Queen Bee Knits

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

Monday. Feels like Sunday

Posted on August 31, 2026 by Queen Bee Knits

Aaaaaand just like that it’s September tomorrow. Yikes! Today I had intended to do the laundry and change our bed and I did that but I also pulled apart our closet … my side of it anyway … and pulled out a bunch of things that I haven’t used in ages. It’s time to consign it or donate it or throw it away. I now have a big bag for Goodwill and a big bag for the consignment shop (if they’ll take it!) And the bins are put away in their places, and I vacuumed all of my shoe shelves and straightened it all up. I’m ready for fall and the change-over from summer to fall/winter clothing when the temperatures turn.

We have also had a fruit fly infestation in our house. The kitchen has been buzzing with the annoying little buggers. Today I did a good cleanup in the kitchen, too, and baked the over-ripe bananas into muffins. It was 3:00o’clock by the time I had some food in my belly and a cup of herbal tea. I got sucked into a cleaning frenzy. LOL

I’ve been knitting away on my three WIPs: Make Mine a Double, Jaunty and Reverie socks. I’ve gotten the heel turned on the second Reverie sock and I’m really excited to wear them. They’re super cute!

I’ve reached the half-way point on my Jaunty and am now working decreases instead of decreases. I’m loving this project. The fabric is so squishy and the yarn is magnificent. I may have to buy another hank of the bluer coloway when I’m at the store on Thursday because I’m liking the blue more than the purple but I’m giving myself the time to get the knitting done and see how it looks when I’m closer to the next yarn change or addition. I am enjoying this so much that I’m thinking of making another one in fingering weight yarn … it may be a bit premature but who knows.

And I am working my way down the body of the Make Mine a Double pullover. I am really close to the last color in the ombre change which is a peachy cream color. I have also caked up the second hank of the yarn and am trying to figure out what I want to do with the sleeves. I am tempted to stop where I am and start the second ball of yarn with the darker colors … or reverse the cake and wind off the creamy color to the blue and end with the blue and brown and make both sleeves more in the beige and cream … I have to sit with it a bit before I decide for sure. More will be revealed!

I’ll have to take another photo of the sock, I don’t seem to have one but here are the other two. My finger is pointing at the “bump” where I stopped increasing and started decreasing on my Jaunty. And the lighter bottom of my Make Mine a Double. The second cake starts with the dark chocolate brown again … if you’re reading this, what would you do?

Gone knitting!

Flexibility is Key

Posted on August 29, 2026 by Queen Bee Knits

All of a sudden the yard is covered in these little yellow flowers. I don’t remember having them ever before and I can’t say that I’m unhappy about them. I love yellow and a perfect lawn is impractical here at the lake because no chemicals can be applied. So, we just accept whatever we get … it’s a good life lesson, frankly. Acceptance.

In knitting this week, however, acceptance wasn’t the thing. Not at all. I’ve written about my impulse buy of some lovely Artyarns degrade silk mohair hand-dyed yarn that I bought because I couldn’t get the sweater out of my mind. Well, I am waiting for my daughter to try on her sweater and in the meantime I cast on the Make Mine a Double pullover in the Artyarns Double Mohair Ombre yarn. It’s luxurious, 2-ply silk mohair and the colors are incredible. I chose to make the Medium because I didn’t want a lot of ease (12+ inches). However, when I got to separate the sleeves and just knit the body stitches in the round, I tried it on and I didn’t think I had enough ease. SO … I frogged back to before I separated the sleeves and added one round of increases to get to the number of stitches I needed for the Large size and now I’m knitting down the body again.

I am so pleased with the yarn colors and this neutral-ish colorway will go with so many things! I now have to decide how long to make the sweater. The designer wears a lot of cropped garments but she’s young and has a cute figure. I’m not young (at least chronologically) and my figure, well, let’s think about acceptance again … I am truly working on it! My best guess is that I will wear something under this sweater because I think it will be too see-through for my liking and so I am thinking to make it a “normal” pullover length but I will keep trying it on with my jeans and see what I think. So far I’m still using the first hank of the yarn and I will have both sleeves to knit. Again, the designer used one hank of the yarn so she knitted the sleeves first (to her prefered length) and then finished the body. I am going to go ahead with the body and then knit the sleeves. ALTHOUGH, now that I’m looking at it, I might like to have the body be more of the blue and chocolate brown and the sleeves be lighter … hmmm. I may have to cake up the second hank before I continue.

Truth be told, this is a lot of fun. I’m enjoying the challenge of creating the sweater that I will like to wear and be comfortable in partly because I spent a lot of money on the yarn and partly because I love to wear comfy clothing! It’ll be interesting to see where it ends up … and I am not afraid of frogging another couple of inches of mohair if I really need to. It’s a booger to frog but it’s worth it to make a garment that I really love. Stay tuned!

I’m making progress on my Jaunty this week, too. I’ve got it to about 30 inches and have started the second ball of yarn. I have three … the pattern suggests using 45% of the yarn before you begin the decreases and I suspect that I’ll follow her advice so I don’t run out of yarn at the very end. I’m not a big risk taker. *shrugs shoulders

I love the squishy fabric that this scarf is made of and I can hardly wait to block it because I suspect it’ll be even softer and squishier! I chose two different colorways because I wanted a big scarf that I can wrap around my neck a bunch of times and I like the two together so far. The first ball is more purple and the second one is more blue … we’ll see how the third one works in (or doesn’t). We do have another hank of the blue colorway that I may have to put away just in case and I can use the purple one in another project if needed. The stitch pattern is fun and easy to memorize which makes this a good evening project or a good one for when I’m teaching (and with that said, I did un-knit two rows yesterday because I lost track of my pattern).

I’ve completed the first sock and last night I turned the heel on the second sock. What good progress I’m making! I have really enjoyed this pattern and I still love the Socks Yeah! yarn. It’s wonderful to knit with; not at all splitty and so soft but wears well, too. I’m liking the pink colorway and the lace! Again, the pattern is easy to memorize so it’s not bad to knit when I am watching TV with the hubby at night or teaching on Friday or riding in the car. I’ll enjoy wearing these soon when the weather cools a little bit.

And that’s all she wrote for today. I may be headed into the shop this afternoon because we think it may be busy as it’s the last Saturday of the summer yarn sale. It’ll be good to get back to “normal” at work. (If any of you know the store I work for, you’ll know we aren’t like your normal yarn store. LOL)

Gone knittng!

WIP Wednesday

Posted on August 19, 2026 by Queen Bee Knits

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gone knitting.

WIP Wednesday

Posted on August 12, 2026 by Queen Bee Knits

Well, I finally got a WIP Wednesday post on a Wednesday. It seems that I don’t sit down to post often on a Wednesday but I have a few minutes before I have to leave for a board meeting and I thought I’d show you what I’ve been up to.

I have three projects on my needles (WIPs/ Works in Progress) right now that I’ve been working on. I am having a ball with the Reverie Socks by Summer Lee. This is Summer’s most recent pattern and I have knitted one other pair of lace socks that I love so I decided to cast on these. Bought the pattern and grabbed some light pink yarn from my stash. This is another stashed Socks Yeah! yarn and it’s still one of my favorite sock yarns to date. I love working with it. The stitch definition is perfect, the colors are pretty and it feels so good while I’m knitting with it. I’ve already turned the heel, decreased the gusset to the original number of stitches and I’m just working my way out the foot.

I resurrected my daughter’s Levitate Wrap from time out yesterday. It turned out that my plans for the morning changed and I decided that I didn’t want to “do” anything. SO … I just cleaned up the kitchen, and our bathroom and bedroom, did a couple loads of towels, felted my sample for the store (more later) and spent the majority of the day on the screened in porch knitting in the breeze. It was a good day. But I digress, I have finished both sides of the first part of the sweater which is a wrap sweater. I am going to wait to have her try it on because it feels like it may be a bit too short to close up the arms and start knitting the body and I have intentionally not knitted three or four rows on the front (and I can’t remember where the back was left off or what the measurement was supposed to have been.) Anyway, the fabric is nice and I hope this is a good size for her. I’ll be seeing her in early September so this is going to have to wait about a month.

I cast on a new project, too. I have been wanting to knit a Jaunty by Andrea Mowry to show my support of her design success. Apparently she’s being “bullied” for being prolific and successful. Why can’t we just be happy for her and lift her up? I do not understand the mean-spirited methods of people now-a-days. It’s easier and so much healthier for us all if we be kind! Anyway, a friend is also casting on a Jaunty and we’re going to knit together early next week. Meanwhile, I couldn’t help myself and had to cast on and see how the pattern worked. I think I’ve got it … and I’ve got two different colorways of the same yarn, Ewetopia Helix DK, so I’m alternating skeins in the first part of the scarf. It’s a fun pattern and it’s so squishy!

I have two FOs, too! I have finished my Sabai Top and both of my great-nephews’ vests are blocked with ends woven in. I also felted the bowl that I am making for the store as a sample hoping to sell some of the super bulky wool yarn by Brown Sheep. The variegated colors have been discontinued and are on clearance but the solids would be good for felted bowls, too. It was a quick and fun knitting project and it felted up quickly in my front-loader. I do have very hot hot water. I did have it go through the cycle twice but I am happy with the results. It’s rather large and I hope we can use it at the store. The photo shows it un-felted. Suffice it to say that it’s now felted. I’ll take another photo one of these days.

And with that, I have to run … I wish I was going to knit!

Gone knitting.

Batty Batty Bat

Posted on August 9, 2026 by Queen Bee Knits

I was up in my atelier knitting away, trying to upload a pattern to my Knit Companion app on my iPad when I heard my hubby downstairs “kind of screaming” in disgust like he was grossed out by a cut or something. The man constantly cuts himself shaving or bumps himself and gets a cut so nothing surprises me but this time it sounded different and when I hollered down a “what’s happening?” his response was “A BAT! There’s a bat in the house.”

I put my iPad down, turned off the television and headed downstairs to “help” get the bat out. I was at the same time grossed out, fearful and anxious. I held the door open hoping it would exit … the big mistake I made is that I turned OFF the lights going up the stairs … bats don’t like the light. SO … up the stairs it went. (I had closed the 2nd floor doors, thank goodness. Can you imagine what would have happened if it had gotten into my yarn stash?!) Anyway, it settled in the highest part of the house and gave us time so hubby could get the fishing net and capture it long enough to get it downstairs and outside. It was a bit tangled in the net but with a little time and patience, it freed itself and flew off. It’ll be a while before we stop looking for bats in the house.

I have finished the knitting part of the two little boy vests. I need to block them next (after my plant is done drinking up the water in the sink) and sew in all the ends and stitch down the “v”. That’ll be two finished gifts in a week. Yay, me!

I’ve also made some good progress on my Sabai Top. I like the yarn pretty well because it’s soft but I am wishing it was that beautiful linen like my green tabard. I loved knitting that yarn. Regardless, I’m at the 18 inches point of the body and the goal is 21 inches so I have a bit more to go and then the ribbing. I suspect that if I applied myself today that I could finish it. I’m torn – because I want to knit the Reverie Socks (see the cute little pale pink sock below) that I cast on on Thursday because I’m really enjoying the pattern (so much better than the Lochside Socks that I didn’t enjoy knitting. It’s in time out and I am considering frogging.)

I also knitted a big circle with some super bulky Lambs Pride yarn that went on clearance at the store for a sample … and hope it’ll sell some yarn and be a useful container for the store. Today I’ll felt it into a “bowl”. My friend and colleague, Carol, found an old Plymouth felted bowl pattern in a donated binder and on the same day the Lambs Pride variegated Burly Spun yarns went to clearance (discontinued). We each brought a hank home to make a sample for the shop – to sell the yarn and to use as display support in the future. Mine is knitted and needs felting. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

It’s going to be another hot one today. I’ve turned on my a/c in the atelier and plan to spend some serious knitting time. The rest of the week is going to be busy – good busy but busy. I’ll take today to recover from my 3-day work week last week and store up some energy for the one that’s coming. How is life for this semi-retired person so busy?

Gone knitting.

This is 68!

Posted on July 27, 2026 by Queen Bee Knits

Well, I’m not sure I believe that I’ve had another birthday! I was talking to my aunt today and she said that she’s 83 and I’m 68? How the heck did that happen? Neither one of us should be that old. And we sure don’t feel this old! Regardless, I had a most remarkable, memorable birthday! My daughter asked me to do an errand for her and pick up something she had made by an artist in Freedom, Maine. When I was thinking about going to pick it up (we’d agreed on Sunday morning) it occurred to me that we’d be close to the Lost Kitchen and had heard they were serving lunch on a “first come first served” basis. BUT they were closed on Sunday so we reached out to the artist and switched it to Saturday morning and figured we’d head to TLK after that. And we did.

The bridge to The Lost Kitchen, Freedom, Maine

We were 15th in line waiting for their 11am opening. Unsure about whether the dogs would be ok (they are) and what to expect about waiting because we read it could be a wait of up to 3 hours, we took our spot in line at 10:15-ish and forty-five minutes later, we were crossing the bridge.

They managed the line, which was longer behind us than ahead of us by 11am, efficiently and with care. Once across, we headed into the Little Lost Kitchen to order our food. We ordered one of each item on the list and tried their house-made drinks – unsweet iced tea, a fruit shrub and a lemonade. Everything was presented beautifully and everything was delicious. ~~We seem to have neglected taking a photo of the vanilla custard dessert which was all of our favorite~~. We all shared all the dishes and we all had our favorites: the fried chicken was one as was the roasted vegetable focacia. The caesar salad ~~(also un-photographed)~~ was gorgeous and delicious. Overall it was an extraordinary experience. 10 out of 10. Highly recommend!

We went on to Liberty to visit Liberty Tool and Liberty Graphics, got iced cream at Johns and then headed home. Everything fell into place on my special day and I was so grateful that my son and his girlfriend and their dogs came all the way up to celebrate witThe h me. We had a Dairy Queen cake after the kids made “ramen” for dinner with all sorts of leftovers from the fridge. We are well-fed with full hearts, too.

I haven’t been knitting much! I’ve worked a few rounds on my Lochside socks and have taken several rounds back to correct mistakes that I made. Ha! Ha! The pattern is so simple but when I get involved in conversations … oops! I’ve got a few more inches on the foot and then I’ll knit the second sock. I’m not a huge fan of the yarn as it seems “fuzzy” and my needles are so pointy that it’s splitting a lot, too. So, it’s slow going but it’s moving along. Progress is being made.

I’ve gotten some time this afternoon to work on the Easy Folded Poncho, too. I’m getting close to the 50 inches of fabric and then it’ll be blocked and seamed and ready to wear when the weather starts to cool off. We’ve had some lovely cool nights that are perfect for sleeping! My body has been healing from my pneumonia “adventure” and I find I am sleeping more and even napping. I seldom nap.

Tomorrow I’m going to try to finish the front of my tabard and get the pieces blocked before they’re seamed. I will have to make the ties that hold the sides together, too, but that’s not big deal. Once that’s finished (I have only one side of the front shoulder to finish) I am going to cast on my Sabai Top. I have some black linen for my Sabai and I am planning to knit the ribbed neckline. I think it’ll be a great top to make and wear. In early September, I’ll measure my daughter and pick up her Levitate Wrap. I don’t want to knit further before I am sure it’s going to fit – frogging anything with mohair is a monster!

August is going to be a busy month for work, volunteering at school and my knitting life, too. So, for now I’m going to sign off … gone knitting!

The Day Before WIP Wednesday

Posted on July 21, 2026 by Queen Bee Knits

It’s been super breezy all day. No coffee on the porch this morning but I was up early (hubby woke me emptying the dehumidifier at 5:45am) and I decided to get a few things done and see how it feels. And it feels pretty good! I really needed to clean our bathroom which I hadn’t done since before we both got sick in early July. The spiders had taken over and I couldn’t have them in charge anymore. I also got my car registered and have called my mechanic to get it inspected but they’re on vacation this week. Next week will work.

When I got home from my one errand, I decided to make a batch of blueberry muffins which I haven’t made since the kids, version 1, were here. I don’t think I ever got the second group any blueberry muffins. We picked strawberries and my daughter made strawberry muffins instead. I must be feeling better. This is two days in a row that I have baked. Yesterday I made a batch of my granola. So, granola and muffins this week. I must be feeling better!

While I was waiting for the muffins to cool enough to take out of the pan, I took a walk around the yard. The hydrangeas and the “daisies” are all blooming … I know they’re not all daisies but they are the same shape as daisies so I am clumping them together. I also found a couple of zucchinis in the veggie garden, some lettuces and a couple more cucumbers. The tomatoes are getting there … that’s what I really am looking forward to – tomato sandwiches!

I spent the late morning hand sewing. A couple of years ago I took a class online with Heidi Parkes and started to make a “Love Letter Quilt” with her prompts. She suggests 20 6×8 inch rectangles and has 20 prompts to stitch for the quilt. I’ve been working on it with no particular regularity and have decided that I really need to get it finished, assembled and hung. It’s going to be our tenth anniversary in a bit and maybe I can get it done for that? Time will tell.

The most recent pieces that I’ve finished are “a flower” and “an artifact”. The flower was easy. We’ve had an orchid plant that belonged to Ned’s mother prior to her death. When she passed away, we inherited the plant and have cared for it since. We even moved from Florida to Maine with the plant in flower … and it’s been flowering consistently since then. So, the orchid is the plant. The artifact had to be the old house. The property was owned by hubby’s father’s aunt and his dad bought the house from her in the 1940s. They used it as a summer house forever and Ned was here every summer of his life (minus one when he and his mother had a disagreement). The orchid is on a too small piece of fabric (I need to learn to measure!) but I’ll adapt it and will make it work.

This afternoon I’ve been working on the front part of my tabard. I still love love love this color and can’t wait to wear the garment. I have the perfect blouse to wear under it! Today I got one shoulder knitted and am ready to knit the second one tomorrow. My brain is on fire from counting and concentrating and especially after getting up so early, I’m tired. Anyway, I’ll get the front finished tomorrow! Yay! I think I will block it before I seam it to see what the yarn is going to do. I’m excited to be so close!

And now I’m turning to my Sock Sprint 2026 socks. The pattern is fun and easily memorized and I’ve been working the heel flap since last night. It’s a bit different with 3 garter stitch stitches on each side of the slipped stitch heel flap. I’m interested to see how it finishes up. I may be able to get the heel flap done and turn the heel tonight.

I am heading back to work on Thursday for the first time since June 18th! I’ve been out of work for over a month … first for the kids’ visits and then because I got sick. I am so glad I took the time to rest and recover because I do think I am ready to go back now. Last week, not so much. I imagine that I’ll be really happy when it’s Saturday and I can rest again. This has been quite a ride!

Gone knitting!

Losing a Dog – Empty Dog Beds

Posted on July 19, 2026 by Queen Bee Knits

Yesterday was the fifth anniversary of losing my Lola, the shitzu who was my heart dog, my one and only sweet girl, the dog who carried me through some of the most difficult years of my life. I had to get out of bed because she (and my second shitzu, Boq) needed to go out. They needed me to get them groomed, fed, walked … and when all else felt like it was falling apart, they kept me going. One day at a time. Until life felt good again. The reminder that it’s been five years knocked me off my feet yesterday and I miss them both just as much today as I did after they died. They were the best little dogs ever and I am so grateful to them for helping me through.

And then we lost the BBD a couple of weeks ago. He was my hubby’s boy although he always came running to me when he was afraid of the thunder. LOL And now we are thinking about how to store the dog beds that have been on every floor of our house forever. I’m ready to wash and store the one in my atelier because I need the space. Hubby’s not ready to store the one in his man cave, it’s still too fresh. It doesn’t feel right. We’re figuring it out but, gee, it sure feels bizarre to come home to an empty house and to not have to rush home to let a dog out or to think about hubby traveling next month and I’ll be here absolutely alone for the first time since we built the house.

Dogs become part of the family and in so doing become a part of your heart. We’ve been lucky to have a few great dogs and a few great grand-dogs, too. And when they leave … it’s crushing. So, we choose to honor them by living on. I don’t think we’ll have another dog for a bit. I might be able to live dog-free forever but I have a feeling there’s another dog in our future. In the meantime, we’re getting up in the morning and choosing to fill up our days with joy, love, service and gratitude (and cry when we are feeling sad.) It’s all a part of the “cost” of loving a dog.

I’m continuing to get healthier and stronger and add a bit more “stuff” to my day. I’m knitting again, too. Yesterday I cast on with the Wooly Thistle in their 2026 Sock Sprint. I am knitting the Lochside Socks in John Arbon Textiles Exmoor Sock in a really lovely shade of green. The sock pattern is simple enough, a 2×2 rib and then a broken rib to the heel flap. I’ve got a bit to go before I get there but it feels good.

I’m knitting with my Signature DPNs that I collected a set of ages ago. I have to be very careful with these needles because they’re needle sharp. Truly. (Ask me how I know!) Anyway, they’re coming along nicely and will be good to work on when I don’t want to think too hard. I am going to be pulling out my Broadgate Tabard again, too. I’ve got the back finished and am working on the front and it’s time to get this project finished up. I don’t have too much more knitting to do on the front and I am eager to wear it! I still love the green linen and I think it’ll be a wonderful garment. My brainless knitting is the Easy Folded Poncho and when I don’t have the bandwidth to count stitches, I grab this. It’s just a simple stockinette rectangle and I’ve got about another twenty inches or so to knit before I can block it and sew up the seam.

Some of my leftovers went home with my daughter to NYC for a crochet project and that has inspired me to look at my stash and to purge some yarns that I don’t really want to work with. I’ll be taking one bag of yarns to the store on Thursday for the give-away pile. We have a lot of yarn in the office that needs to find a new home and maybe when the boss is away we can find a suitable person to take (at least) some of it! I also have to look through the bins and baskets in my studio because I know I have several “sweaters’ worth” that I don’t even count as part of my stash. I even have a few hanks that I can return since I’ve finished projects and don’t need the extra hank or two. Yay, me!

The good news is that if I’m cleaning up and cleaning out, I must be feeling better!

Gone knitting.

Can We Talk – About Sock Rulers?

Posted on July 17, 2026 by Queen Bee Knits

This has been a beautiful day! I managed (with some little breaks) to sit on the front porch knitting for most of the day. The perfect spot for me as I continue to rest and recuperate, and I am starting to feel better.

I’ve been working on my shortie socks, the second pair that are “my design” which means I am using several patterns all mashed up together in one pair. I really like a heel flap and gusset so I’ve borrowed that from Yankee Knitter and I like a plain vanilla sock which I’ve adapted from the Crazy Sock Lady. AND I love the Coop Knits Socks Yeah! sock yarn. I think it may be my current favorite sock yarn. Anyway, as I was knitting away on the foot of the sock, I pulled out my Polka Dot Sheep sock ruler. It’s like a slap bracelet so it rolls up small. The outside is plastic and, as such, is the biggest issue I have with the ruler in general. It’s sticky. It sticks to the yarn and I have to finagle it into the heel and foot of the sock and then maneuver the sock in order to get an accurate measurement. Not my favorite tool but it travels well due to its compact size.

It does have a couple of measurements that are nice to have: shoe sizes for children, women and men and on the reverse side are inches. For my size, a woman’s 9.5 I can knit to the mark a bit past the size 9 and then start the toe.

The other Sock Ruler I have is what I would call the “original” which is a flat plastic, one-sided ruler that fits into the sock smoothly (much more smoothly than its counterpart). It’s marked in centimeters and inches. Simple and efficient. The only drawback is its size. It’s pretty big and rigid so it needs to be flat at the bottom of your knitting bag. (I have the adult ruler and the child/infant set and they’re all the same, just different sizes.) This is my prefered sock ruler because I like the way it fits into the socks and makes it easier to measure the foot lenght.

There are other sock rulers out there and if you ask me they’re all about the same. Some are made of a “wood” product, too. My concern is that this material won’t slide smoothly into the sock as the Polka Dot Sheep one doesn’t. I will keep choosing my OG Sock Ruler which you can order here or purchase at your LYS.

And, I’m happy to report that I have a FO! My second shortie socks are finished! Ta! Da!

Now to get moving on finishing Sylvie’s purple sparkly swing skirt!

Gone finishing.

It’s Been a Minute …

Posted on July 3, 2026 by Queen Bee Knits

It has been a minute since I last blogged. We’ve been overrun with our family visiting and it’s been simply wonderful. My hubby’s girls and their husbands and our grandson arrived for a visit about two weeks ago and were here for ten days! We spent lots of time together at the lake with side trips to the coast and to LL Bean. Such fun to reconnect after a bit.

The kids helped repaint and repair our old bridge across the creek (and dug out a bunch of leaves) and repainted some of the porch furniture which was really needed. And now we’re all spruced up and ready for the Fourth of July and round two of family visits … there will be a few this summer and we’re totally thrilled!

While the kids were here our dog, Monk, suddenly started to be really limpy and we got some horrible news at the vet on Tuesday afternoon. One of the lumps on his hip was likely affecting his gait and may well be cancer eating his spine. We brought him home but knew what we had to do and on Wednesday we said farewell to our good boy. Our lumpy, bumpy, humpy Big Brown Dog will be waiting for us with The Littles in heaven. The house is way too quiet right now and we likely needed a few days to be sad (and wash the sheets, remake the beds and get in some provisions.)

I’ve been knitting very little for the last ten days. A few rows or rounds here and there but nothing of note. I’m way too cognizant of spending time with the family and the grands when they’re with us. Screens and yarn can wait. Suffice it to say that I’ve had yarn in my hands each day but no real progress has been made. I’ve been working away at my granddaughter’s skirt, a second pair of shortie socks for me with leftover yarn, and a couple of rows on my Easy Folded Poncho.

I finished a little hat before the kids arrived and I knitted a new store sample while they were here … This is the Buoy Kerchief by Elizabeth Smith and it’s a part of her new collection. I was privileged to be given an advance copy of the pattern to make a store sample. I love the Berroco Pima 100 cotton yarn and we have tons of colors at the shop. The pattern is a simple kerchief in two colors. A fun knit! I’m not sure the hat will fit the granddaughter’s head. It came out way too small but I have more of the slubby neon yarn and I’ll make a bigger one for her while she’s here. I also have a multi-colored pompom to put on the top. Things happen. (See me shrugging my shoulders.)

So, that’s it … I have to run and get some food in my belly, vacuum the second floor and then shower before the family (round two) arrives.

Gone knitting.