Queen Bee Knits

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

Home Again – Quebec City Trip

Posted on April 11, 2026 by Queen Bee Knits

While I was away the ice went out and the loons returned. What a glorious morning it is when we can once again hear the loons calling! This morning was that morning. “Our” loon pair was out in front of the house letting us know that they’re back. And since they were out front, we got the chair cushions out of winter storage so we could have some coffee on the porch (with blankets) just to spend a few minutes out in advance of the warmer weather.

My trip to Quebec City was everything I hoped it would be. Knitting friend and student, Rudy, and I had tickets to see Arne & Carlos at the Chateau Frontenac on Thursday evening. We made a girts trip out of it and drove up to Quebec City on Wednesday. Rudy has been there before and was a wonderful “tour guide” leading me on the best wanders around town, some great restaurants and more. We stayed at the Hotel du Vieux-Quebec which was exceptional. My room was comfortable and modern with historic details. We spent some down-time in the lounge by the fireplace knitting when we weren’t out and about. The art in the hotel was exceptional and there were a couple of pieces that I would buy for my house. The staff were very friendly and welcoming (as were all the people we me along our way.) Each room has a coffee maker and a tea kettle, a small refrigerator and a full bath with a towel warmer! Everything is labeled in French and some with English translations and it was just a short walk up hill to the shops.

We wandered shops in the Quartier du Petite Champlain where the streets were cobblestones and many of the buildings original (old!) We had some cheese for a snack and a maple “lollipop” made just for us. We went up to the Chateau Frontenac on the Funicular, an automated tram that climbs the steep (STEEP) hill up to the Chateau, and wandered around the shops between there and our hotel.

I highly recommend a ride UP the Funicular! We had our Wednesday dinner at Hortus, connected to our hotel. It’s a farm to table-style restaurant and we had a lovely meal with dessert, too! As we were waiting for our food, we saw Arne and Carlos for the first time – walking by on the sidewalk on their way to dinner. We nearly flew out of our seats to go speak with them … but thought better of it. (Later Arne said we should have come out to say hello. Bummer that we didn’t but oh, well!)

Thursday we had breakfast at a crepes restaurant – savory for me and dessert for Rudy! They were delicious. And then we did some wandering around the shops near our hotel. We took a historical tour of the Chateau Frontenac area that afternoon and it was very interesting. The guide was wonderful; a perfect mix of history, comedy, and acting. We had a late lunch/early dinner at Bello near the Chateau. They serve wonderful Italian food. We both thoroughly enjoyed our meals and then headed on to the Chateau where the main attraction was happening. Arne and Carlos were sponsored by Boutique de Tricot, Les Laines Biscotte in the new part of the city. (More on our visit there later) We arrived early and were among the first registered and were milling in the ballroom (salle de balle) when out walked Arne and Carlos. Arne walked right into our “circle” winding a ball of blue yarn and picked up the conversation. It was thrilling to stand and chat with one of my knitting heroes. Carlos came over a bit later and also joined the group for a little bit before their talk. They talked for an hour about their creative endeavors and what inspires them, their home (that Arne bought without consulting Carlos and without any electric or heat), their gardens and their travel. It was inspiring listening to them.

We didn’t win any of the drawings but we felt like winners just being there! After the talk, Arne and Carlos autographed their newest book and put up with us all wanting photos with them. Hey, there’s no proof without photos!

I’d heard that they were warm and kind and welcoming and they were exactly that! Carlos was wearing his (now) famous denim shirt that Arne got the security tag off of (they talked about it on their youtube channel) and they were simple delightful to meet. I need to go on one of their trips now to allow me to spend a little more time with them. (I’ll be saving my pennies!) We also met some lovely women and men who traveled to Quebec to meet “the guys”. The Canadians, no matter what province they’re from, are so lovely to visit with!

And we have arrived at Friday already and time to head home. Rudy ordered us breakfast to be delivered to our room on Friday morning to allow us time to pack up and relax a bit. Imagine my surprise when I opened my door at 6:30am to see this …

Breakfast was beautifully presented in a rattan picnic basket with a red and white checked cloth and included orange juice, yogurt, cheddar cheese, honey (from the hotel’s rooftop bees) and two items from a patisserie – a perfect croissant and a fruit and cheese danish. I will tell you that it was my first idea to eat one and bring one home but I ate them both. LOL. And the yogurt. We met around 8 in the lounge for some knitting near my favorite piece of art there until the three shops that we wanted to stop at to buy a few gifts to bring home.

We ran out at 10am to the Atelier Les Trois Corbeaux for some glass pieces that were made right there in the store. Needless to say, it was plenty warm there with a forge in the building! On to the shoe store for a gift for Rudy and then to Mary’s Popcorn. Yes, we did bring popcorn home and it is something worth mention – if you’re there, buy it! The small size isn’t big enough. Trust me.

And then we were off to the yarn shop! The store space is large and open and well organized. I always love to see what different shops carry and what is different and how they organize their yarns. It was so much fun! La Laine Biscotte carries their own line of yarn, too. It was difficult to not buy more … I controlled myself.

I chose a hank of Arne & Carlos’ new sock yarn for my hubby’s socks, a couple of Biscotte sock yarns to make myself a pair of socks and enough charcoal gray Felted Tweed for another Easy Folded Poncho (or similar). I also bought the commemorative canvas bag. Of course! You can also see my autographed copy of the new ornaments book. I may have to knit a couple just because I have more of the yarn that matches my hand-knit Christmas items that ALL happen to be Arne and Carlos’ designs.

Our drive home was peppered with us saying “I can’t believe we met Arne & Carlos”! And how thrilled we were to get up there to meet them. It was a marvelous trip and we will have fun sharing our experience with the Friday morning knitters at Yardgoods Yarn.

I did get a little bit of knitting done. I’ve worked on the body of the Vanilla Sweater in lavender for my college roommate. I’m getting almost to the bottom of the body. And I’ve worked on my Shawl KAL project, the Hansel Hap Half. I made a little mistake in the first couple of rows in the setup for the border so I frogged back and reknit it last night. It’s much better now. I’m not sure where I made the mistake but I was probably talking too much. I’ve run out of the MC and am finishing the center triangle with a “stripe” of a close colorway that presents as more brown than gray. But it’s ok – I think it will look like another stripe in the shawl. It’s for me and I’ve blessed the project as it uses up some of my stashed J&S jumper weight wool. I have a few hats or a colorwork sweater or two still in my stash. I have no photos of said knitting, however. I’ll update again after I settle back in at home. It was delightful to find some crocus blooming in the yard when I got home.

Gone knititng.

Hello, SUNday!

Posted on March 29, 2026 by Queen Bee Knits

This photo is from yesterday although this morning looked very similar – I was just too lazy to get out of bed in time to take a photo. So, this one will have to suffice. Today we have a gorgeous blue bird sky and I am loving the sunshine! Sunrise is happening way down to the “left of center” again as the days lengthen and the air warms just a little bit. My bulbs are starting to dare to peek out; we are all unsure of whether winter is really done or just planning another April Fools Day prank. Time will tell.

We had a great day yesterday after a very busy week (again!) We went to the No Kings rally in Waterville, Maine where about 1,000 like-minded people who care about our democracy gathered to voice our concerns about where our government is taking this country … fewer rights for women, less healthcare, a war in Iran that wasn’t approved by congress, education dollars stripped from schools, prices of homes, gas, groceries going up while jobs seem to be going down. As an older person, I can’t stay home any longer. It was time for me to take the time and make the effort to be seen and heard. My hubby took a photo of me in my red hat and with my sign – made in part because my granddaughter loves Mary Poppins right now and it takes place in the era of suffragettes when women were not allowed to vote. And a sign that a friend sent to me from her rally in Pennsylvania, I think. We were thanking our lucky stars that the sun was shining because when the wind blew it was cold!

After the rally, I took off in one direction and my hubby took off in another. He went home and I went to Augusta to the spring concert at Maine Arts Academy where the Junior High and High School choirs and the High School Strings Ensemble put on a fabulous show. The performances were all based on a hope theme. Several students read original poetry and many songs were sung. It was a great way to end a very good day.

I’ve been working away on several knitting projects and planning a workshop at the store in mid-April. I wrote a newsletter for the yarn shop last week and will write one or two more before I hang up my newsletter writing days. I have too many other fun things that I want to spend my time on and maybe someone will pick up the account and continue or not. I also have plans with at least one of my friends at work to knit the next gnome KAL so I’ve been pulling out my yarn scraps in preparation for some gnome knitting. (There are so many I want to knit!) This year it’s a Beary Cozy Gnome and the first clue is April 15!

On Friday I worked almost exclusively on my socks. It’s time to make a commitment to them and get them off the needles. I got the leg finished, knitted the heel flap and turned the heel and started to decrease the gusset stitches … I’m now down to my original number of stitches and am knitting the foot … phew! That’s a lot of stitches! I hope to get them finished this week and cast on another pair. One of my students is knitting through Summer Lee’s sock books and I love the one she’s making with a Crazy Zauberball and a ball of cream colored yarn … I have both in my stash. Next socks? Time will tell.

On Thursday we had a special delivery at work. Our work friend, Bette, had her husband deliver the best surprise ever!!!! Chickens knitted for us! Aren’t they wonderful? Carol and I were so surprised and thrilled with this particularly wonderful, generous addition to our collections. Such fun.

I’ve also been working away on my college roommate’s Vanilla Sweater. I’m getting close to separating the sleeves from the body of the pullover so right now it’s just a mess of stitches crammed on a circular needle that probably could be a little bit longer but as soon as the sleeve stitches come off, it’ll be just right again. I’m using Rauma Finull Garn again for this project because I really like the warmth of the wooly wool and sport/dk weight of the yarn. The one that I made for me is perfect to wear indoors. Worsted weight sweaters are really too warm for me these days. I love the colorway she chose, too. As soon as the body is separated, I’ll cast on the sweater for my younger daughter, too. So much knitting and not enough time. LOL

I have so many plans for future knits. I had bought a couple of hanks of Emma’s Yarn in a deep teal-y blue for a shawl that I ended up frogging because the garter stitch was too boring. I loved the elegant look of the shawl but at that moment in time, it wasn’t something I was getting any joy out of so I frogged it and I’m going to use it to knit a tee. I have two options I’m considering. I have some black linen (or linen cotton blend) yarn with which I want to make a tee or a sleeveless top. Again, there are a couple that I’m considering for this project, too. The Broadgate Tabbard needs to be on my needles. I have some gorgeous green linen for that and it’s a perfect spring color. It does take some brain power and will be a knit it at home in my little bubble project … at least in the beginning.

In early April I’m heading to Quebec City with a knitting friend. The main purpose of our trip is to meet Arne and Carlos which will be happening on the 9th. We have tickets to an event with them at the Frontenac. We’ll be touring the Frontenac earlier that day and will wander the city as well, dining and shopping. We’ll be visiting the yarn shop that is hosting the event on our way out of the city after the event. I’m excited to see another Canadian city and they say it’s a little bit like visiting Europe. I want to bring an A&C project with me and it may end up being my wall hanging that I did with them during the pandemic. I’ve not shared it here for a long time (if ever) … it hangs above the tv on my studio wall and I love it. Despite the hardships that were caused by the pandemic and the daily trauma of deaths and isolation, the wall hanging reminds me that people can be kind and caring and that community is so important. My knitting community kept me sane! You can see my wall hanging on my Ravelry project page.

So, dear readers (wordpress says there are 106 of you subscribed), with that I’m going to close and wish you well in every stitch!

Gone knitting.

The Miracle of Blocking

Posted on December 10, 2024 by Queen Bee Knits

It’s a good day for ducks! This morning was gray and cold after a little bit of snow overnight. The biggest news on the lake was the abundance of ducks. There have been a few around but today it seems like we’ve got tons! Flocks! I sure hope they’re enjoying the last days of the lake before the ice starts to come.

I have had a very productive couple of days in my atelier and have finished a fun, project – my Arne & Carlos 2024 MKAL Christmas stocking. The MKAL was written so that participants could knit six rounds a day (very manageable) but I didn’t keep up. So, I ended up knitting several days at a time, twice. BUT this weekend I finished the knitting, knitted the afterthought heel and then blocked it this morning. I love it and I really enjoyed knitting it.

The thing that consistently amazes me about knitting and colorwork, and in particular colorwork knitted in wool, is what happens when the project is blocked. Arne and Carlos recommend steam blocking the stocking with an iron and a wet towel. You place the wet towel on top of the item to be blocked and then gently hold the iron on top of the towel. The steam created by the heat of the iron and the wet towel blocks the wool – it miraculously makes all the little bit wonky stitches all even out.

You can see by the photos (above) that the photo on the left side, pre-blocking is fine but the stitches are a little bigger in some spots than others and the fabric is pucker-y in a few spots. The photo on the right is after blocking and the stitches have evened out the fabric is smoother. I think it’s a gorgeous stocking and I am very tempted to knit the one from 2023 now, too. The only thing that I am sad about is that we don’t have a mantel to hang them on. Blocking, suffice it to say, is an incredible tool!

I also did a little bit of much-delayed Christmas decorating today. I finished the Arne & Carlos Advent mini-jumpers (Advent Calendar 2021: 24 Mini Nordic Jumpers) a while back … in September of 2023. Last year for whatever reason, they never got hung up and used. Well, today I hung them up in our living room. Again, since we don’t have a mantel, I decided to hang them on the antique windows that we have hanging at the bottom of our stairs. They’re fantastic! I even filled them with the rest of the candies from our chocolate advent calendar so that we can finish the advent season using the mini jumpers.

Advent Calendar 2021: 24 Mini Nordic Jumpers by Arne & Carlos

I used the same yarn with the jumpers and the stocking so that the house isn’t in utter color chaos! I love the deep red and green and the creamy white together. And I am tickled pink with them! I think they are very festive, indeed.

We aren’t putting up a “real” Christmas tree again this year. We’re getting to be old bah-humbuggers I guess because we aren’t interested in all the work bringing out the ornaments and lights, decorating and then having to take them all off and put it all back away shortly thereafter. We were away for Thanksgiving and we’re not hosting Christmas again this year so when we finally do pull out the ornaments again, it’ll be like Christmas. LOL. We do have a small, tabletop-size, tree that lives in our stairway and we’re lighting it up for the season. We also have my Arne & Carlos star outside on the side of the boathouse and we’ve bought another two strings of colored lights for the evergreen that we planted out by the driveway when we re-built the house nine years ago. That’s enough festivity for us and we both get to spend more time doing things we actually enjoy doing.

That’s my update for today. I was so impressed with the blocked stocking that I had to sit down and write about it “right now” before I got onto another tangent … and I’ve sewn in my two sleeves, sewed up the pockets, woven in a lot of the ends and now I am going to go seam the sleeves and sides of my pink Lane’s Island pullover … with any luck I can wear it to work on Friday or Saturday because I’ll have to block it, right?

Gone knitting.

Making Progress

Posted on December 9, 2024 by Queen Bee Knits

We woke to snow and a thin span of ice next to the shore around (at least out part of) the lake. The first sight of ice this year. It’s been really cold lately. But by 9:00am or so, the ice was gone and the snow had stopped. My DH ran the snowblower for the first time and cleaned up so we could get out … later this week it’s supposed to be warming to 50 and rain is in the forecast. It’ll either make the snow all go away again or it’ll turn everything to ice.

I have finished the colorwork on the Arne & Carlos 2024 MKAL. Today I completed the ribbing as well and picked up the stitches so that I can finish the heel. I’m going to rewatch how Arne does the heel decreases before I attempt it. The afterthought heels are not something I’m terribly familiar with as I prefer a heel flap and gusset on my socks … but I”ll do it their way this time and, since it’s a Christmas stocking, it’ll be quick and easy. I hope. I am excited to get the knitting done so I can steam block it and see it in all its splendor. Blocking colorwork, especially when it’s made with 100% wool, is such a miracle. Once the heel is done, I only need to make an icord loop to hang it with.

I’ve been busy ticking items off my ever lengthening list. Between Christmas and knitting this is a busy time of the year. I finished my last two Christmas knits and one is blocked, dry and labeled. The second one is nearly dry and the label is written. This may be the earliest I’ve ever been done knitting for Christmas. OR I’ve forgotten something. Ha! Ha!

I’ve got a pair of shorty socks on the needles for my daughter. They’ll match our granddaughter’s Advent socks. Should be fun for a few laughs at Christmas time. The first sock is finished and the second one is started, I’m about half-way through the heel flap so it won’t take too long to finish. Friday I seamed the shoulders of my pink Lane’s Island and the plan is to pick up stitches around the neck this evening and get the neck done. All I will have left is to sew in the sleeves and seam the sides. I am excited to wear it!

Our Christmas card list gets shorter each year but they’re all addressed and stamped and ready to go to the post office tomorrow. I’ve also done our laundry for the week … and then some and have been washing/re-blocking DH’s hats and fingerless mitts. Whew! They needed it. Changed a bed, bought some holiday-ish plants, and I think I’ve ordered all the Christmas gifts I need. Even my DH’s gift is ordered and I sure hope it arrives before Christmas. I’m crossing my fingers and toes.

We both got into the dermatologist last week after five years. I checked out and he had some pre-cancerous bits removed from his head. Bald heads are prey for the sunshine and my DH’s bald head seldom sees sunblock. He’s been lucky so far. And I’ve had the little red bump removed from my eyelid after decades of living with it. It was large enough to require two tiny sutures and they’ve caused some bruising but it feels good, no pain at all, and I hope the little bit of swelling and the redness will go away soon. The sutures will dissolve. So, we’re good to head into the holidays having done all we can to make sure we remain healthy and praying that the New Year is gentle with us all.

Gone knitting.

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.

Enough is Enough!

Posted on November 11, 2024 by Queen Bee Knits

This morning was the morning that I’d committed to go see the doctor if I wasn’t feeling better and getting a good night’s sleep. The last couple of days I’ve feel pretty good all day and the night before last I slept pretty well but last night I was up coughing and blowing every three hours … not fun. So, off I went to the express care in Waterville.

I had to wait for the train to pass before leaving and then when I got there the parking lot was packed with cars. To my utter amazement, they were amazing and I was out of there in an hour-ish. I’ve got a prescription for an antibiotic which I hope will knock this thing out of me for once and for all.

After a couple of days of doing a lot of sitting and just not feeling particularly energetic, I have been doing quite a bit of knitting. I’ve made some good progress on a few of my WIPs.

My Jelly Roll blanket is coming along. I’ve finished the fourth strip and started the fifth. I’ve chosen to use up all of this one ball of left-over sock yarn this time which makes a long strip of the same color. (This color also ended the last strip.) But it’s a bit different than what I’ve been doing and should add a bit of fun to the finished project. This blanket may take a lifetime to complete but it’ll be scrappy and warm when it’s done. I still have a big basket full of scraps from socks I’ve made so I’m committed to keep going with it. I’ve made a few little tweaks to the pattern on the recommendation of the Crazy Sock Lady and they’re noted on my Ravelry project page.

Last night I reached the seventeen inches required for the sleeves of my Lane’s Island pullover. I bound them off and today, maybe, I’ll start seaming the shoulders and get it all put together so I can finish it. Lori Versaci makes seaming so effortless by adding an edge stitch and it’s so simple to seam the sides and sleeves between the two knit stitches. I’ve got to sew up the sides of the pockets, too, after which there will just be the collar to knit and I can wear it next week!

Earlier this week I got the MKAL bug and decided that I’d do the knit along with Arne & Carlos. They’re knitting another stranded Christmas stocking in three colors and I just couldn’t stand to miss out on this one (again) this year. We don’t NEED any more stockings but I can use them for guests or for simple decorations. I chose the yarn, Patagonia Organic Merino, in the same three colors that I used for my Advent Mini-Jumpers that I finally finished last year. That way, they’ll all match. I cast on Saturday and got through the sixth clue. Yesterday I finished the tenth one and that meant that I was caught up and from now on I can just knit the six rounds a day to knit along. I am really enjoying the pattern and I love the yarn. Once blocked, this will be a great addition to our Christmas decorations. (Maybe I’ll even put some up this year.)

Several days ago (perhaps a week ago now) I cast on the collar and started the yoke of my granddaughter’s Christmas sweater. I’m knitting it in Berroco Vintage DK because my daughter really wants to be able to wash and dry sweaters. I got this sweater idea from a customer who brought in three of them for her grandchildren. I loved it – classic, and really beautiful. So, I cast on Snowflake by Tin Can Knits. This sweater is one pattern in a collection and I bought the entire collection because there were several patterns in it that I really liked. I have already knit the little fingerless mitts, Marshmallow, for Sylvie and they’re as cute as I thought they’d be. They were also a super quick knitted project … finished in the car on the way to babysit!

I still have the colorwork cowl that I started and didn’t get much past the start of the ribbing. I think I recall that I had to pull out the colorwork because I didn’t like the way the floats were looking behind the pink fabric. These colors may not work for this project but it’s all good – there will be another project if this one doesn’t work.

I think that does it for my knitting projects right now on my needles. These are the ones that are keeping me company as I get over this crud that I brought home from New York. I went to work on Thursday but cancelled my classes on Friday (you know I wasn’t feeling well if I cancelled my favorite day!) and called out sick on Saturday. So, I’ve been home since Thursday night until my big outing this morning. I’m in for the duration now … and hope to be feeling much better by Thursday so I can get to work and class on Friday.

Gone knitting.

Arne & Carlos Advent Calendar 2021

Posted on October 1, 2023 by Queen Bee Knits

Where did September go? Welcome to October. We had coffee on the porch this morning with the sun shining but with a thin haze of smoke from what we presume to be the Canadian wild fires. We haven’t heard much about them in the lower 48 lately but they’re still burning, predominantly in the west of Canada. Our breezes are blowing from the north which makes the Canadian fires the likely culprit. (My allergies aren’t happy so I’ve come inside with my air cleaner to see if I can get a breathing break.)

I’ve promised a photo of my complete set of little Advent sweaters and today’s the day. I won’t hang them for another couple of months but I will take them all out of their storage bags and let you see them all. When I hang them after Thanksgiving, I’ll show you again.

This was a true project that required persistence. I cast on the first little sweater on October 31, 2021 (and I thought I’d get them finished by Christmas?) and the last one was finished on September 3, 2023. Almost two years in the making.

I knit with Patagonia Organic Merino by Juniper Moon Farm. I love this yarn and whenever I’m considering a new project, I think of this yarn first. Patagonia also had the right colors for my Christmas palate at our home. I like the deeper blue-red and the pine green and the white/natural was the perfect third colorway. (All the details of the exact colorways is on my Ravelry project page.) I’m very proud of this project and that I really did finish it and we will use it this year.

We’ve gotten very blase (that should have an accent) about decorating for the holidays. If it’s just us, we do a little bit of decorating – a tree with ornaments and a couple of poinsettias. If we are traveling, we may skip the tree. So this is a decorating commitment in our house. Now I need to find a couple dozen pieces of candy or something really small to stuff them with … or maybe that will wait until next year. Ha! Ha!

Gone knitting.

September Already?!

Posted on September 2, 2023 by Queen Bee Knits

This photo was the second one I took this morning. But this one was the one that made me smile the widest! At the left you can see a fisherman zooming into the frame and at the top right, a hummingbird, getting ready to land on the feeder that’s just out of sight. Ha! That almost never happens.

It’s a beautiful Saturday here on the lake and I’ve been trying to wrap up a bunch of stuff so that we can vacation next week with all of my kids and their families. Dogs are included, too, of course. We’ll be eight adults, one baby and six dogs. It’s always a full house and it’s always fun. We are both … dare I say all … looking forward to a few days together.

So, this morning I’ve made a list of Maine State Reps who represent all of our students at Maine Arts Academy. We are having a ribbon cutting and open house celebration in September and we should always invite those who represent our students. And then I wrote the newsletter for tomorrow for the store. I included in tomorrow’s newsletter that I’m not writing one the following week … vacation rules. I have only one meeting to Zoom into while we’re away and I intend to be present for the kids, the dogs and the granddaughter!

This morning I steam blocked my two finished mini Nordic jumpers for our Advent calendar. I have one more to go. ONE!!! My intent is to do that after I’m done writing this post. Here are 22 and 23.

Twenty-three is the one that has two different white yarns. One is Patagonia Organic Merino, a wooly wool. The other is a superwash something that was in my left-overs bins (yes, you read that right, I have bins of left-overs. I can’t throw yarn away!) I am ok with it the way it turned out. Do I wish that I had had just a little bit more of the Patagonia? Yes. Did I let it ruin my life? Not even close. It’ll do. I’ve cast on #24 and I can probably get it done today. Certainly, I can get it done this weekend.

Yesterday I decided to return a skein of cotton that I had bought to make a bib for my granddaughter because I found a skein of the same cotton in a different colorway that will be just fine for a bib. So, while I was teaching class yesterday and for a while after, I got the bib done.

I also knitted an apple for the fall decorations for the store window. We’re decorating the window (and adding the stems to the apples) on Monday morning. I’m going to try to finish another one or two before then. Cross your fingers. And then as I was cleaning out cupboards and bins, I found two skeins of Plymouth Encore yarn that was gifted to me and I remembered a little sweater that I had the pattern for and (duh!) I cast on a little last minute sweater for my granddaughter. AND found myself knitting the wrong size after an hour or so … 18 months won’t fit her for ages so I frogged it and re-started the 12 month size which may or may not fit her right now. We’ll find out on vacation.

This morning I made my “granola” recipe that I’ve been making for decades and forgot to add the honey which makes the granola more like muesli … it’s not chunks at all, it’s more like loose cereal. I’m sure it’ll taste fine and it’s got less sugar. I also made a batch of blueberry muffins. I may make another dozen tomorrow because the family goes through these like crazy and they will stay fresh in the freezer if they don’t eat them right away.

Dear hubby has been to the dump, mowed the lawn and is napping. This is a perfect chance for me to do a little bit of stitching. Have I talked about the special quilt I’m making? More to follow.

Gone stitching (not sure if with knitting or sewing needles).

A Very Good Day

Posted on September 1, 2023 by Queen Bee Knits

The picture was really taken on Tuesday but it looked just like this today, too. It’s been a couple of gloomy gray days with some sprinkles of rain. It’s all good. We needed it. The gardens are happy for the water and I’m happy for a couple of days to stay indoors and get some house stuff caught up.

Today has been a lovely day. No meetings until 5pm so I had the day to get stuff done that I choose. I had a shower and washed my hair, caught up on watching a couple of my podcasts, and I finished up a few knitting projects.

I started and finished two pairs of super bulky mittens for sale. These are from some Malabrigo Rasta yarn that I found in my stash. I won’t knit much with super bulky yarns because I prefer lighter weight yarn but these will be warm weather gear for someone and they’re really pretty. I love the colorways that Malabrigo dyes and the yarns, being 100% Merino wool, are so soft. I’ll be posting the mittens on my Facebook and Instagram pages soon. For this moment, they’re on my cutting table drying having been washed and blocked.

I’ve also finished #22 completely and gotten #23 up to the collar ribbing. I have not blocked 22 but I’ll get to that this weekend. Once the collar on #23 is complete (it may happen tonight), I’ll begin #24 – the last, final, finishing, endmost, ending … you get my drift. This has been a long time coming and I am delighted to be wrapping up this years long project. I also look forward to hanging them up this year and will do so after Thanksgiving.

I also wanted to show you the new branch that is coming off one of my orchid plants. These plants are loving living in Maine. They live in the corner of our living room with indirect sun but bright light and they’re flourishing. As you can see at the bottom right corner of the photo above, one of my other plants (the one that we carefully moved from N’s mother’s apartment after she died and then moved from Florida to Maine) is already in bloom and has been blooming for months. We had one HUGE stem that became so heavy that it snapped off. This is a second branch that’s blooming now. And I just cut off the passed bloom from the one that is going to bloom again. I’m floored. I used to think I had a black thumb because I always killed plants. Seems they like me better – or perhaps I’m learning.

Gone knitting.