Queen Bee Knits

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Project Bag Check – WIPs

Posted on September 21, 2024 by Queen Bee Knits

Another busy week almost behind us and tomorrow is the official start of fall. How can time pass so quickly? We have been home from the beach and our family vacation for four days and yet it feels like weeks. We’ve had a super full moon and a bunch of gray days. Work, knitting classes taught, the dock is out (it disappeared before we came home) and the generator’s been serviced (also while we were away) and we’re slowly getting ready for winter.

I’ve just done a project bag check and wanted to update you on what I’m working on.

My pink Lane’s Island pullover sweater is almost half-way done. I’ve got another inch or two to finish the back. I love the color pink and I’m delighted at not having to think too much as I knit this. My brain is rather full of everything else on my plate and stockinette stitches are just what the doctor ordered.

I’m also working on a Musselburgh hat for my son for Christmas. He chose the colors and the yarn is worsted weight Moonshine by Juniper Moon Farm. This pattern is so adaptable and I love knitting it! I have made one before in a single color in Berroco Vintage sock in black. This worsted version is great and quick to knit up. I have one more for my future daughter-in-love in green and red in a fingering weight Juniper Moon Farm Herriot Fine so that will be on smaller needles and with finer yarn and will take a bit longer but it’s good for watching television at night knitting.

Two more projects … a Christmas stocking for my college roommate’s newest grandson and a sample for the store of a soon-to-be-released cowl pattern. I copied the stocking pattern from my roommate’s childhood one because everyone in her family has one. I’ve made three (?) of them already and apparently the last one was bigger than the others. We’re going to try to make this one the same size as all the others – a little bit smaller – so I have downsized my needles to a US6 and that seems to be fixing the “problem”. I also realized in this process that I likely knit my own stocking with a US7 needle and would probably have loved it more if I’d used a US6, too. Once again knitting is humbling me. I hope to have the stocking finished and in the mail by mid-October which means that I have to get moving on the worsted weight Musselburgh which I should be able to finish today. I have one other project with a date attached to it and that’s a new sample for the shop. Our Berroco rep shared the pre-release pattern with me in hopes that we can move some of the Jamieson’s yarn that we bought. I’ll be knitting Gudrun Johnston’s new cowl called Cloud Drift. It’s a mosaic knit cowl knit with the Jamieson of Shetland Spindrift in four colors and a hank of lace weight mohair. I’ll be using a skein of Berroco Aerial. I hope it won’t take too long to knit. I’d love to have it in the shop ahead of the October 1 pattern release date and maybe will even lead a KAL.

I was given a ball of Fjallalopi at work and I have a pattern (also from our Berroco rep) for Writer’s Warmers fingerless mitts. The Fjallalopi is a new yarn and one that my boss chose not to order this time around. It’s a sport weight yarn and in a pretty bright pink color. A good color for winter in Maine. I’ll get to these after my Christmas knitting is finished. I also bought a bag full of Scheepjie’s yarn for making some stuffed animals. They’re on my list for post-Christmas knitting. There’s never enough time to get all the knitting I want to do done. I know what I’ll be doing if and when I ever fully retire!

I’m really enjoying my day at home today. Hubby just got home from a trip to the dump and maybe we’ll head out to the garden center for a pumpkin and some mums. It’s really feeling like fall today. I’ve closed most of the windows on the second floor of our house where my studio is and I’ve got two long sleeved shirts on today. I’d just like to see the sun – not sure that’ll happen today.

Gone knitting.

Finishing

Posted on September 7, 2024 by Queen Bee Knits

Our Messalonskee “TV” station has been providing so much entertainment in the last few days. We heard these two chirping at each other before we found them – it took a minute or two to figure out they were sitting in the tree at the corner of our shared driveway. And there they sat until my DH (dear hubby) had to chase down our naughty, wandering dog. We’ve seen a “critter” swimming by a couple of times and once it dove with a slap of its tail (a beaver). I’ve heard the owls in the evenings again which tells me they’re coming back out of the deep woods. And until this morning we had a couple of female hummingbirds. There’s been a lot of activity on and around the water with cormorants, gulls, loons, ducks and even a dead pike.

I’ve been at work inside finishing projects and just got back from a Target run to buy wrapping paper and tissue paper so that I can package them up and send them off on Monday. I’ll have one to deliver locally in late November but the rest will be fully checked off my list. Yay!

I’ve spoken about the baby hats and matching thumbless mittens. I’ve shown you the French Macaroon and cabled toddler mittens for my great-nephew’s birthday. And today I blocked my Fiddlehead Mittens and I’m tickled pink with them. They turned out beautifully if I do say so. I knit them with a partial skein of Patagonia organic merino by Juniper Moon Farm and a skein of handspun by Clarion Call Fiber Arts that my daughter gifted to me several years ago. I finally found the perfect project for it. The lining is knitted using a hank of yarn that I must have bought at Mardens years ago it’s Classic Elite Yarns, Escape. The Classic Elite company has closed. Despite the fact that these aren’t “my” colors, I love them.

And once blocked, the stitches have evened out and they are simply stunning. I have knitted a lot of colorwork but I love these the most of any. The lining yarn is so soft (I hated knitting with it!) and the little bit of yak in it will make these mittens so warm and cozy.

I have packed up the little Oorik vest, with another little toddler-sized sweater that I made for a workshop that I taught and a pair of the toddler cabled mittens for my darling granddaughter. I have five more packages to wrap and get ready to ship off on Monday. I’m very pleased with myself. This leaves me the Christmas stocking to knit for my college roommate’s grandson and a pair of socks for my brother-in-love. I have caked up my son’s hat yarn and will likely cake up his fiancees hat yarn, too. I believe these will be my last projects for Christmas 2024 leaving me open to start a couple of sweaters that I am itching to knit.

I have several to choose from and that I already have the yarn in my stash:
Big Love in Berroco Pima 100, Lane’s Island in Berroco Remix Light, Ouzo in Patagonia (or Wool and Honey), Poet in Julie Aslin fingering from Knit City Montreal, Cardoon in a yarn (forget it’s name) that I bought on clearance at work, Diggory Venn in Lore and there may be a few others in my stash but this is a good start. Ha! Ha!

Aaaaand, on that note, I’m going to sign off and get cracking on the stocking. Think I can get it done in a couple of days? Yeah, maybe not.

Gone knitting.

After Labor Day – Humming Birds are Still Here

Posted on September 3, 2024 by Queen Bee Knits

It’s the day after Labor Day and the Hummingbirds, at least the females, are still here. I don’t expect they’ll be here long because the nights are getting much cooler. Our coffee on the porch mornings require long sleeves and a (hand knit) blanket for my “Florida boy”.

Over the last few days I’ve managed to finish a few things and have several gifts ready to be mailed out and delivered. I’ve finished three baby top knot hats and fingerless mittens for three babies … one already born and two on the way. I loved working with the Lang Merino Bebe 200 yarn. It’s soft and will be fine against a new baby’s skin and the colors are amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed knitting with it. The pattern for the hat is one I picked up in the store and have adapted it because I thought it was too large for a new or new-ish baby while the mittens were small. So, I will probably be writing up the pattern and using it as a beginner knitter design. The hats were knitted on a US 2 and US 2.5 needle and the mittens on a US 3. Lots of tiny stitches! I wanted the hats to be a tighter gauge because precious itty bitty heads need to stay warm. Right?

I also finished my great-nephew’s sweater for this fall. I knitted another French Macaroon for Noah in Berroco Vintage DK which is easy care for busy parents. They won’t have to fear felting this sweater and I really do like Berroco Vintage yarn. I much prefer it to Plymouth’s Encore (fiber content is the same). I chose a couple of different colors for Noah because he’s not really a baby any longer. He’ll be two this month!

I really like this little sweater. It’s simple enough, knit flat in two pieces and, if you pay attention, it’s simple enough to seam. I spent one Friday knitting class seaming the shoulders with right sides together rather that with right sides facing me. Oops. I pulled it out and re-did it in the afternoon knitting class and got most of the seams finished, too. Just needed to weave in the ends. Now it’s been blocked (washed and laid flat to dry) and I will pack it up and send it on to Salem with a pair of the Toddler Cabled Mitts that I wrote about here. My plan is to knit one more for Sylvie, my granddaughter, but I had chosen pink and white and I think I want to change up the colors for her, too, because she’ll be two next month!

WIPs – Yesterday I got the Christmas stocking commission started. I’m waiting for measurements because the last time I knitted one of these family stockings I knitted it at the wrong gauge and it’s larger than the others. I suspect that I knitted it with a US7 needle and I’m going to hope that I can knit this one on a US6. (That’s what I’ve started it on.) With measurements, I’ll know if I’m close. With wool yarn, I can block it a bit larger or smaller if need be. I’m bummed that the last one is too big. My friend says it’s ok but I’m still bummed.

I have started a pair of socks for my brother-in-love. Last night I finished the first sock and started the second one. I should have them finished by the end of the week and that will be a good Christmas gift! I want to knit low socks for my sister-in-loves in LA and some regular socks for my MA s-i-l. I think that I will have made socks for everyone of my siblings and their “spice” (plural of spouse, right?)

I still have other WIPs on my needles that I’ve mentioned in earlier posts and I’ll try to get them finished before the end of the year. I’m really itching to start knitting animals from the book Knitted Animal Friends by Louise Crowther. I went online to order the yarn to make three of the critters in the book – the duck, the horse and the pig. I’m eager to try the recommended yarn and have seen a few of the animals knitted up. They’re really great. There may be another Octopus in my future, too. The grandchild loves sea creatures and I want to keep mine in pristine guest room bed condition.

I’ve got to stop writing and get out to run a couple of errands. Happy unofficial start of fall. I can feel the change in the air (and I love it!)

Gone knitting.

Another Day Another Post

Posted on August 28, 2024 by Queen Bee Knits

A view from my desk this morning of the lake and the sunshine! Sunshine! Everything in our house is damp and it’s a relief to see the sun today. It rained most of the night last night and the haze is noticeable this morning. But I am so happy to see the sun.

I’ve put our sofa cover on the porch to dry since the dryer didn’t finish the job, made my chicken salad for my summer book club this afternoon and have begun our laundry. We were so lucky to have had a surprise visit from my brother and sister-in-law and my niece and great-nephew for one night last weekend. It was short but super sweet. Noah is a month older than Sylvie and it’s fun to watch the two of them grow and change!

I’ve been knitting away and have finished three baby hats, two pairs of matching baby mittens and two pairs of toddler mittens. I wrote about the hats in my last post. The mittens are a simple little pattern that I picked up at my LYS and made them with the same yarn that the hats are made of … with a bit of yarn left over. I’m considering an i-cord string to keep mittens in their jackets but wonder if new parents of infants will be ok with putting a string in back of a baby’s neck. Your thoughts?

Infant Top Knot hats, my design in Lang Merino 200 Bebe

There is one more pair of infant mittens to go … maybe my nephew in AZ will take the baby outside on a cold day. Having lived in Florida, I know temperature is relative. And the toddler mittens with the cable are done and ready to be gifted. In fact, I will probably send my brother and sister-in-law home with Noah’s pair just in case we don’t get to see him for a bit. We may only be three hours away but it sometimes feels like it’s triple that! We sure do seem to be busy!

I’m trying to finish up Noah’s Macaroon sweater, too. I’m working my way up the back and will hit the button placket soon enough. I love the colors that I chose for his sweater and it makes me think that I may change up the colors I chose for Sylvie’s sweater. I hope to have hers done by the time we go to the beach in September for our annual family gathering.

French Macaroon Sweater in Berroco Vintage DK

I also have been working on my brother-in-law’s socks. I love the yarn, it’s so soft and I’m knitting the Yankee Knitter’s sock pattern. US2 DPNs and 64 stitches. This is my favorite sock pattern of all time and I have it mostly memorized. Whenever I sell one of these at work I tell them about my first copy that I’ve used so much that it is in four pieces. I’ve bought the pattern twice more since then: a new printed copy and an electronic version. You never can have just one!

Yankee Knitter #29 Socks pattern on Online Supersocke 4-fach Merino

Today I will be winding the yarn to being my Christmas stocking commission for my college roommate’s new grandson. I want to get that one done and dusted (and sent off) before we head out for vacation. I’m pretty sure I can do that if I focus on it during the daytime. My aging brain likes to knit without thinking in the evening. And fortunately my boss is coming back from her extended vacation this weekend so my double and at times triple hours will be ending. I’m grateful for larger paychecks during her absence and will be grateful for the extra time, too.

I’ve got to end here and run down to swap out the laundry and get myself ready for the day. I’m working on a new ending to my posts because “gone knitting” (a knitterly twist on gone fishing which nobody may have picked up on, I don’t know.) Let me know if you like “gone knitting” … for now, it’s not very truthful but I will knit at some point today.

Gone knitting.

Three Little Hats and a Little Stress

Posted on August 21, 2024 by Queen Bee Knits

The sun was trying to come out this morning but the clouds seem to be winning. It’s cooler and less hazy this morning. We had our coffee out on the porch this morning and will until the cold makes it so the coffee cools more quickly than we do.

I’m on a mission this week. I’ve knitted three little baby caps and have two pairs of mittens and one book to add to make three baby gifts for new babies in my life. I have combined a couple of baby hat patterns to make a warmer, slightly smaller hat for a young baby. I hope they work. I am laughing once again because I made three hats, same yarn, same needles, and same pattern and they are all slightly different … my gauge got smaller each time as my stress got higher. What’s a girl to do?

I love this yarn for baby garments and accessories. It’s so soft, perfect for against the skin of a baby and the colors are super fun. I am going to add a couple of pairs of mittens for the northern babies and a book for the western baby but I’m laughing at myself and how noticeable the gauge difference is. As I got more stressed this week my knitting obviously got tighter! (I lined up the other side and they’re almost 1/2 inch smaller as they go up.) Lucky the first one is going to a bigger baby and the other two aren’t born yet.

Now I’m focusing on the mittens and then one Christmas stocking and I’m off into my Christmas knitting. Two hats, a couple of little sweaters, a pair of socks and some toddler mittens among others. Thank goodness it’s only August and I’m planning ahead. I have a bunch of stash waiting to be worked in after that … a couple of sweaters and some other fun stuff. I am especially wanting to start another Lane’s Island Pullover in a pink Berroco Remix Light. I so love my white(ish) one that I am, for the first time, knitting a second sweater. There are a lot of sweaters I want to knit and I’m going to have to focus on sweaters this coming year, after the holiday season, to get some done. I know I have at least five sweaters worth of yarn and my boss just told us to take a sweater quantity of yarn for all the extra work we’ve been doing in the shop in her absence.

I’d better stop writing and knit! The sun sort of came out this afternoon, yay! Gone knitting!

Finished

Posted on August 14, 2024 by Queen Bee Knits

This morning I ran out early to get my errands checked off so that I could sit and knit and finish (I hoped) the first Christmas stocking that I have been asked to knit. This one is a heavily cabled stocking knit in the round with two repeats of two cable patterns. Neither one is particularly difficult but the last time I knit this, I remember struggling after the leg was knitted.

This time, I read my knitting and I didn’t have any problems except for the time that I looked away to watch TV and lost my place and another time when I just had a brain fart. It happens to all of us. AND I am happy to report that the big oops where I had twisted the cable the wrong way more than once, I dropped the eight stitches down to below the mistake and worked it back up the right way! I love being able to fix knitting mistakes without having to rip out a bunch of rounds.

For those of you who may not understand what it means to read your knitting, let me explain with the photos above. They’re numbered for your convenience.

Photo 1 – this shows the wrong side or inside of the stocking. You can see the back of a cable twist and three rows of purl stitches (they’re knitted on the right side) at the bottom of the knitting just on or above the needles. This tells me that it’s time to twist a cable again.

Photo 2 – shows the two-stitch twist. These are twisted every other row and this photo shows that I have twisted the stitches, knit a plain row and now it’s time to twist the stitches again.

Photo 3 – shows the two-stitch twist right after it’s been twisted. Can you see that the stitches look like something between an “L” and a “Y”? This is the one stitch twisting in front of the other stitch.

Photo 4 – the X and O cables have twisted stitches that lean either left or right. They’re all 2 stitches over or under two stitches. What I look at here is that there are two twists in each direction that make the pattern.

So, you ask, why is all of this important. I realized after I had turned the heel that I was going to be in trouble unless I really paid attention to reading my stitches because ONE of the cable patterns was exactly the same after the heel turn and ONE of the cable patterns, the X-O pattern, was NOT. I had to watch the pattern to decide what I needed to do next.

The good news is that despite one or two minor setbacks, I am now finished. The stocking looks great and I am reminded why I copied this one out of one of my books ages ago. The original had two colors but I like it with one color. One more Christmas stocking ordered and I’ll get that started this weekend. Hopefully I can finish it up in a short time, too, because I have a lot of knitting to do for Christmas. Hope I didn’t bite off more than I can chew!

Hugs and Kisses Aran Stocking by Dee Lockwood

Ta-Da! Done! Gone knitting.

Another FO … and a little trouble

Posted on August 11, 2024 by Queen Bee Knits

It was an absolutely glorious morning this morning after several days of clouds, rain and a lot of wind. It’s drier today and the sunshine makes me feel so much better! We had an early coffee on the porch and a blueberry muffin (hubby may have had a banana nut muffiin) and I spent a little while knitting one of my “secret” projects.

My stocking just needs to be steam blocked but I thought you should see what it’ll look like hanging this Christmas. I never hung the Arne & Carlos mini Nordic jumpers last winter but they’ll get hung this year no matter what. We probably won’t be home for Christmas but I’m going to put them up after Thanksgiving. Which reminds me that I have to get something to put in them!

My finished object is the River Cowl by Yumiko Alexander of Dan Doh Knits. I really enjoyed this project. I’ve written about it before but suffice it to say that it was supposed to be a tank top but as I got it started I realized it was much too sheer for my taste in this yarn so I frogged it and found this pattern. I love to wear things like this at work and, despite the fact that we don’t sell this particular yarn, it’s a fingering weight wool, linen and silk blend, I can sub in other yarns in the store if customers like it. I love the color of my yarn but I did substitute a fingering weight in place of the suggested DK. I may have to try it again with a DK and see what happens … I have just a bit of DK weight yarn in my stash!

I’ve cast on a French Macaroon for my great-nephew for the fall. I love knitting for the little ones in our life. I’ve chosen a different pallet for this one because he’s a big boy and the baby colors won’t work for him this year. I will still make another one for our granddaughter, too. BUT I’m trying to work on the things that have to be finished for Christmas so I don’t have to stress too much about them. Ha! When I think of the list, I’m freaking out a little bit already and it’s only August. (Two stockings, a pair of socks, two hats and two little sweaters and if I have time, I’ve bought the book Knitted Animal Friends by Louise Crowther and I’ve just ordered the yarn for three of the animals – a pig, a horse and a duck. I love the Sheepjes yarns that are called for in the book and we don’t carry them at my LYS so … I ordered from Jimmy Beans Wool.

I MAY have gotten into a little bit of trouble this week … our local salvage store, Mardens, has a yarn sale going on. The yarn is reportedly from a store that closed in Washington or New York or both, who knows? I dropped in on Friday after I taught classes and the selection was mind boggling! I walked around and around and around looking at the different yarns, picking out a project’s worth and sometimes returning it to the shelves. I ended up making a dent in my yarn budget for the month but I bought some fun sock yarns (enough for 7 pairs), some Fyberspates for another Bristol Ivy shawl that I made before in different colors that I wear all the time. I bought one hank of white Cascade 220 for the stocking I’m making for a friend, I got a couple hanks of pumpkin hat yarn, and a Herriot Fine skein in a pretty gold that I’ll make a shawl with – I’ve got a few hanks of neutrals in my stash and this gold will be a good color pop!

I put back a sweater’s worth of Noro Silk Garden and several others. The selection was incredible and it’s rumored that they haven’t even put it all out yet. It must’ve been a huge stock! I’m going to try to resist going back again. (TRY!)

The morning after our storm this week, I walked out onto the porch to survey the damage (there was none fortunately) and this little guy was sitting in our tree. Can you see the hummingbird? We have three or four around and they’re more fun to watch than television. Soon enough, they’ll be heading back south and we’ll really miss them. They zip and zoom around the porch and the yard so quickly that it’s a miracle they don’t end up stuck in one of our heads!

Gone knitting!

Knitting Faster

Posted on August 8, 2024 by Queen Bee Knits

It’s just after eight o’clock and the sun has set and the dark is arriving earlier. It’s amazing how quickly the seasons change.We’ve been streaming the Olympics in the evening and enjoying watching the summer events. Some extraordinary sportsmanship has been on display and the talent and focus of the athletes is incredible (this from a woman who sits and knits … a lot!)

My boss is away so we are all adding hours to our work schedules. I work with a wonderful group of women and we myst be short handed again. One of us is working full time elsewhere and another has grandmother duties during the week and the boss is on vacation … so the remaining three have stretched into working more. AND we’ve had a “renovation” which requires us all to have a new look at our space and see what we can reasonably adjust while keeping the store open – we are setting priorities and it’s been BUSY!

I’ve finished another WIP and have a lengthy list of new projects to begin, some with deadlines and some that must remain secret. But suffice it to say that I have two Christmas stocking projects, and have several new baby gifts to knit … I have a new great-nephew as my sister’s son’s partner had a baby boy a week ago … and two other young women who I know are expecting babies soon. I also have my own Christmas knitting to get done and some fall sweaters for the little kiddos in my life. So, my hands will be busy during my down time!

Finished … I finished my new Christmas stocking. This pattern is from a kit that I bought to make a stocking for my younger daughter and when I was choosing my new pattern I went back and forth between this one and an Arne & Carlos one. I ended up choosing this one … and I may still do the A & C one just for fun. I used Cascade 220, 100% wool, worsted weight, 220 yards per hank. I chose a darker green that I like better than a “Christmas green” and I am pleased with the stocking. I think I probably should have sized my needle down to a US6. The pattern called for a US8 and I used a US7 … oh well. It’s for me and doesn’t have to be perfect.

I’ve been cranking away on my River cowl, too. I love this yarn – it’s got a really wonderful hand and the color is perfect. I can’t wait for cooler weather so I can wear it! I’d highly recommend Yumiko Alexander’s patterns. The yarn I got in Montreal at Knitty City from Sonder Yarn Company. I just realized that I haven’t even entered the yarn into my Ravelry project page. All the details will be over there. I had two hanks of the fingering weight yarn and I was planning to make a tank top but it was way too sheer for my liking. This is plan B and I’ve really enjoyed the project. I am ready to do the icord bind off and then I’ll have to seam the cabled part and block it. I still have to block my Christmas stocking, too.

Today I cast on one of my new projects. I’m really trying to get ahead of Christmas knitting so that I don’t get stressed. I’ve had two requests for new Christmas stockings and I had the yarn for one of them so that is what I started today. I’ll show you the start and then it’ll have to wait until after Christmas. (Although I’m pretty sure the recipient doesn’t read this blog …) I can tell you that the yarn is Ella Rae’s Classic Wool: 100% wool, worsted weight. I’m using the pattern’s suggested US6 needle … my hands aren’t really loving that! I got through enough today to put it down tonight.

Christmas project #1 – 3 inches of 2×2 ribbing!

It’s completely dark now at 8:33pm. Before we know it there will be snow on the ground. For the time being we are enjoying our coffee on the porch and the veggies are coming out of the garden. My window box and annual pots are looking pretty weary and leggy … time to switch over? Ha! Ha! Not quite.

Gone knitting.

Saturday (mostly) at Home

Posted on August 4, 2024 by Queen Bee Knits

We had a rainy and gray morning today. I went out on the porch to take a video of the sound of the rain falling on the water and just at that minute a family of Canada Geese swam by. I love the sound of the rain on the water. The weather report said that it would be gray and rainy and HOT today and they were right about most of it … it sure is hot.

I had to run into town this morning to make a bank deposit and to the store to “fix” what we thought was a credit card machine problem. Last night we couldn’t print our reports. This morning, however, they printed. So, I messed with making it work on WIFI so we can move the machine around and it seems to have worked all day. Woo! Hoo!

I’ve been inside since I got home getting MY “work” done: laundry is done, banana nut muffins are baked – the bananas were getting pretty gross – and I’ve spent some time at my desk getting the store newsletter written, my calendar ready for August and catching up on some YouTube channels while I did some knitting. My friend Barbara says that there’s scientific proof that knitting lowers your blood pressure and mine’s a bit high so I wanted to knit a little bit extra today. LOL

After not getting much if any knitting done while my family was here, I’m trying to get some projects moved from the WIP column to the FO column. Today I’ve managed to move two!!!

First project finished is a pair of socks that I started in MAY! These are a gift for a special person. I used an amalgam of two patterns but the texture and most of the pattern is from The Crazy Sock Lady’s Hermione’s Everyday Socks but the toe is Yankee Knitters’ sock pattern that I have memorized. Laziness drove that mix because I don’t always have my Knit Companion/iPad close enough. The yarn is Coop Knits Sock Yeah! and I love love love this yarn. This is the second pair of socks that I’ve made with it and it’s wonderful to work with, the stitch definition is amazing and it’s so soft! I’m so happy to have these finished. I have one more pair of socks for another special person to knit before Christmas … no worries.

The second project that I finished today was the Lattice Have Pie cotton towel. This is another gift. I used some Takhi Cotton yarn and it was a fun knit. I love the towel … I changed the main color after two of the three designs and I might not do that in the future. I think I’d like the main color to remain throughout the project. I was worried that I’d run out of yarn … and I may have had I continued. It will work for drying hands and dishes. I just have to wash and dry it and it will be ready to go to its new home. This is an easy peasy pattern using slipped stitches (aka Mosaic knitting.) It looks so fancy but it’s not. Each row uses only one color.

I have two WIPs left in my knitting bag and a bunch of babies to knit for. My sister’s got a beautiful grandson and two women that I know are having babies, too. I have a couple more sweaters to make for my great-nephew Noah and for Sylvie. And as I mentioned before, one more pair of sock for a special person. So much knitting and so little time! I hope I can finish my Christmas stocking this weekend – tomorrow? – and then I have my River cowl. I’ve been plugging along on it and I’ve been enjoying the knitting. I bought some pink Remix Light and I really want to make another Lane’s Island Pullover with it. I love the one that I have. I have several other WIPs on my shelf waiting for attention … I’ll get there. No worries.

Gone knitting

PS – The sun came out this afternoon. It was a lovely day!

Most Excellent Family Stay-cation

Posted on July 28, 2024 by Queen Bee Knits

Today we’re back to my hubby and me. We’ve had the most excellent family time at our house for the last (almost) two weeks. My eldest daughter, Kate, and her husband and our granddaughter arrived last Tuesday and my son arrived Tuesday night with his two doggos. We had lots of fun swimming, playing with bubbles, visiting some fun spots and eating SO much great food. We’re early to bed and early to rise around here and the kids, despite their NYC lives, always fall into it, too. Coffee on the porch, blueberry picking, Belgrade Lakes Farmer’s Market … and did I mention swimming? Sylvie is a little fish! She loved the lake and became more and more confident over the time she was here – even confident enough to “fall” in twice on their last day. Of course we were right there to pull her out but we also have to let her fall so she knows the truth about the lake – it is fun and wonderful but it’s also frightening. (She was not a fan of falling in.) We went on some fun boat rides, saw eagles, counted loons, and we tried (and failed) to outrun a rain storm but arrived home safe, sound and in time to see a full rainbow across the lake.

She has started to put together two-word sentences like “Monk, no!” and “Help, please” and she is singing chunks of her favorite songs. For a kiddo with a slight verbal delay, she’s adding new words every day. We had so much fun watching her pretend with her new (to her) kitchen set and we found out that she will eat anything worthy of feeing to ducks – lettuce and frozen peas were a fun snack. Who knew? Otherwise, she always wants pizza, blueberries, milk and “bubbles” (seltzer).

We ate local corn, the last of the local strawberries, tons of blueberries, we found a farm where we bought local pork and beef (the pork was amazing!), lobster, blueberry buckle, blueberry muffins, mixed berry pie from Winterberry farm, an ice cream cake and a divine Da-Da-Made chocolate cake among others.

And … are you wondering if I did any knitting? I had made what I thought was great progress on my River Cowl. Turns out I missed a very important part of the first sentence in the main section directions where it says to knit so many rounds “as follows”. I read it as knit all the rounds and when I got to the 62nd round it was already as long as it needed to be. Ugh~ I frogged it back to where I pick up the 270 stitches around the cabled edge and started over again. So, I’ve actually moved backwards on my knitting over the last weeks. Ha! Ha! Humbled once more by my knitting.

I’ve not touched my Christmas stocking, my sister’s socks or the dish towel but I am sure that after a few good nights of sleep I will be back to my knitting practice with gusto and maybe even a renewed affection. It’s possible.

For now, this Yaya has a full heart and so many new memories; so many reasons to remember and smile. We are looking forward to our next time together in September at the beach!

Gone knitting.