Queen Bee Knits

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

Musselburgh and WIPs

Posted on September 2, 2025 by Queen Bee Knits

We got up early this morning and spent a good two hours watching the lake. Highlighted by the baby loon and his/her parent feeding right in front of the house. The lake was totally smooth for a time. And it was so quiet. A breath of fresh air after a busy summer and a busy Labor Day weekend.

I spent a chunk of it making a sample for the store. I chose a Yarn Snob Worsted weight wool in the Times Square colorway. Mostly because we have no samples of Yarn Snob knitted up. And, being worsted weight, it was going to knit up more quickly.

This hat pattern is wonderful!!! I’ve made one before but I had to remind myself how to do the pinhole or Emily Ocker’s magic cast on and I knew that i particularly liked Jen Arnall-Culliford’s method which is simple and doesn’t require a crochet hook. Just a pair of DPNs. (Ultimately you need a set of 4 or 5.) I really liked the Yarn Snob yarn and this hat will be a modern sample for the shop in an unexpected yarn. I made the toddler size because that is what the yardage allowed for. I loved that the colorway was named after a NYC landmark that happens to be in the heart of the theater district and my kiddos are all employed in the arts in New York City. So a nod to Times Square added a smile to my face. When the winter sets in, I’ll reclaim the hat for my granddaughter.

I spent the past couple of days working on my Vanilla Sweater by Corrine at The Wooly Thistle. I may have said this before but the color is what I fell in love with and I “had” to buy the kit. as happens with almost every simple pattern I attempt, I am struggling to read my knitting – it’s either the light in my atelier or my aging eyes or both combined with the heathery yarn but I can’t see the increases well enough so I’ve been thinking back and reknitting now and again. But I’m getting there and am almost to the end of the increases. I am up to over 300 stitches around so the rounds take a minute. I’m knitting on gauge so I will be excited to see how it fits.

I’ve also been working away on one of the critters in Louise Crowther’s book Animal Friends. I bought the yarn a few months back for three of these animals and I’m beginning with Noah the horse. It will be a gift for my daughter who loves horses. It’s fun to knit but a little bit hard on my hands because it’s knit at a tight gauge in teeny needles. So the stuffing doesn’t show through the stitches, of course! I’m making good progress. Two legs to go and the outfit and I can sew it all together.

I had nearly completed the garter stitch section of my All About the Ruffle shawl. Over 350 stitches on the needle. and I just didn’t love it. So, today I frogged it and it’ll be something else, probably a tee shirt. So boo and yay. Boo that I frogged all that work but yay that it’ll be something that I will love.

I was gifted and also grew some giant zucchini and I’ve been trying to use it up before we leave for vacation. I’ve got some chocolate zucchini muffins in the freezer with a loaf of zucchini n bread. Today I made banana zucchini muffins. Hubby seems to think they’re all for him. Ahead of vacation? Yeah, right. He’s been informed.

If I can’t get it all baked before we leave, it’ll go into the freezer all shredded and portioned into 2 cup bags. I have a lot of frozen bananas, too. I’ve not been baking enough apparently.

We are enjoying the last days or weeks with hummingbirds before they head south. I haven’t seen any male hummers recently and they had off ahead of the female and juvenile birds. So the rest will be heading off soon. We will keep the feeders full for those passing by for a few weeks.

The garden is still giving us food. I picked the first Delicata squash. There are more coming. Tomatoes are coming along too. Peas are still growing and we hope we get fruit before the first frost. I picked most of the lettuces because they were about the bolt. Our garlic is dried and cleaned and ready to store away and use. We need to grow more again next year.

I’ll be taking my Murmuration socks on vacation with my Vanilla sweater and some “purple sparkly” Encore worsted for mittens for my granddaughter and a blue bulky pullover (pattern by Knitting Pure and Simple) in superwash wool. I’ve got two grands to knit for now. Best get going on the tiny knits!

Gone knitting.

Saturday – Peace on the porch and a little knitting.

Posted on August 30, 2025 by Queen Bee Knits

I have had a lovely, peaceful morning with my coffee and yarn on the porch. I got up without an alarm, took the dog out, fed the dog and took my coffee out to the porch. It was pretty gray and we even had a little sprinkle of rain. Since then, I went up to my atelier for my yarn and I’ve been sitting here drinking my coffee and knitting and listening to the sounds of the lake. The sounds of home. Hummingbirds chasing each other away from the feeder, ducks quacking by, the train passing heading south, and the splash of an osprey right in front of our boathouse (coming up with empty talons.) And now the sun is coming out and the bees are buzzing in the cat mint.

I’m working on my Vanilla Sweater by Corrine at the Wooly Thistle in Rauma Garn Finull. I fell in love with the color of this yarn and had to buy it. No regrets here. This is a wooly Norwegian wool and I can already feel it softening up as I work it. I’m struggling to see my stitches though with the heathery wool and I’ve had to go back several times when I increased where I should not have. My attention span seems to be challenged right now. Lots going on, hubby away, boss away, the world on fire and I may even need a better light by my knitting chair.

Musselburgh in Yarn Snob “Times Square” colorway

At work we have decided we need some more contemporary samples. I said I’d knit a Musselburgh hat and brought home a hank of fingering weight Yarn Snob yarn with neon pops of color. And then I thought about all the things I have going on and brought it back. I chose, instead, a hank of worsted weight yarn snob. There was enough yardage to make a toddler hat and the. I looked at the name of the colorway and that clinched it. I’m knitting this for a sample and then when it gets colder I’m taking it for Sylvie to wear in the city.

I always have to remember how to cast on with the Emily Ocher’s cast on but I found a Jen Arnal-Culliford turirial and got it done. Yesterday, this hat was a good thing to work on while I was teaching and I made some good progress.

The crown Emma’s some random pooling and now it seems to be striping. It’s all good and it’ll be done soon enough.

I’ve also been working on my shawl, All About The Ruffles. I’m nearly to the full stitch count on the garter stitch section. I wish I had figured out how dull the garter stitch section would be and skipped this project. I sure hope the ruffle section makes it worth while. the “Harbor” colorway in Emma’s Yarn Practically Perfect Sock is lovely and this year is really lovely to work with. I’ve not taken any pictures because a garter stitch triangle is not very exciting but there will be some coming.

I snuck in a Knitting for Olive yarn order before they stopped shipping to the USA. I’ll be knitting one of their designs, too, for the first time. The Wilson sweater has a Henley feel without the buttons and with a collar. I need a black sweater and I think this one is classic and can be worn with our without something underneath. I’m really going to have to invest in a better light to knit with black yarn. (I also have some black linen to knit a sleeveless top with. I love black clothes, I cannot lie.

My SISC continues with Murmuration. Another pattern from the Sock Project book by Summer Lee. I may have already posted this photo but I repost it because there is a mistake here and the photo pointed it out. I’ve since frogged it back and added another (third) eyelet round to the third lace pattern. Good grief. My brain! My focus is definitely struggling with all that’s going on in the world. I am looking forward to our Rhode Island vacation next week and am planning to tune out and turn off social media for a few days to see if that helps my brain to focus. It’s all good in the end but good grief, I’m supposed to be an “expert” and a knitting teacher. I get frustrated with myself when I make such rookie mistakes!

I picked three cherry tomatoes and my first Delicata squash today from the garden. they say that Delicatas are ready to pick when they have stripes and you can’t easily break the skin with pressure from your fingernail. This one is there. I think I’ll have to cook it for supper tonight to see how it tastes. I also have cups (and cups) of shredded zucchini to use and will get it grayed, freeze some of it and bake with some of it. Plan is to make some zucchini bread, some chocolate zucchini bread and maybe a chocolate zucchini cake to take with us to the beach. Yum. We still have e some tomatoes on the vines and a few more delicatas coming along. Lettuces and kale are going to be picked today for salad with my supper.

I guess I’d best get myself moving. I have a bank deposit to make for the store before noon and then I can drop off the banking stuff at the store. The boss is back Monday and I no longer have the responsibility of banking. I had a bowl of granola this morning so I may stop for ice cream on my way home for lunch. More knitting will be worked into my afternoon.

Gone knitting.

A Bee-utiful Day! A Wonderful Weekend

Posted on May 20, 2024 by Queen Bee Knits

After a run of cloudy, gray days, this morning was stunningly beautiful. We had to drop my car off to get an oil change first thing this morning but after we got back, we had a cup of coffee and breakfast on the porch. Hubby was reading in the sunshine and I grabbed my crochet hook and some yarn to start yet another project that I’ve been thinking about. Castonitis is real!

At one point I looked up and the Canada Goose Family was passing by and the goslings have already gotten much bigger. We have some huge Snapping Turtles and Bald Eagles, all of whom would make a meal of a little goose. We always cross our fingers for the new babies around the lake.

AND yesterday I got so many little things checked off my list! My college roommate sent me some knits that needed repair. They’ve been sitting on the extra chair in my studio for a while now and I’ve managed to put them out of my mind but yesterday, I pulled a single crochet round off of her favorite (ugly) hat and added a new one and then blocked the hat. It’s drying as I type. She also sent me an Aran sweater that had some wear at the elbow and the folded neckline was coming apart. She’d said that she was ok with my using some visible mending and I did. The elbow will live for another few years and the neckline is repaired and the sweater has been washed and it’s drying with the hat.

I hadn’t been able to find my crochet hooks bag so I decided to clean out the cabinet that holds my “uncommitted” yarns. I emptied everything out because I also wanted to look at the collection of Jamieson & Smith 2-ply jumper weight yarn that I have for two different projects: a cowl that Goodrun Johnston is teaching in season 9 of Knits Stars AND I want to knit a clock face Yoke O’Clock. I was thinking I needed to buy a few colors of fingering weight Shetland wool but I have plenty already in my stash! I’ve now cleaned up and organized the cabinet again and put all of the like yarns in plastic bags to make finding it a wee bit easier. I hope.

I also have a sweater that I knitted for a young woman who I mentored when she was 10. She’s quite a bit older now and is about to have her third baby boy. I made her a Zip Up the Back baby sweater – pattern is Zip Up a Baby Sweater by Marge Webster. I knitted it in Cascade Pacific Prints in greens. This is a great pattern to knit and a wonderful baby sweater. What’s not so great is that I have to hand-sew a zipper into it which is not my favorite activity. But yesterday I got it done and the sweater is blocked, too. (I was shocked that a mass-manufactured yarn bled so much. The water was green!)

That’s three finished objects in one day! Yay, me! I feel lighter already. And that brings me back to the morning today – I cast on a Ruby the Mega Ray. It’s a crochet pattern that my daughter sent to me for my granddaughter and I made it relatively quickly. She suggested that I make another one for her sister and “how cool would it be if you could put one of those corn things inside” … corn things are the microwavable bags that are so wonderful on sore muscles. I’ve made a lot of them over the years. The last bunch for the kids was made after they all got sore muscles after a ski trip up here. So, I’m going to try to adapt a crochet pattern … try, I will. I have a sort-of-plan and if it doesn’t work out, I’ll go back and make the ray according to the pattern. Crossing my fingers my plan works because it sure would be cool!

I’m still making progress on my pink socks. The heel and gusset are finished and I’m working my way down the foot. And I’m also working away on the little pink cotton dress for Sylvie. It’s not a difficult pattern but it’s a lot of purling. If I were to make it again, I’d make it inside out so that there was a lot of knitting …

I’ve cast on another Emotional Support Chicken, too. I had a ball of wool that I found deep in my stash and started the tail in that and then changed to a ball of violet-ish wool that was given to me. I think she’ll have some more of the first yarn in her as stripes around her neck and that should leave me enough yarn to make yet another chicken. Ha! Ha! I’m hooked. They don’t take a ton of time or effort and I am enjoying the process of knitting them. We’ve decided that we’re going to have a chicken coop in the store window this summer and we’ve asked our customers to make Emotional Support Chickens and loan them to us for the window. We’re hearing that it’s a fun idea and hope participation will be strong.

Gone knitting!

Beginnings #wovember

Posted on November 1, 2023 by Queen Bee Knits

Today is the first of November! Yikes! That makes us 5/6ths of the way through the year 2023. It was a clear cold morning here on the lake and the sky was beautiful. Looking out our bedroom window is always a treat.

I’m going to participate (or at least try) in Wovember which begins today. The month belongs to recognizing wool as a premium textile that comes directly from sheep (and does not harm the sheep to have it removed.) I love wool and choose to knit with a natural wool when possible or practical.

Today I cast on a new project because I’ve got a few that are smaller projects and I need a big one to be accomplished this month. (I’ll be reaching out to a friend to ask her thoughts on how to finish the sleeve on my Favorite genser, too. I’d love to have that off my list and I’m so close!) I’m knitting Nancy’s Vest by Carol Sunday (a paid pattern on Ravelry.) I’ve been wanting a more traditional button-down vest and I think this one will be a perfect one.

This is the second cast on (and the proper one!) I followed Carol’s tutorial for a Tubular Cast On which tells me to cast on half the number of stitches that I need with a backward loop cast on (way easier than a long-tail cast on when you’re casting on 351 stitches) using a contrasting color of yarn. Since I need an odd number, I will round UP to 176 (pink yarn). I want a stretchy cast on because it’s the bottom of my vest and so I started by knitting the right side and continuing in stockinette stitch for two rows. On the fourth row, wrong side, I purl 1 and then bring the yarn forward to knit into the back of the purl bump in the first row knitted with my working yarn (gray). I’ve taken some photos and I hope they help …

Photo 1 – the first stitch on the left hand needle will be purled … the normal way … and then bring the yarn to the back. The stitches on the right needle have already been worked and I can see the purl bumps from the first knitted row in grey between the pink “lines”.

Photo 2 – We are going to knit into the back of the stitch that is the first round of gray stitches. We will pick it up on the left needle going through the stitch from top to bottom. The gray stitch we are after is found “between” the pink lines, so to speak.

Photo 3 – Picking up the gray stitch from the top to bottom on the left-hand needle and knit it through the back loop. Bring the yarn to the front.

Photo 4 – I’ve knit through the back loop of the picked up stitch. You can see the stitches we’re after (between the pink yarn “rows” really well here. They’re not difficult to pick up but it is a little fiddly.

Photo 5 – Once you work across the row as described above, you remove the pink yarn. I used my blunt tipped sewing needle to grab the pink stitches from the left side to the right side one by one. Another fiddly step but it’s not difficult. Slow and steady wins the race. Note: this is the wrong side of the work.

Now I just have to knit a couple of inches of 1×1 ribbing before I get to the body of the vest.

I’ll post more photos of the finished ribbing when I have a little bit to photograph. The bottom of the ribbing, though, looks like it just started out of nowhere. Lovely!

I’m knitting this vest in Manos del Uruguay’s Milo (65% merino wool, 35% linen). It comes in a 100g hank with 380 yards making it a sport weight. I’m using a US4 needle for the ribbing. Check out my progress on my Ravelry project page. I’m Lindar on Ravelry.

Gone knitting.

The Miracle of Blocking

Posted on July 9, 2023 by Queen Bee Knits

Let’s talk about the miracle of blocking hand knits. There are a bunch of different ways of blocking your knitwear and sometimes, I’ll admit openly, I don’t block things. I seldom block socks, for example. They get all stretched out when I put them on my feet. If I’m gifting socks, I may lay them flat in a nice way and hand “press” them. But some things really benefit from a true process called blocking – steam blocking, wet blocking – often it depends what I’ve knitted that decides how I block it.

The Arne and Carlos Mini Nordic Jumpers that I’ve been chipping away at over the last couple of years are a good example of how blocking changes the look of the stitches. In the first three photos below, you can see that the stitches as I’m knitting them are a bit wonky and not all the same size.

But the last photo, above, shows how they look after a good steam blocking. In this instance I used my steam iron, on the linen setting, and a damp white hand towel to gently steam the stitches. I place the damp towel on top of the little sweater and then gently press with the iron to apply wet and heat which tames the stitches. I always feel so accomplished when the stitches are all the same size and look so orderly.

All of the little items above were made for my granddaughter. I didn’t block these the same way at all. These garments are all cotton or cotton blends and as such need to be handled differently. I hand washed them and then lay them flat to dry. In reality, when her parents wash them, they can be machine washed and dried flat. It’s just easier for me to wash them as I finish … and I may be a little less busy than Kate and Spencer. The lace romper I stretched out a little bit so that the lace and bobbles show off appropriately.

My lace shawl, was wet blocked. Left to soak for 15-20 minutes so that the yarn is soaking wet all the way through. It’s then gently squeezed dry, dried more by stepping on it while it’s wrapped in a cotton bath towel and then stretching it out aggressively and pinned into place. When it’s totally dry, the edges are so stretched that when I unpin them, they don’t bounce back at all. They stay where I put them. It goes from being a mangled mess to a stunning pattern of lacework and the textured stitches are clearly visible. It’s a miracle!

Gone knitting.

Still Knitting … but Secret Knitting

Posted on November 11, 2022 by Queen Bee Knits

We’ve been having summer-like weather in Maine for the last few weeks. I’m not going to be popular when I say that I would rather have cold, fall weather. But this is New England and it’ll change. This I know for sure. In fact, tomorrow we’re expecting rain and wind and then we’re supposed to get some cooler weather. One customer today even said that she’d heard snow on Wednesday.

I’m knitting away like crazy. At this time of year I always am. I used to plan to make something knitted for everyone in the family. Those days are over because it was killing me. Not everyone wants or needs something that I knit and I’ve stopped knitting like a crazy woman before Christmas.

This year I’m making a Christmas stocking and a Christmas sweater for my granddaughter and a hat for my daughter (and another as a surprise for someone very special.) I’m going to have twenty hours in the car when we go to my bonus daughter’s wedding in Washington, DC in early December. I’m hoping that by the time we’re in the car that I will be able to knit a vest or sweater for myself in the car. I only have a minimum of five sweaters’ worth of yarn that I need to knit.

That said, let’s talk about what I can talk about.

I’m knitting three “plain” stockings for my cousin Joan who had a moth infestation. The moths destroyed her childhood stocking and a couple of others. When she called to ask me if she could commission me to knit some new stockings I couldn’t say no. So, I found some green, red and white worsted weight yarn and did a bit of pattern research. I decided to use the traditional intarsia patterns, take away the intarsia and the decreases to the heel and knit a simple stocking.

I cast on 60 stitches and knitted the leg of the stocking flat starting with 7 or 8 rows of 2×2 ribbing and then changing to stockinette stitch (knit on the right side and purl on the wrong side.) The reason that stockings are so often seamed up the back of the leg is because they really need some structure and strength there in order to be able to hold the weight of the Christmas morning goodies (if you’ve been very good!) I knitted 84 rows of stockinette stitch (or about 12 inches) and then joined to knit in the round. The first 15 and last 15 stitches become the heel stitches and the next step is the heel flap. On the right side, slip 1, knit 1 across and on the wrong side, slip 1 and purl the rest of the stitches to the end of the row. The last row should be a right side row. When the heel flap is 2 1/2 inches long, we’ll turn the dreaded heel.

Basically, if you’ve noticed, this is the exact same process as knitting a sock but with worsted weight yarn. Not rocket science. Not scary. Just follow the simple steps and trust the pattern. Mine is a very loose pattern, it’s not tech edited or tested. Beware if you choose to follow it. LOL.

Heel turning: on the wrong side, slip 1 stitch, purl 17, purl 2 together, purl 1 and turn. Slip 1 stitch, knit 5, knit 2 together, knit 1, turn. From here on, look at your knitting and slip the first stitch, purl to one stitch before the gap (that’ll be six stitches purled after the slipped stitch), purl the stitches on either side of the gap together, knit one and turn. Now you’ll do similarly on the knit side … slip 1, knit to the gap (7 sts.), knit two together, knit 1 and turn. You’ll continue to slip 1, purl to the gap, purl the two stitches together (one from either side of the gap) and purl 1 then turn and knit back as you’ve been doing. Do this back and forth until all of the stitches are used up. Ending with a knit row.

Gusset time! Pick up and knit 12 stitches down the side of the gusset. Each of the slipped stitches leaves a pretty clear place to pick up stitches. Knit across the 30 stitches on the top of the foot. Last, you’ll pick up and knit another 12 stitches up the side of the second side of the gusset and then knit across 9 of the heel stitches. Knit once around the stocking and then every other round will be a decrease round: at the bottom of the first side of the gusset you’ll knit 2 together, knit across the top of the foot and then knit two together at the top of the second gusset side, knit to the end of the round. The decreases are on either side of the top of the foot only in this part. Once you are back to the original number of stitches, you just knit around and around until the foot measures four inches from the heel flap edge.

Now there’s only the toe to knit. Again, the decrease rounds will be every other round until there are 28 stitches and then every round until there are 12 stitches. The decreases are in four places on the toe. The beginning of the round is at the middle of the bottom of the foot. Knit 12, knit 2 together, knit 2, knit 2 together, knit 24, knit 2 together, knit 2, knit 2 together, knit 12. You can place markers, use DPNs, whatever works … you are the boss of your knitting! If you’re still using the 16″ circular needle, I’ll place markers at the sides of the sock, separating the top of the sock and the bottom of the sock. The decreases will be made on both sides of the markers. After a decrease round, knit one round plain (with no decreases.) Decrease and knit a plain round until there are 14 stitches on each side of the sock (top and bottom.) Now you’ll decrease every round until there are six stitches on either side and cut the yarn long enough to Kitchener stitch the sides together. Weave in all the ends and you’re pretty much finished.

I hold two strands of yarn (about 24″ long) together and use a crochet hook to make a chain that’s about four or five inches long. Thread a needle with one of the ends and pull it from the outside to the inside of the stocking just under the ribbing and tie both ends of the chain together very carefully and tightly.

I always use duplicate stitch to add the name to the top. Cousin Joanie said it wasn’t necessary but I’m going to add names if only so Santa knows which is which.

I’ve finished one green stocking and am down to the foot of the red stocking. Tomorrow I’ll pick up the white yarn for the third stocking. If I really sit and focus, I can knit these in a couple of days but I knit quickly.

Gone knitting!

Humlebi Shawl

Posted on March 15, 2022 by Queen Bee Knits

Can you see them?

When I saw this shawl on Ravelry, I knew I had to buy yarn and cast on. I had to!

Bees!

Pattern: Humlebi Shawl by Fiber Tales

Yarn: Patagonia Organic Merino (Light Grey colorway; three hanks)

I have knitted a lot of shawls and this is the first one that I’ve knitted that starts with a pico cast on – and over 300 stitches! I’m not convinced (yet) that the picot is picot-y enough, but I hope that if I block the shawl and pin each of the picots that it will be more accentuated. I can’t wait for the yarn. to bloom and to see what happens to the little bees. They’re knitted over a few rows so the first half of them is just a couple of wings and a bobble … bee butts! I had to laugh when I saw them. And then you go back and knit another bobble row and the bee is finished. They’re adorable and I’d like to add them into every single thing that I knit from today forward. (I probably won’t do that but, gosh, they’re stinking cute.

I am knitting this shawl in Patagonia Organic Merino yarn by Juniper Moon Farm. This may be my new favorite yarn. I have a vest worth in a charcoal gray and I have a sweater quantity in a rusty orange color. It’s a rustic wool but it has a nice hand and it’s just sticky enough that it would be a perfect pick for a colorwork project. Obviously, this isn’t colorwork but it’s a fun and simple enough project.

The bees are simple enough as are the flowers. The rest of the shawl is garter stitch with decreases. Lots and lots of garter stitch and decreases. Once I reach seven stitches, I’m done. More on that as I make progress!

Gone knitting.

FO – Frosty the Snowman Christmas Stocking

Posted on October 27, 2021 by Queen Bee Knits

I have finished and mailed off another family heirloom for a customer and friend. This stocking is the second one that I’ve knitted for her. The coolest part of the whole story is that her mother, now deceased, designed these stocking patterns for a very well-known stocking pattern company. Her mom had knitted stockings for the whole family and they’re trying to keep the tradition alive by knitting her mother’s patterns for new additions to the family. Cool, right?

The Frosty the Snowman stocking is relatively simple Intarsia knitting. A top hat wearing snowman who is holding a striped candy cane. My friend asked that I use angora as the pattern requires. With little bits of green for his scarf and mittens, black for buttons and hat, the most clever and my favorite piece of the design is the way she designed the candy cane – with white stripes on the red fabric and red stripes on the white. Sooo clever and it works so well!

What I don’t like about the Intarsia technique is weaving in the ends. The front looks so clean and clear but the back is bedlam! Each color across a row requires a different length of yarn and that means there are lots of bits of yarn dangling from the back. Every one needs to be woven into the reverse side of the stocking without being visible on the front. I also add the name in duplicate stitch on the front and then seam up the back and add a braided length of yarn to hang the stocking. Lots of work!

Crazy mess on the back. All cool on the front.

I was very happy with this stocking and I hope she is, too. I wish that their family has a very merry Christmas this year and every one after.

Gone knitting!

Mary Jane Mucklestone!!!

Posted on February 6, 2020 by Queen Bee Knits

YOU GUYS!!! I took a class with Mary Jane Mucklestone!!!

Late last week, my co-worker, Glenda, shared with me that she was going to take a class at the Farnsworth with Mary Jane Mucklestone. Needless to say, I was hoping that my calendar and husband would be supportive of me doing the same … and that there would still be space in the class when I signed up! The knitting gods were smiling in my favor so on Saturday afternoon, Glenda and I, driven by my handsome hubby, went to Rockland!

Mary Jane is a wonderful and knowledgable teacher. The class was inspired by my friend and knitting idol, Katharine Cobey, who has a one woman show at the Farnsworth through April 12, 2020. Go see the show. It’s magnificent. I blogged about it here. Katharine made famous diagonal knitting and the class was a Fair Isle design based on “diagonal” knitting but the Fair Isle way. Mary Jane was kind enough to bring one pattern for her Flying Geese Cowl about which she had intended to teach the class. She also was inspired to design another cowl pattern very shortly (days) before the class was to happen and we also got that cowl. It is, as yet, unnamed.

We learned a lot about choosing colors when knitting in the Fair Isle way. We were to come to class with an inch or so of ribbing in a dark, high-contrast color. I chose an Ella Rae Classic Wool in a dark charcoal gray. (Details on all my yarns are on my Ravelry project page. Find me on Ravelry, I’m “lindar”.) I brought a bunch of leftovers from my stash in various colors that I like which you can see above. Since you don’t need a whole lot of any one color, in this case, I brought bits and bobs. We needed three colors to really have some fun and I finally chose the creamy white Galway worsted and the one right next to it which is an ice blue colorway in a Paton’s Classic wool. All three are worsted weight and plain old wool.

While we were knitting, Mary Jane serenaded us with stories and tales about her travels to and knitting from Fair Isle. She is a wonderful story teller and full of knitting knowledge. I really enjoyed listening to her talk. She brought TONS of samples of Fair Isle motifs, talked about and demonstrated how some yarn colors, shades and tones, play well together – or don’t. It was a wonderful day.

Glenda, my co-worker, has finished knitting her Flying Geese cowl and she was blocking it when we last spoke. I must be knitting too slowly. I am planning to finish my cowl today because we have a snow day today so it’s an unexpected “free” day to sit in my atelier to knit. I don’t think I have to tell you that both cowls are fun to knit and a good way to learn to knit with two colors at a time (and you don’t have to catch the floats!)

I offered and Mary Jane has accepted me as a test knitter for this pattern and I am happy to oblige. Deadline is 2/13/2020 … so I had best stop “talking” and go knit!

Gone knitting!

Proof. Fan girl photo! Thanks for obliging me, Mary Jane!

Teaching This Old Dog a New Trick: Still Learning

Posted on February 17, 2019 by Queen Bee Knits

My wonderful co-worker provided me with a kit of wool and supplies for this month’s ornament pattern from Attic Heirlooms. I’d put it into the pile of projects that I am amassing and it seems that this morning was the morning to get it done!

As I stitched away, I realized that I was doing the blanket stitch all wrong. All wrong, all along. I pulled out the outside edge but decided to leave the stitching on the flower in the center just to remind myself that I can still learn. I grew up hearing “can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” I am here to tell you that I am calling BS on this one! I am proof that you can keep learning no matter how old or young you are!

You can see that I have left the “wrong” stitching around the pink part of the flower and continued in the “right” stitching around the red leaves. I pulled out the green around the mitten after a little bit of thought because I really do want to be proud of my work.

I had always wondered why my blanket stitches didn’t really stay square. Now I know. I was doing it the wrong way! That’s what happens when you teach yourself (sometimes!)

All done! All I need is a little string to hang the ornament with and it’s ready for our tree … in a few months, anyway!

Attic Heirlooms is on Main Street in beautiful Damariscotta, Maine. You can find the free patterns or reasonably priced kits on their website. There are some cute shops, good food and a lovely coastal feel to Damariscotta. You should visit!

Gone knitting!

You can find me on Facebook at Queen Bee Knits by Linda Warner and on Instagram as QueenBeeKnits. I’m on Ravelry @lindar. I hope you’ll join me there!