Queen Bee Knits

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

All my Yarn is Packed?

Posted on May 28, 2013 by Queen Bee Knits

Cascade 220 and Colinette Jitterbug

When we head north to Maine for vacation in the summer, we’ve always driven. And I’ve been able to take a bunch of yarn (often more yarn than clothes) so that I can pick and choose my knitting projects.

This year, however, I’ve been working and wasn’t able to leave when N. decided it was time for him to go. So, I kissed him and our big brown dog goodbye and off they drove. What I didn’t realize is that I would have to be really choosy about what yarn I bring because I haven’t got a big plastic box to fill … I have one suitcase (which will fly free, thank you Jet Blue!) to fill with clothes, N’s birthday gifts and yarn, needles, patterns and all the notions that I need to do what I do! Yikes!

So, here’s what I am planning …

1) I have four skeins of Cascade 220 in a multi-colored colorway that will be knitted into slippers for N. Part of his Happy Birthday. The pattern will be Fiber Trends Felt Clogs (design by Bev Galeskas).They may get leather soles so that they last longer. To be added when we get home and they’re felted.

2) I have four skeins of Cascade 220 in a turquoise colorway that will be knitted into slippers for me. I’ve been waiting to use the pattern by French Press Knits, French Press Felted Slippers (by Melynda Bernardi). I’ve been coveting this pattern for ages and it’s time to give it a try!

3) The beautiful blue Colinette merino is going to be made into a vest from the book, Swing Swagger and Drape (by Jane Slicer-Smith). A vest because I live in Florida. I can always add sleeves if needed later on. I saw the pattern, Boxes Drape, at the Maine Fiber Frolic and it was love at first sight.

4) I’m taking the Purl Bee cowl to fix and finish.

5) I’m taking my brothers 50th birthday socks to finish.

Fiber Frolic 2012 Yarn … frogged Boxy Cardigan

6) I’m taking my yarn from the Maine Fiber Frolic … the frogged Boxy Cardigan … hoping to find some inspiration and get it knit up into a wearable piece of Maine to bring back to Florida in the fall.

7) The cotton tank tunic is also going along unless it’s finished before I can leave.

8) Lasts but not least, N took his “boyfriend” sweater up in the truck. It has been closeted away (literally) for at least a year because I can’t bear to look at it. All the work and expensive yarn … and it doesn’t fit. Not even close. Another do-over opportunity.

9) I have to add to this list that I will be teaching myself to crochet this summer too, in addition to the knitting projects that I have on my list. I’ve wanted to learn and am making this promise to myself. I will be able to crochet (at least be a beginner)!

I’m so grateful for the opportunity to spend some time in Maine again this summer. I am also grateful for the opportunity to work for the school that I’ve worked for for the last 50 days. I have loved the experience, the students, the teachers, the administration … it’s been great to be part of the Woodlands family.

Gone knitting!

Finished!

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Queen Bee Knits

There! It’s finished … well, off the needles

My Bermuda shawl is ~~one row away from being~~ finished. If I weren’t so lazy on this Sunday morning, it’d be finished already … but I just got back from my atelier and forgot to get my bigger needles so that I can bind off “very” loosely.

So I decided to blog instead.

I replaced my wrong-sized needles yesterday (with a bit of attitude from the LYS owner who sold them to me on Tuesday. What?!) and they will have to be the next project re-started and finished because I have eleven days until my brother’s birthday. I’d hate to disappoint! But he may be getting one sock instead of two! 🙂

Gone knitting.

Not Knitting but Grateful

Posted on April 7, 2013 by Queen Bee Knits

My new school – teaching on a beautiful day!

Well, I’ve once again joined the working world with a temporary job outside of my home.

While I am enjoying working with children in the elementary school environment, I am noticing that I am not knitting enough to feed my passion and art. Partly because at the end of the day I am pretty tired and partly because I still have all my work at the house to do, too. And my little dogs (and now our new big dog) have missed me and need some of my undivided attention … as does their “father”!

I have a pair of socks for my nearly 50 year-old brother on the needles. I reverted to my favorite (go to) sock pattern and have had some lovely green (with a hint of blue) yarn that I bought for exactly this reason last summer. His favorite color is green and this yarn by Plymouth Yarn Co. called “Happy Feet” is a superwash Merino and with my brother’s feet, I bought three skeins (he wears a size 14 shoe!)

Seacolors Yarn …

I have deconstructed the sleeve on my Boxy Cardigan that I started last summer with my Maine wool from Sea Colors Yarns. The pattern was pretty straight forward but someone clearly forgot to have the sweater test knitted – the sleeves are at least two inches too narrow to fit into the shoulder. (You do get what you pay for! This was a free pattern. Lesson learned!) I will unknit them and then add more increases to make up for the two inches and see how that works. I hope I don’t have to start over from scratch because I don’t like it – and I spent a lot of money on the wool and want to love the garment that it becomes!

Dropps Tunic (Pattern #111-21) in Berroco Pure Pima (color 2243)

I still have my Pima Cotton tank on the needles. The back is done and the front is getting close but, honestly, I haven’t worked on it much at all! It’s really time to focus on this garment as we’re getting ready for that sleeveless shirt season!

I have several ideas that I want to knit when I’ve wrapped up a few of my WIPs … a tea cozy by the Queen of Tea Cozies, Loani Prior … it’s the daffodil one. We don’t have daffodils here in Florida and I miss them. A Stash Buster Shawl and I have yarn for a sweater and hat for my niece. I also want to knit myself a Wonderful Wallaby! It would be perfect for those cool (or even cold) evenings in Maine this summer.

I’m so grateful to be working with these great kids who really need the extra support to bring them up to grade level by the end of the year. I love the teachers that I’m working with and I am blessed to have the opportunity to work close enough to my home that I can (well, I could) walk to work. And since it’s temporary, I am hoping to pick up the needles more when I get to Maine after school ends.

Gone knitting!

WIP to Finished!

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Queen Bee Knits

It always feels so good!

Lesser Evil Socks (Toe Up, Two at a Time!)

My own design … baby blanket backed with polar fleece & silk border (sewn by me … and, no, I’m not a great seamstress!)

And finally my Wonderful Wallaby … heading to my niece on the west coast for next year … or maybe the next year. We’ll see when it fits her!

Gone knitting!

The Anatomy of a Sock

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Queen Bee Knits

Circle of Life Socks for baby – pattern by Cat Bordhi

As I was sitting here in my atelier last night, I started thinking about how much people know about socks. I’ve knitted quite a few socks; baby socks, short socks, bed socks, yoga socks, cabled socks, patterned socks … toe up socks, cuff down socks, socks on DPNs, socks on two circs, magic loop socks … you get the general idea. Right?

Turkish Bed Sock by Queen Bee Knits – pattern by Churchmouse Yarns

Well, what are the parts of a sock? Do you know what they’re all called? If you’re a knitter like me, you may … or may not! So, let’s do a post about the anatomy of a sock.

Whenever I’m preparing to write a post on knitting, I go out to the internet to search the topic. I searched the internet “Anatomy of a Sock” and this is what I found. A wonderful article, entitled Sock 101, already written beautifully by Knitty – a great resource and some fun free patterns – so I don’t have to write it myself. I can merely comment and compliment the Knitty article. Because there’s no use recreating the wheel, right?

Knitty’s Picture of the Anatomy of a Sock

There it is. The perfect picture of the anatomy of a sock! Perfect!

Depending on the pattern that you’re using, you may start at the toe or the cuff. Everyone stresses (at least when you’re a new sock knitter) about turning the heel. The beauty of it, however, is that all socks have all the same parts. Once you know the anatomy of ONE sock, you know it all! It’s beautiful, isn’t it?

Birthday Party Socks – by Queen Bee Knits

If you haven’t knitted socks yet, you really should give it a shot – they’re so satisfying to knit and when they are finished and you put them on your feet or give them to someone as a gift, it’s amazing. They fit so well, they feel so good. And as a gift, they’re not soon forgotten – a true labor of love.

A personal sock story and then I’m going to end – I bought a ball of sock yarn with the idea that I’d make them for my son (then a freshman in college) because the colorway was similar to tiger stripes and he’s a Cincinnati Bengals fan – hey, no comments necessary, we lived his entire lifetime in Cincinnati! When I told him I was making him socks, he sweetly(-ish) told me he didn’t want hand-knit socks. Because I had the yarn, though, I didn’t pay attention and knitted the socks and gave them to him for Christmas one year.

Who Dey! Socks by Queen Bee Knits

He graciously put them on his feet on Christmas day. Then, awhile later, I got a call from him,

“Mom, about the socks you knitted for me …?”

“Yes?”

“I love them. Will you make me some more?”

Like a good custom shirt or suit or whatever else is made specifically for you, hand made socks are super special. My brothers, boyfriend, niece and at least one daughter have pairs of their own. My goal is to knit some for all of my family. My son has three pairs that I’ve made to his request … including a brown pair that have a short cuff, a black pair and the Who Dey! socks that were his first. We all know that our first is something special!

The anatomy of a sock. There you have it. Now go get your yarn and needles and start knitting a pair! A good place to start is with Knitty’s Fuzzy Feet … worsted weight yarn and on a large scale. One step at a time. You can do it!

Gone knitting!

Twin Baby Socks

Posted on February 13, 2013 by Queen Bee Knits

One of each is a real blessing. I’ve decided to knit something for the babies and started with my favorite baby wash cloths … baby feet. I found some wonderful cotton yarn in Maine last summer. Ta! Da!

Lov this green!

And this salmon is fabulous!

To go with the wash cloths, I decided to make a couple pairs of booties but the pattern annoyed me (not sure if it was the pattern or me but it simply wasn’t working for me) so I went with the basic sock in baby size. I love the gray Cascade Eco Alpaca (100% baby alpaca) yarn. It’s a little bit “splitty” but so soft and will be so warm on those baby toes!

I wanted to have a little bit of “color” for the socks so I used an eyelet row to embellish the plain socks and allow me to add a bit of ribbon for the color (I went traditional this time but the new mom can change out ribbons if she wants). The eyelet row was simply a purl row, a row with a few yarn over, K2togs as evenly spaced as I could get it, and then another purl row. I’m really happy with the way that they turned out.

They’re all wrapped and ready to be sent! I can’t wait to see pictures of the little ones wearing these socks!

Gone knitting!

The Trouble with Turkish Bed Socks

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Queen Bee Knits

Car Knitting – Turkish Bed Sock in Lorna’s Laces Bee Stripe

I wish I had been more awake last night when I frogged the Turkish Bed Socks that I knitted this weekend. But it was late and I wasn’t thinking well.

Needless to say, I gave it a shot with my wonderful Lorna’s Laces sock yarn and smaller needles (because that’s what the yarn needed). The striping came out really well and I liked the way the socks were looking but they were too small this time.

Turkish Bed Socks in Koigu KPPPM – the first pair … too big!

The last pair (the first pair) I made were too large … which is why I decided to try smaller needles and thought the lighter-weight yarn would be OK. My first pair are wearable but the heel wrapped part is too low on my heel and they slip off. So I wanted to knit a second pair only smaller – But it was too much smaller. The heel wrap was too short (didn’t come up high enough on my heel) and the whole thing was just too tight. And, even though I added a bunch of rows to the length of the foot, they were still too small. OK. Let’s move on.

So, now I’m going shopping in my stashed yarn and I will find a more appropriate skein of yarn and then I will knit it again. When I get a pair of socks that I am happy with, I will happily adjust that pattern to work with lighter-weight yarn!

Gone knitting!

My 3 B Street Shop is Open for Business

Posted on November 24, 2012 by Queen Bee Knits

So, I’ve been knitting my fingers off for a couple of years between custom orders and have a lovely bunch of knitted garments … fingerless mittens, scarves, shawls, hats, socks and the like that I have wanted to photograph and get into my online shop.

Then, a year or so ago, I got a call from Laurie Barron (her mother was my eldest daughter’s junior high school English teacher and we have become friends) who was starting her own version of Etsy but without all the “extra” stuff. And the stores were going to have to apply and be “juried” so-to-speak. It keeps the workmanship levels up and the quality of the items in the shops is really high. Within the last few months, 3 B Street shops were in Beta mode and then went live!

Yesterday, we photographed my entire box of knitted items and I uploaded them to my shop. I hope you’ll agree that it’s a great sampling of knitted items and I am (as always) willing to knit just about anything custom for you, dear reader.

Without further ado, please visit my Queen Bee Knits shop at 3 B Street (dot) com. I hope you like it and always welcome your feedback!

Gone knitting!

Attention! Attention! Knitting Queen (Bee)

Posted on August 1, 2012 by Queen Bee Knits

I’ve learned that I need to pay attention when I knit.

Any distractions can cause me to knit beyond a decrease, or knit where I should purl … you get the idea! And knitting with a cocktail in hand is a definite NO! Knitting group projects must be free of decreases or any counting of stitches because I never cease to be amazed at how my chatting can make me forget the simplest of each!

That said, I’ve finished a few more projects and am pleased with my progress. But, once again, I brought more projects up to Maine to complete than I completed. I also am going home with more yarn than I came with.

Completed:

Baby sweater finished. Needs to be blocked.

Socks finished; Matching hat … maybe half way done!

Bird nest – finished and being lived in (see Facebook!)

My second attempt at the Gaia Shoulder hug … finished (when I was better able to pay attention!)

Gaia Shoulder Hug by Ann Carroll Gilmour – well, it’s her pattern. I knitted this one!

And I also finished the little cabled sweater in periwinkle blue. I haven’t photographed it yet … so watch here or my Facebook page!

Gone knitting!

Sweat a Little, Knit a Little

Posted on July 14, 2012 by Queen Bee Knits

Last week I made the mistake of bragging that we hadn’t been hit by the heatwave. Oops! I blew it. It’s hot here now … almost too hot to knit. I’m sure glad that I have no afghans or baby blankets on the needles!

I’ve started a second pair of Baby Life Rings Socks by Cat Bordhi for a friend. They’ll be matched with a little hat. I think I will use the same idea as the socks and make a couple of life rings on the edge of the hat but will add a solid color in stripes. This little toe-up sock with a short row heel is just adorable. I “need” to buy some solid color yarns and see how they knit up in solid colors. I’ve chosen to use Cascade Fixation yarn in a colorway that’s lime green, pink and lavender. Mom’s favorite color is purple … and that may be my accent color in the hat. Baby’s due in late fall.

My tunic is making slow progress in its second iteration. If you remember, I had the back nearly done when I realized that I was making the wrong size. Frogged and re-started. I still love the color.

I’ve finished the Gaia Shoulder Hug shawl. I am not a huge fan of the Noro colorway that I chose but the finished product is nice and I think it will be a good addition to a plain white blouse in the fall and winter. The Noro wool started out scratchy and stiff but it softened up quite nicely through the knitting process and I’ve blocked it but without blocking wires. If I’m going to do lace knitting, I have to make an investment in blocking wires!

My Maine Lobstah socks are coming along. Have gotten to the place where I need to turn the second heel. I will be happy to have them finished and start wearing them!

This Little Piggie baby hat is coming along. I’ve put it away for a few days because I was getting frustrated with the design process. I have knit the ears five or six times and finally got them right. And then the snout was out of place. So, I have to re-knit the snout and then embroider some eyes and nostrils on it and knit the matching mittens. Fortunately, they’re a holiday gift and I still have time.

Next projects in my queue … a Penny Straker design sweater that I knit when my kids were little. Making one up for my new niece or nephew in a cornflower blue. Have a lace scarf in the bag … the one that I tried to make for Ravelympics several years ago (and couldn’t even manage the cast-on.) This time, I’ll be able to cast on and complete the scarf … and I’m casting it on on July 27 during the Opening Ceremonies (despite the Olympic Committee believing that it’s denigrating. Harumph!)

I wish I had brought my swift and winder to Maine … I have some Buffalo Wool Company yarn that I want to knit into a lovely purple shawl using the falling leaves pattern (more information later!) And I have the yarn that I bought at the Maine Fiber Frolic and the cool and crazy pattern that I bought for that – it will be a cardigan for yours truly.

There you have it. All this typing has made me hot … could be because my laptop is on my lap?!

Gone swimming!