You would think by now, I would be tired of all this Bee stuff. Bee shawls, Bee stoles, Sisterbee books,Bee colored yarn and now Bee colored fiber to spin, but I have to admit, I am still fascinated.
It all started early this summer when my daughter, Ashley prodded me into reading The Secret Life of Bees.
The way the story wove in and out with quotes from books such as The Queen Must Die: And Other Affairs of Bees and Men, really struck a cord with me.
Then of course, there was Anne’s stunning Honeybee shawl/stole, which I will finally be able to start working on after next week.
……and then there was the revival of my summer garden. As I tended the garden I became acutely aware of the interaction between the bees and the fruits of my garden.
Many mornings, I would find little sleeping worker bees in most of my squash flowers………and as I would see them, I would contemplate a bit.
Hmmmm…..more bees in the garden would be a good thing, right? Next I met a beekeeper in Utah, who spent some time chatting about bees with me and gave me a list of recommended reading.
Part of the fascination for bees as been what they have represented to me in terms of how I regard my fiber sisters…..but even more than that is what an important contribution these little workers make to our environment.
Coming home from Utah, the first thing I did the next morning was to stroll thru the garden with my coffee. When I saw this little guy snoozing on the Sunflower petals as the morning was quite chilly……….it kind of confirmed in my mind, that YES, I think I would like to be a Keeper of Bees.
…..and my husband thought I was kidding……..until he saw my books today…he really should have known better… 🙂
This will probably be my last post until later in the week as the fair is winding down. I have some new things that have been on the back burner to start working on……new yarns, new fibers and maybe a new pattern, so I am looking foward to what’s ahead. 🙂
I hope that you all have a great week in your corner of the world!
The Woolen Rabbit 
At first glance I thought that photo was of pumpkins, not pumpkin-colored yarn.
I liked the Secret Life of Bees–thanks for reminding me.
I’m jealous of your weather; we had snow today and 37 degrees. Not fun.
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Your yarns look wonderful ! Saw them on Anne’s blog too, very pretty !
Wonder what she is going to make out of it, some Bee socks maybe ?
What fascinates me most about bees is their wonderful way of working together.
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Gorgeous yarn! You captured the color perfectly.
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Your honey yarn is so gorgeous.
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Bee-utiful!
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My grandfather was a beekeeper when we were small; we loved the honey and it was an education to see him work with the bees.
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spectacular color. A bee keeper… wow. how cool!
great photos too, btw.
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I’ve always found bees fascinating, too, and would love to research being a beekeeper someday. I hope that you’re able to fulfill that dream of becoming a beekeeper yourself.
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You’re really going to become a bee keeper? That’s very, very cool! I heard last year that our bee population is decreasing and recently I read that it’s due to a virus. So having more bees is good! (Are you going to put honey in some of your soap products?)
My husband likes to pet the bees that spend the night on our flowers. 🙂
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You take lovely photos. I had to visit a beekeeper this summer with my son during treatment for his bee phobia. It was facinating. (He is much better now.) Yarn AND honey! What could be better? Good luck with the keeping!
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I really love this post! I enjoyed my friends on my sunflowers this year, too…. I have a little fascination with these VERY IMPORTANT creatures as well! I just hate when I see those little ‘bug killer’ tubes hanging in trees…and your see all the bees in there 😦 There is a severe issue with honey bees in this country and people don’t realize it! More power to you if you chose to beekeep! I’m loving the ‘bee’ knitting as well…
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Love that book! Love this bee post too!
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I read “the secret life of bees” for the second time this summer and I liked it even more this time! I would love to keep bees someday when I have a place. Keep us updated on how it goes!
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Bees are on my list of creatures to add to this property.
But the sheep came yesterday, so I guess the bees will have to wait a while.
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Keeping bees is interesting. I used to visit a neighbor when it came time to collect the honey. The architecture of the hive is fascinating and beautiful. Good luck to you on this new adventure. The yarn is beautiful, hope that Anne is working on some bee socks! The towels that you are weaving are beautiful too. Sure wish that I was closer–I would love to see all your “goodies” in person. Have a wonderful and creative week!
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I love the fact that you have become smitten with bees. It’s funny how these kinds of things come along just at the right time. I feel that way about sheep. I have books and have gone to a friends’ sheep shearing the last two years and really love it. Hopefully when we move from the city, I will get to have sheep. I hope that you will share what you learn about bees. I have never heard of bee yarn. Now I think that I am going to have to have some!
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I love all of my bees in my garden esp my bumbles. Until I had my own garden I didn’t realize how many different varieties there were out there. Some of my favorites are the very small green bodied beneficial bees a little more than a quarter of an inch long. I have always wanted to have my own apiary, but my town sprays for mosquitos with Pyrethrins which is deadly to them. I’ll be just as happy living vicariously through you and your future bees. That new fiber looks great btw.
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We used to sneak up on bees and capture them in jars when we were kids. The goal was to get as many bees as possible in one jar. The trick was figuring out how to let them go in a way that you didn’t get stung. This kept us entertained for hours.
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What a bee-tiful pile of yarn and roving!
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I like this post! Nice to read of your continuing inspiration – it has translated so nicely into your yarns!
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I kept bees for a few years. The book that will absolutely push you over the edge is Sue Hubbell’s “A Book of Bees.” Her writing is exquisite and it’s quite practical as well. Hmmm, maybe I’ll get my hive cleaned up and look into bees again next spring. I’m looking at your Tupelo Gold laceweight for Anne’s Bee Stole. I’m already working on the Bee Fields shawl.
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My dad kept bees for years when I was young… it’s a great hobby. 🙂
Hopefully I’ll find you at the fair… we’re heading out to Fryeburg tomorrow!
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I’ve been thinking about beekeeping,too! Love your yarn & your blog!
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I loved June so much in Secret Life of Bees. What a magnificent story. Read it a few years ago. Beekeeping will be so fun to read about. Did you make the lorna’s laces self striping bee socks? I did this summer. They are so cute.
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Stasia (http://yarnandabarn.blogspot.com/) used to have some beekeeping pages at her old blog. Didn’t see them just now but she might still have them archived somewhere. Lots of beekeepers in Ohio have lost soo many of their bees to whatever bacteria or fungus thing has been going around – very sad.
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Love your nekked ladies! And bees are just magical. Good luck at the fair! Blue skies!
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