SNOW DAY! I was supposed to work today and while the accumulations have not been thrilling to this snow-loving girl, I am enjoying my snow day immensely. We had our coffee in a very leisurely manner not typical of days we both work. I went up to my atelier and wrote the store newsletter for Sunday and now I’m writing this blog post because I realized that I never posted a picture of my finished Hoodola.
Hoodola by Laura Nelkin is one of the 8 FOs that I’ve managed for 2025 so far. I knit my Hoodola in what I thought was going to be boring creamy-white yarn by Berroco that has been discontinued. I was given a couple of hanks of the white and one or two of a dark green. It was DK weight and I decided, why not give it a shot and hoping that I wouldn’t have to play yarn chicken. I am thrilled to report that I didn’t and it’s finished and I really do love it. Laura sent out a minor update to the pattern once I was well on my way and I didn’t choose to put a tie on mine (I’d have had to use another colorway and I didn’t want to do that.)
Here it is …
Hoodola by Laura Nelkin
The long ribbed section at the neck keeps my neck warm without need for a scarf, I can certainly fold it up and cover my nose with it if I want to. AND, I can pull the hood down in the car or when in a shop so my hair doesn’t get too flattened out and then just pull it back up when I head out again. I may have to make the green yarn into another Hoodola because it’s such a great “hat”! (Behind me is the American Flag quilt that I made several years ago. One of my favorite sewing projects of all time. I even quilted it on a friend’s long arm machine!)
The snow is coming down a bit heavier now (yay!) and it looks like the rest of my day will be watching Netflix and knitting. I am hoping to get the lace part of my Winter’s Finery shawl finished and get it bound off so I can finish the edge ornaments and block it. I also want to work on my Bang Out a Sweater … Cardoon. It’d be great to get past the colorwork before all of my classes tomorrow. I’ll bet I could get well into the body of the sweater if I could get to the sleeve division today. So I’m going to sign off.
What a difference a day makes! We are currently experiencing a surprise Nor’easter here in Belgrade, Maine. It started snowing overnight and has already dropped a couple of inches of the white stuff in our dooryard. We woke up to near-white out conditions and it’s still snowing. Our brave and hearty neighbor is already out snow blowing. My dear hubby is not inclined to snow blow more than once and we don’t think it’s over quite yet.
Yesterday was another mostly sunny and quite pretty day for the most part. I got out early in the morning to fill up my gas tank and pick up some groceries and then my friend and colleague, Glenda, came over for a steek party. We gathered at my dining room table (note to self: we really need a chandelier!) with out Oorik Tank Tops and said a not-so-silent prayer to the almighty knitting goddess Mary Jane Mucklestone and set to work.
As a preface to steeking, we had knitted the Oorik tank in Jamieson & Smith 2-ply jumper weight yarn which is a rustic wool, perfect for colorwork. It blooms when it’s blocked and the fibers naturally “stick” to each other and the stitches, even when cut, don’t come apart. The vest looks a bit like an awkward burrito before you make the cuts. The arm holes and neck and back have been knitted circularly with a collection of, in this case, six stitches added with the plan of being cut to make an opening.
The first picture is of the Oorik with all the knitting done. If you zoom in, you can see the steek stitches added at each arm hole and at the neck. This is planned by the designer so that you can cut up the middle to open the burrito. The second photo is the center of the front, the neck, a closeup of the steek stitches. You can see there are six stitches, in a specific pattern, from the orange marker at the bottom to the top where the stitches are bound off.
The third photo is even closer up. I’m identifying the center of the steek stitches as I am starting the process. The first step is to identify the middle two stitches and then to reinforce those stitches in preparation of cutting them right up the middle.
Oorik with knitting finishedSix stitches added at the neck Identifying the center of the steek stitches
And now, the reinforcement. As a leftie, it’s always my inclination to crochet with my left hand. BUT with my crochet hook (US D) and some leftover yarn from my project, I am crocheting a slip stitch around the leftmost leg of the center-left stitch and the right leg of the stitch next to it. You can see this best in the middle photo. The idea is to crochet a chain up from the bottom to the top creating a tight hug of these legs so that everything to their right stays put. You then turn the vest 180 degrees and crochet a chain down the other side, hugging the same two stitches (but on the other side now that you’ve turned the garment). Ultimately, you have two crochet chains on either side of what now looks like one single stitch …
Two columns of crochet chain and ONE stitch in between
Can you see the two legs of the stitch between the yellow crochet columns? The single stitch looks like a stack of Vs. The easiest ones to see are the wheat/natural colored stitches in the center of the photograph. I am going to CUT my stitches right up the center of the two legs of the stitch stack … with small, sharp scissors!
And, ta! da! The photograph on the left is what it looks like after it’s cut. The arm holes were exactly the same and there was also a little “flap” at the back of the neck that opens that area up, too. Now all the parts that are needed to put a little vest on a little person are cut and it looks like a real vest. Now it’s time to pick up the stitches around those openings and stitch the ribbing.
The steek is cut!The ribbing is done at the neck
I got the neck ribbing done last night and today I’ll (perhaps) do the sleeves. I’m tempted, though, to cast on something new and fun since this is a snow day and I have the day off from work – it’s a bonus day of knitting!
It’s windy and snowy outside so I think I’ll crank up the heat, throw on a sweatshirt and make myself a cup of tea and spend the day in my atelier knitting and catch up on TV and podcasts.
I married a good man!
Gone knitting.
PS – There’s a great podcast that I listen to called “I Thought I Knew How”. Anne Frost is based in Connecticut, USA and in this particular episode, #113, she goes down a rabbit hole on .. wait for it .. the etymology of the word STEEK! Check it out!
It finally happened! We got a good snowstorm yesterday and it closed a lot of businesses and kept a lot of people home. We were happy to be home for the day and took the day to relax and rejuvenate. I spent the best part of the day in my atelier knitting and making some sense of the messiness (again)!
The snow yesterday was blowing a drifting but we were nice and warm in our house. I finished my daughter’s Christmas socks (they’re not FOR Christmas, but she wanted a pair to wear at Christmas time). These are made with the Urth yarn sock kit “Christmas”. I’m sad to sat that I didn’t love knitting with this yarn. It was split-y and a little bit sticky on my needles. The socks LOOK wonderfu, though. I love the colorway and the kit was wonderful because it made is so easy to have a perfectly matched pair. She’ll be very happy with these, I think.
I spent a good while working on my Fiddlehead Mittens and have gotten quite a way up the second mitten. I am still wondering what to use to line these mittens because the pattern calls for a lining and I want it to be soft but wear really well, too. There are almost 4,000 of these mittens made and some of the other colorways are so pretty … betcha can’t knit just one comes to mind. I may have to knit more of these just for fun. *AFTER I finish some more WIPs and work down some more stash!
I was watching the new season of Call the Midwife and the gorgeous orange Norwegian (?) sweater came on the TV. It’s a beauty for sure. I loved the colors and it reminded me of some of Jenn Steingass’ designs. I’ve never knitted one of her garments but I can feel a Jenn Steingass coming on! I loved her little kid’s rainbow sweater. Perhaps Sylvie will want one in the future.
The last photo above was my photo of the day this morning. It’s Maine Maple Sunday today and the water is thickening again. Poor lake must be confused – and the poor ducks and Mergansers and other water birds must be completely confused. I scared a pair of ducks out of our boat house this morning. Our boat’s not in so I am happy that they can find refuge in there just as long as they don’t move in! The boat will be coming soon and this year we may even use it! But until then, I’ll enjoy my snowy day!
We awoke to snow this morning. Yay! I’ve been waiting and wanting some, what we call here in Maine, “measurable snow” and today we are getting it! Since it’s January 20th, let’s say that it’s about time!
When the local schools in Waterville are closed, our classes at the Yardgoods Center are canceled. We have a mostly older customer base and none of us should be out and about in this weather unless we absolutely have to … today is a snow day. The store is closed and classes were canceled. I’m putting my snow day to good use and after I had coffee and a muffin with my dear hubby, I went upstairs into my atelier.
On Wednesday I decided to make microwaveable (corn) heating pads. I’ve had the supplies on the floor of my studio for a year. When the kids came last winter to go skiing, they were a bit achey after their skiing and they used all of the warming things in our house. One in particular, they all liked best. So … I measured the one made by my friend Judy and bought the muslin, flannel and corn to make one for each of the kids. Wednesday I ironed and cut the fabrics and then sewed two of the sides and was ready to fill them and finish them up when I realized that the corn was either moldy or dirty.
Off to the kitchen I took all eight pounds of bagged corn and I cleaned it in bleach water to kill any surviving whatever might have been on it. It was powdery but dry and I am not sure what it was but I am sure, now, that the corn I’m putting into the bags is clean and won’t send something gross out into the air that they breathe when they microwave the bags to warm them up.
Today I brought the washed, dried and baked corn back up into my studio and filled the three bags and sewed up the final side. Ta done! Three microwavable corn-filled heating pads. I have more fabric to make three more but I didn’t buy enough corn. Each of the kids will get one this time and I’ll get three more made for the summer when we go to the beach.
Task number two was to make a heart pillow for daughter number 2 who lost her beloved pup Willow just after Thanksgiving. When we were in NY for Christmas, she asked if I could make a heart pillow out of Willow’s jacket. I am touched that she trusted me to do that for her.
Earlier this week, I cut out a heart shape to use as much of the fleece jacket that I could and pinned the sides together (right sides facing) in preparation to sew them up and stuff it.
At this point in the day I went downstairs to probably clean the corn and while the corn was soaking in bleach water, I decided to make some cranberry water that I’d seen a recipe for online. The cranberries were in my freezer for a year and it was time to do something with them. I had thawed them and just has to blend them with water and strain them. While blending them, the blender (it was overfull, I admit) leaked cranberry water all over the counter. I strained the water and when I was cleaning up I inadvertently switched the blender on and metal piece on the base was too close to my thumb … what a bloody mess I made. Some days … !
I cleaned up my thumb, cleaned up the mess and retreated to my studio for a few minutes of stupid TV and to hold my thumb up over my heart so it would stop bleeding.
Today I finished the pillow and I hope my daughter loves it as much as I love her. It’s far from perfect, I’m not a professional sewer by any imagination but it’s stitched with lots of love. I unstitched the tag from the jacket and put it into the seam so it sticks out as a reminder of what it was. I also preserved the spot where my daughter sewed a tear in the jacket by hand to remind her of how much she loved her pup and the memory of the hole, maybe, too. I’ll deliver it when I go to NY next.
I have been knitting and since this is technically a knitting blog, I should report on my progress. I have been making slow progress with my Emsworth. I’ve picked up the front shoulder stitches, and am working my way down the front. I’ve reached where the increases under the arms are and pretty soon I think I’ll be knitting all the way around the body. I’m enjoying the lace pattern and I love the charcoal gray colorway of the Patagonia yarn. It’s a bit tricky for my “old eyes” to see the dark yarn in the evening but I’m still working away at it.
I’ve finished black sock #1 and have reached the heel of black sock #2. Today will be a good day for me to turn the heel and pick up the gusset stitches. Black yarn really does challenge the eyes. It’s best attacked when the lighting is good and bright. Hahaha!
I also started a new project, the Stashbuster Shawl by Heather Haynes. One of my former co-workers came in in hers and I knew I had the same yarn. Since everything else I’m working on was dark colors, I cast on for this shawl so I have something to knit at the end of the day. I’m enjoying the simple, meditative knitting on this one. Mostly Garter stitch, it doesn’t take a lot of brain power (of which I have precious little at the end of the day.)
My plan for the rest of the day is to do some knitting (as my “blended” thumb will allow.) I am so left-handed that it’s tricky to do anything without my left thumb! I’ve managed to write this post and I’ll probably do some baking today or tomorrow. I found a recipe for sugar cookie bars (they’re frosted and sprinkled, yum!) and I haven’t made any granola since the batch that I took to NY at Christmas time. I might need to vacuum again, too. Don’t let anybody tell you that Labs don’t shed a LOT!
We are finally getting a snowy day! I came home from work last night and listened to the weather reports and decided to err on the cautious side and cancel knitting classes today. Since weather forecasting is not ever a sure thing, I am always hesitant to cancel classes but this time it seemed that they were consistent messages that we were going to get measurable snow. And, YIPPEE! We are!
When we awoke this morning the snow hadn’t begun (picture above) but within an hour or so the snow could be seen coming up the lake and before long, it looked like this … and it’s supposed to continue on through the rest of the day.
The snow begins
So, my brain went on a snow day day off and I forgot my 8am Zoom meeting and my 9am Zoom meeting and I’ve chosen to give myself grace and move on to enjoy the day regardless. I decided that I’d give myself the gift of baking this morning. First up was The Foodie Physician’s Blueberry, Apple and Walnut Baked Oatmeal. I love baked oatmeal. I have always wanted to love oatmeal but the texture makes me gag. When I discovered baked oatmeal, I was skeptically hopeful … but it was good. I’ve been baking it ever since. This is a good recipe and I like it a lot. I used my frozen organic Maine blueberries and some too-old-to-eat apples from the farm in this recipe and local maple syrup. I didn’t have any plain yogurt but I had vanilla so that’s what I put in. I just had a serving for lunch and it was delish! Here’s the recipe:
Blueberry Apple & Walnut Baked Oatmeal (The Foodie Physician)
1 cup walnuts, chopped, divided
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon plus extra for garnish
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 cups milk, any type (I used oat milk)
1/2 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt
1 large egg
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil or unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (use the pure stuff not the imitation)
1 1/2 cups blueberries, divided
1 1/2 cups peeled, finely chopped apple, divided
Preheat oven to 325 degrees (F)
Spray an 8×8 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Mix walnuts, oats, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a bowl.
In a second bowl whisk milk, yogurt, egg, maple syrup, coconut oil and vanilla together.
Arrange 1 cup each of apples and blueberries on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Scatter the oat mixture evenly on top. Pour in the milk mixture and press to submerge all the dry ingredients into the liquid. Scatter the remaining walnuts, apple and blueberries on top and sprinkle with cinnamon.
Bake 40-45 minutesuntil the top is golden and the oats are set. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serve as is or topped with milk, Greek yogurt or maple syrup. (Try it without further sweetening, I think it’s great as is with milk!)
Since I’d baked something for myself, I decided to make something for my wonderful hubby. His choice was blueberry muffins. This recipe, I’m afraid, I can’t share, it’s a family secret and held close to our family’s chest. But I will share the baked muffins if you ever come visit us in Maine. They are a regular pre-breakfast treat when we have company.
We had a visit from our neighborhood Pileated Woodpecker. The female is a regular at our feeder this winter. I sure hope this means that she has a nest close by and that we’ll see her whole family in the spring! Our little red squirrel has also been a regular at our living room window feeder and we have fun laughing at his or her antics. We can get up close and personal with the window between us but it will sit and eat all of the sunflower seed in the feeder if we allow it.
Paperwhite Narcissus in bloom
And the frosting on the snowy day cake is that my first Paperwhite Narcissus is blooming!
And now I’m up in my atelier sharing this snowy day with you and in a few minutes, I’ll be heading over to my chair to knit. I have a 3-cable baby blanket on the needles in Berroco’s Vintage Chunky for a client and the queue of orders is already starting … it’s a new year, after all. I’ve also re-started knitting the Arne and Carlos mini-jumpers for my Advent Calendar. I would like to finish them before Advent 2022. And I’m going to cast on a sweater that has been sitting in my Ravelry queue for at least a couple of years. I’m going to add some steek stitches to it so I can knit it in the round. I’ve decided that my first WIP (or UFO) attack for 2022 will be my lobster hat. It’s been languishing way too long.
You can see all of these projects on my Ravelry project page. Gone knitting!
I’m so thankful to be here in Maine. Florida was a nice place to live but it never really felt like home. Maine is home. Many of my friends ask if we are sick of the snow yet or if we regret moving here, regret leaving the south. Nope. Not even one little, teeny tiny bit!
Yesterday was my regular day off and I was nursing a sore back. Today my back feels mostly better and my boss closed the yarn shop for the day. Snow Day!!! Most everything is closed; restaurants, town offices, schools, courts, etc. I’m up in my studio finishing projects and working on others. I love working in my studio.
Yesterday I was working on my Zick Zack Scarf. I have admired this scarf at the shop for a long time. I even loved the colors of our store sample so picking my colorways was easy. I love this scarf and may be able to get it finished today!
I was also working to finish my fingerless mitts kit from the Alpaca Yarn Company.
The Forget Not Mitts are really pretty and I love the argyle pattern. The yarn is gorgeous and I love knitting with it. I wish there was more contrast between the two colors in the kit. I feel like the pattern doesn’t pop like it could. I’ve got two thumbs to complete as of this morning and then I’ll block them. These will be finished today.
I finished a shop sample last week. It’s a really cute hat! We used Juniper Moon Farm’s Moonshine in a deep red colorway.
The pattern is the Gigi Hat and it’s a free pattern on Ravelry. I knit the hat exactly according to the pattern (because it’s a shop sample and it would be misleading to change a pattern and then show if off in the shop.) The only thing I did differently was to add an i-cord around the brim of the hat, tied in a little knot. I think it came out really well and the yarn is so … SO … super soft! I love it.
Last, but certainly not least, is the 1898 Hat for my husband. I’ve made four of these hats now and this one is the last for now, but also the warmest. (I even blogged about it before. Here.) I gave N. one of these hats for Valentine’s day in a beautiful Malabrigo Rios to match his slip stitch scarf. He asked me if I could make the top of the hat doubled like the earflaps. He also asked for the two colors which I happened to have in my stash. When knitting the hat, I followed the directions on the hat and then picked up the stitches inside the brim and knit the top of the hat a second time. I knit two fewer rounds in order to compensate for a smaller space inside the first hat and then decreased exactly according to the hat pattern. I wove the ends inside the hat so they’re visible but still inside. He loves the hat and it sure will keep his head and ears warm.
Gone knitting!
All of these projects have more details on my Ravelry project page. I’m “lindar” on Ravelry. Find me on Facebook as Queen Bee Knits. I’m on Instagram, too!
The pattern is 
Queen Bee Knits 