Queen Bee Knits

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

The Beauty of Place

Posted on October 26, 2026 by Queen Bee Knits

I am sitting at my desk this morning, eating my baked oatmeal and a huge pear (before it is overripe) and thinking about how fortunate I am (we are) to live here. I wrote in my last post that I brought home germs from New York City and have been feeling less than well and I’ve been home in my pajamas for the last three days. My hubby has been doing all of the cooking and making soups for dinner because that’s all I really want. I’ve been drinking tea by what feels like the gallon, and after Thursday night I’ve been knitting. Thursday night I felt too yucky to knit. Today would have been the same but I have an in-person meeting in Augusta this afternoon that I can’t miss but you can be sure I’ll be returning straight after to my PJs and my atelier. This morning, I’m up getting my calendar for the week updated and I’ll do the bind off on my daughter’s sweater that I have essentially finished.

I’ve made a lot of sweaters in my days as a knitter and this one has been fun and frustrating. I didn’t take good measurements for my daughter before I started this cardigan and I have learned that this is a must for knitting for others. I am unsure about the sleeve length but the cuffs are finished and, if need be, I can unstitch them and lengthen them or shorten them. I hope they’ll be just right – I frogged back from where I was when she tried the cardigan on in the city and they were going to be too long. I frogged back about an inch and a half and then knit the cuff. I knit the second sleeve exactly as the first one.

Knitting Tip: I use lightbulb stitch markers to mark every single decrease down the sleeve so that I. can make the second sleeve the same. In this case, I had made three 13-round decreases and several 7-round decreases to the beginning of the cuff. They should be the same. I hope her arms are the same, too. Ha! Ha!

The bottom border I chose to change up a bit. The directions suggest that I should have used an Italian Cast On (I’m a pro at this now!) and then knit across the bottom of the sweater while double knitting the bottom border band and attaching it to the sweater bottom stitches. At the end I should continue with the double knitting on the border stitches only to make a tie. Then I should go back and again use an Italian Cast On to knit a second tie and graft it to the start of the bottom border band.

I don’t like grafting in ribbing. AND having knit the border band all the way around the front of the cardigan, I thought to myself … Self, why can’t I start the tie and then continue to add it to the bottom of the cardigan thus eliminating the grafting part? I figured the worst that could happen is that I have the thirteen plus inches of the tie knitted first and I’ll graft it (begrudgingly) at the end. BUT IT WORKED!!! I have a beautiful tie on the first side of the cardigan and I don’t have to go back to graft it afterward. Yay, me! (Note: for those of you who are knitters, I just want to reiterate here that a pattern is a guideline not a law. If a sweater has stripes, you can knit it in one color and, vice versa, if a sweater is one color you can color block it or stripe it. YOU are the boss of your knitting!)

Last night I finished the bottom border and the second tie and all I need to do today is to bind off with the Italian Sewn Bind-Off. I’m knitting with charcoal gray yarn and I’d rather do this work in the daylight!) Once that’s done, I’ll be blocking the sweater and weaving in all the ends. There are a lot of them. I’ll sew in my label and thnk about shipping it to her in the city – the city is famous for losing packages and the mail system is so dysfunctional right now that I worry about mailing anything of value and this sweater is a beauty that has taken lots of my time. Photos of the sweater, when it’s finished will be upcoming!

I took the opportunity to block the three hats that I have finished for my customer yesterday afternoon. AND I have started the last hat of her order. With any luck, I can get the hat finished and blocked tonight or tomorrow and the order can go with me to work on Thursday. It’s nearly done.

The mornings lately have been so stunning that I had to share a few more pictures.

Gone knitting!

It’s Fall, Y’all!

Posted on September 27, 2026 by Queen Bee Knits

The equinox has passed so it’s officially fall in Maine! I am departing from my norm of posting a photo taken on the day that I post and am posting a photo from the evening a couple of days ago. It was the most spectacular sunset sky we’ve had in ages. It seems that it was all over the country, too. My kids saw pink skies in NYC. It just reminds me of how lucky we are to live here!

It’s been a busy week (again) and I have been working on a whole bunch of stuff, some old and some new, so I’ll try to share it all … if I can remember!

I cast on Gnettle of Gnumpkin and Gnettle by Sarah Schira in advance of the new KAL that she’s started called Sweater Weather Gnome. I have tons of little bits of fingering weight yarns and it’s the perfect place to find colors for gnomes. As an aside, last week when I cleaned up and cleaned out my atelier I pulled out a bunch of gnome colors for the fall. I plan to knit Gnumpkin, too, just not right away. I have finished Gnettle’s body and am working on her legs and feet one leg is partially done. These are so much fun to knit and my hat’s off to Sarah for designing these brilliant characters. One foot to go on the first leg. I love her already.

I have finished the body and I am so close to finishing my Make Mine a Double pullover sweater. I tried it on at work on Friday and I think I will like the fit (and I’m glad I went up a size). The sleeves are both partially done because I decided that I wanted to go back and forth with the last hank of yarn so the sleeves were almost the same and mostly in line with the body of the sweater color-wise. I am happy with the way they’re turning out and hope I get to some cream before they end. I may have to bypass some beigey brown to get there but I’m going to make it happen. I can even wear the sweater this coming weekend if I get it done.

I finished my striped socks and have cast on a pair of gray ones. I found an almost full ball of gray sock yarn in my stash and decided it needed to be knitted up. I may give this pair to my daughter who likes to have handknit socks. I am going back to the Reverie Sock pattern by Summer Lee because I liked knitting my pink pair and thought I’d repeat the joy. I’ve already caught myself missing one yarn over but I’m knitting on. Perfection is not my goal … joy is!

As I’m writing this morning we are waiting for the “huge” Nor’easter to hit Central Maine. It’s not done much for us as yet. I was hoping for a lot of rain at minimum to make us feel better about heading into winter with a full well. I guess tomorrow is the day we’re forecasted to get a lot of rain but I wouldn’t be surprised if we get some today, too. It’s dreary and cool enough to be wearing a sweatshirt. My hubby is entertaining his camp friend this weekend. Last night another camp friend joined us for dinner and the three hadn’t been together for 53 years. They enjoyed visiting while I was at work yesterday. The “boys” are upstairs watching a movie and I’m happily ensconced in my atelier! After working the last three days, I’m happy to be home and knitting today. I’ve paid to be a Shetland Wool Week virtual member and I’ll join the opening ceremony at 2pm EST. I’m working on getting an idea of what it’s like to be there with the thought that I may like to attend next year. I’m even considering casting on a SWW hat in honor of the occasion. I may choose to knit my sleeves instead.

Gone knitting.

WIP Wednesday

Posted on August 19, 2026 by Queen Bee Knits

We had a really pretty morning this morning despite it not being fully sunny – the super sunny mornings get really warm on the front porch! I woke up early and saw a colorful sunrise but went back to sleep. I know, lazy bones! To be honest, I had a second dose of a Shingles vaccine on Monday afternoon and I didn’t feel great yesterday so I was happy to sleep well and a little bit later than “normal”.

Anyway, I wanted to report on my WIPs this week and I have to say, I’m delighted with the three projects that I am working on. They’re all different and they’re all engaging me in different ways,

I’m still working on my Reverie Socks in Socks Yeah! yarn. I love everything about these socks! I love the color and I love the lace/twisted stitches! I’m almost at the toe decreases for the first sock and I will be so happy to wear these when they’re done. This is Summer Lee’s newest sock design and I’m knittng mine on US1 6″ Chaio Goo DPNs. I’ve tried the 9″ circulars … I still love my DPNs. I think we all have our favorite ways to do things and I have to say that I’m “old” and I’ve been knitting socks for 35 or 40 years (or more?) and we didn’t have short circs back in the “dark ages”. LOL I learned to use DPNs for sock knitting and I think that’s my favorite way because it’s what I’m used to doing. I’ve also tried two circs and magic loop … suffice it to say that I’d do the 9″ circs first but DPNs still win!

I had started the Jaunty by Andrea Mowry with my three hanks of yarn in two colors (one hank of one color and two hanks of the other) but I have since frogged it and restarted it. Here’s why … I started the Jaunty with one of the hanks and about three inches in there was a knot in the yarn and the color changed dramatically. And I mean DRAMATICALLY! It was striped. I thought it would be ok and I decided to alternate one skein and the other which continued the stripes and I really didn’t like it at all. SO … I frogged it and started over with the first three inches left out so it starts with a lighter purple and I’m going to knit it to the end of the hank and then decide if I will do the second colorway and then the first on again or if I’ll knit two of the first colorway and then the “odd” one. So that will be decided later. In the meantime, I’m enjoying the rhythm of the pattern and the eight row repeat (some may be more than eight because I was talking). It’s a fun pattern so far and the yarn is so squishy! I forgot to say that I’m knitting with Ewetopia Helix DK yarn. It looks a bit like Spin Cycle, it’s a 2-ply yarn. The colors are yummy and I’m really enjoying it!

AND last but not least, I’m knitting the Make Mine A Double “jumper” in my super special Artyarns Silk Mohair Ombre yarn. I saw this sweater on Millie from Tribe Yarns and I knew I had to make it. Again, I searched all over the place to find a yarn I liked just as well and it didn’t exist. So I ordered the yarn and it’s GORGEOUS! I’m telling you that it’s so much fun to knit with (except for the stickiness of the mohair) because the color changes and the colors are wonderful. My yarn started in a dark chocolate and has transitioned into a pretty medium blue. There’s also a peachy beige color in the ball/cake. I am having a ball knitting it and watching the color change.

What I’m not sure about is that I’ve decided to knit a medium size rather than the large because I don’t love having lots and lots of ease. Millie is cute and young and athletically thin and I am not any of those things. If I was to wear the sweater in the large size I’d have over 10″ of ease. The medium will give me 6″ … and that’s just fine. I am a little bit “concerned” that the yoke may not be long enough for my body. The good news is that I can try it on when I get to that point and see how it fits. I’l report when I get there … it won’t be long. This is my go-to in the evening when my brain is tired. It’s around and around with increases every so often. Easy peasy! It’s knit on big needles so it’s pretty fast knitting and I will for sure wear something underneath it (a tank or a tee).

I felted my blue/purple felted bowl for the second time today and it’s been blocked out and is drying on our dining room table. I am going to write up a pattern so that we can sell it at the shop (by that I mean give it away). It’s a quick knit on huge needles with super bulky yarn. The stitches don’t disappear completely but it’s stiff enough to stand up and I like the fabric. It only took a few hours to make, too. A good gift idea!

Tomatoes are coming along and I’ve been enjoying my tomato sandwiches. There’s nothing like a couple of slices of good bread slathered with real mayonnaise and a tomato fresh out of the garden! I add a bit of salt and some Zatahr seasoning. Yum! Fresh corn, too! We’ve made Ramen for dinner (the royal we) the last two nights with zucchini from our garden and fresh corn from the farmstand. I love buying fresh veggies (and they don’t make you sick!)

Gone knitting.

Memorial Day Weekend

Posted on May 23, 2026 by Queen Bee Knits

This photo is from yesterday … sorry, I’m too lazy to go back downstairs and then come back upstairs and the view today looks essentially the same. The swim float for the campground next door is in the water and that means summer is on the horizon. We’ve had a couple of hot summery days and now we’re getting more springlike weather again. Welcome to New England where they say if you don’t like the weather, wait a few minutes. It always changes.

With the weather changes, though, the lilacs are blooming and the daffodils are fading. The grass is almost ready to be mowed. We do try to adhere to “No Mow May” in order for the early bugs and birds to have some natural food sources but the grass is getting tall and the side yard is covered, at least half of it, with dandelions. My father would have been out there deadheading them so they don’t spread. I think they’re pretty.

The little cardigan, In Threes, is finished. I bought buttons on Thursday and sewed them on after work. I just need a tag and to trim the yarn ends (I never trim the woven in ends until the sweater/garment is blocked just in case.) I’ll get those things done today and box them up to be sent to Atlanta. Baby Elise was born two weeks early and is a bitty little beauty. She won’t be wearing this sweater for a little while. (And it’s a bit warm for a sweater in Atlanta.) I am really pleased with this pattern and with the yarn I chose. It’s so soft and the colorway is lovely. It’ll be a total surprise to the mom and dad. Tee. Hee.

Salty Air Tee in On the Round Nimble Sock

I made a lot of progress yesterday at work and last night. I got the yoke of my Salty Air Tee finished. I have four rounds to go in stockinette stitch before I separate the sleeves from the body. After that, I have inches and inches of stockinette stitch which will be perfect for plane knitting on the way to Arizona later this week for my brother’s 70th celebration. I am so excited to be with my family!

I also worked on my second sock for my hubby in the new Arne & Carlos sock yarn, Socks and More. I really like the new base, as I have said before and I’m getting more used to knitting socks with a nine-inch circular needle. I am working hard to find the blessings in these needles. I do believe that my tension while doing colorwork on the Escher socks, the second sock, was better than with my DPNs, the first sock. I have since washed the socks and I haven’t yet checked to see how they look now. I did find a couple of sweaters that I have to sew tags into – the back of the sweaters are marked with a stitch marker. Ha ha! That’ll happen today.

My goal is to do some knitting on the porch. I hope the breeze is manageable. At least today the sun is out and it’s pleasant temps. The rest of the weekend sounds less so.

Gone knitting.

Sunday At Last!

Posted on May 17, 2026 by Queen Bee Knits

OMG! It’s a gorgeous (and warm) morning here on the lake. The first coffee on the porch morning where I can actually sit comfortably in my pjs. Yay! I may be on the porch all day long. I’ll start with a coffee and maybe end with a cocktail. You can believe there will be yarn!

We’ve been enjoying the spring visitors to our yard, too. We’ve seen the Baltimore Oriole, Red Breasted Grosbeak, Cardinals, and our “regular” birds, too. Our Hummingbirds are back, too. The Dandelions have popped and leaves are all budding out. We have one tulip and a bunch of daffodils and the bleeding heart is just about to fully bloom, too. I love this time of year when life in the yard comes back and it’s always a surprise to see what’s come back to life.

I’ve been working on several different projects this week. I’ve been so busy that it feels like I’ve only made a small dent in my knitting but some weeks allow more knitting than others. I’ve pulled out my Broadgate Tabbard in this gorgeous green linen. This pattern, however, is kicking my butt. I seem to have begun the knitting on the wrong side OR added a stitch that I can’t find. I’m going to take it to the porch today for one last chance at figuring it out. If I can’t, I’m going to frog it and start again. The green is a perfect green and I know I’m going to love the garment so maybe a fresh start will make it “easier” after all.

I’ve been working away, too, on a new pair of socks for my hubby. I’m using the new colorway of the new Arne & Carlos Socks and More yarn that I bought in Quebec City a few weeks ago. I’ve successfully turned the heel and decreased the gusset stitches on the nine-inch circular needles that I’m trying to learn to knit with. (Some days are more successful than others.) The new A&C yarn seems like a softer base than their old Regia yarn base. I like it!

I also cast on another tee for me (third photo above). I’m knitting the Salty Air Tee in On the Round Nimble Sock yarn in the Harbor colorway. I love, love, love the yarn color and the feel of the yarn, too. I have gotten to the start of the lace yoke knitting which will be fun and a bit of a challenge (counting is difficult these days) and lots of fun to watch it develop into a pattern. Once the yoke is done, it’s just stockinette stitch around and around! (The color in the photo above is not accurate, it’s a light denim-y blue.)

There’s no photo because it’s literally a huge stockinette swatch but … My “brainless” knitting is another Simple Folded Poncho by Churchmouse. I bought the charcoal Felted Tweed in Quebec City, too. Again, it’s going to be finished and then set aside for the summer … if today is any indication of how warm the summer will be, we’re in for a really dreadfully hot time. It seems we need to get the air conditioners out and into the windows!

I have one more little cast on to make and that’s a baby sweater for my daughter’s best friend from high school who is adopting a little girl who was born this week. I found the perfect yarn for an In Threes cardigan for baby Elise. I hope to have enough yarn to make a hat and mittens, too. They live in Atlanta so that will be perfect for the fall and winter in the south. I love good news!

And I want to make Knitting for Olive’s Swing Skirt for my granddaughter, too. I have the perfect purple sparkly yarn for it. Sized for fall when she goes back to school. The kiddo is growing like a weed and I haven’t been able to hug her (or her parents) in person for way too long. We have a trip to Tucson planned at the end of the month and then I am heading to NYC to see my kids. My son’s had a birthday, broken his leg playing soccer, there is a new grand-dog, and … it’s just been too long for this mama/yaya.

So, with that, I am going to gather my projects and head to the porch. I’ll update my calendar for the week after the sun goes down. The birds and flowers await!

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!

Musselburgh and WIPs

Posted on September 2, 2025 by Queen Bee Knits

We got up early this morning and spent a good two hours watching the lake. Highlighted by the baby loon and his/her parent feeding right in front of the house. The lake was totally smooth for a time. And it was so quiet. A breath of fresh air after a busy summer and a busy Labor Day weekend.

I spent a chunk of it making a sample for the store. I chose a Yarn Snob Worsted weight wool in the Times Square colorway. Mostly because we have no samples of Yarn Snob knitted up. And, being worsted weight, it was going to knit up more quickly.

This hat pattern is wonderful!!! I’ve made one before but I had to remind myself how to do the pinhole or Emily Ocker’s magic cast on and I knew that i particularly liked Jen Arnall-Culliford’s method which is simple and doesn’t require a crochet hook. Just a pair of DPNs. (Ultimately you need a set of 4 or 5.) I really liked the Yarn Snob yarn and this hat will be a modern sample for the shop in an unexpected yarn. I made the toddler size because that is what the yardage allowed for. I loved that the colorway was named after a NYC landmark that happens to be in the heart of the theater district and my kiddos are all employed in the arts in New York City. So a nod to Times Square added a smile to my face. When the winter sets in, I’ll reclaim the hat for my granddaughter.

I spent the past couple of days working on my Vanilla Sweater by Corrine at The Wooly Thistle. I may have said this before but the color is what I fell in love with and I “had” to buy the kit. as happens with almost every simple pattern I attempt, I am struggling to read my knitting – it’s either the light in my atelier or my aging eyes or both combined with the heathery yarn but I can’t see the increases well enough so I’ve been thinking back and reknitting now and again. But I’m getting there and am almost to the end of the increases. I am up to over 300 stitches around so the rounds take a minute. I’m knitting on gauge so I will be excited to see how it fits.

I’ve also been working away on one of the critters in Louise Crowther’s book Animal Friends. I bought the yarn a few months back for three of these animals and I’m beginning with Noah the horse. It will be a gift for my daughter who loves horses. It’s fun to knit but a little bit hard on my hands because it’s knit at a tight gauge in teeny needles. So the stuffing doesn’t show through the stitches, of course! I’m making good progress. Two legs to go and the outfit and I can sew it all together.

I had nearly completed the garter stitch section of my All About the Ruffle shawl. Over 350 stitches on the needle. and I just didn’t love it. So, today I frogged it and it’ll be something else, probably a tee shirt. So boo and yay. Boo that I frogged all that work but yay that it’ll be something that I will love.

I was gifted and also grew some giant zucchini and I’ve been trying to use it up before we leave for vacation. I’ve got some chocolate zucchini muffins in the freezer with a loaf of zucchini n bread. Today I made banana zucchini muffins. Hubby seems to think they’re all for him. Ahead of vacation? Yeah, right. He’s been informed.

If I can’t get it all baked before we leave, it’ll go into the freezer all shredded and portioned into 2 cup bags. I have a lot of frozen bananas, too. I’ve not been baking enough apparently.

We are enjoying the last days or weeks with hummingbirds before they head south. I haven’t seen any male hummers recently and they had off ahead of the female and juvenile birds. So the rest will be heading off soon. We will keep the feeders full for those passing by for a few weeks.

The garden is still giving us food. I picked the first Delicata squash. There are more coming. Tomatoes are coming along too. Peas are still growing and we hope we get fruit before the first frost. I picked most of the lettuces because they were about the bolt. Our garlic is dried and cleaned and ready to store away and use. We need to grow more again next year.

I’ll be taking my Murmuration socks on vacation with my Vanilla sweater and some “purple sparkly” Encore worsted for mittens for my granddaughter and a blue bulky pullover (pattern by Knitting Pure and Simple) in superwash wool. I’ve got two grands to knit for now. Best get going on the tiny knits!

Gone knitting.

Saturday – Peace on the porch and a little knitting.

Posted on August 30, 2025 by Queen Bee Knits

I have had a lovely, peaceful morning with my coffee and yarn on the porch. I got up without an alarm, took the dog out, fed the dog and took my coffee out to the porch. It was pretty gray and we even had a little sprinkle of rain. Since then, I went up to my atelier for my yarn and I’ve been sitting here drinking my coffee and knitting and listening to the sounds of the lake. The sounds of home. Hummingbirds chasing each other away from the feeder, ducks quacking by, the train passing heading south, and the splash of an osprey right in front of our boathouse (coming up with empty talons.) And now the sun is coming out and the bees are buzzing in the cat mint.

I’m working on my Vanilla Sweater by Corrine at the Wooly Thistle in Rauma Garn Finull. I fell in love with the color of this yarn and had to buy it. No regrets here. This is a wooly Norwegian wool and I can already feel it softening up as I work it. I’m struggling to see my stitches though with the heathery wool and I’ve had to go back several times when I increased where I should not have. My attention span seems to be challenged right now. Lots going on, hubby away, boss away, the world on fire and I may even need a better light by my knitting chair.

Musselburgh in Yarn Snob “Times Square” colorway

At work we have decided we need some more contemporary samples. I said I’d knit a Musselburgh hat and brought home a hank of fingering weight Yarn Snob yarn with neon pops of color. And then I thought about all the things I have going on and brought it back. I chose, instead, a hank of worsted weight yarn snob. There was enough yardage to make a toddler hat and the. I looked at the name of the colorway and that clinched it. I’m knitting this for a sample and then when it gets colder I’m taking it for Sylvie to wear in the city.

I always have to remember how to cast on with the Emily Ocher’s cast on but I found a Jen Arnal-Culliford turirial and got it done. Yesterday, this hat was a good thing to work on while I was teaching and I made some good progress.

The crown Emma’s some random pooling and now it seems to be striping. It’s all good and it’ll be done soon enough.

I’ve also been working on my shawl, All About The Ruffles. I’m nearly to the full stitch count on the garter stitch section. I wish I had figured out how dull the garter stitch section would be and skipped this project. I sure hope the ruffle section makes it worth while. the “Harbor” colorway in Emma’s Yarn Practically Perfect Sock is lovely and this year is really lovely to work with. I’ve not taken any pictures because a garter stitch triangle is not very exciting but there will be some coming.

I snuck in a Knitting for Olive yarn order before they stopped shipping to the USA. I’ll be knitting one of their designs, too, for the first time. The Wilson sweater has a Henley feel without the buttons and with a collar. I need a black sweater and I think this one is classic and can be worn with our without something underneath. I’m really going to have to invest in a better light to knit with black yarn. (I also have some black linen to knit a sleeveless top with. I love black clothes, I cannot lie.

My SISC continues with Murmuration. Another pattern from the Sock Project book by Summer Lee. I may have already posted this photo but I repost it because there is a mistake here and the photo pointed it out. I’ve since frogged it back and added another (third) eyelet round to the third lace pattern. Good grief. My brain! My focus is definitely struggling with all that’s going on in the world. I am looking forward to our Rhode Island vacation next week and am planning to tune out and turn off social media for a few days to see if that helps my brain to focus. It’s all good in the end but good grief, I’m supposed to be an “expert” and a knitting teacher. I get frustrated with myself when I make such rookie mistakes!

I picked three cherry tomatoes and my first Delicata squash today from the garden. they say that Delicatas are ready to pick when they have stripes and you can’t easily break the skin with pressure from your fingernail. This one is there. I think I’ll have to cook it for supper tonight to see how it tastes. I also have cups (and cups) of shredded zucchini to use and will get it grayed, freeze some of it and bake with some of it. Plan is to make some zucchini bread, some chocolate zucchini bread and maybe a chocolate zucchini cake to take with us to the beach. Yum. We still have e some tomatoes on the vines and a few more delicatas coming along. Lettuces and kale are going to be picked today for salad with my supper.

I guess I’d best get myself moving. I have a bank deposit to make for the store before noon and then I can drop off the banking stuff at the store. The boss is back Monday and I no longer have the responsibility of banking. I had a bowl of granola this morning so I may stop for ice cream on my way home for lunch. More knitting will be worked into my afternoon.

Gone knitting.

And Just like that, it’s Sunday Again!

Posted on August 17, 2025 by Queen Bee Knits

It’s another gloriously sunny summer day in Maine. Sadly, though, we are in a drought and we really wish it would rain. So far our well is holding strong but many Mainers aren’t so lucky. We are hoping we will be lucky enough to remain able to shower and wash dishes and clothes and flush toilets. We are being very careful not to waste any water. But the sunshine has been really welcome and I am noticing that the days are shortening, too.

Last week was really busy with volunteer stuff and this week it’s going to be the store where I work. Our boss is away and we’re covering all the shifts. Ha! Ha! This week is the one week that I will be at the store four days (out of six). My bigger paycheck will help me pay off my car loan even more quickly (I have only a couple more payments!) Anyway … I’ve been knitting and finishing and starting projects. Let me tell you about a few, ok?

I’ve finished two shorty socks from the Sock Project book (sock #2) with an afterthought heel. The yarn is stashed yarn and I just wanted to get rid of a few bits of sock yarn because my collection has become obscene! These socks are knitted from some old trekking yarn that I bought and the toes is also trekking that was given to me after a friend made socks. Now I’ve just got to open up the heels and knit them … it won’t take but a few minutes but I wasn’t going to attempt it last night when I was tired.

The other day I started to make one of the stuffed toys in the Knitted Animals book by Louise Crowther. I bought the yarn to make three of the dolls – the horse, duck and pig. I’m starting with Noah the horse which will be a gift for my daughter, Libet, who loves horses. The pattern calls for straight needles and I started with straight needles but can I tell you how much is dislike knitting on straight needles after knitting on circular needles for so long? So, I’ve switched to a long circular needle (US2) and it feels much better. The pattern has you start with the head and then move on to the body, etc. I may choose to change my needles with each different body part. Time will tell. The yarn is from Scheepjes Stonewashed and Catona which I bought online since my LYS doesn’t carry the yarn that is suggested and I really wanted to try it out. I can tell you that I like it so far. The head is knitted with the Stonewashed in two colors using the intarsia technique – and the most incredible part is that they put a little sticker on the tail of the yarn so it’s easy to pull out! Brilliant! No more yarn barf. I’m plugging along with this but because it’s knitted on such small needles at a tight gauge, I’m taking my time and trying to save my hands/arms the pain … especially since I have a lot of knitting to do.

Earlier this week, I got a text from a friend with a photo of Boo the Bat by Anna Hrachovec, aka Mochimochiland. Said friend thought the bat was adorable (and it is.) As the week went on, I thought about it and felt I needed to knit one for her as a little gift surprise. So, yesterday I dug into my worsted weight wool scraps and found a light and darker gray yarn to make a Boo for Dru. It knits up surprisingly quickly and it’s really cute. I didn’t have any safety eyes so I used buttons instead and since she’s an adult, I don’t think she’ll be eating the buttons. LOL I blocked the wings last night and they’ll be added to the little Boo today and I’ll need to find a stick for her to hang from (her feet are knitted in the round so she can hang, brilliant!)

I’ve been working away at the little cardigan commission that I have promised for the early winter. This yarn is the most delicious colorway ever and happens to be the same name as my client’s granddaughter, Eliana Zoe. It’s a lovely peachy pink with some deeper tones here and there. I love it! It’s a joyful color. I’ve finished one side of the front and will next work on the back. It’s coming along and I have started it early enough that I don’t have to stress about it. I am actually hoping to deliver it early. Fingers crossed. Meanwhile, the pattern is fun to knit and a little bit different from the typical top-down raglans, it’s a bottom-up raglan done with no seaming (at least not yet. I imagine I’ll be seaming to sew up the pieces after they’re finished and adding the sleeves but I love to wait to see as the pattern unveils itself.) I’m still working on the first hank of yarn and I’m happy that it’s going so far … I was initially worried that I might be playing yarn chicken with this one (or shortening the sleeves to 3/4 length. I don’t think it’ll be a problem.) I’ve also chosen several sets of buttons for my client to choose from. I’ll show you my choices when we get there.

I’ve worked a little bit on my All About the Ruffle shawl but it hasn’t changed substantially so I’ll show you an old photo. It’s gotten bigger as I’m working up to having over 300 stitches on the needles but I’m not quite there. I sure hope I love this shawl because up to this point, the knitting part is boring. (There, I’ve said it.) I do love the colorway of Emma’s yarn Practically Perfect Sock.

Finally, a FO (finished object). I’ve finished Dolores #2 Sensuous Caftan and Turban. What a fun project this was. I think Franklin Habit is a freaking genius! Dolores has a big attitude for a sheep and this outfit totally fits that personality. I love the sparkly purple get-up but this! Ha! Ha! Soon I’m going to have to buy a wardrobe for her outfits. I have two more kits that I bought from Webs way back when … I’ll get to them after a bit but suffice it to say that I’m really sorry I didn’t buy all the kits they made and wish they’d bring the whole bunch back! They bring such joy in such a troubled world.

Even with the drought conditions, we are grateful for the flowers and veggies that are growing in our gardens. They feed so much more than our bodies. We have our first Delicata squash growing and a second one coming! I’m so excited! The zucchini and summer squash have been coming in bit by bit (and that’s ok since sometimes zucchini can be overwhelming). We have some big tomatoes growing and some cherry tomatoes as well. The red one may have been popped into my mouth after the photo was taken. Oops. Our granddaughter helped plant some pea seeds and they’re growing up and up. A couple of the plants dried out but we hope with minimal watering they’ll give us a few peas to send to NYC and maybe to enjoy here, too. We harvested our garlic and it was a good year. This year we’re going to try to plant even more so we can save some to use as seeds the following year. We have to really add to the soil again though … stay tuned.

We remain so grateful for this place that nourishes us body and soul and for the hobbies that we have that keep us engaged. My hubby’s father bought a fishing camp in the 1940s that has been a summer home to visit for his family and is now our home. We remember him and the family often and the memories that we’ve all gathered at the lake. How lucky we are! Gone knitting.

Another Busy Week and The Summer Solstice (aka The Longest Day)

Posted on June 22, 2025 by Queen Bee Knits

Today the view is hazier and just not as pretty as yesterday so I’m posting my opening picture from yesterday morning before I had to go to work. Of course it was a stunning day yesterday! I spent the day in the store. LOL. Today isn’t bad but I sure do plan to add the air conditioner to my atelier window because the heat is coming this week. The whole world is burning up. Literally and figuratively. I remain so grateful to live on this lake in the woods of Maine where I can tune out when I need to in order to regain my sanity but I worry about my kids in New York City being in harm’s way. I hope the unilateral and illegal decision by the president and his administration last night doesn’t cause too much harm.

It’s been another busy week here on the shores of Messalonskee Lake. I’ve been trying to get caught up with all the home projects that I’ve neglected over the winter and we are making some good progress. We finally found a chandelier for over our dining room table that we both like – and it’s up. And we’ve bought a living room rug to replace the old one that was my hubby’s mother’s but it was losing fiber in patches and I was afraid it was causing me to cough more than usual (my allergies were dreadful before we took it out.) We found a rug we both like from RugsUSA,com and it was delivered within a reasonable timeframe and with a reasonable price tag. We also finally ordered our Adirondack chairs from Costco and put them together for the back yard (the other side of the house, away from the lake). We have one remaining house project and that’s to find ourselves a new bed. Our mattress is relatively new but it’s too firm for me and it hurts my back and hips. We’ll put our mattress up in our guest room and will get a new one, king size, for us. We just have to find a good one and I refuse to pay $5,000 for a bed. Must be my Yankee roots.

And I’ve been making food like crazy! I was gifted some rhubarb and onlly had enough strawberries to make a couple of jars of jam. This week I bought some more strawberries and made more jam. I also made banana blueberry muffins for my hubby’s sweet treat in the morning.

AND I sewed two pillows (with zippers) for my granddaughter’s sleeping nook. I found these Very Hungry Caterpillar panels several years ago before she was even a thought and put them away … thinking I’d make something for my daughter with them since it was one of her favorite books. Little did I know they’d become pillows for her daughter who also loves the books. So, the back is purple flannel which matches her quilt backing and the front is the caterpillar and the beautiful butterfly. I’m quite please with myself because I can take the covers off to wash them. Yay, me!

Friday was the Longest Day and I’ve been participating in the Alzheimer’s Association’s Longest Day fundraising for several years now. This year I chose to spend the day knitting on Friday because I had to work on Saturday and to have put it off until today would have made my week the longest week ever. I am really glad I did. I knitted from early morning until after dark. This year I worked on three projects primarily.

I have finished the yoke and have split for the sleeves on my Anker’s Summer Shirt. I can’t say that I love knitting with this yarn because it’s a bit splitty at times but I really am going to love wearing the shirt so I am pressing on. I love the deep salmony coral color and it’ll look great with my white jeans as I’ve said here before. Now I just have to knit around in stockinette stitch until I reach the right length. The sleeves will take a few minutes because they’re short and I’ll be happy to finish this and wear it. It’s just about the right time now. The yarn is Juniper Moon Farm Zooey.

Perhaps more fun than the Anker’s Summer Shirt is my Big Love cardigan by Ankestrick. I am knitting this in Berroco’s Pima 100 cotton and it’s the softest squishiest cotton ever. AND the pattern is fascinating. The construction is intriguing and different than anything I’ve made before so it’s keeping my attention. The sweater begins with two rectangles, a provisional cast on, rows of ribbing and the stitches go on hold. Next stitches are picked up from the rectangles long sides and the back of the sweater is knitted down with stitches cast on on either side for the shoulders. There is a very simple 4-row textured pattern for the body of the sweater and ribbing for the collar and button bands that is knitted on as the sweater grows. I’ve just passed where the body is all connected around and this will be the really fun part (I hope.) I love the soft yarn and the cotton will be a perfect sweater to grab for an evening on the porch or after sitting at the beach over a sleeveless dress or tank top. I may have to knit a tank top next. I am loving the yarn and the pattern is so much fun. I keep reaching for it when I have a few minutes to knit.

Love and Light by Laura Nelkin … with a QBK twist

I have been pondering a little gift that I can make to give away to one of my Longest Day donors, sort of like a raffle, and I settled on a Love and Light (light up knitted fairy lights) and bought purple lights. On Friday while I was knitting for the Longest Day, I knitted up a heart in the purple lights but I had way too much left over. I brought it home and since it’s a gift, I want it to be special … and right! So I decided to knit another smaller heart below the first one and it worked! I knitted with fewer stitches and rows and have a double heart light up wall hanging to give away to one of my donors. I’ll do the drawing tomorrow. Everyone’s names have gone into a box on slips of paper and my hubby can draw for me … stay tuned.

So, today is Sunday and the hubby went out to find hinges to build a gate on our porch’s end to keep the granddaughter and four-leggers corralled this summer. We don’t need to lose anybody to the lake. As the grandchildren continue to be added to our family, we really want them to be able to have some freedom at our house but recognize that water is a temptation for little ones who think they know how to swim. We are doing our best to keep everyone safe and sane.

I’m getting myself organized, cleaning up and straightening up and planning for next week which will also be busy but I’m not working on Saturday … at least not at the store. I may be moving beds or painting rooms or baking or sewing … and it’s going to be hot! We moved to Maine from Florida because we don’t love the heat … and it’s gotten hotter every year. I’m going to get my work done early so I can sit and knit in the air conditioning when it warms up.

Gone knitting.