Queen Bee Knits

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

Another Rainy Day

Posted on May 3, 2026 by Queen Bee Knits

I went out this morning to take my “photo of the day” when there was a loon just sitting out in the lake … and just as I snapped this photo, it dove and it was too damp and chilly to wait for it to pop up again. Today is a good day for loons. Rainy and gray and damp but a well filler (we live on a well and are already in drought conditions) so I won’t complain … I have given myself permission, after a few crazy busy weeks, to do “nothing”. That generally means doing only what I feel like doing which today may be hanging in my atelier watching something on TV and knitting. I have another two weeks before life returns to “normal” (the boss is out of town for a month, adding to all of our work routines) and I need to stay healthy to keep up with the pace. I’m not usually at the store three or more days a week. None of us are. But when she leaves, it’s either we step up or … I’m not sure what would happen because we always step up.

This is the principal at Maine Arts Academy yesterday letting some of the artists/students add some bling to his face paint. This school, where I’m happily a volunteer and board member, is wonderful. I love being associated with it and truly believe it to be an example for public schools everywhere. Yesterday we celebrated the 10th Anniversary of Maine Arts Academy with a brunch, awards, performances, and heart. It’s been a year in the making but the event went off without a hitch and it was fantastic from start to finish. I think I can speak for all of us that we are so glad to have it in the rear view mirror – all we have left is a review and thank you notes.

I have been having a challenging knitting week. It seems like everything I knit I un-knit. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m inattentive or what but I’ve been making all the silly mistakes. Knitting sure can humble you.

I’m working my way down the foot of my Escher sock #2. Somewhere along the line, I changed from using DPNs to a nine-inch circular needle and guess what? The gauge of the sock has also changed. So, having completed the same number of pattern repeats, I am still an inch shy of where the toe decreases should go. (The circumference is a bit narrower, too.) I like the fabric of the second sock better so I am going to finish it to be the correct foot length and I probably have enough yarn to make a third sock if I need to. I am also going to go ahead and knit the heel of the first sock (probably before finishing the second sock’s foot) and see how it fits. When they say that it makes a difference what needles you use, they’re so right! I certainly know better but I really did want to try the 9″ circs and when I happened to be at a yarn shop that had one, I jumped. Oh well.

I’ve also been working (and reworking) on my Hansel Hap. I stopped paying attention somewhere along the line and worked well past a row that needed to be a “lace” row and it would have affected the pattern had I ignored it and gone on. So, I frogged back a few rows and then re-knit. At the same time, I ran out of one colorway that I was using … most of the way across the second row … and had to adjust that, too. I tried to just change colors but that didn’t work and I ended up frogging back and changing the colorway entirely. Thank goodness the pattern is somewhat flexible with the color order. I am one row from doing the edge border and then it will be done … just in time for summer?

I’ve also been working on my roommate’s Vanilla Sweater and have finished the body and started the second sleeve. I was waiting for her measurement specifications before finishing the lengths of the sleeves and the body but now I’m on the way. I added a couple of extra rows of seed stitch to the split hem in hopes that it won’t roll up like mine does. The color is really lovely and the yarn is so wonderful to work with. I love working with wooly wool and spit-splicing the yarn so there are not too many ends to weave in at the end. This should be finished in the next week or so and blocked and sent off to Connecticut.

I’ve finished the two little purple crowns for my granddaughter and her little friend, Madeline. They’ll be sent off to NYC this week (or if I can figure out a way to get down there, I’ll carry them down.) I’ve also finished a gnome MKAL (mystery knit along). Sarah Schira is brilliant and I always enjoy her gnome patterns. This one is no exception. I am collecting quite a few of her patterns and have knitted a bunch including one in worsted weight so he’s HUGE! I have several that I have never knitted and this reminds me to knit more of them. Maybe I need to collect them all from my atelier and take them outside some day to photograph! Anyway, this one was another fun knit and I do love her – her name is Gneddy, according to the designer. I finally went out and bought a big bag of the poly pellets to weigh their little bodies down so they don’t tip over. I have put beans in before but I’m worried that the organic origin of beans may be problematic over the years. Isn’t she cute?

The day lilies are about six-inches tall now and the forsythia bush is still waiting to bloom. I did a little walk around the yard to see how it was going and the perennials are coming back and greening up. I discovered that our forsythia has sprouted a second plant that we’ll dig out and move after they bloom. They should bloom soon. Meanwhile, the Maple trees have popped and the leaves are opening. Spring is here in Maine and we are so grateful for longer days. (The full moon the other night sure did throw off my sleep! It was a powerful moon, big and bright, it lit up the whole inside of our bedroom!)

The windows need washing (again!)

Gone knitting.

Happy (Yucky) Saturday!

Posted on June 28, 2025 by Queen Bee Knits

And just like that we have nearly reached the end of yet another month. The year is zipping by! Today is like every other Saturday we’ve had for ages in Maine – yucky. It started out cool and breezy and right now it’s actually raining. The windows are all closed up and the lights are on in my atelier. Yuck! But we are making the best of another rainy, dreary, yucky (did I say it enough? day.

We had coffee inside this morning. When I got up my dear hubby was in the living room with a cap on his head. LOL. We chatted about taking best advantage of a rather dreary Saturday and going to pick strawberries but we opted to stay home and get our projects done and maybe tomorrow will be a better day. Even I don’t want to pick strawberries in the rain. So he went to the dump with the dog and I repotted two of my lemon trees that I’ve grown from seeds. They may never flower and fruit, or they might. For now I’m celebrating that I’ve kept them alive long enough that the biggest one now requires a pot that will be so heavy that I can’t lift it. We’ve got it outside for the summer and will have to find it a roller to get it in when fall arrives. It’s smaller sibling/cousin will still be pick-up-able but not for long. AND much like the book When You Give a Mouse a Cookie, I then had to pull the weeds that have grown up around the pot I used and into the garden and around the edge of the house … it never ends.

I’ve written the store newsletter and updated the database with a few new contacts, and emptied the trash cans on the second floor of the house. I wrapped two gifts and put them downstairs to be given. And am preparing to clean out the “curiosities” cabinet in our stairway. It really needs a glass door to keep out the dust because after nearly 10 years, it’s really dusty. Ha! Ha! It needs it badly but we have cleaned it out before. AND I noticed that someone has spilled coffee on the stairs so they need to be swept and washed. If I can get those two things done today, I’ll be very happy to sit and knit for the rest of the afternoon.

I’ve been knitting like mad trying to finish my “summer” sweaters before summer is done. I’m doing really well with my Ankers Summer Shirt. I’m a few inches away from the bottom ribbing on the body and the sleeves aren’t long so they won’t take much time at all. I’m still loving the color of this top and I can’t wait to wear it with m white pants and a tanned face. I hope the sun will come out eventually this summer. The Hei Hei rooster needle tip protectors sure do make me smile!

I cast on the second outfit for Dolores. This one is a caftan designed by Franklin Habit. So far, it’s a breeze of stripes with one row that has a pair of eyelets. Yesterday I reached the point where I am going to divide for the neck/shoulders but I didn’t have any stitch holders or scrap yarn with me so I put it on hold and I’ll work on it again later today. I can’t imagine that it’ll take too much time to wrap this one up. It does make me giggle and I am thinking I may need to have some hangers to display her outfits near where she ends up living in my house. Time will tell. It’s a shame to put these fun and funny outfits away once they’re made, right? When the granddaughter gets older she’s going to love playing with her.

I’ve made a little progress on my Big Love but It’s not one that I can easily work on now that I’m going back and forth across the entire sweater AND decreasing at the button bands. Once I get settled into the new rhythm, I’ll be fine though. I do love this Pima 100 by Berroco. It’s the softest cotton and it’ll be really snuggly. I think I may have to knit a cotton blanket for the living room in the future sometime. In an orange? (Orange is my favorite color these days, go figure.)

What I am really loving about this cardigan and what surprised me about it when I started knitting it is the texture. I had thought it was just stockinette stitch. Ha! I was wrong. It’s a simple enough four-row repeat with a 1×1 ribbed button band that is knitted on from the collar down. I am assuming that somewhere in the pattern, they’re going to have me stitch together the two pieces of the collar where the whole sweater started. But it’s a really pretty sort-of-ribbing texture that is easy enough to remember. I’m readjusting my memorized stitch pattern now, though, since all the pieces are now combined with a false seam between them. I have a feeling that I will make another one of these one day in wool … and maybe a size larger so it’s really cozy to wrap up in. This one, I hope, will be a bit more tailored for summer.

I did make a delicious zucchini galette this week. I found the recipe online from the Smitten Kitchen and I happened to have a bunch of zucchini from my Costco shopping trip that needed to be cooked before it got really gross. We both liked the recipe very much. I liked it because it’s vegetarian for the most part and my hubby cooked himself a sausage to eat with it because he can’t miss meat at any meal. We served it with a salad and it was yummy. I’ll make it again.

I had a fun day on Wednesday with some of the women from my Friday morning knitting class. I headed up to St. Albans to “sew” for the day but I left my sewing at home by mistake. Thankfully, I did have my knitting. Next time I’ll remember the sewing stuff because they’re inspiring me to do more sewing. I learned how to make a disappearing 9-patch and we did a lot of laughing. A lot! It was a much needed mid-week break from the news of the world. I’m so grateful to have these women in my life.

I need to bake again. I have oodles of frozen Maine blueberries to use before blueberry season is here again. I think I’ll make a blueberry cobbler and some blueberry muffins to have in the freezer for our company that’s coming in July and we are going to have quite a bit of it. We are really looking forward to the family that’s coming up and the house is always fun when it’s filled up. (And a bit sad when it’s empty again; at least for a little bit.)

Gone knitting.

Taking Life (not so) Seriously

Posted on July 3, 2023 by Queen Bee Knits

This is pretty funny that I’m writing another post (again) this week. This must be a world record, right? I’m going to tell you another story about me that I hope will make you laugh as it did me AND I hope it will make anyone feeling like their knitting skills are still “not good enough” will kick that notion to the curb.

Yesterday was a fairly miserable weather day. Damp and rainy and suitable for ducks and loons, only. We’ve had a lot of days like this in Maine this year. I was working my way up the front of my Lane’s Island Pullover by VersaciKnits and was getting excited because the end was near and I was eager to get to the pockets. I had knitted a few of the shoulder decreases when I realized that I had too many stitches and had another glance at the pattern. I had skipped over four repeats of the single decrease at the neck edge. Ugh!!! I looked at the neck edge and I pondered my choices – just forget about it and continue on, frog back to the decreases and do it “right”, or something else. I decided to do it “right” and frog back to the last decrease and reknit so that the neck looks more balanced when I go to pick up the collar stitches (I assume I’m going to do this. I haven’t read ahead on my pattern.) So, that was my first challenge last night.

I also realized that I had knitted almost all of the three balls of yarn that I had purchased for the sweater. Another glance at the pattern and I realized that I needed three balls EACH of two colors (a total of SIX) and I had bought three balls of the single color I wanted my sweater to be. For the love of … Pete?! Thank goodness I work in a yarn shop. This morning I went in and solved the problem by adding two balls of yarn to my layaway bag just in case and buying one more ball which should be enough for the two sleeves and any finishing that I may need to do.

It’s at times like this, after almost 40 years of knitting, that I find knitting at once humbling and hysterical. Knitting has taught me to laugh at myself. And I mean a real laugh-out-loud belly laugh. It’s always when I think I know what I’m doing that I tend to make the silliest mistakes. This one is one for the ages. (Here’s another one!) I’ve been teaching knitting for nearly 20 years and knitting for almost 40 and I still make plenty of rookie mistakes. In fact, the designer commented on my Instagram post last night, “I would say it was a rookie mistake, but we know you are NOT a rookie!!!” Truer words were never spoken. I’m not a rookie but I can still make a rookie mistake. AND that’s ok. I can … and did, laugh at myself and move on.

Last night I finished the first pocket and put the stitches for the second pocket on the needle, ready to attack it today. I’m one stitch short. It’s lucky I’m an “expert knitter” because I seem unable to count. II’m laughing again. HaHaHa.

Gone knitting.