The Sisterhood of Bees

Honey bees depend not only on physical contact with the colony, but also require it's social companionship and support.  Isolate a honeybee from her sisters and she will soon die.
~The Queen Must Die: And Other Affairs of Bees and Men

This one paragraph sums up exactly what my fiber sisters and blogging is all about for me.   The friends I have come to meet in the blogging world have become as important to me as some of my long time friends.  We have all connected with each other through our love of fiber, but we have also become a sisterhood of friends over the years as well.....like bees in a colony.  Some of us are worker bees and some of us are queens, but our community itself is one that supports each of us in a unique way.   It's a place I like to call home :-)

This summer has been a summer of bees and honey for me.  I just finished my book, "The Secret Lives of Bees" and it was just the right book for me to read this summer.  I loved every single page....so much so, that I teased my husband about becoming a bee keeper.

It has also been the summer of the Bee Shawl, which is high on my list of to do's this Autumn.  A few weeks ago, a woman contacted me to do a custom order of laceweight yarn in the same colorway as my Tupelo Honey sock yarn.  Of all the color palettes there are, these golden colors are my favorite, so it was easy to take this order on.  I loved this yarn so much so, that I dyed up enough for myself to make the stole and I will sell the remaining few skeins as I purchased enough to play with.  I'm thinking this lace merino may become a staple here....I like it VERY much!

Before I can play in the honeypot however, I need to finish Ashley's vest.  The back is finished and I have moved onto the front.  I am not touching another knitting project until this is finished as I know, once I put it down, I may never pick it back up again.  I am just not really feeling the love...but Ash loves it, so onward we go!   Hopefully it will be finished this weekend.

Comments

[mirlimirli]

What a great site just dicovered all these wonderful goods ive just finished dyeing handspun with brown onionskins looks just the colour of our local mallee honey
mirlimirli in australia

[stacey]

The yarn is positively edible! I also enjoyed that book - very fitting for a summer read:) And I agree, I have found some very special people in blogland - it's a good thing:)

[Marianne]

You very much described the way I am feeling about the knitting world :-)
The yarn is really lovely, such a warm golden color !

[Brenda]

Can we pre-order the laceweight yarn in that colorway? I have the pattern for the Bee Shawl, and have been looking around on the net, looking for yarn.

[alotta.knittin]

I have come to truly cherish the people I've met through blogland. I haven't been doing this for a long time but I do feel I'm getting to know so many wonderful people. Now, if I could only get my act together and post more on MY blog maybe more people would come and see how things are going in my corner of the world!

This is a sisterhood and I'm thrilled to be a part of it. Wonderful yarn you have there!!

[Julie]

Ohhhhh, I must have some of that colorway! It is really lovely-perfect for some end of the summer socks! Just delicious! Great pictures, too.

[Dana]

The yarn looks yummy. Funny how that book seems to make everyone want to become a beekeeper!~

[tiennie]

That honey yarn is gorgeous!

[Lynne]

That yarn is incredible, Kim. It so reminds me of late summer, and bees. Now I want to read that book, too!

[Beth S.]

Oh, I want that yarn. Please make more!!! :-)

[Beth]

The golden colors in that photo are so rich and beautiful. You always do such an amazing job with the dyepot. :)

[Wool Winder]

Beautiful honey colored yarn! Hang in there with the vest. You'll like it so much better when it's finished.

[Cheryl]

Something about that top photo that I just love! I haven't read the Secret Lives of Bees yet, but I keep hearing about it. I was under the impression that it was sort of sad though, so I haven't checked it out. I've been preferring not sad books lately.

[Mindy]

The bee analogy was beautiful. Your honey yarn is quite beautiful as well.

[Amy]

I love your colorways! Lace has kind of taken over my life and I am halfway through the Bee Fields shawl. It would be great to see Rosemary & Thyme and Iggy Pop in Laceweight.

[margene]

So perfectly said! He have a thriving community and we seem to get closer as friends even if we never meet. I feel so fortunate that you'll be here, in Utah, in just a couple of weeks!!

[Laurie]

The honey yarn is lovely. Can you do a sock skein in that colorway? Hmmmm?

You are so right about the bee analogy and the fibergirls. I finish my email in the morning, then cruise through my girls' posts to see how they are doing.

[Kat]

That is some "honey-lish-ious" yarn!!

[Kathy]

I loved that book too. And I love your yarn -- it perfectly captures the warmth of honey.

[Manise]

So glad to be in the hive amongst all of you! I love the quote-truly I don't know what I would do if you all disappeared. I too loved the book and was sorry to get to the end- I wanted it to continue on.....

As a child and as an adult I've been fascinated with having my own apiary.

The lace weight is heavenly. Envisioning making Anne's Bee Stole with it.

[gina]

Beautiful yarn, I think it will be wonderful. I have the pattern here in the stash and will get going as soon as I get a few other things done around here!!

[Bliss]

Your colorway is perfect for the bee shawl - so golden and delicious looking. It convinced me to try the bee shawl, even though lace is not my best friend - hee. (Hopefully I snagged some, it went through to PayPal.)

I agree with your assessment of our online community of fiber lovers and the wonderful friendships that form. And for me, if they share my love of dogs, then that just adds to the glue that holds us together.

[Kirsten]

The Secret Life of Bees is a wonderful book. Three years after reading the book, I enjoyed reading your quote and remembering how Sue Monk Kidd threaded bits of "The Queen Must Die and Other Affairs of Bees and Men" throughout her book. The words were always a perfect fit with her text.

Your yarn is gorgeous. Anne's Bee Shawl is high on my list. I hope to get a chance to cast on this Fall.

[Chris]

I read Secret Life of Bees a couple years ago and loved. Loved! it. Sad but hopeful, full of wonderful characters and written so lyrically. It's a book I'll certainly read again. I look forward to your Bee Shawl!

[Carole]

That colorway is gorgeous in the laceweight! I'm glad to be your friend.

[anne]

oh kim the honey yarn is really really good!

[Rachel]

Oh my, it is so beautiful, I am sure the honey bee will look just beautiful in it!

[Ruinwen]

That colorway is so yummy...I'm just in love with it! :)

[Cheryl, the knitting Jungian]

Kim, I love the yarn and I am looking forward to seeing what other colorways you do in it!