Queen Bee Knits

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

Hello October!

Posted on October 2, 2024 by Queen Bee Knits

What a beautiful if cool sunrise this morning. I love these cool nights and later sunrises and am grateful to have had a good sleep last night. I’m heading to Rockland to visit with my friend Lori today, a bit later than we’d thought because the Vinylhaven ferry is experiencing a staff shortage and her 8:45am ferry was cancelled. It’s ok, we’ll meet at noon and see what we decide to do with our shortened day.

I have re-started a commissioned Christmas stocking and then put it off for a bit to get a couple of quick projects done (and vacation knitting that I didn’t have to think about). Yesterday I got through the first intarsia design, the Santas and even wove in some of the ends. Today I won’t have a lot of time to knit but I’ll pick it up again over the weekend.

This is the half-way point of the first section. Front side looks sane and organized. Back side … not so much. I had to giggle to myself while knitting this because this is the way I’ve been feeling lately – I look like I have it all together but I’m a hot mess underneath. There’s been a lot going on in life and in my volunteer life, too. I’m managing but I’m not going to lie, I’m losing some sleep over it all. Those middle-of-the-night wake-ups are brutal! My mind simply won’t turn off! The good news is that it should resolve itself over the next month or so. Fingers crossed.

The Christmas stocking pattern is one that I have duplicated from the original that was knitted for my friend when she was a child. I’ve posted about it before because I’ve made a few for her over the years as her family has grown. This year she’s added another grandchild and needs another stocking. Intarsia is not my favorite knitting technique. I’d rather do just about anything else. But it is getting easier with practice and I’ve learned how I like to work it – no bobbins for me, I just leave long lengths of yarn hanging in the back and pull them to untangle them now and again.

I’ve knitted a new sample for the store in Jamieson’s of Shetland wool with a strand of mohair held double on the main color. The pattern is a new design by Gudrun Johnston called Cloud Drift. I was given early access to the pattern by our Berroco rep, Andra, to make a sample but the pattern is available now on Ravelry. There is a main color and three contrasting colors and the pattern is accomplished with mosaic knitting or slipped stitches. I have yet to weigh the extra yarn that is left over but I have quite a bit … maybe a pair of mitts to match? I love the way the cowl turned out and I hope that others will choose to try this pattern. I thought the design was brilliant and the knitting was really fun. I may even make another one for myself… in gray with pinks, perhaps?

We have a store here called Marden’s that sells surplus and salvage and it’s often a fun place to wander for a few minutes. They’ve had a lot of yarn from a yarn shop fire in Washington state and it’s now 80% off which means that when I was in search of some white shirts the other day, a few balls of Jamieson’s may have fallen into my shopping cart. Oops! So, navy and blues or gray and pinks will be my choices for cowl #2. My Jamieson’s collection grows … I need to knit some fingerless mitts or something!

I finished another Musselburgh by Ysolda Teague for my son. He chose the colors of Juniper Moon Farm Moonshine (worsted weight). I love this pattern, too. It’s simply brilliant because you just cast on and start knitting and use your knitting as your swatch to calculate how many stitches you need to increase to and then how long you need to knit. There are so many ways to knit this hat and it’s not at all boring – but it is great knitting for vacation, car rides or TV knitting while watching debates or in the evening after a long day when your brain is on fire. This hat is going to be so warm and it looks great and feels better. I have one more for my son’s fiancee to knit up before Christmas – the yarn is caked up and ready to go for when the Christmas stocking is finished. I’m really trying to focus.

We’ve had a series of stunning sunrises since our return from vacation. The sunrise has moved again almost to its winter position and it’s coming up after 6:30 rather than before 6. The days are unquestionably shorter and it’s getting cooler, too. The last photo is a hat tip to Dame Maggie Smith who died last week. I loved her in Downton Abbey and was addicted to watching the show (twice each week). My mug has remained a favorite that I bought at Pier One when we lived in Florida during the height of the Downton Abbey fervor. How grateful I am to live here in this beautiful place.

Off I go to the coast! Wishing you peaceful stitches.

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.

Labor Day 2024 … honoring “Women’s Work”

Posted on September 3, 2024 by Queen Bee Knits

Without fanfare, it’s Labor Day again. We are spending the day quietly at home and I am knitting. But I’ve also been thinking about the perceived value of women’s work … or lack there of.

For the majority of my adult life I was a “stay-at-home mom” which mean that I didn’t have a paying job. As a stay-at-home mom I was up and going as soon as my feet hit the floor every day of the year. Twelve hour days, 7 days a week. I got up at night with hungry infants and sick children. I was the CEO of our home: laundress, cleaning woman, logistics manager, chauffeur, counselor, cheer leader, therapist, chef, travel agent and more. I was responsible for the grocery shopping, cooking three squares a day and event planning. My work didn’t end at 5 o’clock and vacation was simply a change of venue. I moved from New York (2 homes) to Connecticut (5 homes) to Ohio (2 homes) and almost to Illinois when my ex-husband took a new job. Each move meant packing up a home, saying goodbye to friends and family and then unpacking and starting all over again. Making a life isn’t easy for kids or adults. But a home must be created mindfully, a place where children are safe, where they find food, clean clothes and endless support, someone who takes their side in friendship battles, where they learn to trust and learn about relationships. I was responsible for getting it all done.

When the first two kids were in school I became a community volunteer in their classrooms, in the school, school district, and my neighborhood association. Eventually I even went back to work at a “real” job part-time to earn a little extra money to help pay for the kids’ activities, driver’s ed, orthodontics, etc.

I saw a post on Instagram recently that reminded me of the “replacement value” of a stay-at-home mom (without bonuses) which in today’s terms would be over $200,000 a year. Forbes* estimates that the average stay-at-home parent’s value over the course of 20 years is over $1 million or about $4500 monthly.

Over the last 40 years or so I have invested in my skills as a knitter. I took classes, read books, and practiced. I learned from other women and some men. I took “correspondence courses” and became a certified knitting teacher and instructor (two levels of testing). I was paid as a teacher for my expertise to teach others (money means value, right?) I remember a customer who requested an alpaca sweater. She asked me to create a design from a photograph and execute it by hand. When I quoted her a price in the $400 range, she balked and said she could buy one at a store for under $100. Even at the price quoted, my labor would have been $5 an hour. My value as a maker is (or should be) much higher than that.

My rule today is that I won’t knit for someone unless they’re willing to pay fairly for my time. If does feel like $300+ is a lot for a Christmas stocking, for example. But when you consider that the supplies cost $60-75 that leaves $225-240 for me. The time it takes to knit a stocking is 24-30 hours all in making my “wage” less than $9 an hour. The stocking becomes a family heirloom crafted in premium wool, with hand-sewn embellishments, a custom-stitched name, birth year and sometimes sequins, beads and specialty yarns.

So, I guess the moral of the story and what I have learned over time is that we have to value ourselves. We have to know our own worth. I know that I’ve made a difference in the lives of my children, my family, my community – all of them – and I continue to give back even after my children have left my home. I am fully satisfied with my successes and my mistakes because I am who I am today as a result of them all. When I’m asked to babysit for my grand dogs or grandchild, it means that I am trusted. When my son told me a few years ago that I was a great mom, that was my payday! I’m so grateful. I would choose being a stay-at-home mother again because my children will continue to make the world a better place. I will, too.

Gone knitting.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2024/04/19/how-valuable-are-stay-at-home-parents-they-do-about-4500-of-unpaid-labor-per-month-new-study-says/

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.