Queen Bee Knits

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

Mukluks

Posted on August 2, 2015 by Queen Bee Knits

I bought a pattern earlier this summer to make a pair of slipper socks for a former student to whom I had become very attached. I knitted them up and sent them off to Florida. A few days later I got a picture on Facebook with her wearing them. Mom reports that she loves them. I’m so glad. Recently I made a pair of baby booties for my new niece Lilah Wise and I wanted to make something for my niece Faye Carleton, the big sister. When her mom told me that her feet were pretty big, I decided that these mukluks were a good idea. And I had the yarn in my stash in the cabin. (I totally miss my yarn stash that is in storage and I can’t wait to get it back and organized in my new studio in our new house. But I digress.)

The Childrens Mukluks pattern by Diane Soucy are really cute, quick to knit up in a bulky yarn, and I think they’re a.so super toasty. The pattern is a classic with clear directions to follow. Starting in the center of the sole, the foot is knitted first from the sole and then the toe with a seam sewn at the very end. The first part is done on US 7 straight needles. Once the foot is finished, the cuffs are knitted in the round on DPNs. Several rounds of knit and purl make up a cuff that looks like Alaskan mukluks; a little bit poofy as if they were made of animal hides in the good old days. I think I’m good with knitting mine!

There is a similar pattern for adults and I would suggest that if you want to knit a simple and warm winter gift for someone else or for you, pick this one. It’s quite remarkable. I plan to buy and knit the adult slippers for at least one adult this Christmas!

The colors of the yarn don’t really show up as they really are but as I was knitting the tiny ones for Faye, I realized they were in “Frozen” colors (think Elsa and Anna) and these have started a very dangerous Frozen-themed gift buying spree. I am heading to California on Thursday to meet my nieces for the first time. I’m so excited!!!

Gone knitting!

Two Fewer UFOs

Posted on May 3, 2015 by Queen Bee Knits

This weekend I have finished two projects!

Graffiti Socks

My Susan B. Anthony socks in Gale’s Art Wonder Sock in the Graffiti colorway are finished! I had to frog back the toes of the first one because the knitting gremlins talked me into making the foot seven (rather than seven and a half) inches. My feet are not nine inches long. They are nine and a half inches long. So, for a half inch, I frogged back and re-knit the toes. They’re much better and I am a happy camper. This yarn was amazingly wonderful to work with and I love the way that the colors change. I probably have enough yarn to make one more sock. I may do that … or not. Regardless, I have one more pair of hand knit socks to add to my sock drawer!

Frontenac (front)

I have also finished my Frontenac tunic vest. (This photo is not the finished one, it’s a reasonable facsimile.) It must be a vest since it has no sleeves and I sure do hope I’m going to love it as much as I think I am. I loved this pattern and the yarn is very soft and cozy. That said, the yarn also sheds like crazy. I’m hoping that a good wash and block will change that a bit. Time will tell. This was a very simple knit and only two seams (on the sides) and tiny pockets to attach. The edge of the sleeves were very well designed and I think this will be a garment that I knit again … after I get all the other knitting that I want to do done.

I’m nearing the end of several other projects as well and that means that I can cast on some new ones. I think I will cast on another sweater – this time in the yarn that I bought at the Maine Fiber Frolic two years ago. It has been the pieces of a sweater once before but the pattern was so poor that the sleeves didn’t fit into the arm holes. So, rather than make a sweater that I knew I wouldn’t love, I frogged the whole thing and put the yarn aside. I have found a couple of patterns that I could use (I think) and one of them will be starting soon. I am also casting on a pair of pads/tennis socks for a special girl’s birthday in June. I imagine they’ll knit up super quickly and the self-patterning yarn is amazingly perfect! I also have a bunch of aran weight yarn that my sister-in-love was gifted and she’s not a knitter and gave it to me. I think it will also want to be a garment. Color blocks of ivory and deep purple. I’m seeing it as a longer cardigan, perhaps without buttons.

I brought all the yarn that I bought several years ago to make the Great American Aran Afghan … it’s another huge yarn commitment that I made a long time ago and never finished. Maybe I’ll pull that out and get working on that!

Gone knitting!

A Hare Pair (Rabbit Hat by Jane Terrza)

Posted on March 21, 2015 by Queen Bee Knits

I have had this ball of white-ish yarn (Oasis Farm Fiber Mill “Bunny Yarn”) in my stash for years. It’s tried to be a scarf a couple of times and, subsequently, frogged. I had set it aside because I didn’t know what it wanted to be. Until I saw the Rabbit Hat by Jane Terrza on Facebook one morning a couple of weeks ago.

I have two adorable nieces in northern California and I just HAD to make the Rabbit Hats for them for Easter!

I used the following yarns from my stash for the hats: Oasis Farm Fiber Mill Classic Bunny in white. I had two skeins that I wound into one huge cake. I used about half of the two skein cake for both hats. (Don’t you love knitting for children and babies?) I needed something pink for the inside of the ears in a similar weight. I had a skein of Lorna’s Laces Sportweight wool in a very pale pink (pale pink colorway, I think) that I won in a contest for a soapbox package. It was perfect!

First Hat

The first hat was the larger of the two and I made it as the pattern was written with a kitchener stitch graft at the top of the hat and reverse stockinette on the inside of the ears (the pink part).

Reverse stockinette inside the ears

The pattern was easy to follow and the hat is adorable. The hat is knit in the round and the ears are knit in two pieces each from stitches placed on stitch holders. Once knitted, the ears are seamed. Easy enough.

What I found “awkward” was that all of the decreases for the ears were all done as K2tog. It seemed to me that the top of the hat could be more easily seamed with a 3 needle bind off rather than kitchener stitch and be nearly as pretty (and take a lot less time to seam). I guess it will be up to you to decide what you want to do but I wanted to share with you what I did with the second little hat for the baby sister!

Hat 2

I knit the hat just as the pattern was written. (I happen to love a little rolled brim on a hat!)

The changes that I made came in the top seam and the ears.

For the top of the hat, I did a 3 needle bind off. Next time I would turn the hat inside out first but I am not unhappy with the little seam on the top of the hat. I took a bit of time to adjust the stitches onto holders … I had to knit the first six stitches to get the yarn into the right place to bind off the top of the hat but otherwise, it was a cinch!

I knit the ears with a K2tog (knit two together) decrease for a right-leaning decrease on the left sides of the ear pieces and a SSK (slip slip knit) decrease for a left-leaning decrease on the right sides of the ear pieces rather than always using a K2tog decrease as written in the pattern. I think this looks a little bit prettier. I also was thinking about treating the ear as one piece circularly and carrying the contrasting yarn across. I decided to seam them instead to save the yarn. (Hey! I am a Yankee at heart!)

Stockinette inside the ears … by mistake but it still looks cute.

Because it was the second hat, I wasn’t paying attention to the pattern directions and totally forgot about the reverse stockinette on the inside of the ears. As a result, they are stockinette stitch. And it’s fine. Bonus! I find the seaming easier this way.

Since I was using natural fibers, I steam blocked both hats and made sure the pink insides of the ears were “hugged” by the creamy white backs of the ears all around. I think they are adorable and can’t wait to see my little nieces wearing them!

A Pair of Hare Hats … blocked and heading to California!

Which one do you like best? The pattern can be found on Ravelry and is a minimal charge … buy the pattern and support the designer!

Gone knitting!

End of the Year. End of the Job.

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Queen Bee Knits

It’s been a whirlwind 50 days as an ESE FCAT Tutor. When I applied, who knew what a wonderful experience it would be!? I’ve joined a wonderful family at Woodlands Elementary School and I’m so thrilled to have been able to work with the students, teachers and staff there. Even for only 50 days.

I have been thinking about whether and what to do about end of year gifts for “my kids” and I decided this weekend to make a few more of Rebecca Danger’s “Bunny Nuggets”. One for each of the kids (and one for my two teachers, too.) A little something to remember me by.

Body Parts

It all starts with knitting the body parts. Quick to knit and I used up a bunch of stash yarn in the process as well. The pattern, free on Ravelry, I’ve given you on my blog before. But they’re so cute, I’m providing the link for you again!

Add faces

When the body parts are all knitted up, you can assemble them. Assembly is easy. Add a little face and sew on the ears. You also have to make a little pompom for the tail.

I don’t have a pompom maker, if you have one, use it. I use a scrap of cardboard around which I wrap the yarn (about 45 wraps per pompom) and then using my darning needle strung with yarn, I tie a tight knot around one end of the yarn. If you wrap the first half of the knot around twice instead of once, it holds more tightly and won’t loosen when you go to make the second part of the knot. Tight knots are imperative when you’re making pompoms.) Trimming the pompom is messy but I love a well-shaped pompom. I made some of mine cream-colored and some multi-colored. Just for fun! The third grade boys all got the same three-color pompom tail … because I wanted them to remember that they are in this world together. Friends should always remain friends.

Pompom Tails on the Nugget Butts

Once the ears, faces and tails have been attached, you can stuff your nuggets. I have used scraps of yarn or quilt batting or cotton balls or fiber fill … whatever I have around the house. Now it’s time to sew up the bottom seam and they’re all done.

Eight little Bunny Nuggets will be packed up and handed off to my eight new family members. Who knew that in 50 days, I’d feel so close to these kids and their teachers. I think being an ESE FCAT tutor was one of the best jobs I could have had. I hope I’ll be able to find something that feeds my heart and soul in the fall!

Bunny Nuggets … ready for the end of the year!

Gone knitting!

Finished!

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Queen Bee Knits

There! It’s finished … well, off the needles

My Bermuda shawl is ~~one row away from being~~ finished. If I weren’t so lazy on this Sunday morning, it’d be finished already … but I just got back from my atelier and forgot to get my bigger needles so that I can bind off “very” loosely.

So I decided to blog instead.

I replaced my wrong-sized needles yesterday (with a bit of attitude from the LYS owner who sold them to me on Tuesday. What?!) and they will have to be the next project re-started and finished because I have eleven days until my brother’s birthday. I’d hate to disappoint! But he may be getting one sock instead of two! 🙂

Gone knitting.

Getting ‘er done!

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Queen Bee Knits

I’ve had a lot of projects hanging out there all in many different stages of done-ness. I’m really proud that I am getting them done and happy with the way they’ve turned out.

You thought I’d give something away? These are for Christmas gifts! 🙂

The mystery Christmas gifts are done. More of them than I had hoped for – and they work really well. I have totally tested the product in the last day or so to make sure I didn’t goof it up. I hope that means there will be some happy gift-recipients on my list!

Flat Rocks Yarns “Whirlpool” in the Grateful Thread color way

I just finished a darling top-down sweater (no seaming makes this Queen Bee very happy!) for a customer on the Cape. She saw an earlier sweater that I made this summer in a brightly colored bulky yarn that I bought, quite by happenstance, up on the Massachusetts shore. It took (seemingly) forever for the new batch of yarn to be hand-dyed and delivered to the shop but it was a joy to knit with the second time around. The shop, Coveted Yarns in Gloucester, MA carries this hand-dyed yarn in several weights. This one is called Whirlpool by Flat Rocks Yarns. It’s a 100% superwash Merino (3/3.5 sts. per inch on Us#10/11. The colorway I bought is called “Grateful Thread”. (Appropriate on so many levels!)

I’m nearly finished with the baby blanket that has been plaguing me – and all because I had to use up some old yarn and not waste it! So, I’ve nearly finished the striped blanket (and it’s actually pretty cute). It’s a simple garter stitch pattern that I created as I knitted. It will be backed with fleece and a satin binding and will be in my shop soon.

I’ve started a pair of one-skein Malabrigo fingerless mitts in a really great denim-blue colorway. Unfortunately, I seem to have lost or pitched the yarn’s tag but I am loving the way it feels and it is knitting up in to such a nice warm mitten/glove/thing. These, too, will be in my shop soon as I get the second mitt finished and photographed.

I sent off two hats to day for the victims of hurricane Sandy. One is a simple cap for a small adult/large child. I striped it in grey and red for a male person as that was what was needed. The color-changes were nearly perfect with the jogless join method that I’ve blogged about here. It’s amazing how many years I have knitted without using stripes when knitting in the round … and how simple it is once you try it out! I may stripe everything for awhile! My friend Kelly won a skein of yarn at our yarn tasting and fashion show last weekend and she gave it to me to knit up for donating, too. So, I did. Knitted the little lacy slouch hat for a female (it’s a vivid purple colorway) and I assume a girl would rather wear it.

The last project still on the needles is the “count every stitch” scarf that I am making as a gift for a friend (I think). It’s been quite the project. It’s pretty (but not that pretty!) I’ve made it to the decreases and will be so happy when that is finished (and will file the pattern in the “not sure I want to make this again” file! 🙂

It’s feeling good getting all these projects wrapped up … and that means I can start new ones, right?

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!

Attention! Attention! Knitting Queen (Bee)

Posted on August 1, 2012 by Queen Bee Knits

I’ve learned that I need to pay attention when I knit.

Any distractions can cause me to knit beyond a decrease, or knit where I should purl … you get the idea! And knitting with a cocktail in hand is a definite NO! Knitting group projects must be free of decreases or any counting of stitches because I never cease to be amazed at how my chatting can make me forget the simplest of each!

That said, I’ve finished a few more projects and am pleased with my progress. But, once again, I brought more projects up to Maine to complete than I completed. I also am going home with more yarn than I came with.

Completed:

Baby sweater finished. Needs to be blocked.

Socks finished; Matching hat … maybe half way done!

Bird nest – finished and being lived in (see Facebook!)

My second attempt at the Gaia Shoulder hug … finished (when I was better able to pay attention!)

Gaia Shoulder Hug by Ann Carroll Gilmour – well, it’s her pattern. I knitted this one!

And I also finished the little cabled sweater in periwinkle blue. I haven’t photographed it yet … so watch here or my Facebook page!

Gone knitting!

I win!

Posted on July 24, 2012 by Queen Bee Knits

The first attempt was a flop. But the second attempt at the Gaia Shoulder Hug was a success! I did it! It’s finished! Yay, me!

Gaia Shoulder Hug (FREE Ravelry download)

And I like it … more or less. I’m not totally loving the Noro Kureyon Sock (which is now discontinued in the United States) colorway that I chose, but I think it will be a pretty piece to wear in the winter with a shirt.

I’m pleased that it’s finished and pleased with it – that’s what matters most.

Gone knitting!

Today’s Completed Projects

Posted on April 14, 2012 by Queen Bee Knits

I wrapped up a couple of projects today and it feels good to get things finished. No pressure, for sure, but good to finish none the less. Here’s my story about one – or at least it’s a partial story!

I’ve made a twelve inch square for a group gift that my group will be assembling for a special member. I’ll explain more after it’s been presented but here is my square …

"The Candle Tree"

I didn’t want to do just a plain square. Tried a couple of stitches that I was unfamiliar with and then found this one in one of my stitch books – Barbara G. Walker’s A Treasury of Knitting Patterns (if you want to buy a book of stitches, this is one of the ones to buy. Clear concise directions and a ton of different patterns. The only “problem” is that there are more than one treasury … so start your library!)

The pattern (on p. 290) is called “The Candle Tree” and it’s a panel of 35 stitches. I liked the idea of the candles as a memorial – I’ve explained my love of the Jewish tradition of Yarzeit candles before in my blog and that’s part of why I love the pattern. The tree is a symbol of family (think “family tree”) and strength (think “mighty oak”) and perhaps also a bit of the natural circle of life. and the tree as a symbol of family and strength. When I can tell you more about the gift that we’re giving, you’ll understand why this patch or square is significant!

I didn’t get the tree perfectly centered but it’s now blocked and ready to go to the assembly team (of one?) I am excited to see the end result – and if I do say so myself, it’s a really thoughtful gift – and see how its recipient likes it. I think she’ll be very touched.

I also did some baking today. Needed to attach my feet to the ground. I love this recipe which I found on the Internet … Levain Bakery’s Oatmeal Scones. I have been making this recipe for quite some time and my brother once said they were the best scones he’d ever eaten. I use a gluten-free flour and craisins in lieu of all-purpose flour and raisins. Today I even threw a few currants in because I didn’t have quite enough craisins. They are so delicious. You really should try them! And it’s easy to make scones – I mixed all the ingredients together and then added the diced butter and mix it all together with my hands until crumbly and then add the milk/cream/buttermilk and quickly mix it together with my mixer. Rather than mess up my counter, I use an ice cream scoop and have perfectly shaped, similarly sized scones that freeze really well … and we can warm up one or two each morning! I love Turbinado Sugar as a sweet and crunchy sprinkle on top! You could also make a little “frosting” with confectioners sugar and milk or orange juice and drizzle on top. Try it out!

Gone knitting (well, walking first and then knitting!)