Queen Bee Knits

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

A Case of the Tuesdays

Posted on January 21, 2025 by Queen Bee Knits

Today began as other days have begun … with a colorful sunrise across the lake. This morning’s sunrise was a “chilly” zero degrees (they say we made it to -2 overnight.) When I opened my atelier blinds this morning there was condensation on the inside of the windows which means it was really cold outside. Even by our Maine standards.

Yesterday there was another sunrise.

Yesterday was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in the US and a president was inaugurated in Washington, DC. I chose to focus on MLK Day because he was a positive, truthful man who cared about all people being equal. He was also a minister, a faithful servant, a God-fearing family man whose son and family continue his legacy. They want MLK day to be a day of service and are, in fact, “doubling down” on asking people to serve others. I believe in service to others. I believe in education and the arts and I believe in caring for our planet – leave the campground better than you found it. I will spend the next four years giving back – volunteering and teaching, setting an example.

Yesterday I chose to turn off the TV and stay off social media. I’m still thinking about the “Metav-erse” and whether or not I am going to leave it. I’m thinking I won’t … regardless of their ownership and philosophy … or lack thereof. Instead, I took care of some female health stuff and had a bone density scan in the morning, came home and cleaned up the house, did some laundry, cleaned a bathroom and straightened up my studio. I also watched a couple of podcasts that bring me joy and worked on my Jelly Roll Blanket. I’m making progress toward finishing the fifth strip!

I’ve decided to change my approach to this blanket as I’m not making a significant enough dent in my leftover sock yarn bin. SO from here on, I’ll be using two strands of bits and bobs (some of which I have nearly a whole skein) held double. It’ll change the look a little bit but I’m going to try to treat it as a fade … light colors first and darker colors later. This blanket will likely adorn our granddaughter’s new bedroom nook in my sewing studio … which I’m also creating in my mind. We will be making a trip to IKEA in Massachusetts to buy a “junior bed” and mattress and maybe some other goodies for her spot … she’s going to be too big for a pack and play crib this summer!

I worked for a bit on my New Year’s cast on project, Winter’s Finery by Rosemary Hill (Romi Designs). I had to frog back a few rows because I saw a mistake in the center spine that I almost certainly made on Friday when I was teaching and talking and knitting. Yes, I still make mistakes. Lots of them. Anyway, I frogged back and then knitting on … and I’ve now passed the point where I had been when I started frogging. Knitting takes patience and persistence, that’s for sure. This yarn is making me so happy and I’d like to do nothing but work on this project but …

I also worked on my Christmas socks and got the heel turned and the gusset is almost done … I think I have two more rounds of decreases before I can just knit knit knit to the toe. I love the way this WYS sock yarn is working up and it feels good in my hands, too. I did find a dropped stitch waaaaay down from where I was working. I’ve hiked it up a ways but will put it on a holder (here a pink lightbulb stitch marker) and will pull it back to the inside of the sock and weave it in at the end. It would make a ridge in the sock, I think, if I were to pull it all the way up. Those little stitches on US1.5 needles with fingering weight yarn make it difficult to pick up stitches. It’s ok, though, these are for me. I added a stitch on the instep needle to compensate for the dropped stitch so we’re all good.

I did not work on my fingerless mitts for my daughter yesterday. I will today. I have gotten into the charts and they’re starting to look like something. This pattern has five charts to follow. Two of them (the first and last) are just one stitch each. Not sure why they couldn’t be tacked onto their neighboring charts, but whatever … I’m getting it done and I think they’re going to be really subtle and really pretty. I have been wearing my Lumos “boob” lights to brighten up the black yarn and that really helps my “old” eyes. I wouldn’t knit with black yarn for just anybody, that’s for sure!

I did sew yesterday. I found a tutorial for a quilted journal cover for a composition notebook thingy and I know I have had some pre-cut strips that I won ages ago … so I pulled them out and had a look and decided to try to make one for my bullet journal that I use as a calendar/planner/record-of-all-things. And that’s what I spent my afternoon doing. I revved up the old Bernina and got sewing. Since my calendar isn’t the same size as the cover the tutorial made, I had to wing it and that was a learning experience but it’s all good, I did it and it fits my book. It does make my book fatter which I may decide I don’t like. But for now, I’ll try it. I added ties to keep it closed (I would have made these be a piece of elastic if I could have found some. I couldn’t … so, ties it is. My book this year is blue (I choose a particular color each year … last year was orange, the year before was pink …) and I chose blue fabric even if I don’t LOVE this fabric, it does the trick for now. I may be going to the office store to buy a composition notebook to see how that works in comparison to my hard-cover book. BUT today I’m going to rearrange furniture, clean out a few bins and knit.

Gone knitting!

(I can’t seem to find the source/artist who designed this wonderful image but I wanted to show you what I think of when I write this at the end of every post. AND since I live on a lake, “gone fishing” is the normal retort for most lakeside residents. Not this one, though. I like the giggle I get when I think of gone fishing and gone knitting being one and the same … or not.)

Windy with a Chance of Knitting

Posted on January 18, 2025 by Queen Bee Knits

It was a pretty in pink kind of morning this morning. The opposite side of the lake was all lit up in blush pink … a beautiful sight to see when you first wake up. The lake is covered this morning with people ice fishing. There’s a little “village” just on the other side of the “sunken island” (aka Penny Island) and snow machines and wheeled vehicles are abundant. I think they’re all nuts! It’s windy and quite cool despite being the warmest of the next few days. Not me, thank you very much.

Yesterday I delivered the two tams I knit for my customer to the shop for her to pick up and this morning I’ve written the store newsletter. I am looking forward to getting some knitting done today. I think I can finish my Hooodola project since I have only about three inches of ribbing to go. I am hoping that this will be a good “hat” for me (who doesn’t like wearing hats, not even the lobster one that I recently finished.)

Hoodola is a knitted hood with a ribbed neck that can be folded up to protect your face (think balaclava). I had three hanks of a sport weight wool blend yarn by Berroco that is discontinued in my stash and it was another opportunity for me to knit down my stash. The construction of Hoodola is fascinating and quite simple. With lots of stockinette stitch, it’s not complicated and I can knit it and talk or have a cocktail. Laura sent an update for the pattern with a casing and drawstring so you can cinch it closed a bit around your face. I have a sample skein of On the Round sport yarn that’s hand-dyed in blues and grays that I may choose to use if I decide to add the casing. I’ve not really decided just yet.

I’ve begun working on a new pair of fingerless mitts for my daughter who has been wearing her ex-husbands initial on the thumb gusset of her favorite pair. It’s time to burn those babies and get a new pair for a new favorite. I’ve managed to knit the cuff and I would love to start the hand today. She chose the Rain Shadow Mitts pattern by Daniel Herrera and I chose the requested colors, black and blue, in Brown Sheep Nature Spun Fingering (see the details in my Ravelry project page.) Any knitter who chooses to knit with black yarn knows that it’s difficult to knit with and hard on the eyes. BUT this mama bear is determined to make her cub happy and I was reminded that i have a Lumos neck light that I will put on and see if it lights up the stitches better for my “old” eyes. I love her that much!!!

My goal for the weekend is to give these two projects some attention and see how far I can get. I may pull the pink mittens out of hibernation and give them a shot, too. We’ll see how motivated I am. Ha! Ha!

There have been several winter storm warnings from my weather app today and it appears that we are going to get some winter weather later today and/or tomorrow. For now the wind is blowing enough to rattle the screen in the window here in front of my desk. I’m praying for inches of snow!

Gone knitting.

Appointments and Meetings Galore

Posted on October 15, 2024 by Queen Bee Knits

It was an up and out early morning today. I snapped this shot at around 5:45am just as the sun was starting to think about coming up and there was a very faint glow at the horizon. We are so very fortunate to live in this beautiful place. It’s been really quiet lately. I’ve not heard any loons for a bit but it’s unlikely they’ve all left the lake already. We have lots of ducks and geese flying by outside so they’re definitely on the move.

I started the morning with a 7:30 am visit to an eye lid surgeon. I’ve had this “red bump” on my right eye lid since I was a kid. The story I’ve told was that I got it from scratching my chicken pox. Turns out that’s not true. It’s a angioma or something similar, a benign blood vessel thing. Regardless, mine’s become bigger over time (not unusual) and it’s going to be removed in early December. I take horrible selfies but here’s a photo of it for you (eeek, that’s a lot of me!)

After my appointment I came home and made blueberry muffins for my sweetie. I’ve not been doing any baking for the last few months because I’ve been feeling somewhat overwhelmed by life and all of my obligations and he’s missed his sweets. I’ve missed feeling grounded and in retrospect, my lack of baking is some of what is making me feel overwhelmed. It’s a vicious cycle! Regardless, I’m going to try to take it back and bake once a week at least. While the muffins were baking I finished our laundry and cut some of the beautiful hydrangeas from one of the bushes in our yard. I am hoping that they will dry and be a pretty decoration through the winter.

I’ve been working on two knitting projects this week so far. My Musselburgh hat for my future daughter-in-love in Herriot Fine in red and green. I’m almost to the decreases which means that it’ll be finished soon. Lots and lots of little stitches around and around on US3 needles with fingering weight alpaca yarn. The yarn is SO soft, though, it’s really a pleasure to work with.

I’ve had to attend several zoom/google meets meetings online over the past week or so and I’ve been trying to catch up with a few of the podcasts and YouTube channels that I follow. My Jelly Roll Blanket is perfect for knitting while otherwise engaged and I’ve made some good progress on the blanket. I’ve finished one tiny ball of yarn scraps and one larger ball of yarn scraps and have moved on to a third. This blanket is all bits of yarn that I’ve used in other projects, mostly socks, held with a strand of cream colored sock yarn. I think I’ve said before that I bought a bag of sock yarn thinking that I would dye some yarn. Ha! That didn’t happen. This is a good use for that bag of yarn AND it helps to unify all the scrappiness of the blanket. I am about half-way through the fourth strip. This will be a long-term project.

I’ve cleaned up my studio a bit and I’ve gotten a lot of paperwork done. I bought a new bullet journal in a pretty light teal blue for 2025. I am a paper calendar girl … I can’t work with a calendar on my phone beyond notifications that it’s a birthday or anniversary for someone in my life – and even then I seldom send a card. My kids all use the calendars on their phones, some that they share with their partners/siblings or whomever. While it sounds practical and efficient, this old girl has learned over the decades (and especially when I went back to finish my college degree) that I do best when I write things down. Something about the process is what helps my brain remember what I have on the schedule. I’ve collected stickers and markers and washi tape over the years and have fun being creative with the book each year. It becomes a diary of my life and records places we go, family events, work, volunteering, etc. AND it happens to match the colors that I chose for the Have You Seen My Octopus hat that I’m going to make for our granddaughter.

One more meeting to zoom into at 6:30 this evening … but I can go knit for a bit now.

Gone knitting.

Around the House

Posted on May 5, 2024 by Queen Bee Knits

Today isn’t the most beautiful that we’ve had this week but I am not going to work today and I am so glad to have a day to recharge my batteries. I hope that a day at home will also help me with my knitting mojo. I have several projects that I really “want” to finish but I can’t bring myself to actually do it … so, instead, I cast on a new project and have something else that remains unfinished. AND as the UFOs collect on my ottoman or “projects-in-waiting” cabinet, I get more overwhelmed. It’s kind of like when the house is a mess or my desk is disorganized. I really need a day or two or three to catch up with my messes and this week may allow me to do some of that!

Anyway, I really wanted to show you around the house because the spring bulbs have sprung and they bring me so much joy! You can see the Forsythia bush out by our boathouse is in full bloom this year and our garlic is shooting up through the hay, too. We (and when I say “we”, I mean the royal we) have filled our third raised garden bed with soil and just have to add a bit of peat moss and some compost and it’ll be ready to plant with veggies. We can’t really plant until after Labor Day weekend but we may try some cold-loving lettuce seeds.

We have had a couple of gloriously beautiful sunrises this week that I also want to show you. (They’re on my Instagram page but if you’re not on Instagram … well, you get the idea!)

The lilac bushes are leafing out and soon enough we’ll see the buds beginning to form. Lilacs are one of my favorites for sure. Another favorite is my Bleeding Heart. I have two but the first one is the most special. We had a HUGE one at the old house but when the house fell, it fell on and killed my first Bleeding Heart. So, when we started planting again, one of the first plants to go in, in almost the exact same place, was this Bleeding Heart. You can almost watch it grow at this time of year.

Every year we’ve been adding bulbs around the yard. Not a ton of them, just a few. Last year we added a bag of daffodils and a bag of tulips. I’ve never lived anywhere where I’ve successfully grown tulips … deer love them and some soil doesn’t love them. Regardless, they seem to be happy to grow here. We took out a dead Hydrangea last fall and planted these bulbs and they’re making me very happy!

Oh, what a beautiful morning! My husband took this photo while I was sleeping but you can see that the color of the sky was absolutely stunning. What we seem to have missed that morning was the rainbow in the opposite direction. Mother Nature was really showing off this week.

Here’s another morning and another photo by my hubby. He’s the “real” photographer in the family but I take more photos and am, perhaps, less artistic more the chronicler. Is that a word? Now, all we need is a little bit of warmer air so we can sit on the porch!

Gone knitting.

How Today’s Going

Posted on November 15, 2023 by Queen Bee Knits

Today is my last day at home before returning to work after having some cruddy virus-type thing. I’m still coughing and stuffy but I do think I’m on the upswing and am feeling much better. My sweetie not so much. Today’s been one of those days where your plan just keeps falling apart.

I always spend a few minutes at my desk in the morning to have a look at what I need to get done that day, if I have any meetings, etc. Today I got myself ready to start the day and headed downstairs to fold the laundry. When I went into the bathroom I noticed that the toilet seat needed attention so I cleaned it up. The sink also needed attention so I cleaned it and the counter. Finally, it was time to fold the laundry and put it away. Done and dusted. I thought I’d make granola next and walked by my purse in the front hall which reminded me that I had wanted to changing purses so I went into our closet and found that my two vintage Coach purses at the bottom of the bin were moldy so I grabbed the shoe polish and the purses and went out into the kitchen to clean and polish them. My purses look brand new after more than 40 years and I switched my stuff from my “fall” purse into the oldest and smallest Coach purse that I have. I bought it on sale at Lord & Taylor in Manhattan when I lived and worked there. It was my first ever Coach purse. After putting the other purses back in the closet, I got out the makings for granola.

And while the oats, etc. were toasting, I remembered to catch up on my Wovember posts on Instagram.I know that committing myself to these monthly postings is going to be tough but I try it again and again. I was really behind … like 5 or six days behind. I’d thought about the posts and had taken some photos but needed to take a photo of the afghan that my grandmother’s friend Ruth gave to me as a shower or wedding gift the first time I was married. Ruth is my knitting hero. She could knit while drinking coffee, smoking a cigarette and watching TV. The afghan remains one of my favorites despite the acrylic yarn. I noticed it needs some repair – it has a few pulls – and I’ve added that to my mending list. I wrote my post while the liquid part of the granola was melting and then put the granola together and back into the oven.

I had emptied a bottle of fizzy water and hadn’t refilled it so I did that, put away the dry dishes on the drainboard, cleaned up the kitchen and washed the top of the island (I had to scrub a bit of shoe polish off.) Meanwhile, I’d forgotten to eat breakfast so I grabbed the last of the baked oatmeal out of the freezer and popped it into the microwave. See how it’s gone? I’ve made headway into the day but geez, there’s a lot of side trips! Ha! Ha!

Look how happy my houseplants are! I am thrilled to see the show they’re putting on this year. My Thanksgiving Cactus is in full bloom. It’s absolutely covered with flowers. The second one, is blooming too but nowhere near as fully as the red one. Our orchids are STILL blooming. They’ve been incredible and in nearly constant bloom for months. Yes, you read that right, MONTHS! My father would be so proud of me and I know that Helen is smiling.

I really am knitting. I’m endeavoring to design a Christmas sweater for Sylvie. She’s a year old but she’s a peanut so I’m not sure what size to knit but I’ve just begun and am hoping it’ll fit! I’ll write the pattern down when it’s done … maybe … but I think it’ll be cute and different. I’ve got the body done and am knitting the sleeves. Since they’re little, they won’t take a lot of time. The Yoke will be worked pretty simply with raglan decreases and then embellished once the sweater is knitted. I’m not going to share any more photos (the one below was posted to Instagram) until it’s finished but there are hints on my Ravelry project page.

I’ve set aside my pink mittens with some of the embroidery done and some yet to do. I’ll get them finished when I am done with Sylvie’s sweater. They may travel with me for Thanksgiving. We shall see. I’m continuing to work on my Nancy’s Vest slowly but surely and mostly in the evenings when I am too tired for colorwork and design work. I’ve got five of the seven button holes knitted so I’m making progress. I hope it’s going to be long enough … it looks like it could be really short. If that’s the case, I’ll rip it out and start again. I am trying to take my own advice and trust the pattern.

My gray socks are still on the needles. I found a dropped stitch way back and pulled it up as far as I dared. I’ll secure the one stitch when it’s finishing time. I’ve already added a stitch so that my count is correct. They’re for me so it doesn’t really matter if they’re perfect. Well. they’re perfectly imperfect.

My studio and home are a mess and I can’t leave for Thanksgiving before it’s cleaned up a little bit. Guess we’ll be vacuuming and dusting this weekend. Holiday travel is not my cup of tea and I’m trying to get myself into the mindset that what happens happens. We are so fortunate to be able to travel and to be invited for a Thanksgiving visit. Our generator is in good working order should we lose power and we have Tom coming to raise our guest cottage sometime during the long weekend so he’ll check on the water issue (we’re waiting on parts so it can be fixed.) Monk will be happy to see his friends at the kennel. We have everything that’s within our control done. The rest is up to the universe.

Gone knitting.

PS. Two more thoughts. First. I went to the doctor because I wasn’t feeling well on Thursday last week. When we bring our dog to the veterinarian, they call to see how he’s doing after the visit. I’ve heard not one word from my doctor. Second. The weather is really feeling wintery now. We (the royal we) covered the garlic with straw and it’s time to cover the Rhododendrons that we’ve been nursing for years. They’re getting a bit bigger but the weight of the snow (and the workers) may hurt them. Guess it’s time to put the life jackets and oars away, too. The dock’s only been gone a month or so. An extra thought. Be kind. Everyone’s fighting battles these days. Politics is ugly, war is ugly, and it’s difficult to wrap my head around the things people say to each other. What we can all do every day is to be kind. It takes so little effort.

The Non-Winter Winter

Posted on February 19, 2023 by Queen Bee Knits

Sunrise is happening about 30 minutes earlier than a few weeks ago and it’s moving back over to the left of the music camp. That’s a good indication that we are moving out of winter and into spring. Our camp road has been posted (this is an official town posting that prohibits heavy trucks from driving on the town roads when they are least stable – aka “mud season”.)

This is a blessing and a curse this year because we haven’t really had a good cold winter. Signs that this hasn’t happened are that we have had very few, if any, pickup trucks on the ice. I’ve seen exactly one. Normally, they’re everywhere for several weeks at a minimum. While this seems like a blessing, we have to be concerned about what this means for the health of our lake.

I’ve learned a lot about invasive plant species while being the president of our lake association and the future of Maine lakes is at risk. On our lake, we always had one seasonal bloom of our single invasive milfoil species. We now have two blooms per season. With the warm winter, there is evidence of the plant’s adaptation to colder water. Not a good thing.

Meanwhile, on the shores of Messalonskee, our snow is melting and I’ve been spending time in my studio. I’ve been working to clean up and clean out. I even took three bags of odds and ends of yarn to GoodWill this week. I even used my sewing machine this week.

My friend Deb gifted me this “kit” to make a bee tote. It’s printed on a loose weave cotton and it’s gorgeous! I decided that I needed to line it and to make it a bit stiffer so it’ll sit up by itself. So one day last week I went off to Yardgoods Center and picked the brain of the sewists on the fabric side. Vicki helped me choose an iron-on interfacing that will make the fabric stiffen up a bit. This week I cut out the pieces from the kit and cut the lining pieces as well. Of course I had to line it … which meant that I had to figure out how to sew it together without directions. Which, because I am not a confident sewist, proved to be a challenge. But I DID figure it out.

I ironed the interfacing to the wrong sides of the fabric, sewed the pocket (lined and with interfacing, too) to the bag lining, and turned the straps to the right side. That turning all by itself was a challenge but with a pin and knitting needle, I managed to get it done. I top-stitched both sides of the handles and set them aside while I figured out how to sew the pieces of the bag together. After one complete f@#%-up, I started over from the beginning and stitched each part, lining and bag, individually with the boxed bottom and all. It occurred to me that I had done a lined bag once before in the distant past. That spark of a memory helped me figure out how to sew the parts together and have the handles be in the right place, too. Woo! Hoo! Success! Yay, me!

I started a pair of Christmas socks for my hubby. Before you congratulate me for planning ahead, let me tell you that these socks were promised for LAST Christmas. I’ve chosen this pattern, Urban Rustic Socks, because he was wearing MY pair (and thought they were a bit small). Ha! Ha! Now he’ll have his own pair. And they’re fun to knit, the cables are lovely and I love mine. The yarn is Raggi by Jarbo Garn. We can’t get this in our LYS any more and when they announced it, I had the forethought to buy a bit “extra” because I really like how it knits and wears. Hubby benefits from my good plan!

I discovered a problem with the larger size, though. When I got to the increase round, the ribbing didn’t line up when I knitted the pattern as written. So, on the third try, I just kept an eye on my knitting and “forced” the ribbing to line up. I will write down what I did when I knit the second sock, For now, though, I’m off and running – and I’ve reached the heel flap on the first sock. Another thing to note … using US 4 needles with an Aran-weight yarn causes my hands and arm to hurt. I might have tried knitting these on a US 5 needle and it might have been easier on my hands. But it’s too late now.

Emsworth Vest in Patagonia (you’ve seen this photo before)

My Emsworth is also really really really close to being done. I reached the 11 3/4″ mark on the body of the vest on Friday but when I held it up to my body, it felt too short. My knitting class confirmed it and I kept on knitting. I’m going to try another inch or two and see if that isn’t better for me. I hope that I can get it finished in the next week so that when my yarn arrives from Norway, I can begin knitting my genser without having to put aside my vest. (*crosses fingers and toes.)

My “knitting chair” that I ordered in mid-January was promised in mid-March. It seems that it has been delayed and I’m trying to be patient. I cleaned up the studio last week and have been thinking about moving some of the furniture around in advance of my new chair’s arrival. It seems I can take my time.

Gone knitting. (Enjoy a few sights from the lake.)

Ice Out and Critters Return – Welcome Spring!

Posted on April 10, 2022 by Queen Bee Knits

As soon as the ice goes out (this year it happened on April 6th) the water birds and critters return to the lake. It’s miraculous, really, that they know when it’s safe to come back out on the lake. This year we heard reports from the northern end of the lake that the loons had returned while our section of the lake was still covered by ice. BUT as soon as the ice was gone, the loons were calling from the cove. There’s nothing quite like living so close to nature. We are so grateful to be able to witness the seasonal changes, to watch the sun change its position in the sky, and to know that there are more miracles coming soon when the babies are back with their parents. It won’t be long.

Since the ice went out, we’ve seen all the weather. Beautiful blue bird skies, thick fog and days of rain. Fortunately, it seems that mud season was relatively short this year and early. I had some white knuckle trips down our road and I may have let a few four-letter words escape my lips while hoping that my car wouldn’t get stuck in the mud.

I’ve been knitting like a mad woman. I seem to want to cast on all the new projects and I am trying to stay focused on finishing some, too.

I’ve got a full basket of cotton yarns that I’ve collected over the years. I am trying to knit down the stash and one of my favorite projects is dishcloths/washcloths that I’ll pop into my gift drawer and pull out as needed. These two are from deeply stashed yarn from a big box store and they’re obviously seasonal. We use them here at home and the kids like them, too. They’re great stocking stuffers or as a gift with a special bar of soap. The pattern is so simple and easy to remember which makes these dishcloths good TV knitting.

I’m almost half-way through the collection of Advent jumpers from Arne and Carlos. I love knitting these little sweaters and they knit up so quickly. I’m using Patagonia Organic Merino yarn from Juniper Moon Farm and, I have to say, this is my favorite yarn right now. I’ve made my Humlebi Shawl in it and I’ve got the charcoal gray colorway set aside to make an Emsworth vest. Number 12 will likely be finished by the end of the day today. I like to spend Sunday knitting for fun. I also like to bake and I’ve eaten all of my granola and my baked oatmeal.

The body of my Traveling Sweater is nearly done (it may, actually be done but I have to measure it again to make sure.) This has been a fun knit. Patsy is a customer who has come into the store a bunch of times to purchase Plymouth Gina yarn for the sweaters that she makes. She has a Facebook page for the sweaters because she’s knitted over 100 of them. I have loved the sweater since I first saw it and have almost bought the yarn once before. When we heard that Plymouth was discontinuing the yarn, I put aside what colors we had in the shop and the boss ordered bags of each remaining color. When they came in, I bought the yarn and cast on my sweater.

The pattern is a Knitting Plain and Simple pattern #9724, Neck Down Pullover for Women. These patterns are simple beginner patterns and are knit top down in the round with minimal seaming. The sizing is somewhat size-inclusive but they certainly could be expanded. It would be wonderful if they added full stitch counts, too. But I recommend these patterns often for customers and students knitting their first garments. I’ve chosen 10 colorways of the Gina yarn and have randomly pulled them out of the bag to knit next. I have simple knitted the whole ball and then spit-spliced the next ball and kept knitting. I had a bit of a challenge making gauge but I decided that I would use the recommended needles and knit the size larger so that it would fit comfortably. I’m thinking that I may use a folded hem rather than a rolled hem but I haven’t decided yet. I suppose I can knit the rolled hem and then sew it up if I change my mind.

I’ve got to buy one more ball of Gina so that my sleeves, at least at the shoulders, match as closely as possible to the body of the sweater. After that, random is fine.

Gone knitting.

Messalonskee – 4:30 a.m.

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Queen Bee Knits

Sometimes I have trouble staying asleep (and it’s usually after two martinis.)

So when I woke up in the middle of the night last night and couldn’t go back to sleep I was able to take this photo for you! The sunrise is way down at the left end of the lake now. Give it a couple of months and it will be across the lake. Nowhere else do I know where to look for the sunrise (or sunset) and how it moves through the season. One day I hope we’ll know where it is in all four seasons.

Gone knitting.