My husband does most of the cooking in our house (he’s a former chef) and he cooks at high heat. Thus our kitchen windows and anything within “spitting” distance gets greasy. I washed the window and trim as best I could and set all the bottles and stuff aside to wash later.

The window on the left was next. That bit of counter has the bread box from the original house, the radio he needs to listen while he works and a bunch of little toys and stuff he’s “hidden away” there (dog’s nail trimmer and a couple of shirt labels, plastic to fix the water toys, etc. I moved it all to the island, climbed up to wash the window and found that the plate hanging on the side of the pantry cabinet was also greasy so I took that down. The cabinet didn’t look great so I washed it down first (a very good thing!) and then did the window. Once clean, I had to clean off all the counters so I could roll out the bread, right? See where this is going?

I loaded up the dishwasher with as much of the stuff that I could and then hand washed the bread box, the charging cords, the antenna cord, the platter that hangs … lots of cleaning up. The only thing I didn’t wash (yet) is the radio because I’m hoping we can replace it with a Sonos speaker or something that actually works! The buttons on the radio no longer work so he uses it as more of a speaker for his music or NPR streaming. I started the dishwasher (who knew you could put wind up toys and finger puppets in the dish washer) and it was time to deal with the dough.

I cut the dough in half and rolled it into a rectangle and spread the filling, rolled up the dough, wrapped it in plastic wrap and froze it for (a little more than) 10 minutes, cut the rolls (the recipe makes two loaves) and “braided” them – it’s really a twist – and they are now in our laundry room, a nice warm place, for at least an hour until they are puffy again. I finished cleaning up the kitchen (I still haven’t cleaned the radio) and I was ready for a sit down.

I’m eager to try the Octopus hat on my granddaughter this weekend. I have a feeling it’s going to be a bit big because she’s a little nugget but it’ll fit her eventually. I can knit another smaller one, too. The hat is long and I may have said in my previous post that I’d try to cut out a few rounds before the colorwork begins and after the chart is complete. We’ll see how it fits and go from there.

I spent the evening yesterday working on my Jelly Roll Blanket and am so close to finishing the fourth strip. I really should finish the front of my Lane’s Island sweater today so I can knit the sleeves. I found a new cardigan that I think I’d like to make with some pumpkin-colored Patagonia yarn that I have in my stash but I have to finish Lane’s Island first! I’ll knit two sleeves at once again so they’ll be identical. I’ve begun the colorwork chart for my First Snowfall Neckwarmer that I cast on over the weekend. The first round had a 9 stitch repeat so a lot of catching floats. My main color is light and my contrasting color is dark and I fear they may show through but I don’t like the long floats that I have made so I’ll be frogging that round and re-knitting with more float catching. I also need to resurrect a WIP from time out. I think it’ll be the pink mittens that I need to embroider and then finish. I wan’t enjoying the embroidering when I kicked them to time out. We’ll see how I feel abut it now. *wink

The bread needs another hour to get puffy so I’m going to end now and find some yarn to play with.

Gone knitting.

Ahhhh … Sunday

Posted on October 20, 2024 by Queen Bee Knits

I turned my alarm off this morning and slept for an extra (almost) hour! It was lovely to ignore my alarm. We had coffee indoors because the morning was a bit too cool for outside on the porch but it’s warmed up quite nicely and I think I will be opening a window or two today.

I went upstairs to get some knitting and got sidetracked as often happens. First because I didn’t feel like knitting my sweater and I’ve finished a couple of projects this week. More on those later. So, I went up to my studio and started looking through my Ravelry queue and found the cowl pattern that Glenda and I bought on our trip to Knit City Montreal. I had seen what I thought was the same cowl on my bosses FB page this morning, too, which was partly why I thought about the next project to cast on. Anyway, I pulled out the yarn (a full hank of peach and two mini hanks of black, all tweed, all really soft and will be great against the skin) and wound it up. When I had a first glance at the pattern, though, I realized that I didn’t feel confident with the cast on and so I sat down to watch the tutorial suggested by the designer and thought … why not just cast on with the video? So, got my needles and yarn and sat down again. Needless to say, I have my stitches cast on, the tubular cast on is completed and I have my 168 stitches on the needles.

The yarn is so pretty and the sunshine so glorious that I thought I should take a photo of my new start … that’s when I realized that I had downloaded a NEW pattern by the same designer and I had already bought the original pattern a year ago … AND the original pattern has six fewer stitches. So, now I have to decide whether I want to decrease six stitches in my first row after the ribbing and knit the pattern I bought the yarn for OR whether I keep going on the newer pattern (the one my boss saw) and I think I like the original pattern better. So … stay tuned. Hahaha!

So, I will be knitting the First Snowfall Neckwarmer by Runningyarn. With the pretty yarn that I bought at Knit City Montreal when we went two (?) years ago. I loved the peach color even if the combo is a bit unusual for snowflakes, I liked it and chose it and am going to knit it now. I’m on a colorwork spree. I’m about to pull out the provisional cast on stitches and then I’m off and running.

Finished this week … two projects, both quick and easy, taking a couple of days each. First up, the Have Your Seen My Octopus Hat for our granddaughter who just turned two yesterday. This hat is a blast to make and went together so easily and quickly. I will make the pompom today and add it to the top (the body of the octopus) and will take one last photograph of it.

I also started and finished the Writers Mitts (I have no idea where you can find this pattern, sorry). I was given the pattern by our Berroco Yarn rep, Andra, who had knitted a sample pair in the new sport weight Lopi yarn called Fjallalopi in this pretty pink colorway. I was gifted the yarn and when I saw Andra’s mitts, it was obvious what I was going to make. Since I had to buy more pink Remix light, I cast these on Thursday night and knitted them Friday and Saturday and blocked them last night. Super simple pattern, super simple mitts and they’ll be fun to wear in the cooler weather. Or maybe I’ll gift them to somebody … they’re almost dry and ready to go.

I finally remembered to ask my sweet hubby to cut a dowel for me so I can hang the Advent calendar that I made for Sylvie. I have a few things to fill the pockets (a little gift a day) and I guess I’m about 15 short of a complete calendar. I’ve got my work cut out for me between now and Thanksgiving … maybe several packets of organic gummy snacks of some kind will suffice in a pinch. Meanwhile, I’ll check Target this week. I wish we still had the Christmas Tree Shops.

So, I said I’d be out on the porch a while ago and I’d best keep my word. I’m going to stop writing and head out to knit while the weather is so pretty. Meanwhile, a shot of my three little knitted pumpkins on the windowsill with the window open this afternoon. (I’m still in my PJs!) It’s raining leaves!

Gone knitting.

Appointments and Meetings Galore

Posted on October 15, 2024 by Queen Bee Knits

It was an up and out early morning today. I snapped this shot at around 5:45am just as the sun was starting to think about coming up and there was a very faint glow at the horizon. We are so very fortunate to live in this beautiful place. It’s been really quiet lately. I’ve not heard any loons for a bit but it’s unlikely they’ve all left the lake already. We have lots of ducks and geese flying by outside so they’re definitely on the move.

I started the morning with a 7:30 am visit to an eye lid surgeon. I’ve had this “red bump” on my right eye lid since I was a kid. The story I’ve told was that I got it from scratching my chicken pox. Turns out that’s not true. It’s a angioma or something similar, a benign blood vessel thing. Regardless, mine’s become bigger over time (not unusual) and it’s going to be removed in early December. I take horrible selfies but here’s a photo of it for you (eeek, that’s a lot of me!)

After my appointment I came home and made blueberry muffins for my sweetie. I’ve not been doing any baking for the last few months because I’ve been feeling somewhat overwhelmed by life and all of my obligations and he’s missed his sweets. I’ve missed feeling grounded and in retrospect, my lack of baking is some of what is making me feel overwhelmed. It’s a vicious cycle! Regardless, I’m going to try to take it back and bake once a week at least. While the muffins were baking I finished our laundry and cut some of the beautiful hydrangeas from one of the bushes in our yard. I am hoping that they will dry and be a pretty decoration through the winter.

I’ve been working on two knitting projects this week so far. My Musselburgh hat for my future daughter-in-love in Herriot Fine in red and green. I’m almost to the decreases which means that it’ll be finished soon. Lots and lots of little stitches around and around on US3 needles with fingering weight alpaca yarn. The yarn is SO soft, though, it’s really a pleasure to work with.

I’ve had to attend several zoom/google meets meetings online over the past week or so and I’ve been trying to catch up with a few of the podcasts and YouTube channels that I follow. My Jelly Roll Blanket is perfect for knitting while otherwise engaged and I’ve made some good progress on the blanket. I’ve finished one tiny ball of yarn scraps and one larger ball of yarn scraps and have moved on to a third. This blanket is all bits of yarn that I’ve used in other projects, mostly socks, held with a strand of cream colored sock yarn. I think I’ve said before that I bought a bag of sock yarn thinking that I would dye some yarn. Ha! That didn’t happen. This is a good use for that bag of yarn AND it helps to unify all the scrappiness of the blanket. I am about half-way through the fourth strip. This will be a long-term project.

I’ve cleaned up my studio a bit and I’ve gotten a lot of paperwork done. I bought a new bullet journal in a pretty light teal blue for 2025. I am a paper calendar girl … I can’t work with a calendar on my phone beyond notifications that it’s a birthday or anniversary for someone in my life – and even then I seldom send a card. My kids all use the calendars on their phones, some that they share with their partners/siblings or whomever. While it sounds practical and efficient, this old girl has learned over the decades (and especially when I went back to finish my college degree) that I do best when I write things down. Something about the process is what helps my brain remember what I have on the schedule. I’ve collected stickers and markers and washi tape over the years and have fun being creative with the book each year. It becomes a diary of my life and records places we go, family events, work, volunteering, etc. AND it happens to match the colors that I chose for the Have You Seen My Octopus hat that I’m going to make for our granddaughter.

One more meeting to zoom into at 6:30 this evening … but I can go knit for a bit now.

Gone knitting.

Hello October!

Posted on October 2, 2024 by Queen Bee Knits

What a beautiful if cool sunrise this morning. I love these cool nights and later sunrises and am grateful to have had a good sleep last night. I’m heading to Rockland to visit with my friend Lori today, a bit later than we’d thought because the Vinylhaven ferry is experiencing a staff shortage and her 8:45am ferry was cancelled. It’s ok, we’ll meet at noon and see what we decide to do with our shortened day.

I have re-started a commissioned Christmas stocking and then put it off for a bit to get a couple of quick projects done (and vacation knitting that I didn’t have to think about). Yesterday I got through the first intarsia design, the Santas and even wove in some of the ends. Today I won’t have a lot of time to knit but I’ll pick it up again over the weekend.

This is the half-way point of the first section. Front side looks sane and organized. Back side … not so much. I had to giggle to myself while knitting this because this is the way I’ve been feeling lately – I look like I have it all together but I’m a hot mess underneath. There’s been a lot going on in life and in my volunteer life, too. I’m managing but I’m not going to lie, I’m losing some sleep over it all. Those middle-of-the-night wake-ups are brutal! My mind simply won’t turn off! The good news is that it should resolve itself over the next month or so. Fingers crossed.

The Christmas stocking pattern is one that I have duplicated from the original that was knitted for my friend when she was a child. I’ve posted about it before because I’ve made a few for her over the years as her family has grown. This year she’s added another grandchild and needs another stocking. Intarsia is not my favorite knitting technique. I’d rather do just about anything else. But it is getting easier with practice and I’ve learned how I like to work it – no bobbins for me, I just leave long lengths of yarn hanging in the back and pull them to untangle them now and again.

I’ve knitted a new sample for the store in Jamieson’s of Shetland wool with a strand of mohair held double on the main color. The pattern is a new design by Gudrun Johnston called Cloud Drift. I was given early access to the pattern by our Berroco rep, Andra, to make a sample but the pattern is available now on Ravelry. There is a main color and three contrasting colors and the pattern is accomplished with mosaic knitting or slipped stitches. I have yet to weigh the extra yarn that is left over but I have quite a bit … maybe a pair of mitts to match? I love the way the cowl turned out and I hope that others will choose to try this pattern. I thought the design was brilliant and the knitting was really fun. I may even make another one for myself… in gray with pinks, perhaps?

We have a store here called Marden’s that sells surplus and salvage and it’s often a fun place to wander for a few minutes. They’ve had a lot of yarn from a yarn shop fire in Washington state and it’s now 80% off which means that when I was in search of some white shirts the other day, a few balls of Jamieson’s may have fallen into my shopping cart. Oops! So, navy and blues or gray and pinks will be my choices for cowl #2. My Jamieson’s collection grows … I need to knit some fingerless mitts or something!

I finished another Musselburgh by Ysolda Teague for my son. He chose the colors of Juniper Moon Farm Moonshine (worsted weight). I love this pattern, too. It’s simply brilliant because you just cast on and start knitting and use your knitting as your swatch to calculate how many stitches you need to increase to and then how long you need to knit. There are so many ways to knit this hat and it’s not at all boring – but it is great knitting for vacation, car rides or TV knitting while watching debates or in the evening after a long day when your brain is on fire. This hat is going to be so warm and it looks great and feels better. I have one more for my son’s fiancee to knit up before Christmas – the yarn is caked up and ready to go for when the Christmas stocking is finished. I’m really trying to focus.

We’ve had a series of stunning sunrises since our return from vacation. The sunrise has moved again almost to its winter position and it’s coming up after 6:30 rather than before 6. The days are unquestionably shorter and it’s getting cooler, too. The last photo is a hat tip to Dame Maggie Smith who died last week. I loved her in Downton Abbey and was addicted to watching the show (twice each week). My mug has remained a favorite that I bought at Pier One when we lived in Florida during the height of the Downton Abbey fervor. How grateful I am to live here in this beautiful place.

Off I go to the coast! Wishing you peaceful stitches.

Labor Day 2024 … honoring “Women’s Work”

Posted on September 3, 2024 by Queen Bee Knits

Without fanfare, it’s Labor Day again. We are spending the day quietly at home and I am knitting. But I’ve also been thinking about the perceived value of women’s work … or lack there of.

For the majority of my adult life I was a “stay-at-home mom” which mean that I didn’t have a paying job. As a stay-at-home mom I was up and going as soon as my feet hit the floor every day of the year. Twelve hour days, 7 days a week. I got up at night with hungry infants and sick children. I was the CEO of our home: laundress, cleaning woman, logistics manager, chauffeur, counselor, cheer leader, therapist, chef, travel agent and more. I was responsible for the grocery shopping, cooking three squares a day and event planning. My work didn’t end at 5 o’clock and vacation was simply a change of venue. I moved from New York (2 homes) to Connecticut (5 homes) to Ohio (2 homes) and almost to Illinois when my ex-husband took a new job. Each move meant packing up a home, saying goodbye to friends and family and then unpacking and starting all over again. Making a life isn’t easy for kids or adults. But a home must be created mindfully, a place where children are safe, where they find food, clean clothes and endless support, someone who takes their side in friendship battles, where they learn to trust and learn about relationships. I was responsible for getting it all done.

When the first two kids were in school I became a community volunteer in their classrooms, in the school, school district, and my neighborhood association. Eventually I even went back to work at a “real” job part-time to earn a little extra money to help pay for the kids’ activities, driver’s ed, orthodontics, etc.

I saw a post on Instagram recently that reminded me of the “replacement value” of a stay-at-home mom (without bonuses) which in today’s terms would be over $200,000 a year. Forbes* estimates that the average stay-at-home parent’s value over the course of 20 years is over $1 million or about $4500 monthly.

Over the last 40 years or so I have invested in my skills as a knitter. I took classes, read books, and practiced. I learned from other women and some men. I took “correspondence courses” and became a certified knitting teacher and instructor (two levels of testing). I was paid as a teacher for my expertise to teach others (money means value, right?) I remember a customer who requested an alpaca sweater. She asked me to create a design from a photograph and execute it by hand. When I quoted her a price in the $400 range, she balked and said she could buy one at a store for under $100. Even at the price quoted, my labor would have been $5 an hour. My value as a maker is (or should be) much higher than that.

My rule today is that I won’t knit for someone unless they’re willing to pay fairly for my time. If does feel like $300+ is a lot for a Christmas stocking, for example. But when you consider that the supplies cost $60-75 that leaves $225-240 for me. The time it takes to knit a stocking is 24-30 hours all in making my “wage” less than $9 an hour. The stocking becomes a family heirloom crafted in premium wool, with hand-sewn embellishments, a custom-stitched name, birth year and sometimes sequins, beads and specialty yarns.

So, I guess the moral of the story and what I have learned over time is that we have to value ourselves. We have to know our own worth. I know that I’ve made a difference in the lives of my children, my family, my community – all of them – and I continue to give back even after my children have left my home. I am fully satisfied with my successes and my mistakes because I am who I am today as a result of them all. When I’m asked to babysit for my grand dogs or grandchild, it means that I am trusted. When my son told me a few years ago that I was a great mom, that was my payday! I’m so grateful. I would choose being a stay-at-home mother again because my children will continue to make the world a better place. I will, too.

Gone knitting.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2024/04/19/how-valuable-are-stay-at-home-parents-they-do-about-4500-of-unpaid-labor-per-month-new-study-says/

Another FO … and a little trouble

Posted on August 11, 2024 by Queen Bee Knits

It was an absolutely glorious morning this morning after several days of clouds, rain and a lot of wind. It’s drier today and the sunshine makes me feel so much better! We had an early coffee on the porch and a blueberry muffin (hubby may have had a banana nut muffiin) and I spent a little while knitting one of my “secret” projects.

My stocking just needs to be steam blocked but I thought you should see what it’ll look like hanging this Christmas. I never hung the Arne & Carlos mini Nordic jumpers last winter but they’ll get hung this year no matter what. We probably won’t be home for Christmas but I’m going to put them up after Thanksgiving. Which reminds me that I have to get something to put in them!

My finished object is the River Cowl by Yumiko Alexander of Dan Doh Knits. I really enjoyed this project. I’ve written about it before but suffice it to say that it was supposed to be a tank top but as I got it started I realized it was much too sheer for my taste in this yarn so I frogged it and found this pattern. I love to wear things like this at work and, despite the fact that we don’t sell this particular yarn, it’s a fingering weight wool, linen and silk blend, I can sub in other yarns in the store if customers like it. I love the color of my yarn but I did substitute a fingering weight in place of the suggested DK. I may have to try it again with a DK and see what happens … I have just a bit of DK weight yarn in my stash!

I’ve cast on a French Macaroon for my great-nephew for the fall. I love knitting for the little ones in our life. I’ve chosen a different pallet for this one because he’s a big boy and the baby colors won’t work for him this year. I will still make another one for our granddaughter, too. BUT I’m trying to work on the things that have to be finished for Christmas so I don’t have to stress too much about them. Ha! When I think of the list, I’m freaking out a little bit already and it’s only August. (Two stockings, a pair of socks, two hats and two little sweaters and if I have time, I’ve bought the book Knitted Animal Friends by Louise Crowther and I’ve just ordered the yarn for three of the animals – a pig, a horse and a duck. I love the Sheepjes yarns that are called for in the book and we don’t carry them at my LYS so … I ordered from Jimmy Beans Wool.

I MAY have gotten into a little bit of trouble this week … our local salvage store, Mardens, has a yarn sale going on. The yarn is reportedly from a store that closed in Washington or New York or both, who knows? I dropped in on Friday after I taught classes and the selection was mind boggling! I walked around and around and around looking at the different yarns, picking out a project’s worth and sometimes returning it to the shelves. I ended up making a dent in my yarn budget for the month but I bought some fun sock yarns (enough for 7 pairs), some Fyberspates for another Bristol Ivy shawl that I made before in different colors that I wear all the time. I bought one hank of white Cascade 220 for the stocking I’m making for a friend, I got a couple hanks of pumpkin hat yarn, and a Herriot Fine skein in a pretty gold that I’ll make a shawl with – I’ve got a few hanks of neutrals in my stash and this gold will be a good color pop!

I put back a sweater’s worth of Noro Silk Garden and several others. The selection was incredible and it’s rumored that they haven’t even put it all out yet. It must’ve been a huge stock! I’m going to try to resist going back again. (TRY!)

The morning after our storm this week, I walked out onto the porch to survey the damage (there was none fortunately) and this little guy was sitting in our tree. Can you see the hummingbird? We have three or four around and they’re more fun to watch than television. Soon enough, they’ll be heading back south and we’ll really miss them. They zip and zoom around the porch and the yard so quickly that it’s a miracle they don’t end up stuck in one of our heads!

Gone knitting!