Queen Bee Knits

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

Mother’s Day

Posted on May 12, 2025 by Queen Bee Knits

Yesterday was a perfect day! We had nothing on our schedule so we had coffee on the porch in the sunshine, I wrote the store newsletter, hubby made blueberry pancakes for breakfast and we went to Lowe’s to get some supplies for building the little “nook” for our granddaughter’s visit this summer. I spoke to all of our kids and got a chance to knit a little, too, before a lobster dinner (what a treat! The price of lobster is crazy right now.) I took this photo of our first humming birds who have arrived back in Maine for the summer. I love these little birds so much … and pray that their navigation skills as they zip around the house are top notch … when we sit outside we can feel their wings pass by our ears. They’re miraculous.

Mother’s Day is typically a sad-ish day for me and is often fraught with conflict in my head and heart because my mother died in 2008 which means I’ve had sixteen mother’s days without having a mother to celebrate with. All of my kiddos were already out of the house by then and having adult children living lives of their own is another strange way to experience Mother’s Day. So, I’ve spent many years being sad and having expectations about what would happen and being disappointed and lonely. SO … I’m coming around to the belief that Mother’s Day is hard when you don’t have a mother and that expectations lead to disappointment so it’s better to consider this another day that I choose to make a good day. And yesterday was a good day.

I am knitting away on several projects and have several more in the wings (that’s lined up on the shelf in my atelier). I’m working on my Hermione’s Everyday Socks in On the Round “Wicked” sock yarn. I am loving these socks. The colorway is spectacular and the pattern is soothing. (It’s also free on Ravelry!) They’re what I go to when I need something small to throw into my purse.

I worked my way down the second sleeve of my granddaughter’s purple cardigan (Knitting Pure & Simple yesterday and got the neck ribbing done. I picked up the stitches on the first front band which is the button hole band and have pinned the spots where I’ll make the holes. That means that I am so close … maybe today?

I’m almost to the part where I bind off the Little Tern blanket for our Denver Nugget and start the lace edging. I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed this blanket project again! I love the squishy yarn – Fyberspates Vivacious DK – and I love the pattern. I am so excited to gift this one (as I was excited to gift the first one. This is a family heirloom knit. Exquisite, if I do say so myself.

I have twelve projects lined up on my shelf. Twelve! And that doesn’t include my WIPS that I’m not really working on right now. LOL.

In this line-up are two tams for a customer, a cotton summer dress for Sylvie, two knitted hearts made with fairy lights, a pair of fingerless mitts for my daughter if the first one fits properly, a bulky sweater for Sylvie, more little chicken friends for Ernie, a blueberry hat for the Nugget and Sylvie, the Fair Isle bag I started in a class, my Patty tank, and another Arne & Carlos Christmas stocking. I also have yarn for a Petite Knits Slipover. AND all the animals I want to make. Good grief, I need to quit my job and quit volunteering and just spend my time knitting. (NOT!)

I also have the baby quilt to finish. I did buy some cotton flannel to back it with and I have the batting. I just have to wash the backing and put it all together. I doubt I’ll have time to take it to Candy for machine quilting on the long arm but I’ll give her a call to see. Otherwise, I’ll be quilting this myself on the machine or by hand … I haven’t decided which yet.

We bought the paneling and paint for Sylvie’s “nook” yesterday. The paneling is up on the IKEA storage unit and needs a bit of tweaking and filling in holes and then I’ll paint the whole space purple (her request) before I get the picture hung, the wallpaper up and build a mattress support so she won’t be sleeping on the floor – although she’d probably like that, too. I have a pillow cover to sew, and I hope I have enough flannel so I can make her a pillowcase. I only need to find a little book shelf for the wall and get it all done.

My next house project is to paint our guest bathroom and guest room. We’ve been in the house 10 years around Thanksgiving and we’ve not even painted all the walls yet. The primer has served us well but it’s time! I’m taking on the project hoping to energize my hubby so he will get the stairway and third floor done, too. We are also renovating our guest cottage space. We’ve torn out the bathroom from 1950 red indoor-outdoor carpet and all and we are rebuilding a bathroom that will be a little bit lighter and brighter with new shower stall and flooring. Once that’s done, we will outfit the living room with a counter (likely a buffet) and storage for the kitchen area to include a refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, electric kettle and toaster oven so that our renters can fix themselves something to eat. A new coat of paint on the outside of the cottage and it’ll be gorgeous. WE loved living up there while we built the house – until it was November and cold. It’ll be a good additional revenue stream for us and a great spot for creatives to create or for couples or singles to call home as they explore Maine. When we’ve made some progress, I’ll post about this, too.

We are busy and contented and life is good. We are so grateful to call this place home.

Gone knitting.

California Here I Come … and here I go!

Posted on April 30, 2025 by Queen Bee Knits

I’m home again after a wonderful whirlwind trip to SanDiego to help my daughter out with the kiddo while she and her husband and partner are working around the world! Far from NYC they all are. I traveled by car, bus, plane and Lyft to SanDiego on Friday and did the reverse yesterday. But I’d do it again today if asked. What fun we had! Three days jam-packed with action and laughs.

Highlights were visiting with my middle child because she was on babysitting duty the week before I arrived and we got to overlap for an evening. The Farmers Market in SanDiego on Sunday was absolutely amazing. So much beautiful food for blocks! AND our trip to Disney Land in Anaheim on Monday was so much fun. My granddaughter didn’t know where we were going and we planned the day to her liking with breaks for her to run around and a long wait for the Dumbo ride (her request) and several waits for visits with different princesses. We managed to walk into two parades where she saw Mickey and Minnie and several other characters that she knows and the piece de resistance was a visit with one of her favorites from Encanto, Mirabel! (I wish I could show you the pictures of her face when she saw her! She got her little dress all bunched up in a knot in her hands with anticipation of her turn to talk to her! Kate and I were in tears! What a moment.)

I loved SanDiego! The flora and fauna are so different from the east coast. We went on a flower hunt in the neighborhood, painted on the deck, read lots of books, had some naps, watched some movies and had a wonderful time at Sylvie’s “California house”. LOL. She’s coming back to New York with daddy this weekend and mama will come back the following week because her show, Regency Girls (at the Old Globe) was extended and, we hope, bound for Broadway!

I did finish two pairs of little socks for Sylvie before I got to California. One green pair and one purple pair and she was happy with them. The yarn is King Cole Footsie which is washable and dryable but I’m going to have to make more, bigger socks. Her little footsies are growing so fast!

I also started a cardigan for Sylvie for fall. I had real troubles figuring out what to bring for travel knitting but I knew I wanted to finish her socks. So that part was easy. I don’t think I took any finished photos. oops.

Knitting Pure and Simple #1607 Child’s Skirt and Cardigan Set in King Cole Simply Denim

I’m knitting the second size, a size 4 with a 24 inch chest measurement. I hope it’ll be big enough for fall and winter! BUT as you can see in the last photo of the group above, she has a new Disney princess sweatshirt that she wanted to wear in the car on the way home AND immediately upon waking up the next morning. So, the cardigan has some stiff competition! I brought three sets of buttons with me and she picked the ones she wants which I will reveal when it’s time for buttons. The kid knows what she wants! You’ve got to love that.

Yesterday I made my way back home with the reverse order, Lyft to plane to bus to car. My sweet hubby was waiting for me at the Portland, ME bus station and I was so happy to see him! It was a great trip and it’s always great to be home. Even if it’s only for 48 hours.

Adventure awaits! Gone knitting.

If You Give Linda a Day Off …

Posted on April 22, 2025 by Queen Bee Knits

Today was a “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” kind of day. If you’re not familiar with the book, you will be when I get finished with this post. Because … I started out thinking I’d change my purse over to my travel purse in preparation for my trip on Friday. I went into the closet in our room and got my purse and wallet that I use when I travel (light, goes across my chest, RFID protected) and then stopped on the way to the dining room table to put in a load of laundry. Got the laundry put in and while I was adding the soap, I decided I’d wipe off the water heater on top of which it sits. Went to get the Clorox wipes and wiped it off and then decided I should also clean off the burner because every time I shake out clean laundry it touches the burner and gets dusty. Back into the bathroom for another Clorox wipe (three trips actually) before the burner is clean. Meanwhile I decided to empty the trash in the laundry room and sweep the floor … at least where I can reach. So I dumped the trash, and saw that one of my orchids was looking really droopy.

I got some newspaper out of the recycle bin and laid it out on the island in the kitchen to check the orchid’s planting medium and found it very compacted and very wet. Orchids don’t like wet feet. I pulled the moss off the top and found more moss underneath. One of the two orchids was completely dead. The second one, with two flower spikes, was not looking good – the roots were all rotting. I went out to the boat house to get the planting medium and repotted the orchid; carefully removing all the compacted moss from between the roots and cutting off the rotten roots, rinsing the roots off so they’re clean and ready to breathe. And I realized that the only good pot I had was in use. I got “Helen’s orchid” out of the dry sink, took the plastic pot out of the decorative pot and then moved “Helen’s orchid” into the decorative pot. I used the plastic pot for “Kate’s orchid” and got both orchids repotted, fed them some orchid food and gave them a light spray in the kitchen sink. And then back to the laundry room with the trash can and got the broom to sweep the floor. But there were paper bags stuck way in the back corner behind a piece of plywood that’s supposed to be on the wall covering wires that never got returned to its spot. I took the plywood out, finagled the paper bags out of the corner, and swept the floor as best as I can. I also noticed that the walls were spider webby and needed a bit of a clean so I got my mop out and gave the walls a good “dust” and then Swiffer dusted the pipes and connections (it was time after ten years.) The curtain that I made ten years ago also needed a good clean. I took it down, washed the window inside and out and tossed the curtain into the laundry pile.

“Laundry Room” is almost as clean as when we built the house

Meanwhile, I’d washed and dried and folded a couple loads of laundry and put in a third. I moved hubby’s painting stuff for work, the piece of plywood and two buckets and scrub brushes that belong out in the woodshed out on the porch with the full bag of trash that needed swapping after adding all the moss from the repotting adventure. I put the new kitchen trash bag in and then emptied our bathroom trash because the Clorox wipes bother my allergies. Noticed that my lemon trees in the bedroom window was droopy and took them into the bathroom to water and then, of course, I needed to clean the sinks with more Clorox wipes. I hammered a couple of nails into the laundry room wall for my duster and my window squeegee and tossed in the final laundry load, took the dog out and toasted a bagel for lunch.

And all of this got done and my travel purse and wallet are still on the dining room table with my purse. I’ll change it over tomorrow. Now it’s time to sit and knit.

Postscript: After my hubby got home, I finished vacuuming the second floor, emptied the trash upstairs and brought down the towels I used for dusting the guest room (finally). I still need to wash the glass fish vase that lives upstairs and I’ve taken apart the curtain for the laundry room window. I need to re-work it because it’s not going back on the tension rod. Tomorrow I’ll run the errands I was going to run today. Ha! Ha! Ha! But after yesterday’s fiasco, I’m happy to be drama-free today and nothing was burned.

Gone knitting!

A Lesson and Gratitude

Posted on April 21, 2025 by Queen Bee Knits

Our day began today with a cup (or two) of coffee on the porch. In the sun. With a blanket wrapped around my shoulders. But, boy! Did it feel good to be outside in the sunshine, fresh air, and peaceful surroundings. It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to sit on the porch and we were really grateful to spend some sweet time outside. But when the wind came up out of the north it was too chilly.

So, we came inside and got our morning started. I had some work errands to run, a trip to the post office and the bank and the store … and my dear hubby decided to come along for the ride (and to see our new Reny’s.) We even went to the Early Bird for breakfast/lunch and he grabbed a couple of limes at Buddy’s IGA.

Home again, I went indoors to get the (forced) tulip bulbs that had been purchased at Costco a couple of months ago with the idea that we’ll put them in the ground now that it’s warm enough. The bulbs were mushy but we put them in anyway … maybe a couple will come back and maybe not but ashes to ashes. Hubby went out into the yard and I went into the kitchen to clean up and after a few minutes heard hubby huffing and puffing by the front door. When I asked if he was ok, he said, “No. Fire” and I looked outside to see a fire that had escaped the fire pit and was burning the lawn and the little hill up toward the guest cottage. I ran to get a bucket to help augment the hose and we decided we needed to call for help. 911. We kept dumping water and hubby was hosing down the woods and by the grace of God or some higher power, we managed to get the fire out before the fire department found us.

The vehicle you want to see and DON’T want to see in your dooryard

The fire department checked it all out, poured a little bit more water in the woods around the guest cottage and deemed the fire out. Needless to say, we have learned a valuable lesson and have been educated, too. The new fire code says that a fire circle any larger than three feet by three feet needs to have a burn permit every time. Ours is bigger than that. We also cannot burn anything other than fire wood (lumber, old chairs, etc. that hubby has been burning for decades are now not allowed.) AND we have learned to get the hose out to the fire pit BEFORE he starts a fire. The outside water hadn’t been turned on yet and that delayed his water response that allowed the fire to “get away” from him in a very short matter of minutes. We were both very frightened and, needless to say, that won’t ever happen again. (And we need to make a donation to the fire department, too.)

We were so grateful that we were able to manage the fire enough to get control before the fire fighters got here and realize that it could have been so much worse. It nearly was. We are grateful for the extra long hose that we bought, grateful for water in our well and the water in the lake that I used as a bucket brigade (we will be building a more stable “step” or two down to the lake so that we can access water by foot before the dock is installed) and very grateful for the Belgrade Fire Department from both Belgrade Lakes and North Belgrade who came to our aid.

It was a calm day today but too dry and the leaves from the fall aren’t raked up and served as fodder for a very quick little fire. I guess we will be cleaning up all the junk wood that hubby would like to burn but can’t now and taking it to the dump. Time to rake up the leaves, too.

You can see the black char from the foreground to the fire pit and it stretches up to the side of the guest cottage. This was more excitement than we ever needed today and we don’t need any more thank you very much.

Gone knitting.

That’s a Wrap Wednesday

Posted on March 26, 2025 by Queen Bee Knits

It’s a beautiful sunny morning and a critter made tracks all the way along the shore as far as the eye can see. I’m guessing a fox. Living this close to nature is a daily thrill and we are so grateful to be able to be here on this lake in Maine!

I’ve been busy this week. I worked for my friend Bette on Monday and it makes me laugh every time I work on a Monday my body and brain thinks it Thursday so my week is all thrown off. But this time I seem to have reclaimed the week and since I’m heading to New York for grandma duties on Friday, I had to get stuff accomplished before I leave …. like the laundry! 🙂

Anyway, I’ve been knitting away and am making some really good progress on my Bolin cardigan. It’s about nine inches of ribbing away from being finished. I even found buttons that I think will be perfect. With any luck, the ribbing will be finished today and I can block it and wear it this weekend. I’m excited. This sweater has been a lot of fun to knit. Not difficult at all and the fabric is amazingly soft and I imagine it will be very warm. Perfect for New York City spring?

On Monday evening I cast on a fun quick project with some “scrap” yarn, Rowan Felted Tweed, and made myself one of the Esther, Ernie & Enid Easter Chickens. I made mine in green and it’s really silly and totally makes me smile. I want to make a couple more so they can be friends in a group. I even made the little glasses for her. This one is Esther, I think. (They’re all the same.)

Yesterday I cast on a little pullover for my newest great-nephew. I got about half-way done with it yesterday and will finish it up this week or into the weekend. It’s a quick knit in worsted weight yarn in a tiny baby size. I am really liking the yarn that I bought for it. It’s a good colorway and the yarn is soft (and washable). While I’ve been knitting this one, I am reminded that I have to start knitting for our newest grandchild due in late August. I’m thinking a fall in Denver kind of sweater … it could be warm but the A/C could be cool. I’m pretty sure this little one will spend a lot of time outdoors!

I’ve turned the heel and decreased the gusset stitches for my On The Round socks. They’ll be done before we arrive in New York on Friday. Sock are good car knitting. I may have made the first sock a bit long for my foot so they may end up belonging to my hubby. He needs socks more than I do anyway! The yarn is lovely and I am glad I have more for future socks … or maybe a baby sweater to match Poppy’s socks? Hmm.

I got to the dentist yesterday and I’ve got a broken crown that will be replaced in the upcoming months. They do it in one day with an appointment in the morning and the afternoon. Wonderful! No temporary crown (mine have always gotten loose!) I’ve done the big load of laundry. Towels are today and tomorrow after work I’ll put one more load of wash in before we go to bed. I made a zucchini lasagna for dinner last night. It would have been wonderful but the noodles were a little bit over-cooked. Bummer but it will be dinner tonight, too, regardless. Dearest hubby, of course, made himself a sausage so he’s not meatless. I’ve had two and have one more Maine Arts Academy committee meeting today but between times, I’m running to school to pick up the board laptop and then dropping my car off for an oil change and tire rotation … I should have left it there last night … oops! Something always slips through the cracks but thankfully, I realized it early and can recover.

Gone knitting.

Tuesday Afternoon

Posted on March 18, 2025 by Queen Bee Knits

What a morning! No fog today and we saw the sun come up this morning after a couple of days of fog and gray, rainy weather. It’s been downright dreary but today feels so much better. I’ve been busy tearing apart and putting back all the stuff in the sewing side of my atelier. I’m making room for my granddaughter to have a space of her own for when she comes to visit this summer. I have a few more things to do until it’s finished but step by step we are building a little nook for our little monkey.

It’s also been a good opportunity to go through and clean out a little bit more (again) and clean it all up. Spring cleaning? It feels good. Today I got a thing to hang up my ironing board and put away the iron … I had to assemble it and when I put it where I thought I wanted it, there wasn’t enough room between the wall and door to work so I moved it to another door but not before the iron fell out of the little shelf and hit my arm on its way to the floor (and it dented my floor). Oops!

I’ve been really working on my Bolin cardigan this week. I’ve mostly finished the first sleeve and I’m working my way down the second one. When they’re both at the same place (just before the ribbing) I’ll try it on and see how much more length I need to make it “just right” and then keep going. I’m getting close!

I really like the color of the fabric, too. The base is a camel color with the rosey mohair it has a haze of mauvy rosy neutral It’s different from other sweaters that I have and I think it’ll be good to wear with jeans or dresses. Time will tell.

AND I have finished my Cardoon! I wore it yesterday (without having cut all the bits left after weaving in all the ends. I’ve done that now and will probably wear it to work on Thursday. I like it a lot. I’m still not 100% sure of the way the collar/neck works but I like it.

I’ve mentioned before that I love the yarn. It was in the clearance at the LYS where I work and I brought it home a couple of years ago. It’s been sitting in my stash waiting for me to knit it up – I een knew it was going to be a Cardoon. The yarn is Fibra Natura Kingston Tweed, a DK weight wool, alpaca and rayon blend. When I wore it yesterday, it was really light but also quite warm. It’s the perfect weight sweater. Of course the yoke is doubled because it’s stranded so it keeps my shoulders warm and toasty.

I’m teaching a workshop in April and I’ve begun planning the sessions and knitting the samples and doing some research on how to teach colorwork to a continental knitter. I can knit continental but I’m naturally a thrower so I’ve got to figure out how it works so I can teach it. I know I’ll have at least one continental knitter. I have to pull together some samples of colorwork knitting from my “collection” too. I have plenty!

I’ve just finished a book I loved. The Blueberry Pickers is a Maine story about indigenous people who picked blueberries and who lost a young child. The child disappears from the field one day and her brother Joe is the last one to see her. In a parallel story Norma is an only child of a wealthy Maine family that’s dysfunctional and she searches to uncover the family secrets and the reason why. I highly recommend it. AND I’ve been baking again which tells me that my soul is either in a good place or troubled or both. I made our favorite oatmeal scones this week and a pineapple angel food cake. We’ve finished the bread I baked last week and there are a couple of banana muffins in the freezer. In the last couple of weeks I’ve made s curried red lentil stew that was sent to me in Ann Budd’s newsletter. It was delicious! I also made my “dump, dump, stir, stir” soup recipe, too. Also delicious. So, while the country is going down in flames, I’m making soup and baking and I’m so grateful that I am not in danger of losing my job and I hope and pray that some sanity and balance is found soon.

Gone knitting!

Gorgeous Sunrise. Gloomy Gray Day

Posted on March 11, 2025 by Queen Bee Knits

I may have missed it but my dear hubby didn’t (although he confessed he took it from his chair) and it was a beautiful sunrise on Messalonskee Lake this morning but the day has turned into gray and dismal. The ice is starting to turn gray which generally means it’s thinning and before you know it, the water will once again be open and boats will return. We’ve seen a lot of Bald Eagles on the lake. It’s breeding time for eagles here in Maine. I keep hoping to see a pair together. The circle of life on our lake is evident in each season and we feel so much closer to the Earth here.

I’ve just counted a train with 75 cars go past. They’ve increased their speed on the tracks a lot since we moved here full-time ten years ago next month. They used to poke up and down the tracks so slowly you could hear the clickety-clack of the tracks and touch the cars as they went by without being hurt. Now, though, the cars speed by at 45 mph and there’s no clickety-clack. A few years ago they replaced the rails. The new quarter-mile-long rails looked like they were being extruded (think play dough extruders) onto the tracks and they bent under their own weight. This is what allows them their greater speed and reports say that they’re planning to speed up even more in the future. What could possibly go wrong on mostly camp (dirt/gravel) roads with few or no RR crossing signs?

I worked Saturday so I recovered Sunday and yesterday and today I’m catching up with stuff around the house and planning for my big Maine Arts Academy board of trustees meetings this week. The second week of the month is usually full of meetings; the board meeting, a Charter Commission meeting, and a committee meeting or two. Some are in person and some are virtual. Today I’ll attend the Charter Commission monthly business meeting virtually and can knit while I listen. Yesterday I took all the plants and stuff off our bedroom window seat that we never use because it houses plants and cleaned the windows, the plant dishes, the giant Lake Tahoe pine cones and then put it all back. The cobwebs were getting out of hand in our room. N and I took his mother’s old “oriental” rug and the rug pad out of the living room to see if it’s any of the reason why my allergies are so horrible in the morning. Time will tell. Meanwhile, it’s out in the boat house chilling. I got our laundry done yesterday and today I’ll wash the guest room sheets and clean that room. I’m going to finally hang one more picture and then move the rest of the unhung to the little hidey-hole in the stairway up to the third floor. We have a lot of windows and not enough wall space for the framed pictures we have. Maybe we’ll sell them, maybe we’ll alternate. Time will tell.

I knitted until past my bedtime last night and I’ve got one finished sleeve on my Cardoon to show for it and another sleeve half-way done. It feels really good to be making progress on this much-delayed sweater. I may be able to wear it once or twice before it’s too warm. I love knitting Isabell Kraemer’s designs. Her patterns are clear and easy to follow. The charts are in a good place in the pattern and their placement makes knitting her designs a comfortable process. These charts and the colorwork happen to be only two colors which are easier, too. The yoke pattern is a bit more complicated than the designs around the wrists and bottom of the sweater but simple enough for an adventurous beginner to follow.

A couple of hints for those who knit colorwork or want to try it:

Read your knitting! What that means is, look down at your knitting and see the pattern as it develops. You’ll know when a stitch is misplaced or doesn’t look right almost immediately.
Use stitch markers on your needles to remind you about pattern repeats. This trick also helps you when your stitch count is off because the pattern doesn’t “fit” between the markers. It is possible to drop stitches even when you’re paying attention. Ask me how I know.
Knit colorwork with a wooly wool. The yarn blooms when you block it and lots of errors and outsized stitches disappear magically. Floats can be a bit longer, too, because the yarn felts to itself with wearing and creates an impenetrable layer or warm.
Relax! This is another technique that seems daunting until you practice. And you really do need to practice. With repetition, we gain what is called “muscle memory” and your hands and brain keep the movements stored in your data bank. You’ll be able to feel the mistakes.
Keep your stitches spread apart when you’re knitting colorwork so the fabric doesn’t pucker. Floats (the yarn that is carried behind your stitches) can look very loose when the knitting is bunched up and they should be able to stretch comfortably when the knitting is spread out.

I’m teaching a colorwork workshop at the Yardgoods Center in Maine on April 12 and 19. We’ll knit a colorowork “swatch” that we’ll turn into a cup cozy by cutting a steek. Two weeks of fun. Maybe you’ll join me? I’ve been preparing for the workshop and need to knit another sample of two – one for the shop, one for each step in the process so I can demonstrate steps along the way. I’m looking forward to teaching a new technique again.

I finished the second tam for my customer and got it washed and blocked yesterday. It’s nearly dry this morning. I’ll bring it to the shop with me on Thursday so she can pick it up at her leisure. This hat pattern is no longer available on Ravelry but it’s a quick knit with larger needles and bulky weight yarn and she loves it. This is her second order this year for a black and navy tam.

Quick Lacy Slouch Hat in Berroco Ultra Wool Chunky

I’ve still got my Bolin Cardigan on the needles but I’ve not pulled it out this week. I’m focusing on the Cardoon pullover instead. BUT Bolin is ready for sleeves and they’ll knit up quickly in the heavier yarn and larger needles. It won’t take long to finish it up.

Yankee Knitter Socks in On the Round yarn. One finished, another cast on

I’ve cast on the second sock in Over the Rainbow yarn. The first sock is finished as of the night before last. I stayed up way past my bedtime that night and paid for it in the inability to get to sleep. I am officially a creature of comfort and schedule. I still have to cast on the second mitt for my daughter’s fingerless mitts and I hope to get that started this week. The first one is done and I’d like to take them with me to give to her at the end of the month when I have babysitting duty. I haven’t taken any photos of Bolin or the fingerless mitts because they haven’t been out of their bags! Soon, soon!

Gone knitting.

WIP Wednesday

Posted on January 15, 2025 by Queen Bee Knits

My amaryllis is in full bloom this morning as it has been for a few days. I’ve been ignoring it despite its beauty and it probably needs water. I’ll get there, I promise. BUT it’s a glorious sunny day today and I don’t have a meeting until 2 so I thought I’d take a few minutes to write about WIPs (Works In Process, Muffin). I have several and a couple of FOs, too.

I’ve finished a couple of projects and one has been sent off already. I finished the pink sparkly blanket for my granddaughter’s baby, Baby. She requested the color and the “spahkly” and what kind of a grandmother would I be if I didn’t knit what she really wants?! Ha! Ha! The blanket should arrive on Friday and I hope I get to see her open it. Thank the heavens for FaceTime!

I have also finished knitting two tams for a long-time customer, Judy. I think I’ve knitted twenty of these tams for Judy over the years. The pattern is no longer available on Ravelry (not sure why, but I had to reach out to the designer for a copy as I’d cleaned out my paper patterns in favor of electronic copies on Ravelry. Thankfully, she was kind enough to email me a copy.) Anywho … the hat is the Quick Lacy Slouch hat knit, this time, in Berroco Vintage Chunky. One black and one a dark navy blue. They’re drying as I write after wet blocking.

The little red square is a sample for the store for our Valentine’s knit kit. We will have a crochet kit, too, but I am not a confident crocheter so one of our other “girls” has made the sample. I’ll put them together this week at work. Tomorrow.

Last, but not least, my daughter sent me a stocking that was made for her ex-husband and I’ve removed his name from the stocking and some evening soon I’ll be adding her dog’s name to the stocking so she can still use it. This was a kit by Accessories Unlimited.

Not really knitting but I also finished a puzzle this week. I was sent this for Christmas and while I don’t get the gaming part of the puzzle, it was a challenge to make and has an extra bonus – when you finish the puzzle you switch the three sections around and there’s an extra section to build. It was fun and I got a sticker that says …

OK, it’s WIP time.

I’ve got a Hoodola on the needles. Using stashed yarn by Berroco, a discontinued yarn, Inca Gold. It’s a DK weight combination of merino and silk so it’s really wear-it-next-to-the-skin soft. I didn’t swatch for it so I hope I have enough to cover my huge noggin. I do have a skein or two of a dark green if I need it for the cowl or the cinch. It’s a very clever design with an applied icord edge and a seamless cast on that starts at the top of the crown of the head, if that makes sense. I missed one of the decreases on one side so I’ll have to remember to add an extra decrease at the end to make the stitch count right.

I still have a pair of Christmas socks on the needles. I’ve finished one sock and have begun the second … working my way down the leg of the sock. This is my go-to project if I am walking on my walking pad or in a meeting because I really don’t have to look at it for the most part.

My other WIP is my New Year’s cast on which is Winter’s Finery by Rosemary Hill (Designs by Romi). I love her shawls and this is a special skein from when I went to Knit City in Montreal and the dyer is a friend of a friend. The colorway is perfect for this shawl. You’ll see!

Other WIPs that I haven’t really done anything with for a while are as follows:

Honestly, the only ones I really should count are the ones I plan to knit and that’s the first two. The pink mittens I bought the kit for the embroidery at Knit City and I’m not enjoying the embroidery … it’s way too fiddly. BUT I’ve gotten too far to go backwards, I think, so I’ll finish the embroidery on this one and will likely NOT embroider the second mitten. I do want to wear these because the color is lovely. (I don’t really NEED a new pair of mittens, but …) Second is the gift bag that I am knitting as a swatch for a class that I took in Shetland colorwork and color choices, in particular for that style of knitting. I loved the class but I haven’t begun to make progress on the project. I really need to pick it up … but the holidays weren’t a time when I had the head space for stitch counting. Now I think I’m ready.

I’m going to frog (rip it, rip it!) the next two. One is the sweater I wanted to knit in a 3T size for my granddaughter for next winter. I’ve adjusted the needle size and the sweater is coming out too small so I will frog it and work on it later in the year. I have the same yarn in pink, too. AND I’m going to frog what little I’ve done on the Three Season Cardigan that I started ages ago. I love the yarn but it’s a bugger to frog. Regardless, it’s been sitting on the needles for too long and I fear for my tension. Frog I must.

In the queue are a couple more (mind you, these are all in project bags around my atelier and they’re starting to bug me. So I have to make some tough decisions. All wound up and ready to start is a Cardoon by Isabell Kraemer in two shades of purple. If I would just cast this on and get through the yoke, it’d be a quick knit. Alas, I haven’t. Next is a new idea, Bang out a Sweater month is February so I found this great orange (ginger colorway?) yarn and I want to bang out a Bolin cardigan by Norah Gaughan which I will cast on on January 31. I will finish it in February. I will! Next up is a pair of fingerless mitts to replace my daughter’s favorite pair, Chivalry Mitts which have a “L heart T” on the gusset. The T is gone now and she needs a new pair for her new life wherever that leads. She’s doing really well and I’m so proud of her. These are a priority. The yarn is currently sitting on my desk. Next, I have yarn for a hat or headband for my daughter’s friend, Sheldon. I made him mitts for his early morning runs for Christmas and he’d like a hat. He’s a very knit-worthy person (and he “stole” the socks I knitted as a wedding gift for his husband when they divorced because Sheldon loves his hand-knit socks.) On my windowsill is yarn I pulled out of my stash to make a gnome. I’ve bought the pattern and it won’t take long but it hasn’t been a priority so it still sits on the windowsill. AND not pictured is Doris. She’s hidden away in my cabinet, mostly finished and just not put together. Poor Doris. One day, Sylvie will love to have her to play with and I think Doris will like being played with. She’s naughty like that. Doris, that is.

Gone knitting.

Snow Machines have quilted the ice-scape – out my atelier window this morning

New Year, New Knits

Posted on January 5, 2025 by Queen Bee Knits

I woke up late this morning and knew that I had a phone call to make at 10am. Otherwise, the day was our oyster today. No plans at all. We spent the morning having coffee and I spent some time in my atelier straightening and puttering. Hubby made his weekly trip to the dump with our trash. And then we went to see the new Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown. We loved it!

I’ve got several projects already lined up for 2025. A hat for Sheldon who’s like a son to us. A couple of tams for a long-time customer, a blanket for our granddaughter’s Baby, pink and sparkly.

Hoodola by Laura Nelkin in Berroco Inca Gold

I also decided to join Laura Nelkin’s First Quarter KAL and am knitting her Hoodola pattern. I’ve got some Berroco Inca Gold, 3 hanks, from my stash that I’m using for the project. Today I cast on and got the first four sets of set-up rows done. I had to cast on twice because the first time I had waaaaay too much yarn left over after casting on and since my yarn and the required yardage are so cloes, I didn’t want to take the chance of “wasting” a yard of it. It’s a fun start and I hope it’ll be a “hat” that I will enjoy wearing. I need a hat for the cold days that are coming to Maine, I hope.

Yankee Knitter #29 Classic Socks in West Yorkshire Spinners yarn

But I couldn’t be loyal to only one project so I cast on the second Christmas sock and got a couple of rounds of the cuff completed. I also worked on my Lobster Hat by Mrs. Knitter. As I believe I’ve written before, this is possibly the longest WIP I’ve ever had dating back to 2014 at least. I bought it at the now closed Over the Rainbow Yarn as a kit. I started it in 2014, set it aside for a few years, brought it back out, frogged it and restarted it and then set it aside a second time. This time, I am determined to get it finished! I have six rounds of colorwork left on the chart and then the crown and it’ll be ready to block. It’s really going to need to be blocked. I’ll attempt to steam block it but it may require a wet block and a couple of days wrapped around a plate or a balloon. I’m excited to finish it and it will be my second WIP completed in 2025.

Mrs. Knitter Lobster Hat pattern kit from 2014 (or before)

I’ll be working to finish the hat tomorrow since I’ve written my newsletter for the store tonight. I love a slow Sunday morning!

I have started a New Year’s new shawl, too. I cast on New Year’s Day a one skein pattern by Romi Hill called Winter’s Finery in yarn I bought from Knit City Montreal. I love the colorway and I loved the shawl. It started off with a complicated pinhole cast on which I haven’t done for a minute and that Rosemary does a little bit differently than I had learned. Regardless, after a couple of tries, I got it and am making some progress on the first part of the shawl. Did I say I love the colorway?!

Winter’s Finery by Romi Hill in Mailles a Part yarn from Knit CIty

On the way home tonight from our movie the sky was a beautiful pink and when we got home, I had to head out to the porch and catch a shot of the remainder of the day. Gone Knitting.

New Year, New Cast-on and Goal Setting

Posted on January 1, 2025 by Queen Bee Knits

Well, here we are. To me the New Year means a clean slate to create a year that I want to see; to be proud of, to enjoy, to bring people together, to celebrate, to strengthen relationships. All in a span of 365 days. There’s a lot of the unknown this year and a lot to be grateful for as our family grows again and hoping for health for all of us, too.

I’ve spent the last 24 hours cleaning up my studio/atelier and getting my new journal/planner ready to go. Today I get to start a fresh book, too. The old orange book will take it’s place on the shelf and the clean, fresh turquoise book will start traveling with me. It’s my “bible” that I count on to keep me all together. Calendar, record of business, keeper of notes and birthdays and more. I’ve been using a bullet journal for several years and while mine aren’t very creative, they are a bit of peaceful time each week where I can set myself up for success.

I also decided to cast on a new project today. I saw Romi’s Winter’s Finery yesterday. It’s a one-skein small shawl with a fun edging. I chose my yarn this morning and am using a skein I bought a couple of years ago at Knit City Montreal – Mailles a Part in the Maree colorway. It was hand dyed by a friend of a friend and is a special skein that is perfect for this project. I’ve wound the yarn and will pull out my needles when I finish this post.

I’ve made myself a cup of tea, set up my day for success and now, I can relax for a bit and enjoy some knitting.

And speaking of knitting, I want to report that I completed 63 projects in 2024. 11 pairs of socks, four Emotional Support Chickens, four Christmas stockings, two sweaters and a vest for me, a bunch of hats and mittens and lots of baby/toddler sweaters, mittens and hats and one toddler dress. Colorwork was very prominent this year. I also had a few commissions. It was a very good year.

On my needles (see details on my Ravelry page):

Jelly Roll Blanket: being knitted with scraps from sock yarns that I’ve been carrying around for decades! It’s maybe 1/3 done? This will be a long-term project. I work on it during zoom meetings and watching youtube podcasts.

Pink Embroidered Mittens: I’m challenged by the embroidery on knitted fabric but I really have to pull them out again and get them finished. Even if I don’t embroider both mitts. The color is so pretty and they’d be great driving to work mittens!

Fair Isle Gift Bag: started it after taking a class with Jeanette Budge on Fair Isle knitting and choosing colors for Fair Isle projects. I loved the class, got feedback on the colors from Jeanette and just haven’t prioritized the project.

Lobster Hat: Another old project that I just need to keep working on and get it done. This is a Mrs. Knitter pattern that I bought as a kit from Over the Rainbow Yarns a “million” years ago. It’s been closed for a long time. Thought this would be a gift for the lobster-loving daughter but I don’t think she wants it … I’ll give her first dibs.

Neds Christmas Socks & Christmas socks: two pairs. One for Ned, obviously. Worsted weight boot socks. I have one foot and toe to complete to finish them. The other pair is progressing down the first sock’s foot. One more to go. I’d like to make at least a pair of socks a month this year.

I have a sweater in time out for Sylvie. I want to make another Love and Light for my bonus daughter and her hubby. I have the lights. I have at least three sweater’s worth of yarn to knit for me and a couple for Ned. AND we have a new great-nephew arriving and a new grandchild, too. SO, lots of inspiration and good reasons to knit in 2025. (There ma be more that I’m forgetting about.)

I’ve promised myself that I will sew more in 2025. I have several projects started that I’d like to finish and I have bought a tunic pattern & fabric, two kits to make totes, and a pattern and fabric to make an apron for me and a pattern for pants for Sylvie. I know I have a paper-pieced quilt top started and there are likely more in the cabinet. Do you think I can commit one day a week to sew? I’m going to start there and see how I do. My friend Carol said that she’ll come over and help with the totes because they’re overwhelming to me … that will happen in February or in the spring.

I’m planning to teach a workshop at Yardgoods in January or February. I just have to find a date. It will be a colorwork class and they’ll steek their project (a cup cozy) at the end. My teaching is a really happy part of my life and I want to keep it going. I’m working to build the 3-5pm class on Friday but I may mix them in with my other classes and call it good.

Mostly, I want 2025 to include lots of family time. We’re planning a visit to my hubby’s girls in the spring and summer and I’ll try to get to see Sylvie in NYC at least every six weeks. Time in person is so important to building on the relationship we have already which is amazing!!! I adore that child. I’d like to get to Reno to visit my aunt and uncle and cousins there. They’re not able to travel east any longer so it’s up to me to get out there. I’ve also never been to my “new” sister’s house in AZ. If not in 2025 then for sure in 2026. Reminds me I need to get the new license so I don’t have trouble traveling. OK, I need to go sit and knit … this is getting overwhelming.

Happiest next 365. Wishing you health and cheers to filling the blank slate as we each see fit.

Gone knitting.