Queen Bee Knits

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

A Perfect Saturday

Posted on May 9, 2026 by Queen Bee Knits

It’s been such a good day today. Despite the fact that it’s now nearly 7pm, I thought I’d write about the day and bring you up to date on my knitting. I’m making a lot of progress and it feels really good.

The sun was out this morning and, although it was a bit too chilly to be out on the porch, it was sunny and clear. I always feel better when the sun is out! Today was one of those days. We had our coffee and decided to have lunch at a favorite street-side food truck spot, Ken’s. Really yummy fried seafood. I had scallops and he had clams. We both had french fries. Yum. I stopped by the bank on the way to lunch to make a deposit for work and we may have stopped for me to have some ice cream on the way home. I shouldn’t have but it was way too tempting.

We spent the next hour or two in one of our gardens. We call it “Helen’s Garden” because it was the only spot Ned’s mom seemed to have planted any plants. It had been taken over by ground cover and weeds before we built the new house but we did find some Lily of the Valley there. We’ve continued to try to re-grow Lily of the Valley with no success. Anyway, today we cleaned up the new garden, cut back the hydrangeas, cleaned out the leaves and weeds. It needs some mulch but we didn’t have any today and I didn’t take any new photos. Tomorrow.

I ordered some cedar-based tick and bug stuff (to keep them away) and it’s been in the front hall for days. I spread some of the granular stuff today all around the door yard and the corner of the house where we see little “sugar ants”. With a little time, we’ll see if this stuff deters them. Fingers crossed. AND I finally got the few plants that I had bought for our school event into a pot at the front door. Thankfully, after I got cleaned up, the weather turned and we had some good wind and rain and now all the plants are watered in and the bug stuff, too.

I’ve been knitting away like a crazy woman. It wasn’t very busy at work on Thursday so I had a chance to work on my new pair of socks. I’m knitting a plain vanilla pair based on my Yankee Knitter pattern and they’re for my hubby. I’m loving the new Arne & Carlos Socks and More yarn base. It’s softer than the Regia used to be and I am loving the colorway I chose. He’ll love the socks. I’m knitting again with the 9″ circulars and I’m going to try another forethought heel. I have to search in my (enormous) bits and bobs collection of fingering weight yarns for some heel and toe yarn. (More shall be revealed.) I’m just about at the heel now!

Today I’ve been working on the newest sweater on the needles. This is the one for my younger daughter. It’s the Levitate Wrap and I’m knitting it in Patagonia Organic Merino and Berroco Aerial both in a charcoal gray. Needless to say, it’s one that I’ll have to knit in good lighting. Ha! Ha! I was working my way down the right shoulder and front when my iPad died so I took a break (it was a sign, right?) and started a dishcloth as a palate cleanser. I’ll finish this one tonight.

Yesterday and the evening before I worked on my Hansel Hap Half. I am so happy with this shawl! I can’t think of the last time I enjoyed a project as much as this one … maybe because I’ve wanted to knit it for a long time? Anyway, it’s making me very happy. I am more than half-way around the edge with the border and it’ll be done before I know it. Maybe this week. I am really happy with the colors I chose and also happy that I am using some stashed yarn.

The yard is blooming like crazy! Buds are budding and my (our) daffodils are in bloom. They are such happy flowers. And we have one tulip. Only one. Quite a disappointment, frankly. We did have a bunch of them but the voles must have gotten them. I’d love to plant some more but I’ll have to figure out how to keep them safe from the critters.

And we’ve had some super special bird visitors. Our hummingbirds are back – they arrived Tuesday. I’ve seen a tiny female and a male. My long-necked female isn’t here yet. I hope she comes back again. And we’ve had a Scarlet Tanager and, today, a Baltimore Oriole. We both enjoy sitting in the back yard watching the birds and when the “special” ones arrive, ones that we don’t see often, it’s a special treat. Of course, we have the loons back and they’ve been visiting, too. Apologies for the crummy photo of the Scarlet Tanager … they’re quite timid and I didn’t dare step too far out of the front door.

So, it’s been a good day and we’re having a light supper tonight after our heavy lunch. Of course there’s ice cream for dessert! And tomorrow we have another day and it’s Mother’s Day so I hope I’ll get to speak to all the kids and the grandkids. At least two of our kids have planned dates to come for visits for which we are very grateful. We hope they’ll all get here before the snow flies again.

Gone knitting.

Ahhhh! Hello, Sunday!

Posted on April 26, 2026 by Queen Bee Knits

What a beautiful sunny morning we are having! It’s been quite a long work week and I appreciate the sunshine and empty schedule today. My hubby asked what I wanted to do over our coffee this morning and my response was, “nothing”. I have been on the go all week and I just want to hang at home and get myself caught up. Thought I’d come here this morning to tell you what I’ve been up to as most of it is yarn related.

Monday I had a beautiful day at home and baked for the first time in awhile. We were out of my homemade granola (hubby often takes it to work with some yogurt for his second breakfast) and I had some bran flakes cereal in the pantry that I wanted to use up so I baked some bran muffins with blueberries. They’re yummy. Hubby’s been a happy man this week. I was at work on Tuesday and on Wednesday I did the house work – changed our bed, did the laundry, ordered and picked up groceries, cleaned the kitchen and made soup for dinner. One of my knitting buddies came over to knit but we ended up sitting and yakking until she had to run to her exercise class and I had to run to pick up the groceries. It was a good day, though.

I have spent the last three days at the store working and teaching and by yesterday afternoon, Carol and I were “done” (cooked, pooped, drained … the list goes on!) Yesterday was Local Yarn Shop day, our Saturday knitting group was in the shop, and I was teaching a Brioche Workshop in the morning so it was a busy day at the store. I had a great group of 13 women who learned a new technique – Brioche knitting. I wish I’d had another hour for them but it went well and most of the class really honed in on their new skill.

After the workshop I had a brief but sweet lunch with one of my students who I know from high school. We reconnected last year when she came to my workshop. What a surprise! It was really fun to chat in person and get (sort of) caught up on the years between high school and yesterday. We will need to meet up more than once a year to really catch up and we have so many things in common! And then it was back to work for the rest of the day. So, you can understand that today is a day for “nothing” for me … I maybe should say that I will do only what I want to do, on my own schedule. And today will include knitting … I have already had some coffee on the porch with yarn in my hands but the wind kicked up and sent me inside.

I’ve been working on several projects and making a little bit of progress on each of them. This morning I was working on my “poor” Escher socks that have been ignored for a bit. I’m trying nine-inch circular needles for the first (second?) time and I think I finally have the hang of it. What I do like is that I don’t have to be concerned about changing from needle to needle on DPNs which really helps me with the tension, especially at the small circumference. It’ll be very interesting to compare the first sock knit on DPNs to the second sock knit with the nine-inch circ. I am using my ChiaoGoo Shorties set for one of the first times. So far, so good. The Escher socks need to get finished so I can knit another pair of socks with my new Biscotte yarn! 🙂

I have finished one purple crown and begun a second for my granddaughter and her friend. That is quite another funny story and maybe I’ll write about it another day. The pattern is free on Ravelry, Elegant Crown, and I’m knitting in Plymouth Encore worsted. It takes little or no time to knit these up and I think the girls are going to love them.

Next up is the new sample I’m knitting for the store. It’s called the Pressed Flowers Kerchief and is another free Ravelry pattern. We had several shawl kits that were not selling, even on sale, and we thought we could separate the yarn and find another something to knit with it. The yarn is a cashmere blend and we found this cute little kerchief and I’m knitting a sample in hopes that the yarn will sell in its new iteration for Mother’s Day, maybe. The pattern is very potato chippy and the yarn is delicious so it’s an easy one to choose when I sit to knit. The kerchief is small enough, too, not to feel like a burden to knit when I have a lot of projects on the needles. I’ve rounded the corner (so to speak) and am working my way through the second half of the project. I’ll block it and have it in the store next week. Fingers crossed.

Still on the needles and getting marginally closer to the finish line is the Vanilla Sweater that I’m making for my college roommate. I’ve finished one sleeve and have started to finish the body of the sweater now that we’ve settled on the length that she wants. I’ve just split the hem and if I really concentrate, I should be able to get this sweater finished soon. As an aside, My Vanilla sweater tends to roll up on the front and I don’t want that to happen to hers so I’ll do an extra round or two on the hem before binding off. I’m so close!

This coming week will be a little less work and a little more volunteering. We have a big 10th Anniversary celebration at Maine Arts Academy on Saturday so we have several committee meetings set up and I have a meeting with the CEO, in addition to being at the event on Saturday morning. Add my normal work days in at the store and it will be another full week. I’ll write about the event next week but after it’s over, it’ll be “smooth sailing” into the summer.

We are busy cleaning up our gardens, the perennials are starting to peek their heads out of the ground and the bulbs are coming up. At least the daffodils are crocus are … I’m still waiting for the tulips. Last summer the kids all helped to repaint our guest cottage (it’s gorgeous to look at now) and we will be planting up in front of it this year. It still needs some interior work and then a good cleaning and we will be able to use it and/or rent it this summer. Hopefully it’ll rent by word of mouth and we’ll see how we like having people here. It’s a sweet space (if it was insulated and heated, I’d make it my studio!) that we lived in for seven months with our (then) three dogs while we built the house. I loved living there!

Gone knitting!

“I believe in hope. I believe in ‘Believe’.”

Posted on March 31, 2026 by Queen Bee Knits

I don’t know about you but I love the show Ted Lasso. I am not a sports buff nor a sports fan, if I’m honest, but I loved the show and it must be because it’s the coach who’s a coach against all odds. And Coach Lasso says the damndest things! (The title quote is one of his and a favorite!)

Yesterday was a busy day at our house. I spent several hours at my desk writing most of a newsletter for the yarn shop where I work and making calls and catching up on emails for the board that I sit on. I also made a couple of calls to find out why nobody had returned my calls last week or several months ago. Does it bother you that the service industry, at least in part, seems to have lost its ability to return calls? This is what we used to call “customer service” and I’ve noticed that lots of organizations simply don’t know how to provide it.

My first call was to my doctor’s office. I had left a message last week Tuesday to get a prescription changed so I don’t have to refill it every 30 days. AND I wanted to know what the office protocol is when test results come back into the office – do they call patients with results or should patients be on their online records portal? When I called, the person answering the phone looked and said that I’d left a message about tests results. Well, sort of and no. I told her that I wanted to know what their protocol was and that I’d had three tests over the course of the last six months or so (don’t worry, I’m fine, they’re just normal stuff – allergy test, mammogram and follow-up blood) and was not called. She said a letter was sent out and read it to me. I suspect the letter was sent out AFTER I called last week but time will tell. After speaking to the office manager, too, I feel like nothing will change and the “healthcare home” that I am looking for is not there. My assigned practitioner doesn’t seem able or willing to make those calls and I will have to follow myself on the portal. Others love the portals but I like a good old fashioned phone call. It’s a way to build a relationship with the person who is watching over my health and as I age it becomes more and more important.

Next I called an insurance broker who I had reached out to before year-end and we were slow getting her photos of our property but my hubby sent photos in December. Since then, crickets. So, yesterday I reached out to her, too. Wouldn’t you think she’d want some new business? Doesn’t that mean some additional money for her? Good grief! Why do I have to do the work?

(update: I have spoken to the insurance broker and it seems that our town records are incorrect online. I’ve spoken to someone in the Assessor’s office who has changed the record to indicate that the house was rebuilt in 2015 rather than renovated and emailed me a copy of the record for the insurance company. BUT there is still about a half-dozen mistakes on the card: siding materials, insulation, it says we have a fireplace (we don’t) and it says it’s a seasonal residence (it’s not). The Assessor is only in his Belgrade office one day a month … what are the chances that this is addressed in a timely manner? Can you see me cracking my skull against my desk?)

AND when I get frustrated and the point of this diatribe is that I baked my frustration away. I had been cleaning out some of my old photos that don’t need to be kept on my phone and came across a screenshot of a recipe for “Ted Lasso Shortbread”. If you watch the show, you’ll know that Ted brings the boss lady shortbread in the morning in a little pink box. My hubby loves shortbread and I have never made it for him but I always buy some for his Christmas stocking. I decided yesterday that it was the day to give it a shot. Simple as pie instructions (maybe simpler than pie, actually) and only five ingredients. I tossed it all into the food processor and when it was mixed up, I pressed it into an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper beneath. Baked it for a bit and …. OMG! This stuff is so yummy that I like it, too!

I thought I’d share the recipe and tell you what I did a little bit differently. I did not cut them before I baked them – they crumbled apart and it was a mess. I baked them for 35 minutes and then cut them when they were just out of the oven. I then returned them to the oven to finish baking. I used Turbinado sugar sprinkled on top. Next time, I may use my edible flowers with a bit less sugar sprinkled on top. We both taste-tested them and they were good when they were warm but they were even better this morning with my coffee.

Ted Lasso Shortbread by Chouquette Kitchen

I took a quick walk around the yard looking for signs of spring yesterday when the temps were more favorable for such a thing. I did find a few signs. Some of my tulip bulbs have survived another winter and there are daffodils coming up, too. Yay! The wind off the lake is still really cold, though, and we may be getting a bit of snow later this week. Stay strong little flowers-to-be!

I stayed up way too late last night to finish my socks. AND, I got them done. Phew. I like them well enough but I probably won’t choose to knit with this particular yarn again. I don’t love the base (and it’s already pilling a little bit.) But they’re done. I also took a bunch of time to work on the Vanilla Sweater and have gotten the sleeves divided and am heading down the body of the pullover now. And with that progress, I need to cast on another pair of socks and another sweater project: my daughter’s wrap cardigan.

I’ve also signed up for a shawl KAL with the Wooly Thistle yarn shop which is in New Hampshire. (And will be a weekend road trip soon!) I haven’t decided which shawl I’m going to knit but I’m thinking I’d like to knit Gudrun Johnson’s Hansel Hap (Half Hap). I have a sweater’s worth of Jamieson’s jumper weight in a neutral beige-y color and tons of little balls of Jamieson’s or J&S which are interchangeable and that may work. I’m already behind on this project, of course, but I really am trying to make myself finish up some older WIPs before starting new ones. I also think I know which socks I’m going to knit next. I have a student who’s knitted the Escher Socks with a ball of cream solid fingering and a ball of Crazy Zauberball. I happen to have both in my stash! She also knit the Sunny Side UP socks and I have plenty of stashed yarn for those, too. So, with that in mind, away I go!

Gone knitting.

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.

Home Again, Home Again

Posted on March 16, 2026 by Queen Bee Knits

Not a particularly beautiful welcome home weather-wise but it was so good to sleep in my own bed despite my snoring partner. LOL. I had a wonderful family visit in New York City, got to spend time with all of my kids and their significant others; the dogs, too! Nothing feeds this mama’s soul more than spending time with my adult children – they’re really terrific people and I’m so proud to be their mother! And now I’m home and this is a three-day work week for me as it’s my Saturday to work so I’m trying to get myself cleaned up and organized but also save some of my energy for the end of the week.

While I was gone, I finished my Thistle on the Moor vest. I am so pleased with the finished project! I knit this vest in Berroco Lanas Light, a sport weight 100% wool yarn with really great yardage (383 yards to 100 grams). I used only two balls for the fourth size thus making this project very affordable at $23.00. I will have to wear this to work on Thursday to try it out! The vest pre-blocking had some really wonky stitches but it’s gorgeous after blocking and it feels gloriously soft for a 100% wool that’s neither super wash nor merino!

Thistle on the Moor Vest on the blocking mat

I have also made a couple of purchases while I was away (or just before I left). I bought a sweater worth of Rauma Garn Finull in a beautiful heathered lavender for my second Vanilla Sweater by Corrine Tomlinson. This time it’s for my college roommate. I am excited to knit another version of this sweater and I love the colorway she chose.

I also ordered a total splurge yarn from Tribe Life Yarns in the UK. It’s a hand-dyed Art Yarns silk mohair with which I’ll be making a pullover that their Millie designed and it was free with the purchase of the yarn. The yarn was incredibly expensive, even for me, a self-proclaimed yarn snob, but I hope it’ll be a gorgeous sweater and a joy to wear. And I loved their packaging! The yarn is a creamy-white, blue, and shades of brown, beige, gray-ish and almost peachy. It’s quite different from any sweaters that I already have and if it’s really wonderful, I may have to buy some more! Oops.

I have ordered a new pouch to keep my bullet journal planner/calendar in, too. It hasn’t arrived yet but I hope it will be a favorite “tool” going forward. It’s by Soolla and appears to be a good weight of canvas with lots of outside and inside pockets where I can keep my pens, etc. A good way to carry those essentials that I need when I use my bullet journal. (And I never like to be without it!)

Last night I worked on my Frabjous Fibers socks again. I’ve turned the heel and completed the gusset decreases so I’ve just got to finish the foot and toe of the first sock and then get the second one started. I was pretty tired after my drive from CT to ME yesterday so I didn’t stay up late. I’ve got a bunch of chores to get done today and I’ll work on the socks and get the Vanilla Sweater cast on. I will be knitting a sweater for my daughter, too, this week. She’s asked for (and I’ve swatched for) Levitate Wrap by My Favorite Things. I’m excited to get started on another couple of sweaters.

I got home to some very dry plants and my Clivia up in my studio was covered in white mealy bugs. I gave it a good wash with some diluted soap and have done a shallow dive into how to treat mealy bugs on my Clivia plant … looks like I need an insecticide and some antibacterial dish soap so I’ll be back at it again today. Meanwhile, three of my four orchids are blooming and they’re being soaked in the kitchen sink because it’s been awhile! I’d best wrap this up and get back to it.

Gone knitting.

WIP Wednesday

Posted on March 4, 2026 by Queen Bee Knits

Wednesday, March 4, 2026

The lake looked like the surface of the moon this morning. Fog across the lake and the sunshine on new snow. We are so lucky to live here. I went into town this morning after my hubby cleared the driveway to pick up some groceries. It’s actually warm this afternoon – 49 degrees! The snow is melting and I’m up in my atelier working away. I think I will open the window a crack and get some fresh air in the house.

I’ve been knitting like mad. What’s new? I have so many projects on my mind and in my Ravelry queue. I’ve also made a few yarn purchases. I told my co-worker friends on our girls day out yesterday that I’ve made an impulse buy for a hand-dyed mohair sweater for myself. I had to buy the yarn to get the pattern, so … I did. I’m going back to work tomorrow before I’m gone again to help with our granddaughter next week. I’ll earn the money back. I also ordered some yarn for a Vanilla Sweater for my college roommate, Carrie. She loved mine. AND I have bought yarn to make my daughter’s sweater. The mohair has come in and I can get ready but first I have to finish at least one of the WIPs on my needles.

Ranunculus #2 in Berroco Dulce

I have been working away at my second Ranunculus. I had hoped to finish it today and wear it to work tomorrow but maybe I can finish it Friday and wear it on the weekend. We shall see. This is the project that I’ve put most of my time and effort into. It’s a quick knit and if I’d made good notes on the first one, I’d be further along. But, alas, I’m winging it again. I’ve got the body length at 8 inches and have begun the ribbing. Meanwhile, I also started the first sleeve wondering if I will be able to make long sleeves before I run out of yarn. I think I have plenty. This yarn is very soft and I like the way it’s looking but the fuzz is obnoxious. I think the finished garment will be very wearable, though. I don’t have far to go on this one.

My Thistle on the Moor vest is also coming along. Believe it or not, this is still the first ball of. yarn that I’m working with. I have a few more rounds to go before I’ll have to add the second ball. I don’t think I’ll need the third ball at all. I’m almost two thirds of the way done with the lace thistle motif down the front of the vest and I have one more repeat of the chart to go. Can you see the thistle in the second picture? I love this! Berroco Lanas Light is a wooly wool but it’s not really rough. I am liking working with it for the most part. If I just had more days in the week, I could get this finished.

The third project is my vanilla socks. I’m using Summer Lee’s I’m so Basic Socks pattern just to change things up. I think these may be baggy socks because her instructions say I should cast on 72 stitches. I think I know better but I’m knitting on. We’ll see how they turn out. The yarn is a sock set, a 100 gram ball of speckled yarn for the main color and a teal blue mini for the cuff, heel and toes. I haven’t worked on these much this week. I’m the only one measuring my progress with my SISC (self-imposed sock club.)

I have one FO. My little cousin asked me to make her a beanie when we were in Reno. I found this cake of Lion Brand Mandala Watercolors in my stash (away from where I can see it) and I think she’ll like the color. Her room is pink. This hat knit up in a flash, I used the Daily Beanie pattern which is free on Ravelry and the bulky yarn. I used a US10 needle and knit the hat to 8 inches before I started the decreases. It’s super soft and will wash and dry well. All important things when knitting for kids.

Yesterday we went to Belfast, ME for a girls’ day and visited another Maine yarn shop, Heavenly Yarn which has switched ownership in the last year or so. I love the space that Heavenly Yarn is in, an old building with squeaky wood floors and I love the layout of the shop and the samples. I bought a couple of hanks of Harrisville Highland yarn because I have never knitted with it and I like to try different yarns. I think I’ll knit myself a new pair of snowflake mittens. As my friend Bette says, my first ones have yellow snow. I’ve been wearing them for ten years. There’s nothing wrong with them, I just “need” a new pair. One without yellow snow. LOL

A couple of days before I leave for New York … I’d best get knitting!

March. Already?!

Posted on March 1, 2026 by Queen Bee Knits

February certainly flew by! This morning I woke up at 8:00 o’clock when my alarm went off … I could probably have slept longer. We were exhausted when we got home yesterday late afternoon. We got up in Denver just prior to 2:00am for our 5am flight – come to find this …

TSA in Denver International Airport doesn’t open until 3am but they suggest you get to the airport two hours before you are scheduled to board your flight. Our boarding time was 4:45. We got to the airport at 2:30 and not a thing was open. Ugh! AND TSA Pre-check doesn’t open until 4! Needless to say, we were among the first people to go through “standard” security. (And all of this was without coffee!) Once we were at our gate (after waiting for the trains to get running) we could only get coffee from a vending machine. What an opportunity missed – someone could have a small food cart with coffee and pastries or muffins or something and make a decent living! And the airlines could do a better job of communicating with customers on those early morning flights, too.

We started off a week ago with an overnight in Portland, Maine. Thankful we decided to drive down to Portland the night before our flight because overnight snow would have made the drive challenging. We took off after a de-ice around 5:30am and flew from Portland,ME to Baltimore, MD to Austin, TX to Reno, NV. Visited with my cousins and aunt and uncle who live there. My aunt is experiencing short-term memory loss and that was difficult to see. We’re going to have to do the travel so we can visit at least once a year. She is like my second mother to me and grandmother to my kids and it’s important to me that I keep the connection with her. On Sunday we toured the place where my aunt and uncle are living and then went out to Virginia City where the gold rush created the town way back when. There are original buildings and a lot of history there. In the right season there are gun fights in the streets and people dress in period clothes. We saw a couple of wild horses on a hillside on our way down the mountain. They also live in my cousins’ neighborhood! We had a big family dinner on Sunday night with my aunt and uncle, their two sons (my cousins) and their spouses and three of the five grandkids (my first cousins once removed?) It was fantastic to see them all and I look forward to going out again … and hope to be able to stay a bit longer next time! Getting to Reno was quite a challenge from Portland, ME. I’ll try from Boston next time. And we thoroughly enjoyed our visits to our western family!

Then we jetted off to Denver, CO to see our youngest and her family which includes our now 6-month-old grandson, Mac. Boy has he changed since we were there in September! He’s now a smiling, laughing, engaging happy boy and we loved spending time with the kids. We got to celebrate Amy’s 33rd birthday and Mac’s half birthday on Tuesday with carrot cake. I had an interesting time with elevation this trip, both in Reno and in Denver, but stayed well-hydrated and tried to get some good rest at night.

I brought knitting with me, of course, and did do some knitting on the way out. I have been working on my Thistle on the Moor vest and my second Ranunculus and I had a pair of vanilla socks. I’ve gotten most of the leg of the socks finished but I’m concerned they’re going to be too big.

I’m knitting Summer Lee’s I’m So Basic Socks in a sock set of Frabjous Fiber’s Mary Ann in a white/cream speckled main color with a teal cuff, heel, toe accent color. I like the hand of the yarn but the pattern told me to cast on 72 stitches for a 9″ foot circumference and I fear they’ll be too big – I always cast on 64 stitches for my socks on a US1. I’m going to put them on my leg and see how it fits before I go any further.

I worked on my Thistle on the Moor vest on the way out and I’m almost 2/3 done with the lace design repeats on the front. The rest of the vest is really simple stockinette stitch so it was good travel knitting. I am enjoying the Berroco Lanas Light yarn. It’s 100% wool but it’s not scratchy! I think it will bloom really nicely when I block it, too.

And I worked on my second Ranunculus. This one I’m knitting with Berroco Dulce in the gray colorway. It’s got a cotton core with alpaca fluff and the core has bits of peach and blue and maybe other colors but it’s very subtle. This version will likely be a more wintery version as compared to the silk one I made first. I’m not sure about how the yarn will hold up and I always feel like I have a bit of fluff in my eye but it’s very soft fabric and I’ve made good progress. I’ve gotten past the yoke and am working on the raglan increases and almost to where I will separate the sleeves. I have a very limited amount of yarn but I think it’ll be enough for at least 3/4 length sleeves. Time will tell.

I haven’t taken any photos of my knitting other than this one … taken while the baby was at his 6-month check up (getting four vaccines!) and the old folks and the dog enjoyed some time in the fresh air and sunshine. The weather was glorious but there’s no snow in Denver. I’m concerned for what that means for the summertime … this has been the least snowy winter in the last 40 years.

Today is for laundry and unpacking and settling back in. We are already missing the Reno and Colorado crew and can’t wait to get back out there. In the meantime, we have a week of “normalcy” and then I’m off to help my daughter with the granddaughter while her dad heads out to Las Vegas for work and mom is working, too! I’m looking forward to seeing the NYC family for a bit! My son-in-law was supposed to be going to Israel for a week, too. That’ may be cancelled because of the new war our government has entered into. Either way, I have to figure out if I want to drive my car, take the bus or train. So many options.

Gone knittng.

Oops! I did it again.

Posted on February 14, 2026 by Queen Bee Knits

Happy Valentine’s Day! Happy Galentine’s Day! Happy Palentine’s Day! Whatever way you choose to celebrate it, I hope you’re having a wonderful Saturday. My hubby and I have gotten to the place where we don’t do gifts on Valentine’s Day but we will exchange cards and we will find something to do together. This morning we had our coffee together (and a leftover donut from my class Valentine’s celebration) and then we went for a drive. I brought my knitting, of course!

We stopped first at Wild Oats market in Brunswick. I had thought it would be like a grocery store. Not at all. Lots of gifts and books and kitchen-y stuff and prepared foods. We looked around twice and then we chose a frozen lasagna, a turkey tetrazzini and a chicken tiki masala. Each of these will feed us at least one dinner. If we make a salad, we can probably make it four meals. And we had to try their desserts, right? he chose a (mini) chocolate peanut butter pie and I chose a key lime pie (also mini.) Their Iciardi Mini Print Vending Machine was right between the cashier and the dining room. You didn’t have to buy anything to access the machine. I started collecting these wonderful little prints from their mini print vending machines last year in August. We’ve found vending machines in four states so far and we’ve only started to visit the machines in Maine. Today we hit two locations and we took the back roads as much as we could. It was a beautiful day for a drive and we had fun.

Our second stop was at the Maine Beer Company in Freeport. We collected a few more mini prints there and we saw a couple of beautiful Golden Retrievers, too. I told hubby we could stop and he could try their beer flight but he wasn’t eager. So … off we went prints in hand. We have just started talking about what we want to do with the prints and we’ll probably frame some of our favorites for the kitchen, and I’d like to display some in my atelier. I’ve given a few away already and have another one to give to someone special this week. We have a couple of duplicates but they make me (us) happy as is their mission. We’ll be going out to collect more one day soon.

I cast on a new project in the car on the way down. I’ll be making the Thistle on the Moor Vest in Berroco Lanas Light, 100% wool. I bought a tweedy-lavendery-rosey-grey-ish color # 78117. I’ll be making the fourth size. I’m doing this while waiting for some lace weight mohair from Berroco in the charcoal colorway for my daughter’s sweater. I have one ball here that I’ll be swatching with. Needless to say, I’ve brought home two sweaters worth of yarn this week. I brought home some clearance yarn for another Ranunculus, too. I hope I have enough but yardage-wise, it’s the same as the first one I made and it’s a worsted. I’ll play with it later, probably.

After I finished my Ranunculus and my Paper socks, I cast on a pair of Rose City Rollers shorties in an unknown, deeply stashed sock yarn. I quite literally have no idea when or where I bought this yarn. It’s not a color that I think I would have fallen in love with. But it’s here so it’s getting knitted up and the Rose City Rollers is a free pattern on Ravelry. If you’re new to knitting shorties or socks in general, except for the needle size (they’re made on a US1) this is a good beginner pattern and the designer explains her process very well. I’ve finished my first sock and started the second one last night. Yay, me!

The fit is good and the pattern is great. I’ll be making more of these for sure. AND they’re quick to knit. I’m letting my Good Trouble yarn rest a bit in time out while I decide what it wants to be. LOL. Next up on my needles are the vest I cast on today, a sweater for my daugther and a sweater for me. I’m considering a shawl cast on but I’m hesitating because I haven’t been wearing shawls this winter. I’ve been wearing more “scarves” that are long and narrow. I have two in particular that I am loving … one is Brambling by Bristol Ivy and the other is Dangling Conversation in Good Karma Farm yarn. Brambling was part of one of my Year of Techniques classes and featured Fiber Spates yarn and an Intarsia technique. It was fun to knit and I loved the yarn. It just so happens that I found some new colors of the same Fiber Spates yarn to make a second one at a Marden’s clearance sale from a yarn shop. I will knit another one and I’m sure I’ll love it just as well.

On another note, I pulled out my Jelly Roll Blanket again this week when I had a zoom meeting to attend and didn’t have to run the meeting. I just had to listen so I reminded myself what I chose to do for this blanket (the project that will likely last forever and a day) and knitted about a foot more on it. I still have a HUGE basket of leftover balls of sock yarn and it grows every time I finish another pair of socks. I may be crazy but I think this blanket will not use up all of my sock yarn leftovers. I may need another idea … maybe Rose City Rollers for my granddaughter and grandson! I don’t think they’ll care if they match and they can choose the pretty colors by themselves!

I baked a batch of my “famous” granola this week, too. Baking also soothes my soul. This recipe was in a magazine back in the 1980s and I’ve been making it and tweaking it ever since. I’ll never share the recipe. I change it up on the regular. And I have finally learned how to make the raisins and cranberries turn to rocks after they’re added. Yay! Hubby and I will enjoy this for breakfast or lunch with some yogurt or milk. We both love it and it’s so good for us!

Gone knitting.

It Fits! And a Knitting Fail

Posted on February 11, 2026 by Queen Bee Knits

The landscape is a study of grey and white this morning. We got about four inches of new snow overnight and it’s been flurrying this morning. We’re all shoveled (snow blowed?) out and I may have to run into town to get some ink for my printer. It’s out again! This morning I baked some of my “world famous” granola for my lunch for the next couple of days and to have on hand, too. It’s yummy!

While I was getting dressed I decided to toss on my Ranunculus to see how it was going to fit (I feared it was going to be too short and I’d have to lengthen the body) but it’s a perfect fit! I’m delighted! I used up a sweater’s worth of deeply stashed yarn and made a sweater that I am going to love in the spring and summertime.

Ranunculus In Shibui Heichi (discontinued)

AND I have a sad story about a knitting fail. Last night I got to the half-way point on le Bandana by Aimee Gillee in Lola Bean Yarn Company’s “good trouble” colorway sport weight yarn. I don’t like the fabric and I’ve already gone up a needle size (or two). I don’t think the bandana that results will be anything that I want to wear because it’s too “short” in length and won’t wrap around my neck enough to stay put on my shoulders. So … I am going to frog it and make something else because I really love the yarn. Phooey but if I have learned anything in my 40 years of knitting it’s that I won’t wear something I don’t love. So, despite all the time spent, it’s not worth going any further because I don’t like it!

Last but not least, I finished my “paper” socks last night and I’m wearing them today. The fit is perfect. The second heel isn’t as perfect as the first but I made them for me and perfection isn’t my expectation when knitting for myself. They’ll keep my feet warm and they’re awfully cute! I may even wear one paper and one pencil sock one of these days! I knitted a plain vanilla sock for the yarn’s benefit based on Yankee Knitter #29 and used a slightly modified Eye of Partridge heel that I found on the Crazy Sock Lady’s pattern – Hermione’s Everyday Sock. I never block my socks but they get washed and hung to dry in our laundry/heater/utility room and they’ll be “blocked” when they’re dry.

Two meetings have turned into virtual meetings today after the snow and I’m delighted. That means I can stay home and knit more. … as if that’s a problem for me most days. Ha! Ha!

Gone knitting.

A Tale of Two Hats

Posted on February 9, 2026 by Queen Bee Knits

It is a gorgeous day today! The sun has remained out all day and there’s not a cloud in the sky. I’ve been sitting in a virtual meeting and watching a pair of Bald Eagles out of my office window. This is the second day that I’ve been able to watch an eagle show while sitting in my atelier – and I am hoping for many more. They must be up to something … this is a lot of repeated and long-lasting views of a mature pair and an immature pair and an adult. It takes the eagles a long time to get their mature feathers so I am hoping they’re finding a nesting place near our house. There was an eagle’s nest a little ways south of our house years ago but it was blown down. It’d be great to know we have more than one nesting pair on our lake.

Meanwhile, last night while I was watching the Super Bowl and Bad Bunny I finished my second Melt the Ice red hat. This one I made in a “reject” cake of red Malabrigo something that was given to me because it was returned or rejected by a customer and it was already caked up. So, I set it aside with the knowledge that one day I would have a perfect project. That day has come. I know the yarn isn’t Rios because I made the first Melt the Ice hat in Rios. This yarn is heavier and less smooth. I am thinking Worsted or Washted? As soon as I can get to the shop, I will know what it is. BUT I loved knitting with it and the hat is a much better size for adult heads than the first one was. I made the first one according to the pattern exactly. It was small. Small for me and even small for my husband. This hat I made on a US 8 needle and I did 7 inches of ribbing and a few rounds of stockinette before the decreases. It’s a much better size.

Both hats are lovely but the little one would fit my 3-year-old granddaughter, I think. I can wear the newer one. I still have some red Rios and I think I’ll knit a third hat for my hubby on larger needles and with some extra ribbing again. Maybe six inches of ribbing and then a couple inches of stockinette? I don’t know but the ribbing is endless at six inches!

I’ve also made a dent in the Paper socks. I got the first sock completed and the second sock started … and some good progress on the leg. Once this pair is finished, I think I need to do some shorty socks and see how they go – there are a couple of pairs I’d like to try … Rose City Rollers and Laura Nelkin’s Larch Peds. And then I’m going to move over to some colorwork socks that appear in Summer Lee’s books. I just bought the second book Sock Obsession. There are some fun ones and I have quite a sock yarn collection. Ha! Ha!

I’m using a blend of the Yankee Knitter sock pattern and the heel from The Crazy Sock Lady’s Hermione’s Everyday Socks. I love the heel. It’s a little bit different texture and the garter stitches make a nice easy way to pick up the gusset. She say’s it’s a modified Eye of Partridge heel. I say, I love it!

This afternoon I’ll be working on my Le Bandana in my Good Trouble yarn. It’s coming along. I’m finding the pattern a little bit boring but it’s not bad for watching the Olympics at the end of the day. I like the yarn … I’m just a little bit wishing that I’d chosen Andrea Mowry’s Traveler Cowl. I’ve even thought about frogging and starting over … but my daughter’s Levitate Wrap yarn should be available by the end of the week and I want to start working on her sweater. I’d love to have it done and send it to her before Easter. Think that’s possible? I also have two sweaters and a vest that are making my fingers itch … my black Knitting for Olive Wilson sweater is one and I found a bag of yarn in my cupboard that I have carried with me for ages … the mohair that matches it perfectly has been ordered and I have more than enough for a sweater for me. I’m thinking the Harlow V Neck Sweater. I purchased gorgeous green linen yarn for the Broadgate Tabbard which I started and put aside because I don’t have the bandwidth right now to knit something super complicated but I’d love to have that completed before spring and summer. We’ll see.

I am forever enjoying the learning process that knitting puts in front of me. I love exploring the different patterns and yarns and I love getting to know myself and what I can and can’t do when my heart and soul are in that fight or flight mode and anxiety. My knitting calms me and brings me to a safe place where I can breathe and create.

Gone knitting.