Queen Bee Knits

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

Maine Fiber Frolic 2012

Posted on June 3, 2012 by Queen Bee Knits

It’s pouring and the brave souls who have fiber for sale in tents today … well, suffice it to say, I’m darned glad I went yesterday morning!

I was so engrossed with fibers and chatting with people (mostly vendors this year) that I neglected to take more than one photograph … silly me! Here is the one picture that I did take.

Beautiful critters!

I did happen to make a dent in my yarn budget, too. (The one that doesn’t exist!) Remember my former post where I said that I had brought up enough yarn from my stash in Florida (and patterns, too) to knit for the whole summer? I had promised myself that I wasn’t going to buy a lot of new yarn this summer. Fortunately it was a promise to myself and I’ve blown it!

I’m really excited about my purchases, though! I bought a couple of hanks of “Maine Lobstah” superwash sock yarn. (Clever Maine marketing!) I loved the color way and I have been wanting another sock project … now I have several! This yarn is super soft and I really hope it knits up as nicely as I think it will. Check out Maine Woods Yarn‘s Website!

Maine Woods Yarn & Fiber - Maine "Lobstah" superwash sock

I also splurged on six hanks of Seacolors yarns. These yarns are solar hand-dyed in seawater and it’s a pretty clean and cyclical process. They also happen to come from Washington, Maine where I went to summer camp (many moons ago). So check out Nanne’s site and see what a wonderful business and life she has created in Maine. And if you fall in love with her farm, you can even buy a “share” and spend a week (or more) there each year with Nanne and her precious pups.

I bought three colors: a salmon-y color, a green/salmon-y variegated and a blue. With my purchase I got a free pattern for a “Boxy Cardigan” which I plan to knit up. It will be salmon with some thin blue stripes and then variegated at the bottom. Sleeves will be as long as they decide to be but also likely in the salmon with blue stripes. This one will be unique and special. I just wish I had my winder and swift with me this summer!

Seacolors Yarn

We have the wood stove cranking today and it’s pouring and gray outside. It’s truly a stark difference (even) from yesterday. I’m so glad I chose to go to the Fiber Frolic yesterday … I was a happy camper!

I’m already looking forward to next year!

Gone knitting!

From my Northern Atelier

Posted on May 31, 2012 by Queen Bee Knits

A dog on my lap, and knitting in my northern atelier … this is the best place I could be today. The sun is shining and there’s a gentle breeze blowing, the first laundry load of the season is hanging on the line. Life is good!

Thought I would catch you up with my knitting projects that are currently on my needles … they are growing and I have a bunch planned for this summer. I even brought a huge L.L. Bean bag full of yarn with patterns for most of them up with us from Florida. I had thought to knit all that up before buying any more yarn … well … it was a good try!

#1 – Log Cabin(-ish) Baby Blanket – I’ve never knitted one of these before and having seen a couple on the Internet, I decided to give it a shot. The yarn is an acrylic yarn because baby blankets have to be super washable and somewhat ordinary. But the blanket is coming along and almost finished. It’s pretty cute and I hope my customer likes it. After this, one more baby blanket will complete the order.

Log Cabin(-ish) Baby Blanket (Queen Bee Knits Original)

#2 – My tunic … which takes a back seat to “real work” is growing a bit since I last photographed it. I still love the color but the yarn is really splitty … maybe why it was wearing such a discounted price? Whatever … when it’s done, I think I’ll love it.

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

#3 – Fingerless gloves. These poor things have been sitting in their project bag minding their own business for way too long. I started them last fall and then put them aside because orders were flowing in and needed to be a priority (not that I’m complaining, that’s a great problem to have!) So, maybe now it’s time to pay some attention to them and get the second mitt knitted up, attach a couple of thumbs and send them to their intended recipient.

Vancouver Fog Fingerless Gloves in Cascade Yarns Lana Banbu (lot 93979 col 02)

#4 – One of the yarns that I bought in Gloucester is being knitted into a simple baby sweater and I’m totally in love with the yarn and the sweater (and the baby, too). The woman at Coveted Yarns told me that when you knit up the yarn it almost becomes a neutral and I’m starting to think she was right – despite the bright rainbow colors of the hand-dyed yarn. Hopefully, I’ll have enough to make a sweater and a hat or booties … but I am way ahead of the baby (who is not fully cooked yet!)

Knitting Pure & Simple Bulky Baby Pullover in Flat Rocks Yarns Whirlpool (#28 Grateful Threads)

#5 – Cooked Lobster Claw mittens – this my first original pattern that I will soon be adding to my shop on Ravelry. I have had two test knitters give the pattern a go and they’ve given me some wonderful feedback and a few photos of their projects. I’m happy to report that they’re really great looking and I think knitters will love it! I have one pair and one mitten knitted – so, unless I can sell single mittens, I had best make a matching one!

Oops! That's the real thing!

Ha! Well, now you know what I’m up to … I leave you with a photo of my laundry drying (yes, seriously!)

Gone Knitting!

I’m One Egg Short – About Baking Substitutions

Posted on May 20, 2012 by Queen Bee Knits

Who knew, when I went to the computer to find out what would be an appropriate substitute for an egg in my banana bread recipe, that there were so many choices? I’m actually glad that I only have one egg left in the house because I learned a lot!

I found the most comprehensive list at Eggless Cooking dot com where, not only are the different ideas for substitution listed in detail but also where you’re likely to find the best results with that substitution. So, since I’m baking banana bread (in the form of muffins) I am going to substitute apple sauce … which I happen to have in my refrigerator. And I’m going to dump in some blueberries and some chopped pecans. All in an effort to empty the ‘fridge before we head to our Maine house for a bit.

I know I could also have found this information in one of my “old fashioned” cookbooks, but the Internet provides such quick and thorough information!

Banana bread with one egg … coming up!

Gone baking!

And the Winner IS ….

Posted on May 20, 2012 by Queen Bee Knits

I made these darling Circle of Life socks for my nephew- or niece-to-be and then I went and hit 200 “likes” on my Facebook page. SO, without a second thought, they became my give-away.

And after randomly selecting a winner from my 200, the winner is Mimi Steele from Ohio (Go Bucks!) who, I just happen to know, is a new grandmother! I hope her little darling will enjoy wearing the socks. No, Mimi, they won’t fit you! 🙂

I will message you privately for your address for mailing! Watch your mailbox! … and congratulations!

My Boy is Going to Rock the Boat!

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Queen Bee Knits

This is a proud day for me. My number one (and only) son just called to share that he’s been offered a job working for a cruise line. He’s a lighting technician, having studied lighting for theater for four years in college. He’ll be in charge of cleaning and setting and fixing any lighting on the ship. Cool, huh? And they’ll pay him, feed him four squares a day and house him. He’s thrilled to be heading out to sea in June and into the real world.

That makes three for me! The first two kids, daughters, are also working and have been doing so since they graduated from college. Not sure what I did to encourage their ability to head off into the real world under their own steam, but somehow the parenting that I offered worked. They’re productive and (most of the time) happy adults! Yay for them … and Yay for me, too!

Wishing my boy a bon voyage – what a way to start the adventure that is life!

Gone knitting!

Hot! Lobster Claws … fresh out of the pot

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Queen Bee Knits

Hot, hot, hot weekend! We’re having June weather in May. It’s too hot to go outside and I dream of having a car with auto-start so I could get the A/C going before I have to leave. Are you figuring out that I dislike the heat? Even our back “sun room” is super hot … by the time I’m awake, it’s time to get out of there to my cooler Atelier!

My inside activities have been cleaning up and knitting … and knitting planning! I have several original patterns that I’ve written and have been “afraid” to put out for test knitting. Partly because I didn’t know how to do it … but I’ve found a Ravelry group that does test knitting and as soon as I knit my patterns one more time, off they’re going!

"Cooked Lobster" Mittens

First one to be leaving the fold is the “Cooked Lobster” mittens for children. This is one that I wrote after having bought a pattern that didn’t look like lobster claws at all! I love my pattern, though – complete with the knitted band … looks like it’s just out of the pot! And if it was just out of the pot, it would be steaming hot!

Gone knitting (in my cooler Atelier!)

Proof – on the needles and newly finished

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Queen Bee Knits

Here are the photos, as promised!

Socks for my Boy!

Socks for my boy in Trekking XXL (75% super wash wool, 25% polyamid). This yarn might be the most wonderful sock yarn ever but knitting with it has been a nightmare! The center-pull ball has been in knots from the first pull. Grrr! What a pain in the neck (or needles!) But the socks are looking good and the boy has asked for them (the third pair!) Promised for graduation in mid-June.

New yarn arrival!

Yes, you can ooooh and ahhhh!

I bought the Berroco Pure Pima and Cascade Yarns Fixation for two projects. The Berroco is for a cotton sweater (sleeveless tunic) for moi. The Fixation is for a pair or two of baby socks … trying a new pattern!

Also FO –

HUGE socks ... soon to be felted!

Two super huge socks all ready to be felted. These are for my Etsy shop at the end of the summer. One lavender and one multi-colored, fall colors (green, orange, brown, purple, burgundy) both will be felted to size and be ready to go to some cold tootsies!

Flower Power Dish Cloth

Also trying to use up some of the cotton yarn that I’ve been carrying around. This green turned into a dish cloth. Perhaps it will live in my kitchen (replacing the icky ones that are there) or perhaps it will be matched with a couple more and sold in my shop. We’ll see what I decide.

Cooked Lobster Mittens (a Queen Bee Knits Original Pattern)

Since I have a bunch of wonderful merino wool that I bought in Maine last summer, I decided to resurrect my original pattern and make some more Cooked Lobster Mittens. I love these cute little mittens for kids. I’ll be knitting up several small pairs (and knitting up the bands for the claws, too) for my shop. One down … if you want a pair in a specific size, best to request because I know they’ll fly off the shelves!

Meantime, a friend of mine and her partner welcomed to the world a beautiful baby girl yesterday. I’m thinking a pair of those lovely cabled baby booties needs to be knit up and sent to West Palm Beach! What yarn to use? What yarn to buy?

Oh, the challenges this Queen Bee faces every day! (The last was said in sarcasm … next, in all truth and sincerity) How lucky I am!

Got to wait for my camera battery to charge so I can post the pictures. For now, I’m gone knitting!

New on the Needles

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Queen Bee Knits

I bought some yummy cotton yarn to make myself a Drops knitted tunic that I saw somewhere online when I was wandering. The pattern is a free Ravelry download. The yarn was on sale (serious sale! I think it was $3.99 a skein!) at WEBS. It’s Berroco’s Pure Pima (color #2243 “Barely Blue”). I love that Jimmy Bean’s sent me a bag and matched the dye lots of the extra few skeins. It’s a pretty sky blue color with a bit of a gray undertone and I really like it. The pattern is found here!

Classic and simple patterning … I loved the yellow but my mother always said that when I wore yellow I looked green. I don’t want to look green!

Will be winding a skein and doing a swatch … because I know that if I don’t swatch, I will make the sweater in the wrong size! I guess I had best measure my chest, too … just in case! (Note to self – gauge is not for wussies!)

Also trying a pair of baby socks by Cat Bordhi – you can find out all about Cat at her website CatBordhi dot com. All of a sudden, I have an interest in knitting baby things … could be that there’s a new little niece or nephew in the oven!? Anyway, it’s the Baby Life Rings socks and they’re cuter than cute. Found some Cascade Yarns Fixation (also at WEBS) in a couple of colors … color #9030 (“denim”, if my memory serves) and color #9936 (“pacific”in really great ocean colors.) It looks like they’ll stay on the baby feet with three rings around the ankles. Always an issue for new parents, keeping feet on those wiggle pigs … I aim to please!

Already on the needles, my son’s socks. I’ll report on the yarn … because it’s not making this knitter happy. I’ve never had a ball of sock yarn “fight” with me quite so much! Promised by his graduation in June … who can believe that my baby will be graduating from college? And the baby blanket – reversible cables in a white acrylic yarn (to make it easier to wash over and over!)

Finished – a pair of lobster mittens (cooked, of course!) and two pairs of slipper socks. Also finished is a dishcloth … ours are getting pretty yucky! Photos will come soon … maybe tomorrow!

Grateful for fingers that work.

Gone knitting!

Future Knitting

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Queen Bee Knits

I haven’t been doing a whole lot of knitting that I “want” to do … rather, it’s been knitting that I have been doing for others. Often for work. And I’m so grateful for the friends and family members and even some perfect strangers who have bought my work!

This summer, I want to do some holiday knitting and crafting. I also want to make a tea cosy or two … just because I really like them. I may even be able to design one for my shop! But I’m starting to think about what yarn I need (and what I could use that I already have) for these projects!

I love new projects!

Gone knitting.

GINORMOUS Purple Socks

Posted on April 15, 2012 by Queen Bee Knits

I’ve finished another project today. This one is for my Etsy shop. Have you visited my Etsy shop yet? If not, please do! I’d be delighted to give you a tour – and soon, I’ll be heading out on a little vacation and all of my items will be expiring and there will be nothing to buy until I come back!

Use coupon code “FREESHIP” and you’ll enjoy free shipping on some of the loveliest hand-knit items ever. I really love what’s in my shop!

But I digress …

Today I finished the second of a pair of soon-to-be-felted slipper socks. These are in a lovely lavender (how’s that for alliteration?) I think I am going to go buy a bit of roving and needle felt something on these slippers once they are felted and dry. I was watching my friend Cindi at knitting on Thursday and it looks like it’s a blast. So, we’ll see!

Happy Feet Slipper Socks by Queen Bee Knits

My goal is to get one more pair knitted up before I leave on vacation … a multicolored pair just like the ones I made for my friend Erika. I really loved the way hers came out – and, coincidentally, so did she!

The pattern, once tested, will be available on my website and Ravelry. How exciting is that!?

Gone knitting!