Queen Bee Knits

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

Making the Big Decisions

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Queen Bee Knits

Last summer I bought the most beautiful yarn at the Maine Fiber Frolic.

Seacolors Yarn

And I also got a “free” pattern with the sweater. I really liked the idea of the boxy cardigan with this yarn using a random pattern with the three colors. Different sleeves. Not too matchy-matchy.

Over the summer and fall, I got all the pieces knitted and was ready to put them together. The shoulders and sleeves, though, didn’t fit. They were at least two inches off (the sleeves were too small for the space that they were supposed to fit into). Well, what to do?

I mulled it over and decided that I had to re-knit the sleeves. Frog them and re-knit them with more increases so that they’d fit into the space … and then as I prepared to frog the sleeves and re-knit them, I noticed that I had (for some unknown reason) joined two balls of yarn in the middle of the back right about exactly where it would be most noticeable. What was I thinking? So, I decided to frog the back to the join and re-knit that, too. And then when I got that far down and was ready to rejoin the yarn, I noticed that I did it not once, but twice and there was another join just about two inches below the first one.

A second join in the middle of the back … what was I thinking?

That did it. I frogged the whole sweater. It went from this …

All the pieces were finished and blocked …

To this … in just a few minutes!

Oh well, that’s one of the most wonderful things about knitting … you can start anything over if it isn’t pleasing you. This one wasn’t pleasing me at all. But I do love the yarn!

And if anyone is wondering why we may be allergic to wool? Well, check out what was left on my desk after I frogged and re-wound the wool!

Wool dust … ahhhhh – choo!

Gone knitting!

Free Patterns – Sometimes You Get What you Pay For!

Posted on September 11, 2012 by Queen Bee Knits

At the Maine Fiber Frolic this summer, I bought this wonderful yarn from one of the booths.

Seacolors Yarn

The yarn came with a free pattern for a Boxy Cardigan sweater with color blocking that I loved so much that it took me an hour to pick out the yarn. That being said, now that I am on the downside of the project (or thought I was), I am finding that the free pattern isn’t really a great pattern … seems that the sleeves are nearly four inches too narrow for the arm/shoulder inset space. Ugh!

I even re-knitted the bind-off on the sleeve to make it stretch a bit more but the one sleeve that I seamed really looks awful. And for the price paid for the yarn, I would prefer that I be able to wear the sweater at the end.

See? …

Shoulder seam and puckery sleeve seam – looks yucky!

And this would be the reason why! The sleeve is four inches too narrow for the opening!

So, what’s a Queen Bee to do? The only idea that I can come up with is to “frog” the sleeve down to where the increases stopped and increase more … and the sleeves will be almost like dolman sleeves! Or, the other option is to “frog” the top of the sweater and take out some of the body length where the sleeve will fit.

I am going to take the project to a few of my knitting friends and see which choice they would choose … or if they have another idea that may be even better than my two options!

Have you got any ideas, dear readers?!

Gone knitting!

Finished and Blocking

Posted on September 3, 2012 by Queen Bee Knits

My sleeves are finished and blocked. Now I can assemble the sweater … I love seams!

NOT!

But I am getting more and more at ease with the process. And it really helps to block the pieces before seaming. As soon as my

The shoulder seams are super easy. With your embroidery needle, bring a new length of yarn up through a stitch and then wrap around the bottom of a stitch and then go back down through the same place where you came up! This makes a totally invisible “seam”.

The side and sleeve seems are almost fun for me to do now. I use the mattress stitch for stockinette stitch garments and Knitty has a great article on seaming that I probably can’t duplicate here. I’ll sure show you pictures of my garment in process but they’ve got the camera and people to show you better than I can!

The last thing that I will be adding to my sweater is a crocheted edging. Many of you who follow me on facebook know that I don’t really know how to crochet so this is causing me just a teeny bit of anxiety! I know that I can do anything and will be searching the internet to find some help. But, it’s almost there … and then I just have to find a few cute buttons …

… and wait until it gets cold enough to wear a wool sweater!

Pictures will soon follow (tomorrow!)

Gone knitting!

Get ‘er Done!

Posted on August 24, 2012 by Queen Bee Knits

I’m getting a lot of stuff done so why am I still beating myself up and saying that I’m unproductive? Why do I “worry” about being unproductive when I am getting work done? Because it’s not the work that I “need” to be doing? That others expect me to be doing? Because I’m not making “enough” money? I just need enough to pay the bills and can make do with less than most so what’s all the “anxiety” about?

My Boxy Cardigan is two thirds complete. Sleeves are all that is left to do. They should go pretty quickly and I hope that I love the sweater as much as I remember loving the one on display that I saw at the Maine fiber frolic.

The cotton tunic has kind of been set aside so that I can make a few new items to add to my Etsy shop … or new 3 B Street shop (more about this in a later post) … but the back is so close to being done – despite the inches and inches of 1×1 ribbing on US #1 needles!

I have knitted a new pair of fingerless mittens in a very simple 2×1 rib and just have to weave in the ends. I suspect that they will need a button or some embellishment because just by themselves they’re a bit flat – at least in my opinion – despite a variegated yarn.

And then there’s the Rasta Basket that I have knitted in a wonderful colorway called “Archangel” and while the knitting part is finished, the finishing part is a bit sticky for me! I am not really a sewer. (I can hear friends of mine in my head telling me that I am labeling myself and if I want to be a success I need to consider myself an adept sewer!) Yesterday I got out the old Singer and it took me a good part of the afternoon to assemble the lining only to discover that the handles that I chose are about two inches too big for the bag! Back I go to the store today to see if I can find some that are smaller!

I have pulled out the old Michael’s samples that I haven’t seen while I was away this summer. I am ready to make my board for knitting classes (did you see my calendar for classes?) and have to take some signs for the yarn aisle in the store. I also need to make copies of the calendar for the demo desk! I sure hope that the knitting classes will pick up since it’s fall …I hope!

My to-do list keeps growing but I am checking things off, too. Just for today, I am going to be pleased about what I have gotten done and what I will do today. Life is good.

Gone knitting!

Knitting my Fingers Off!

Posted on August 17, 2012 by Queen Bee Knits

Boxy Cardigan in Process

I’ve had another order for a top down sweater for a baby due this fall. So, in order to get myself moving, I am working to get at least one of my sweater projects finished. It seems that my work is paying off as the back and most of the front of my Boxy Cardigan are nearly finished. I love (LOVE!) the yarn from Seacolors! The green mottled yarn that is the bottom of the body of the sweater (topped with the salmon color) is even better when it’s knit up. There are splashes of the salmon in the green and it pops! The construction of the sweater is exactly as the title says, boxy. It’s color blocked and I am excited to get to the sleeves where the blue will be added. Just have to decide if I do two sleeves that are the same or whether I slightly alter one (I think I’m leaning to that side … at least for today!)

I haven’t spent a ton of time in the last few days knitting. I’ve been trying to get caught up and settled again into life in Florida – errands, phone calls, orders for tea and vitamins and supplements. With our construction or de-struction about to begin (long story, we have an outside wall that wasn’t built to code and needs to be … even if it wasn’t built by us) it’s likely that I will be needing to hide in my atelier with my little dogs and expect to get a lot of knitting completed.

I have a line-up of projects to knit already in the queue!

Gone knitting!

UFOs and Abracadabra, Y’all!

Posted on August 7, 2012 by Queen Bee Knits

They’re finished!

I sent off the Baby Life Ring socks and the hat that I designed to match with it’s little dreadlocks on top and the Grandmother-to-be loves them. Makes me so happy to please people with yarn-y wonderful-ness! And I have to be perfectly honest, the little hat is pretty stinkin’ cute!

An original Queen Bee Knits design – “Baby Dreads”

While visiting my college roommate here in Atlanta, I’ve finished knitting and embellishing the “This Little Piggy” hat that I designed for another friend’s granddaughter. I’ve knitted up a pair of thumbless mittens to match. The pattern is called Stay Put Baby Mitts by Jillian Neary. It’s on Ravelry … of course! The pattern is really simple to knit up and since it’s knit in a worsted-weight yarn (at least that’s what I used), they knit up quickly. The little single-crochet “string” tie at the wrist keeps the mitts on the baby’s hands. The string attaching them together keeps them from falling off and getting lost. They’re not embroidered yet (they need to have cloven hooves) but they will be finished and sent out as soon as I am back in my southern atelier!

“This Little Piggy” hat – an original Queen Bee Knits design

The hat pattern will be joining my other originals on Ravelry when I get it test knitted. I am really pleased with the adorable piggy ears and it’s little curly tail. I giggle when I look at it because the pig’s face seems so quizzical … like it doesn’t know what to do – go to market or stay home!

Next up, my Boxy Cardigan. Pattern and yarn by Seacolors Yarn. The process Seacolors uses is very unique. It’s hand-dyed with sea water, thus it’s name! The cardigan pattern is very simple and square. What makes it unique is color-blocking and I’ve purchased (after a long, long, long time wandering their booth at the Maine Fiber Frolic) some great colors that I’m very excited to see come together in this sweater! I’m already dreaming of buttons … they also will have to have been made in Maine! I started knitting with the US size 7 needles as the pattern suggests but have frogged that bit knitted up because it didn’t make the gauge. I’m starting again with my US size 8 needles and we’ll see how it goes! I’m knitting the large size.

I’ve also had a request to knit up another top down baby sweater in the fabulous “Grateful Threads” colorway from Coveted Yarn. I am really excited about knitting with this yarn again!

My tunic is still coming along. Knitting a ribbed stitch on US size 1 needles is slow going and very tedious so I have to break up that work with other projects.

Dropps Tunic (Dropps 111-21)

Detail of the “gathering” effect

The construction of the tunic (it’s a Dropps design) is quite simple and the switch from the US size 6 needles in stockinette stitch to the 1×1 ribbing on US size 1 needles creates a bit of a gathered effect which is very pleasing. The back is nearly complete!

I am so grateful for the friends and family who have encouraged me to follow my passion around knitting and I’m certain that the future holds all great things for my business as it grows right along with me!

Gone knitting (in Atlanta), Y’all!